By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
Not long ago I picked up a test gun at the local FFL, and as I filled out the requisite forms the clerk asked if I would be adding this handgun to my carry rotation. I said well maybe.
After a rigorous test I thought to myself and only then if it does something the guns in my proven battery wont do as well. I enjoy firing and testing diverse firearms. I give all a fair shake from three hundred dollar polymer wonders to three thousand dollar heirloom guns. It has been a while since I purchased something I actually needed.
Having dealt with quite a few hardcases who took a right angle turn on the aberrant behavior spectrum personal defense is too important to engage in a gun of the week contest. Many shooters carry rotation is comprised of constitutionally second or third rate handguns. The carry gun should be the pistol you trust and which you perform the best with. It should be the best handgun you can afford. You should master this handgun to the best of your ability. It is healthy to occasionally change your boots and hats, but the handgun demands more time and consideration. Changing a carry gun should demand some thought. We aren’t talking about replacing a given handgun, mind you, but choosing different handguns to carry occasionally for one reason or the other.
We should be armed to the full extent of our ability. Let’s face it, the police are not willing to expend significant resources on those they feel don’t deserve it. They aren’t motivated to protect or avenge citizens. That is what it has become. In most jurisdictions the police have become yard police and focus on petty ordinances, operating as revenue officers. Motivated officers are worn down from spending the majority of their time wiping peoples bottoms for them.
There should be a tactical argument for carrying different handguns in different environments. The rub is we don’t know the situation aforehand and the problem is likely to be the same- stopping a motivated attacker. A general purpose sidearm is well suited to most personal defense problems. A Glock 19 9mm as an example is pretty much a go anywhere do anything handgun. The default choice should be a concealable compact handgun.
As a young man I carried the gun mostly because it was the only good gun I had. I was able to afford a backup and if quality had to suffer it was in the backup and a second rate revolver might be carried in this role. Eventually relative prosperity led to ownership of more handguns. And better handguns. Today I bow to the demands of the true four season climate in most parts of the country. A compact reliable and useful 9mm handgun is often carried under a sport shirt or heavy T shirt in hot and humid weather.
The FN Reflex, Shadow Systems CR 920 and SIG P 365 are ideal for this duty. You don’t have to restrict yourself to a six or seven shot weapon of limited wound potential. These pistols offer good protection for those who practice.
The carry rotation should be tactically sound. As you may imagine my vocation demands I test and evaluate a large number of diverse handguns. As a result most of you are more proficient with your carry gun than I with mine because you fire fewer pistols. I may have a higher round count in practice.
In the continuum of size and weight I don’t trust ineffective or unreliable firearms. No second rate handguns, no .32s or a .380. Colt, Ruger, or Glock, the pistol is proven reliable before I carry it.
The backup remains the same for the past few decades a double action .38 Special revolver. The next step up from sub compact 9mm handguns is a fairly large jump. The Glock 19 Shadow System MR920 or the Steyr 9mm are choices. A middle of the road handgun is my choice for more than fifty per cent of my carry needs.
The SIG P365 XMACRO 9mm is a neat sized pistol. The Springfield Hellcat Pro is comparable. These handguns are easy to shoot well. I don’t say this lightly when I say that these are little guns that shoot like big guns. They shoot better than expected from their size and weight class.
When traveling or during the winter months we may conceal a larger piece under the topcoat. Funny though folks in the outback seem less estranged from the niceties of civilization. Long familiarity and excellent handling led me to the Government Model 1911 .45 for carry under a long covering garment.
My choices are not frivolous but based on conditions. The choices are situational and climatic. In most situations I am able to conceal the very capable Shadow Systems MR 920, a Glock 19 size pistol wearing a Holoson RDS.
My carry rotation is a handful of capable mid-size to service size handguns and a couple of backup revolvers. The primary guns may be worn strong side or crossdraw and sometimes in a shoulder holster. The backup rotates from ankle to pocket to vest to topcoat outer pocket. As might be expected I have a good number of quality holsters for carrying these firearms- usually two to three holsters for each handgun.
A condition of the carry rotation is to consider carrying in an atypical environment. Most of my travels are in pursuit of good food, blues music, and the wonderful people you run across from New Orleans to Natchez, Jackson, Nashville, and the Cumberland Gap. Just the same the real world sometime intrudes. Even the Natchez Trace and the parkway have seen violence.
I also enjoy hiking and walking in outlands. Dangerous animals are a consideration there and a different type of handgun may be on the belt. Not long ago a rabid bobcat bit seven people and each needed medical treatment. Big cats are a concern and feral dogs are common. When hiking the threat profile isn’t a takeover gang or multiple assailants and I may lean a bit toward feelings and a sense of history. A single action revolver in .45 Colt or .357 Magnum is a comfort. However- sometimes the climb is challenging, and a heavier handgun becomes a drag.
The likely threat attacks quickly and goes for the head or throat. A handgun that may be pressed into the attacking animals body and fired without jamming is important. Exactly why the backup is a revolver! In this application the revolver still rules. As a lightweight carry gun the range isn’t likely to be a concern in an animal attack. The Smith & Wesson 640 Pro is a capable and reliable handgun. It is most often loaded with the Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman .38 Special +P.
The caliber offers plenty of penetration and fits my needs well. This steel frame revolver with its high visibility tritium sights is another little gun that shoots like a big gun. I don’t need greater control or accuracy than this gun offers. Although- when weight isn’t as great a premium a larger handgun is carried.
Those are my thoughts on the carry rotation. If you are able carry the same handgun at all times. If not let the choice hinge on concealment without limiting access. Don’t compromise too much on size and power. There are equally good choices as my own. Make your decision on facts and not whims.
