Do you carry what you shoot best?

[88E30M50]

Um. Why carry something you don't shoot best?

There are a bunch of reasons. For instance, if you shoot a full size gun best, as many of us do, but are going some place that is definitely gun-unfriendly, you might carry something that conceals better. Or, the gun you shoot best might be a bear to carry all day long. In my case, the gun I shoot best has crappy sights that work well on the range, but would be near useless in a low light situation.

I'm not talking about carrying a gun you don't shoot well, but just wondering what the rational was when someone carries something different than their best. In my case, I think it comes down to caliber. I shoot 9mm best and I really feel that 9mm is more than adequate for daily carry but sometimes I want something a bit bigger. I've found myself doing that since last summer after the theater shooting. I know it's silly, yet I still sometimes go with a 10 or 15 round capacity 10mm just because I'd want as big a hammer as possible in that situation.

 

[churchmouse]

1911 most of the time. Shoot them all very well.
Light dress days it is a CA Bull Dog that is an up close and personal kind of gun. Shoot it well at close range.

 

[ultra...good]

No, I do not carry what I shoot best. I think you might be able to figure out why.
I shoot my Browning Buckmark the best as it has a light, smooth trigger. Real low recoil so I can hit a match book at 15-20 feet with all 10 rounds in a short amount of time.
My second best is my Ruger Redhawk with 6" barrel, might be 1/2, 3/4 not exactly sure. For some reason I have a good rhythm with that revolver. Shoot, cock, shoot. Works pretty smooth.
I carry a 1911, smith 908, and either a P3AT or Taurus 605 for backup.
I can hit pretty good with all of the above mentioned. But best with the Buckmark.

 

[Jarhead77]

I guess I'm befuddled ...or too cheap. Your life or the life of your loved ones is worth the time and effort to find the one that will work best in most all situations. Why spend hard earned cash on a weapon and then not practice with it enough for it to be the ONLY one you need to carry?

I'm a dinosaur I guess.

 

[ultra...good]

different jobs require different tools. If I had the choice, I would carry the 1911 all the time with the .357 as backup. Unfortunately the 1911 is a little big and does not cover very easily in the summer time. Thats where the 908 comes in along with the P3AT. As far as training, I prefer to be proficient with all of my firearms. It is undeniable that I am the best with the buckmark though. It is what it is I guess.

 

[Goober135]

My most accurate handgun is my Ruger 22/45 with microdot and comp, but I obviously don't carry it.

My next most accurate is my SA GI 1911. I can tack drive with it. I don't carry it though, because I'm a lefty and it isn't fully ambidextrous. Plus, I like the assurance of more than 7 or 8+1

That leads my to my actual EDC, which is my Beretta 96FS. 10+1, ambidextrous, and although I can't tack drive with it like my 1911, I have no problem getting rounds on target.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

No. I shoot my 1911 most accurately and fastest. However, my work policy forbids SAO and I don't like switching platforms. So, I carry my second best, a Sig P220, until the policy changes.

 

[Hookeye]

Can't shoot it well? Don't carry it (Hell, trade that POS off).

 

[88E30M50]

Can't shoot it well? Don't carry it (Hell, trade that POS off).

I'd hope that job 1 of anyone that carries would be to learn how to be effective with their gun. To clarify the original question though, I was not saying who leaves the gun they shoot well and chooses to carry what they don't shoot well. I was asking if you have a choice between two guns, both of which you are competent with, if you choose the one that you shoot either more slowly or at the same speed, but with a wider group; why?

The only reason I ask is that I tend to do that sometimes and was wondering if others do, and if so, what is their reason. But the basic assumption is that you shoot both of them well.

 

[88E30M50]

I guess I'm befuddled ...or too cheap. Your life or the life of your loved ones is worth the time and effort to find the one that will work best in most all situations. Why spend hard earned cash on a weapon and then not practice with it enough for it to be the ONLY one you need to carry?

I'm a dinosaur I guess.

No, you make a good point. But, every gun is a compromise of some sort. If you allow yourself to only be competent with one gun, which compromise did you choose? Did you go with a pocket gun and lose the capabilities and capacity of a full size gun or did you go with the full size gun and simply do not carry in places where deep concealment with summer clothes is the norm? Do you carry a mid-size gun to improve on the concealability and carry a lighter caliber or do you work to become as proficient as possible with a big bore gun in a small package?

There are no wrong answers and I was not trying to challenge anyone's way of carrying. I was just wondering what others do and why they do it.

 

[nemo97]

CZ 75BD or 75D. shoot both about the same and currently carry the 75D, mostly due to travelling to Texas and having to conceal and just haven't picked the full size up again once I returned.

 

[mwmroll]

I shoot best my M&P 9 but I rarely carry it due to size. My only other gun is a sig250 which is slightly smaller. I really need to get a subcompact 9 at some point.

 

[STEEL CORE]

No, and I should carry my Glock-23 everywhere, instead I mostly wear the Glock-27, my second most acccurate.

 

[Paul30]

No one does. As mentioned by others earlier in the thread, I don't carry a rifle, and my handgun will never match a rifle. My most accurate handgun is my scoped long barrel hunting handgun, and I don't carry it either. I think the spirit of the question is do you carry your most accurate handgun that you can reasonably carry, or do you compromise your accuracy or capacity in exchange for something that is easier or less visible to carry. I currently carry the lesser gun, as opposed to carrying no gun. I reserve the right to change it any day I feel less safe. Should a level of danger increase over night, you bet I would put away the S&W Shield or Airweight and holster the HK Tactical. If it were riot level I might move up to the AR15. What I recommend is not always shooting your most accurate handgun when you practice. Everyone likes shooting a small group, and many go to the range and shoot their most accurate handgun for group, and leave their small carry gun in the holster. I prefer to practice as much as possible with my smaller carry gun. I will not be as accurate, my groups will not be as small, but my proficiency with the gun that I carry and rely on will be much better.

 

[Aaron1776]

Xd.45 and XDm 9mm compact. Surprisingly the .45 is a lot easier for me to control. Ever since I switched to the in-line thumbs technique, my XDm 9mm has had a habit of jumping up if I don't really make sure I man handle it. (Of course it always jumped up before)
I've gone through a lot of buying and selling carry guns to find the balance between "what I shoot best" and what I carry best. Generally though, whatever I buy to carry is the gun I train with to the point where it is the gun I shoot best with as well.

 

[Whitey1]

No. Shoot a Sig or 1911 best. Carry Glocks. They are very practical and reliable and I shoot them well enough.

 

[pete-phil]

Taken from "Aimed Point Shooting"

The average hit rate for NYPD Officers involved in a gunfight between 1998 and 2006 was 18 percent. For every five shots, four bullets missed the intended target and went somewhere else. And that hit rate is consistent with the "normal" hit rate in armed encounters which hasn't changed much for years and years.

The average hit rate for Officers who shot at subjects who did not return fire, was 30 percent. Officers hit their targets 37 percent of the time at distances of seven yards or less. And hit rates fell off sharply to 23 percent at longer ranges. Also, Officers in gunfights fired 7.6 rounds on average, compared with an average of 3.5 rounds for Officers who fired against subjects who did not return fire. And most Officers have firearms with a capacity of well over 7 rounds, plus extra magazines.

We waste time and money on adjustable sights for hand guns they should all have a laser as long as it is adjusted within two inches of bullet placement at twenty-five feet it will work fine you shoot someone because of eminent danger and if they are twenty yards away you better not shoot until they get closer.

 

[gglass]

Depends on what you mean by "best".

I can shoot more accurately with a Remington 700 than I can with my M&P9, but I carry the M&P9.

I can shoot faster with a .22, but I carry a 9mm.

Handguns, especially carry guns, are always a compromise.

What we have here is the end all, be all answer to the OP's question. Please close the thread and make it sticky.

 

[SMiller]

I shoot my Colt M4 the best but find CCing it to be a bit much...

A Glock 19 seems to fit the bill between aim-comfort-mag capacity-etc, I shoot it just as well as full size gun which is odd but it works.

 

[Cemetery-man]

Toss up. I shoot my M&P 9C and Kimber Ultra II equally well but since I only carry CC and printing is a concern, I choose to carry the Kimber because of its single stack, smaller size and weight.