Carry a backup gun EDC? Why/why not?

[ISHOOTHST'S]

Carrying a bug that takes the same mags as primary should be considered when choosing.

 

[Larryjr]

Some days, not others. Really just depends on what I'm wearing and how I feel from day to day. No real reasoning behind it.

 

[88E30M50]

I almost always have my Sig P238 in my pocket, even when carrying either a 1911 or CZ on my hip. There are a bunch of reasons for doing it, and I don't count paranoia among them. First, sometimes the pocket gun is faster to draw than the one on the hip. I carry the pocket gun in a pocket holster and there have been many times that I've been walking down the sidewalk and there is a person of questionable demeanor coming the other way. With pocket carry, I can have my hand on the gun, thumb on the safety and be halfway out of the holster all the while looking like I'm just walking along with my hands in my pocket. If you pull your shirt back and grip your pistol when you see shady folks, you can either initiate a confrontation or a visit by the law.

Second, I just about always have the pocket gun with me and it's safer there than if left at home. It's light and easy to carry, so why go to the trouble to put it in the safe when I can just continue to carry.

Third, sure it's a longshot that the very instant my EDC gun would be needed would be the same time it breaks, but it can happen. I also buy an occasional lottery ticket knowing that the odds of winning are incredibly small, but do so anyway because I'm happier when I do. No different for a BUG.

 

[southpaw.nc]

Carrying a backup gun, if its a P32, P3at, LCP sized gun, is lighter and less bulky than an additional magazine for your main double-stack handgun!

Also, you can carry your primary strong side hip, and your backup weakside in your pocket... you never know if when you need to draw your gun your strong hand will not be available.

 

[JohnP82]

I never leave the house without my main EDC. I often have a BUG with me as well but not always. Main thing is to make sure you have a gun with you at all times and to be trained with it.

 

[deadeye]

Over kill buy a reliable edc.

 

[Relatively Ninja]

I personally believe that if you carry one gun you should carry a second one, for reasons already stated by posters above me cough cosermann cough. Two is one, one is none. However, I do not carry two because I'm a broke college student and I can barely afford one gun (and ammo).

One point that I would like to (re)make:
Carrying one gun all the time is better than carrying two guns some of the time. Don't buy a second gun that is too uncomfortable to carry with you in addition to your EDC.

I would recommend a small pocket gun to supplement your EDC "just in case". Some people say thats overkill, but isn't the reason most people carry in the first place "just in case"? Lastly, a retired LEO that was speaking about personal safety said when he leaves the house on a normal (not in uniform) day he carries a primary handgun w/2 extra mags, a secondary handgun w/1 extra mag, a flashlight, a backup flashlight, a cell phone, and a knife. Paranoid? Yes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[EnochRoot43]

I am a long time gun enthusiast but short time LTCH holder (2 months). In that limited time, I would say that 100% of the time I have my KelTec P-32 with me (at bedtime it is about 8 feet away) and when I am away from the house (and also in the house sometimes) I also carry a Taurus 709 Slim IWB. I do it because its really no bother and I would prefer to have the 9mm if things got weird. I carry both of them chambered. That is the reason I choose the 709....in addition to its slim and subcompact profile, it also has a thumb safety. The p-32 has no external safety, but since it sits in my front pocket with its trigger covered by a holster, I don't really worry much about an ND or AD. The greatest reason for carrying both handguns, though, it that they are safer with me 24/7 than left home where they might be discovered by my toddler, an unknowledgeable family/friend, or a thief.

Having two weapons is also a blessing in many circumstances. Like mentioned earlier, I can get my second gun in action much faster than I can reload my primary, but also I can easily move my p-32 to my hoodie/coat pocket while I am driving, making it much more accessible than my IWB piece. Also, I go to certain places where being discovered with a firearm would cause much drama but is not illegal. In those instances, it is nice to be able to leave the 9mm behind but still remain armed.

I say....carry what you are comfortable with, just carry something. You might save your own life, your families life, MY wife's life, or MY parents life one day just because you decided to go ahead and carry a smaller gun more often.

 

[Magyars]

As Ninja stated 2 is 1, and 1 is none.
I usually carry two....but I ALWAYS carry.

 

[randyb]

I will generally only carry one firearm at a time. On occasion i will carry a 2nd weapon. I tend to carry a backup interestingly enough as a hand over to a buddy or family member who isnt paranoid like me and doesn't carry 24/7. The other times I carry it is because of ease of access (i.e. in my coat during winter) and makes another firearm easier to get to.

 

[Garb]

I see a lot of people posting about semi auto pocket guns as their BUG. Does anybody carry a j-frame in their pocket? I was thinking about getting the lcr for my pocket gun.

 

[dom1104]

I see a lot of people posting about semi auto pocket guns as their BUG. Does anybody carry a j-frame in their pocket? I was thinking about getting the lcr for my pocket gun.

In my experiance its easier, more comfortable and a faster draw to IWB a j-frame, but it certainly WORKS in the pocket.

If I had a choice, <which I do> I wouldnt put it there <which I dont>.

I even have 3 pocket holsters that never get used.

IWB in a clip holster at 1 o clock works fantatastic for a BUG.

 

[BlueEagle]

The small semi-autos are just so low-profile that they are perfect in a pocket. On a guy who is built like me, (6'3", 175 pounds,) even my cell phone leaves an appreciable lump in my pocket. If I tried to put a revolver in there, everybody everywhere would know I had it. But I can stick my tiny little Taurus .380 in there and it just disappears.

On larger guys, I can see it being less of an issue.

 

[glockednlocked]

In warm weather I admit I often slip do to comfort and just carry one,but I try to allways carry two. Fastest reload is a second gun and I figure I carry a gun for insurance to start with so really should carry two guns to insure against mechanical failure of gun number one.

 

[BlueEagle]

Yeah, it just makes sense to me. Who knows what sort of fist fight, car accident, mugging or whatnot will go down before I wind up getting my gun into play. For all I know, my right arm is broken or torn off, and I cannot get into my strong-side IWB holster with my left easily.

In addition, the "faster reload" argument is very persuasive. I like carrying my G17 and G26 primarily because I can then carry a spare 17 round magazine, (or 31 rounder, if I'm feeling like I might need it,) and I can reload that magazine into either one.

Plus, having two identical guns, (as far as function and form,) is handy in a SHTF scenario. That way I'm not trying to fumble off the thumb safety I'm used to on a gun that doesn't have one or vice versa.

 

[sonofadoublegun]

I also buy an occasional lottery ticket knowing that the odds of winning are incredibly small, but do so anyway because I'm happier when I do. No different for a BUG.

+1 - Well said!

 

[bullet]

IMO if I need to carry a back up then it should take the same clip/ammo as the main gun. When I do carry a back up it's part of a "system" I carry a G21 and a G30 with one G21 clip which will work in either gun.

 

[Disposable Heart]

Few things confuse me:

Bug with same mags as EDC: Why? If I run through the main EDC mags, why would I save mags for my bug? If I am going for a bug, then I have had something VERY catasstrophic happen...

Carrying bug PLUS EDC: I get a lot of strange looks when I say I only carry my J frame. I feel confident that if I need more (as stated by someone else), I should have already been at my trunk 15 rounds ago, Winnie 70 at the ready to put .270 Accubonds through something's butt... (LOVE rifle sighted bolt actions...) 70s thinking, yes, but should work.

 

[BlueEagle]

Mainly for redundancy. In many of the scenarios listed above, you cannot access or use your EDC, and so you need your backup. In that case, its nice to have reloads that will work for either one, so you aren't carrying 2 mags for your primary, and 2 separate mags for your seconday. That would also lead to the brief second while you reload, "Wait, which magazine do I need, and where is it on my body?" Easier to just carry all of the same types of magazines, so that all of your reloads are the exact same motion, not matter which gun you have.

 

[cosermann]

Few things confuse me:

Bug with same mags as EDC: Why? If I run through the main EDC mags, why would I save mags for my bug? If I am going for a bug, then I have had something VERY catasstrophic happen...

Carrying bug PLUS EDC: I get a lot of strange looks when I say I only carry my J frame. I feel confident that if I need more ...

Why? - as has been mentioned, catastrophic failure of main gun is one reason. Broken firing pin/striker, critical spring, jam that cannot be cleared fast enough, etc. These things happen. Also, in situations where primary is lost/taken, etc. extra mags fit the BUG. I don't typically carry such a system, but I see the logic behind it for those who do.

J frame - there was a shooting incident just last year (or the year before), and after digesting the details of the incident, IMHO the only thing that saved the guy was that the perp had a 5-shot revolver and was the first to run out of ammo (and hence, split the scene). The victim was running a 1911-style pistol and had a hiccup in operation (don't get me started on grip "safeties"). Had the handguns been reversed (perp -1911, victim - 5 shot), the victim would most likely be dead (or had a seriously bad outcome). It would have been easy to shoot him execution style, and the perp showed every intention of staying in the fight (until he ran his gun dry that is). And this only involved 1 perp. It's getting more common to be assaulted by a pair.

Folks have different situations and risk tolerances and make rational decisions based on those.

When the stakes are so high, zero is the only probability some folks are willing to live with, and anything reasonable that can be done to get the probability of an adverse event as close to zero as possible will be considered.

Back to the OP's question, I like a small frame revolver (ex. S&W J-frame, Ruger LCR, etc.) or polymer 9mm as a BUG (ex. Kahr CW9). I'll go smaller than 38+p if it's a tertiary gun.