Finding the confidence in a new carry gun

[Tully Mars]

I have yet to bother with .40 S/W but will at some point due to the way cheaper cost!

I have been going back n forth on the same thing. I've got 1 1/2 5 gal buckets full of .40 brass that I've collected so far. I get brass from a couple of the LEO ranges in exchange for building them target stands/poppers. Anyway, I've now got all this.40 brass and I keep asking myself if I should take the plunge. Problem is that I just can't get excited about the .40. I much prefer the .45 or the 10mm. I'll most likely toss it in the converted cement mixer that I use as a bulk brass tumbler and take it to the next gun show.

 

[11Charlie]

Eh if I buy a gun of good quality and with good reputation - ie Glock, M&P, Sig P series, CZ75 or Beretta 92 series - take it home, clean & lube, load and go. Is there a chance ot will fail? Yes. But theres also a chance that your broken in gun with 500-5000 rounds down the pipe will fail too. Chit happens. If I was buying an unknown quantity then run a few hundred fmjs and a few boxes of jhp through it to function test it.

I don't drive 500 miles on new brakes on my truck before trusting them to save me and i am far more likely to need them to work as advertised than my gun.

Not sure about you but when I get my truck back from the shop the mechanic has road tested it to make sure it is safe. When I get a new gun I'm road testing that thing to make sure its safe.

 

[mkwerx]

Not sure about you but when I get my truck back from the shop the mechanic has road tested it to make sure it is safe. When I get a new gun I'm road testing that thing to make sure its safe.

They drive around the block but don't drive miles and miles. Its equivalent to doing a post field strip function test.

 

[11Charlie]

They drive around the block but don't drive miles and miles. Its equivalent to doing a post field strip function test.

I get what your saying. I would rather know that my carry/defense piece that I carry everyday will function when the shtf.

 

[Koda]

The comparison is unrealistic, you drive your vehicle every day... If theres a problem with the repair youll know it and take it back.

You dont defend yourself every day, and most likely never will with a gun. You will have no clue how any gun will work when you need it, until you spend some time "driving" it.

 

[11Charlie]

The comparison is unrealistic, you drive your vehicle every day... If theres a problem with the repair youll know it and take it back.

You dont defend yourself every day, and most likely never will with a gun. You will have no clue how any gun will work when you need it, until you spend some time "driving" it.

Yes.

 

[mkwerx]

The comparison is unrealistic, you drive your vehicle every day... If theres a problem with the repair youll know it and take it back.

You dont defend yourself every day, and most likely never will with a gun. You will have no clue how any gun will work when you need it, until you spend some time "driving" it.

With a quirky gun your statement is accurate however I have owned and shot enough of the trusted brands and models to have confidence in their reliability. Call it a calculated risk. A function test lets me know if the trigger works, the reset works, the hammer or striker works. There are simple tests to determine spring pressures ie if the springs are weak or not. As for how it cycles with a given ammunition I fall back on trusted brands that work and have worked for me before. I get the concern and typically do function test my guns however there are some that I will trust without a break in period.

 

[akoperator47]

I don't believe in the break in period of handguns. It should fire every time you pull the trigger from the first round to the very last. I do believe in shooting it to make sure you get comfortable with the recoil and drawing from concealed etc. That being said, your confidence level should go up significantly. I don't carry a new pistol until I get accustomed to the weight, trigger, holster, drawing, and firing of it.

 

[Whitebeard]

I am pretty methodical about confirming reliability with a new gun. Instead of just randomly putting rounds through it, every shot has a purpose. In the first 2-300 rounds I am checking function of all magazines, most importantly the first 3 and the last three, all while I am confirming zeros from 3 yards to 100 yards. In my experience guns will gag with the first or last of a magazine but rarely in the middle.

I tend to carry a clean gun because it makes the presentation of forensic evidence much easier so the final reliability factor is how reliable the gun is when it is freshly cleaned and lubed. I will shoot two full magazines, clean it, then repeat several times.

It might seem over the top but in 500 rounds I know all of my mags work, my gun will work dirty and clean, exact zero at all useful ranges and I have built confidence in the gun.

 

[Koda]

I tend to carry a clean gun because it makes the presentation of forensic evidence much easier so the final reliability factor is how reliable the gun is when it is freshly cleaned and lubed. I will shoot two full magazines, clean it, then repeat several times.

Ive never heard of anyone being convicted of shooting someone with a dirty gun. How does it make the evidence easier to present?

 

[Whitebeard]

If you are in a situation where multiple officers shot and you did not it makes it easier when you have a clean gun. Also if issues such as powder residue, rifling comparisons etc come up they are much easier to do on a clean gun than one that has had a few hundred rounds of misc loads through it. A dirty gun can also contaminate your hands if it ever comes down to a residue test being conducted on you.

This has nothing to do with someone being convicted because of a dirty gun, it is just simplier for an evidence lab to confrm or deny certain aspects of evidence.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Man I bought a new S&W shield to replace my Glock 26 as a carry piece, but I'm super gun shy to carry it. I've always had full confidence in my Glock and trying to put that new confidence in a piece I don't know well is so much harder than I thought.

I've taken to the range once, but with out at least a few hundred more rounds through I can't bring myself to carry it.

Anyone else dealt with the resistance to trust a new partner?

Take it to a bowling pin shoot. If anything is going to f up, it will then. If it runs like a sewing machine, you'll know it is worthy to use as a carry piece...

 

[nammac]

If you are in a situation where multiple officers shot and you did not it makes it easier when you have a clean gun. Also if issues such as powder residue, rifling comparisons etc come up they are much easier to do on a clean gun than one that has had a few hundred rounds of misc loads through it. A dirty gun can also contaminate your hands if it ever comes down to a residue test being conducted on you.

This has nothing to do with someone being convicted because of a dirty gun, it is just simplier for an evidence lab to confrm or deny certain aspects of evidence.

I also carry a clean sidearm, but I have OCD issues regarding pristinely clean firearms...

If you were to go through my safe, you would think that they've never been fired... It's an illness, I know...

 

[Tully Mars]

I have the same infection

 

[lazytriker]

Man I bought a new S&W shield to replace my Glock 26 as a carry piece, but I'm super gun shy to carry it. I've always had full confidence in my Glock and trying to put that new confidence in a piece I don't know well is so much harder than I thought.

I've taken to the range once, but with out at least a few hundred more rounds through I can't bring myself to carry it.

Anyone else dealt with the resistance to trust a new partner?

Good luck. I have had repeated mag failures with my 9 mm shield. I'm back to my P229 and oversized shirts.

 

[TheShanMan]

My scenario is a variant of the OP's. I'm relatively new to CC and what is taking me longer than I had hoped (quite a few months) is gaining the confidence to carry with one in the chamber (I have an lc9s pro - no safety). I absolutely want to carry that way but my confidence problem has to do with holstering. I don't have confidence that I will holster without catching some clothing in the trigger guard 100.0000000% of the time in my iwb 4 to 5 o'clock holster. I have full confidence in shooting it though. I believe my issue will be solved by a combination of holstering every day and working on it at the range as part of my shooting practice. But I'm open to any other tips.

 

[Defense Minister]

Take a defensive handgun class with it where you'll shoot 300-400 rounds in a day while doing mag exchanges and introducing at least a low level of stress. Shoot a minimum of 100 of those rounds using your preferred carry ammo. If all goes well, you can be reasonably confident in your new pistol. I say "reasonably confident" because even the gun you've reliably carried for years can fail...

 

[Koda]

. I believe my issue will be solved by a combination of holstering every day and working on it at the range as part of my shooting practice. But I'm open to any other tips.

A basic Defensive Level 1 class will cover drawing and holstering techniques but I imagine there should be some instructional videos on youtube if you have time to wade thru all the various advice there...

 

[Roncodrummer]

Man I bought a new S&W shield to replace my Glock 26 as a carry piece, but I'm super gun shy to carry it. I've always had full confidence in my Glock and trying to put that new confidence in a piece I don't know well is so much harder than I thought.

I've taken to the range once, but with out at least a few hundred more rounds through I can't bring myself to carry it.

Anyone else dealt with the resistance to trust a new partner?

Man I bought a new S&W shield to replace my Glock 26 as a carry piece, but I'm super gun shy to carry it. I've always had full confidence in my Glock and trying to put that new confidence in a piece I don't know well is so much harder than I thought.

I've taken to the range once, but with out at least a few hundred more rounds through I can't bring myself to carry it.

Anyone else dealt with the resistance to trust a new partner?

 

[Roncodrummer]

I have been carrying a Glock 32 for a couple years now and this weekend I bought a Taurus PT111 just for the halibut. Feels really good in hand and fired 250 rds flawlessly right out of the box. Still unsure about carrying it. I will Put another 300-400 rds thru it and if nothing presents itself, I will start to carry it periodically. Any of my carry weapons have gone thru stringent testing before I put it on. Just takes time and the courage to just strap it on