I live in a state that doesn’t have magazine capacity restrictions, but regularly have to travel in and through states that do have magazine capacity restrictions.
Always carry at least one spare mag in case of a phase 2 malfunction. Where it’s legal to do so I’d prefer to carry a gun with as much capacity as I can conceal so I can carry just 1 spare mag and only for that malfunction insurance. If carrying low capacity(less than 10) I’d rather carry 2 spare mags because in the rare event that I am being attacked by a mob of people I prefer to have enough ammunition to reasonably escape.
There is also a winter loadout and a summer loadout. I also have a gun that I can carry in jeans and a tee shirt and still consider it concealed, but if I have more concealing clothing I’d prefer to carry something more substantial.
i STARTED OFF CARRING A GLOCK 26 ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. STILL HAVE IT & OCCASIONALLY I CARRY IT. I AWITCHED TO A SINGLE STACK FOR THE COMFORT & BOUGHT A RUGER LC9S. SWEET LITTLE GUN. NOT NEARLY AS EASY TO SHOOT AS MY GLOCK BUT WITH PRACTICE I HAVE NO PROBLEM PUTTING ROUNDS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE WITH IT. THEN I WANTED A BIGGER PISTOL & GOT A WALTHER CCP. IT SHOOTS LIKE A DREAM. SO, I CARRY THE WALTHER & AN EXTRA MAG. IF I HAVE ON GYM SHORTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT I GRAB THE RUGER BECAUSE IT’S A GREAT POCKET PISTOL. THEY ALL HAVE TRITIUM SIGHTS
I have a few that I can carry, but I only carry the same one daily.
My daily carry is now my M&P 9. That is what I train with the most and I am the most proficient with.
I used to carry the XDS 9 and before that the Shield .40. I still have both and the only time I have carried them is when my M&P was in the shop. I like to have backups for if my primary is out of commission for whatever reason, but I don’t like to change the firearm I carry if I can help it.
I have started carrying two firearms lately. I always have one on my person, and the other in my EDC bag. I carry two just in case I am in a situation where a second defender is needed. I will not hand it to just anyone. With the places that I visit frequently, I have identified a few trusted people who are willing and trained to step up if needed. Also, in the event that I am separated from my primary gun, for whatever one-off reason, I can take my backup gun out of my bag and stay in the fight.
I just carry one gun. I do have other EDC options, but I would have to transition to those options and train and commit to that platform for that set amount of time.
If I really wanted to carry, and I really needed a small gun, I might switch it up, but I have yet to have a situation I couldn’t dress around my 19x. Pretty crazy what you can conceal AIWB.
I carry 1 EDC consistently now which is my M&P 9mm Shield Plus with Truglo sights. My home defense guns are M&P Sport 2 556 caliber and my pistol is 9mm 5” barrel M&P with an Inforce light.
That’s a nice trio you have there. Little bit of brand loyalty too.
If you don’t mind, random curiosity somewhat related, what type of ammunition do you keep in that 5.56 for home defense? So many choices out there, so many of them being decent/good choices, I’m always curious to see which ones people actually go with
Many EDC Firearms. They do not make you better looking, stop aging, never sweet talk you or scream at you when you make a mistake. The Wife is a great
Master Bette Half to help you. and they are easier to learn from.
EDC’s come in many packages and the best EDC is the one that fits you and the service to protect and train.
The weather, humidity, snow, rain, a bad hot day or 6 feet of snow. It must fit you the best possible way and we are all different.
I have two.
P365X (bare bones) and a G43X (RMRcc and SA mags).
When it’s hot the P365X is at my side.
Colder weather calls for the G43X since I like to carry that at my 3:00 in a pancake holster.
Now, if you ask me how many holsters I have, well that’s a longer discussion.
I posted a wordy explainer on another thread. You’ve got variables like… short barrel or long(er) barrel? how much of a concern is over-penetration? likely engagement distance (across the room or across the field)? barrier-blind or not? fragmenting or expanding or tumbling?
I use 62gr 64gr Speer Gold Dots. Barrier-blind, expanding round. They also come in 75gr and 55gr flavors. These are fairly readily available and reasonably priced.
My other recommendation, especially for short barreled (pistol or SBR) ARs, AND you have a lot of concerns about over-penetration, is the Sierra Tipped Match King (TMK) loaded by Black Hills or Corbon (there may be others loading that projectile too). It’s a fragmenting round with a core that gets you sufficient penetration to reach vital parts.
My various work and play habits often require carrying in different positions with different concealability limitations so I have two options for EDC, a micro 9 and a very micro .380 both with 10 or 12 round mags. Both function very similarly and I have put similar sights on them so going back and forth is pretty easy. When switching carry positions I make sure to do mental and physical practice to hopefully keep my hands from going to the wrong spot in a stressful situation.
