Do you shoot your carry gun?

[Aught Six]

I go out once a year, blast a few mags, clean everything up and carry for another year.
Been doing this with a 45 ACP for 60 years. Dont need a lot of practice any more.

 

[shade0219]

Live fire: once a month 50-100 rounds.
Dry fire: 2-3 times a week, 15-20 minutes.

I'm about the same training tempo as you! Will cycle my carry ammo on average every 6 months and run about 50~ rounds on those days.

 

[NWcollector]

I think this is a problem.

20 years ago someone would go out and buy a Glock 19 and carry it on duty outside the waistband, aiwb off duty, in their vehicle when driving and keep it on their bedstand at night. They would be 100 percent proficient and familiar with it.

Now people go out and buy 10 guns to accomplish these roles and and "rotate" them. Nothing wrong with a big collection (and trying new pieces) but sometimes you don't actually have a lot of experience with the firearm that is supposed to protect your life that day…..

 

[Andy54Hawken]

@NWcollector
Brings up a good point....
It is wise to fully know your firearm.
To be so sure with it , that shooting well with it , is a matter of muscle memory.

While not my "carry gun"....
The rifle I shoot the best is my .54 Hawken Rifle...folks often how ask :
" How can you shoot so good with it ..?"
The answer is....practice....it ain't a rendezvous toy for me...it is my primary hunting and shooting rifle.
I learned what loading it likes...and shoot it....a lot.

Your carry gun and or home defense gun should be like that...
Something you know inside and out...and are very comfortable with in regards to using.
Andy

 

[64MercurysRule]

Being so familiar with a firearm , knife , tool , car , wife so that it is second nature without issues is important . Especially if the need of safety & speed is involved .

 

[Catfishmoon]

My carry gun has over 15,000 rds through it in 9 years, since I bought it in 2016. I keep a spreadsheet of the ammo I buy/use, and my carry gun is the only one that uses that particular caliber, so it's pretty easy to know what's been through it.

It's nice to see a gun that has 15,000 rounds through it as opposed to owning a lot of guns that do not reach that total combined.

 

[fishfearme]

yes…
At least 2 mags through the carry gun(s) anytime I'm out shooting.
As a rule, I run through a few draws and thumb the safety before leaving the house unless I'm not carrying that day.
I try to stay at least responsibly proficient. If I can't take a shot due to it being beyond my skillset then I most certainly will not.

 

[Vltor Warrior]

Live ammo, once a month, at least a box (50) in 9mm. For my snub nose 357 half a box is plenty. Practice draws and dry firing randomly.

 

[PNWJander]

Nope. I carry my shootin' gun.

Well said. If you're carrying your firearm enough that you have to pull big hunks of lint out of it, it's time to get to the range and get it proper dirty.

I'd also add that most folks don't practice proper draw & fire drills, nor malf drills. It's all well and good if you can qualify, but if you can't bring it to action or clear a spontaneous malf, it's not nearly so protective as most would think. This includes smoothly, quickly, and safely reholstering the firearm.

 

[DemonRat71]

When I first started conceal carrying I didn't put to much into training with my concealed carry firearm as there was only a few spots that I could go and get some training in. (lived on the coast) But since I have been working at a gun range and have talked to a lot of the instructors and other people that shoot here. I have since considered it to be a priority to train more with it then any other firearm I own. Especially in today's climate of politics and events that are going on. I try to get the same weight bullet in FMJ and hollow points to make it cheaper to shoot. I clean it every Sunday morning while having my morning coffee. I shoot about 150 or so rounds a month with it.

 

[canoliman]

How often do you shoot and train with the gun you regularly carry? That is if you truly carry every day.

I see a lot of guns in the classifieds that will have a description along the lines of, "Carried for X amount of time but has seen very little rounds." Shouldn't it be the gun you have the most rounds through? Or am I the odd ball out on this one.....

2 to 4 times a month depends on schedule. Usually limit to 50 to 100 rounds. Your carry should be trained with regularly to become very connected to it and you know all of the details about it. Practice dry fire and check out Ben stoeger for more info. My vp9sk and p10s are both over 1000.

 

[Spaz]

Live once or twice per month, probably 200-300 rounds total per month. Dry 2-4 times for 15-20 minutes per week. Mostly working the draw and presentation.

I don't understand why people think they are ok shooting once or twice a year for a box or two. It is a perishable skill no matter how long you have been doing it.

 

[Spaz]

I think this is a problem.

20 years ago someone would go out and buy a Glock 19 and carry it on duty outside the waistband, aiwb off duty, in their vehicle when driving and keep it on their bedstand at night. They would be 100 percent proficient and familiar with it.

Now people go out and buy 10 guns to accomplish these roles and and "rotate" them. Nothing wrong with a big collection (and trying new pieces) but sometimes you don't actually have a lot of experience with the firearm that is supposed to protect your life that day…..

This is an issue that gets overlooked. If you have an AR and an AK and you split your available training time evenly between them, it will take you twice as long to reach a level of competency with both that you could reach with just one in half the time. Same with handguns. Train with the one you carry, and carry only one.

 

[WillametteWill]

I think this is a problem.

20 years ago someone would go out and buy a Glock 19 and carry it on duty outside the waistband, aiwb off duty, in their vehicle when driving and keep it on their bedstand at night. They would be 100 percent proficient and familiar with it.

Now people go out and buy 10 guns to accomplish these roles and and "rotate" them. Nothing wrong with a big collection (and trying new pieces) but sometimes you don't actually have a lot of experience with the firearm that is supposed to protect your life that day…..

I'm usually quiet about this unless I'm asked or teaching a workshop...but yes, this. ^^^

I see time and time again at the range, in classes I attend, and classes I lead, shooters who swagger in, saying how awesome they are with the latest (fill in the blank gun), and their manipulation skills (reloading, manipulations such as locking the slide back, holstering, etc.) suck beyond words. I'm beyond patient with new shooters and folks who understand what they need to work on and are attempting to do so. Good on them. I'm talking about the (almost always males) who look like they are at a spelling bee and were just asked to spell terpsichorean when they have anything go sideways with their guns. As @Spaz noted, it is a perishable skill.

If you have a carry gun with a manual safety (like mine, except the revolver I've been carrying for 40 years), unless you have the unconscious competence from a few decades of shooting a bunch, you are very possibly going to have an issue remembering to take the gun off safe unless you do ample dry practice away from the range. You are also likely to have issues if the gun malfunctions. I just shot may 'new' carry gun for the first time yesterday. I went from a S&W M&P 2.0 Compact to a S&W M&P 2.0 Compact Metal. Identical, except with a better slide lock, updated factory trigger (compared to the older version), and about 3 oz of extra weight. Boring.

Everyone should do as they wish, but, with all humility and kindness, I have found the Dunning Kruger Effect is strong in this area. Gun handling in a truly stressful situation even when you are very competent can be challenging enough.

Under pressure, humans do not generally rise to the occasion, we fall to our level of training.

 

[Spaz]

I'm usually quiet about this unless I'm asked or teaching a workshop...but yes, this. ^^^

I see time and time again at the range, in classes I attend, and classes I lead, shooters who swagger in, saying how awesome they are with the latest (fill in the blank gun), and their manipulation skills (reloading, manipulations such as locking the slide back, holstering, etc.) suck beyond words. I'm beyond patient with new shooters and folks who understand what they need to work on and are attempting to do so. Good on them. I'm talking about the (almost always males) who look like they are at a spelling bee and were just asked to spell terpsichorean when they have anything go sideways with their guns. As @Spaz noted, it is a perishable skill.

If you have a carry gun with a manual safety (like mine, except the revolver I've been carrying for 40 years), unless you have the unconscious competence from a few decades of shooting a bunch, you are very possibly going to have an issue remembering to take the gun off safe unless you do ample dry practice away from the range. You are also likely to have issues if the gun malfunctions. I just shot may 'new' carry gun for the first time yesterday. I went from a S&W M&P 2.0 Compact to a S&W M&P 2.0 Compact Metal. Identical, except with a better slide lock, updated factory trigger (compared to the older version), and about 3 oz of extra weight. Boring.

Everyone should do as they wish, but, with all humility and kindness, I have found the Dunning Kruger Effect is strong in this area. Gun handling in a truly stressful situation even when you are very competent can be challenging enough.

Under pressure, humans do not generally rise to the occasion, we fall to our level of training.

I see the same bubblegum in the National Guard. We inherently don't have enough time to properly train with service weapons, so any dry fire/crew drills/personal time we can spend working weapon manipulation is invaluable but competency is low amongst senior dudes who rest on all the time they spent on active duty years ago or the once or twice they take their personal rifle out to the range. Then they show massive bubblegum during quals and LFX. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

 

[1775usmc]

I think this is a problem.

20 years ago someone would go out and buy a Glock 19 and carry it on duty outside the waistband, aiwb off duty, in their vehicle when driving and keep it on their bedstand at night. They would be 100 percent proficient and familiar with it.

Now people go out and buy 10 guns to accomplish these roles and and "rotate" them. Nothing wrong with a big collection (and trying new pieces) but sometimes you don't actually have a lot of experience with the firearm that is supposed to protect your life that day…..

Spot on.

My carry gun is my bed side gun and the gun I take everywhere I go. I may carry different guns depending on clothing but they are all the exact same platform. Same stippling, same controls, same optics, same irons, etc. they are all built alike for the most part. Whether it be a G26, G19, G45 or G34 which are all in my carry rotation. All my time is spent behind one pistol.

 

[Herkemer]

yes…
At least 2 mags through the carry gun(s) anytime I'm out shooting.
As a rule, I run through a few draws and thumb the safety before leaving the house unless I'm not carrying that day.
I try to stay at least responsibly proficient. If I can't take a shot due to it being beyond my skillset then I most certainly will not.

I do the same thing. I usually go every weekend so I am pretty much up to date on shooting it and/or a second almost the same carry gun. The only difference between the two is the magazine size.
43x with the shield arms mags
43x with stock glock mags.

Thats just my tinfoil getting tight in case M114 ever goes through.

 

[Dogbone38Super]

I usually carry a Sig 938. I find it to be very accurate. I try to shoot it every time I can get to the range. Unfortunately, not enough.

 

[64MercurysRule]

" I'm talking about the (almost always males) who look like they are at a spelling bee and were just asked to spell terpsichorean when they have anything go sideways with their guns. "


Terpsichorean ........ Related to Dancing .

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/TG-GmxJSX6g?si=s1023jU9CvRY_25C

 

[nammac]

Shoot what you carry and carry what you shoot.

Gotta keep proficient…