Thread: Why a backup/second gun?

A spinoff of the other thread but different.

I'm interested in WHY you carry a BUG? Respectfully, I not interested if you don't carry a BUG.

Please list all the reasons why you do. Thanks.

Here are some that I can think of. I'll add more when they come to mind.

Primary gun malfunction.
Primary gun out of ammo.
Primary gun taken away or lost.
Give to a friend or family member so they can join the fight or protect themselves.
BUG can become the primary if you can't quickly access your primary such as being seat belted in.
Dominant arm/hand disabled due to injury forcing you to use BUG with non dominant hand.

Two is one and one is none.

Honestly, its often not terribly convenient to carry my full size steel 1911. My back-up gun is a CZ Model 45 in .25 ACP. Its always on me (unless in a federal building or some other restricted area). Its not the best option, however, its a way to fight my way to wherever my 1911 or long-gun is.

Two guns make me feel twice as cool. Three guns make me feel thrice as cool.
But I like to stick to even numbers positioned strategically around my body to balance myself out and improve my stability.

Honestly though, how many reasons do you need? I carry two for the same exact reason I have two tow ropes in my truck. "just in case". There is a plethora of reasons i could need it, none more important than the last. Everything from "in case the first one breaks", to extreme boredom and the desire to braid.
It's a "just in case" gun. You carry it for every possible reason you could need it, and none of the reasons you wouldnt.


The only real reason NOT to carry a BUG is comfort.



OH!
according to this article, "a backup gun could be used as a “drop gun” to help an officer cover a questionable shooting."
Now there's a reason I didnt even think of!

Honestly...I only carry a bug if I know I'm going to be in an area where if I do need to protect myself, it will be with an exchange with multiple rounds.

When I was a security guard I used to carry a BUG on my at all times...I used to say that my main was to make sure I stopped whatever action I needed to stop. My BUG was so I got home in one piece...still working security or not (meaning at that point, if I needed my BUG, then screw whatever it was I was trying to stop or protect and GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE!).

Now-a-days, I might strap on a bug if I plan on going on long trips with mupltiple people (for reasons stated by OP) or if I'm going to go to a city that I know has a high crime rate per person.

Currently, I'm planning a trip to see my brother...my wife has the bug and I'm bringing my Springfield XD .45 Tactical with two spare mags. If 39 rounds of .45 ACP and 6 rounds of .380 don't get me home then I guess I need to practice my shooting!

Somewhat related post here...

Yesterday I was at a gun store and noticed that most of the salesmen had a primary pistol on their hip, but also a 30 round AR mag (loaded) on their belt as well. Considering the 25+ ARs on the wall I guess it wasn't a bad idea if something went very bad. AR right behind you, 30 rounds on your hip... not a bad idea.

Things never go exactly as planned. Mr. Murphy always shows up eventually. Having a backup gun is a small bit of insurance against him.

Ideally, I'd run a sub-compact in an ankle holster in the same caliber as my main gun, but the world isn't always ideal. Until then, my .25 ACP CZ will have to do...

Fastest reload in the world is a second gun.

jj

A buddy of mine had his quad and hunting rifle stolen from him while hunting,Yep he was on it,A guy held him up @ gun point...
He used his GPS to hike across country back to his rig and actually caught the guy that stole his quad and rifle on his way to his rig...He held up the thief with the .45 he had tucked away...He took his quad and rifle back and the thief's boots...Met up with a LEO and explained what had happened,Gave the LEO the thief's boots and told him his last location...

Originally Posted by SDR

A buddy of mine had his quad and hunting rifle stolen from him while hunting,Yep he was on it,A guy held him up @ gun point...
He used his GPS to hike across country back to his rig and actually caught the guy that stole his quad and rifle on his way to his rig...He held up the thief with the .45 he had tucked away...He took his quad and rifle back and the thief's boots...Met up with a LEO and explained what had happened,Gave the LEO the thief's boots and told him his last location...

Taking the boots! I love a good karma story. I've been considering a spare mag/cuff case holster to go with my beltslide for the contingency when you get the habeous grabus on the D-bag. Not to hijack the thread but does anybody carry some cuffs off duty instead of a 2nd gun?

Should have taken away all his clothes, smeared him with bacon grease and looked for bear sign. Greydog.

I carry one depending on where I am going. I like to be prepared for any situation that may arise. A person could have a malfunction. A person could somehow lose the main weapon falling, having it taken, ect. It also may be more convenient having two locations to choose from in a particular circumstance. For example if a person was sitting, squating ect, it may be easier and less noticeable to get to a ankle holster than drawing from a shoulder holster, hip holser ect. Mr Murphy tends to visit me a good amount and so I count on it. LOL. Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

As was mentioned it would be nice to carry both the main gun and backup in the same caliber, but I carry a .40 as my main weapon and a 9x18 as the bug.

New York reload...

New York Reload
Redundant layers of coverage
Ease of concealment when a larger gun won't work
If the main gun gets taken away I still have another
If I get into a really hairy situation and need a second set of eyes I can hand the BUG to my wife.

Plus, you can arm a friend or family member with your second gun should the need arise.

jj

We should all carry at least ten guns at all times, just in case.

IWB strong hand, OWB cross draw. IWB small of back. Ankle holster. Shoulder holster. Tactical leg holster. Fanny pack. Brief case. Pocket mouse gun. And the ubiquitous day planner.

I mean, you never know. You have to be prepared for every eventuality. I'm working on a concealment device for a tactical nuke. When the SHTF, I want to be the prepared guy.

Originally Posted by CEF1959

We should all carry at least ten guns at all times, just in case.

IWB strong hand, OWB cross draw. IWB small of back. Ankle holster. Shoulder holster. Tactical leg holster. Fanny pack. Brief case. Pocket mouse gun. And the ubiquitous day planner.

I mean, you never know. You have to be prepared for every eventuality. I'm working on a concealment device for a tactical nuke. When the SHTF, I want to be the prepared guy.

Nephew was headed south over the pass and had to pull over to put on chains. Night time and the area had other vehicles that had no chains. He gave his wife his gun and went out to put on the chains and a Hispanic came up and tried to take them from him. Another gun would have sent him packing in a hurry.

Your sarcasim seems to be more of a troll than a statement. Not sure if it's elitists arrogance from years of being a state employee living off the rest of us or just boredom cause nobody is replying to you

jj

Friend had me get him a Walther 380 PPKS to take fishing just for protection He was out in the boat and it was a little foggy when some drunks started firing shotguns at his boat. They shot high in the air so the pellets would drop on him and he could hear them laughing as they did it.

He asked me to get him a bigger gun and now carries a Model 29 fishing and keeps the PPKS for a backup

jj

Building a road in Eastern Oregon and my friend Don was the last worker on the job. He was changing out of his work boots along the side of the road when a car load of Hispanics came up behind his rig. Two of them got out and began to rob him. My boss drove up to check things out and carries a gun. He drove the Hispaincs off but could have armed Don too if he carried a second gun.

jj

Originally Posted by Just Jim

Your sarcasim seems to be more of a troll than a statement. Not sure if it's elitists arrogance from years of being a state employee living off the rest of us or just boredom cause nobody is replying to you

jj

Don't mind him, he's just playing as he carries a back-up cell phone to call the police... in case his go-to phone has a dead battery.