new to carrying

[rugershooter6823]

See for me i just carry winchester whitebox. I know a lot of guys will disagree with that decision. I carry it because i shoot it so much. It's all relative. 9mm practice ammo hits harder then some other calibers that people carry. I really enjoy shooting my sr9c and usually send about 300 rounds down range every trip. I know that gun from point blank to 25 yards. It's my only auto, maybe thats why its so fun. For me its all about confidence, my gun has had one malfunction since I bought it, and have put around 2000 rounds through it. The recoil is very controlable so its easy to shoot fast and accuarte. I don't know if going to some high power loads would make me feel any better.

The problem with fmj, is that it will proceed to exit the target and hit what ever is behind it. Like maybe an innocent bystander if a self-defense situation arises.

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[matthew.allen]

See for me i just carry winchester whitebox. I know a lot of guys will disagree with that decision. I carry it because i shoot it so much. It's all relative. 9mm practice ammo hits harder then some other calibers that people carry. I really enjoy shooting my sr9c and usually send about 300 rounds down range every trip. I know that gun from point blank to 25 yards. It's my only auto, maybe thats why its so fun. For me its all about confidence, my gun has had one malfunction since I bought it, and have put around 2000 rounds through it. The recoil is very controlable so its easy to shoot fast and accuarte. I don't know if going to some high power loads would make me feel any better.

Do what you're comfortable with, but it is not all relative.

Bullets stop threats by disrupting the central nervous system and/or the cardiovascular system. The way handgun bullets accomplish this is by creating physical wounds. Cavitation only really comes into play with higher velocity ammunition fired by rifles. So, the best way to get effective handgun terminal performance is by carrying premium defensive ammunition with an expanding bullet, such as hollowpoints. Full metal jacket or other range type ammo simply won't expand, and is less likely to cause the physical disruption needed in a critical incident.

All in all, you may be able to stop a threat with FMJ ammo, but why not load up and carry something that is designed for that exact purpose?

[XDM45]

I'm all for testing it, but every time? I don't think that's needed.

Then how often?

Once?

Once a year?

Once every 5 years?

Periodic function tests are an important part of being able to trust your weapon. If you don't do them, you can't be surprised if your weapon fails when you need it most.

EVERY gun malfunctions for one reason or another. To blindly trust that your firearm will work without periodic function tests is silly. I send rounds down range through my carry piece almost every range trip (usually just spend my carry ammo and replace it with fresh), and they happen fairly frequently. Is it expensive to shoot PD ammo at the range? Yeah, it can be..... but worth it. It's the best way I know of to cycle carry ammo. All in all it really only ends up being about 200 rounds a year give or take. To some that may be a little excessive, but to me it's par for the course.

I think we're in agreement on checking it because I said "If you can't trust it, you shouldn't carry it. This holds true for guns and ammo. I'm all for testing it, but every time? I don't think that's needed." How often I think varies with each individual, but of course you shoot your EDC at the range, thats not in question at all, only how often you cycle your ammo. For each person, that must be their own choice.

[sgruenhagen44]

See for me i just carry winchester whitebox. I know a lot of guys will disagree with that decision. I carry it because i shoot it so much. It's all relative. 9mm practice ammo hits harder then some other calibers that people carry. I really enjoy shooting my sr9c and usually send about 300 rounds down range every trip. I know that gun from point blank to 25 yards. It's my only auto, maybe thats why its so fun. For me its all about confidence, my gun has had one malfunction since I bought it, and have put around 2000 rounds through it. The recoil is very controlable so its easy to shoot fast and accuarte. I don't know if going to some high power loads would make me feel any better.

The problem with fmj, is that it will proceed to exit the target and hit what ever is behind it. Like maybe an innocent bystander if a self-defense situation arises.

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After reading heffays thread, "Get off the Couch" I have decided that FMJ ammo is the best carry ammo in the US. With all these obese criminals everywhere I need the extra penetration.

[jshuberg]

You should function check your weapon every time you clean it, and you should clean your gun as often as you wipe your ass after taking a crap - every single time.

I don't rotate my carry ammo on any particular schedule - when I notice that the top 2 rounds are becoming tarnished from loading and unloading, I'll shoot them and replace them with new rounds, which happens maybe every 2-3 months. Around once a year or so I shoot all of the ammo in my carry mags, and then run a few dozen FMJ rounds thru each mag to make sure that they are still feeding properly, mostly just for peace of mind. Then I clean them, load them up with carry ammo and rinse and repeat.

It's probably a good idea to replace the springs in your carry piece after a certain round count, but I just keep an eye on the springs that tends to weakens first, and when one starts to weaken I just replace all the other critical springs at the same time. In a Sig P239 (my carry piece) the first spring to weaken is the hammer reset spring, so I pay close attention to it during a function check, even though it is not a critical spring itself. If you're familiar enough with your piece and know what and where to look during a function check, you'll know when its time to do a spring replacement, which lets you be lazy on tracking round count and replacement intervals.

I also give my pistols a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner every couple thousand rounds, just so they have that nice fresh feeling when they go walking down the beach at sunset.

[XDM45]

You should function check your weapon every time you clean it, and you should clean your gun as often as you wipe your ass after taking a crap - every single time.

You clean you non-fired weapon every day? Does anyone on here do that really? Maybe... but most people? I doubt it. That seems a bit OCD to me, but that's my opinion.

I can see cleaning it right away after firing it at the range (which I do every time), and if it's not been fired for awhile since doing a cleaning at that point should be pretty quick and light work along with lubricating it. What's "awhile"? That depends on the person. Once a week should suffice.

I don't rotate my carry ammo on any particular schedule - when I notice that the top 2 rounds are becoming tarnished from loading and unloading, I'll shoot them and replace them with new rounds, which happens maybe every 2-3 months. Around once a year or so I shoot all of the ammo in my carry mags, and then run a few dozen FMJ rounds thru each mag to make sure that they are still feeding properly, mostly just for peace of mind. Then I clean them, load them up with carry ammo and rinse and repeat./quote]
Sounds like a good system you have for yourself there.

It's probably a good idea to replace the springs in your carry piece after a certain round count, but I just keep an eye on the springs that tends to weakens first, and when one starts to weaken I just replace all the other critical springs at the same time.

Agreed.

[sgruenhagen44]

Replace springs after a certain round count? What would that round count be? I guess for me I have no idea how many rounds have been through my carry gun. 2000? Wouldn't you just replace springs once you encounter a problem? Is that not the point of shooting your carry gun? I'm just sayin... If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[gunforhire]

See for me i just carry winchester whitebox. I know a lot of guys will disagree with that decision. I carry it because i shoot it so much. It's all relative. 9mm practice ammo hits harder then some other calibers that people carry. I really enjoy shooting my sr9c and usually send about 300 rounds down range every trip. I know that gun from point blank to 25 yards. It's my only auto, maybe thats why its so fun. For me its all about confidence, my gun has had one malfunction since I bought it, and have put around 2000 rounds through it. The recoil is very controlable so its easy to shoot fast and accuarte. I don't know if going to some high power loads would make me feel any better.

The problem with fmj, is that it will proceed to exit the target and hit what ever is behind it. Like maybe an innocent bystander if a self-defense situation arises.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

After reading heffays thread, "Get off the Couch" I have decided that FMJ ammo is the best carry ammo in the US. With all these obese criminals everywhere I need the extra penetration.

I like to carry fmj's in the wintertime, in case I run into a knife wielding Jabba wearing layers at -10

[matthew.allen]

Personally, I think that obsessively cleaning and maintaining a gun just increases the opportunity to cause a malfunction through increased handling.

I field strip and clean my carry guns after the range, and give them a cursory wipe down and re-lube every month or so whether they've. been fired or not.

[Stradawhovious]

You should function check your weapon every time you clean it, and you should clean your gun as often as you wipe your ass after taking a crap - every single time.

You clean you non-fired weapon every day?

That's not how I read it.

Do you wipe your ass if you haven't just dropped a deuce? I believe he is saying your firearm needs to be cleaned after every range session. I whole heartedly agree.

To address your point, I usually clean my carry gun once a week, fired or not.

[GunGoogler]

You should function check your weapon every time you clean it, and you should clean your gun as often as you wipe your ass after taking a crap - every single time.

You clean you non-fired weapon every day?

That's not how I read it.

Do you wipe your ass if you haven't just dropped a deuce? I believe he is saying your firearm needs to be cleaned after every range session. I whole heartedly agree.

To address your point, I usually clean my carry gun once a week, fired or not.

That's how I read it as well. Either that, or he's arguing that he cleans his pistol after each bowel movement. For my own sanity, I'm going to assume the former, rather than the latter.

I also agree--clean your firearm after every session--especially if its your carry piece. I also function check my carry piece every day before I put it on, and clean it once a week regardless of its use.

[sgruenhagen44]

[



Do you wipe your ass if you haven't just dropped a deuce?

.[/quote]



I do if I think I sharted.

[XDM45]

Replace springs after a certain round count? What would that round count be? I guess for me I have no idea how many rounds have been through my carry gun. 2000? Wouldn't you just replace springs once you encounter a problem? Is that not the point of shooting your carry gun? I'm just sayin... If it ain't broke don't fix it.

No doubt. Heck, I've already put close to 4,000 through my .22LR and 3,000 through my XDm .45ACP and the mags and springs seem solid enough.

[XDM45]

I also agree--clean your firearm after every session--especially if its your carry piece. I also function check my carry piece every day before I put it on, and clean it once a week regardless of its use.

That seems reasonable to me as well. That's my plan as well.

Adding onto that, if I haven't fired it in a weeks' time, give it a cursory cleaning and lubrication, check it out to make sure it functions, and of course as noted above, clean it after every range trip (which I've done every time since Day 1 when I bought both my pistols brand-new).

[Stradawhovious]

Adding onto that, if I haven't fired it in a weeks' time, give it a cursory cleaning and lubrication, check it out to make sure it functions,

This is a good habit to get into. Sweat, dust and lint can really gum up carry gun if left unattended.