What's your EDC?

[Guest]

Beretta APX Centurion.

[Snargfargle]

I carried an issue M1911A1 for several years, does that count? Other than that, I've never carried a gun around other than when out hunting, specimen collecting, or target shooting. When I was doing field research in mammalogy I hauled around a .22/20 gauge over and under to collect museum specimens with. Other than collecting, I shot it up into the air once to scare a bear away from camp but that's about it. I hauled it with me all around the US and even into Canada, where I had to check it at the border, of course. I probably was committing a felony having it in my truck in several states and cities I passed through but I didn't know it at the time. Once when I picked it back up from the Canadian border checkpoint it was nice and clean and they gave me a box of .22s and a box of shotgun shells too. The border agent said "We'd never seen one of those so we took it out and shot it, I hope you don't mind." The Canadian border agents were a friendly as could be. I wish I could say the same for the American ones, who seemed to go out of their way to be complete jerks (I'd use a stronger and more appropriate epithet but this is a family-friendly forum). My sister now has it and uses it to shoot the diamondbacks that come into her yard at her place in New Mexico. Those rattlesnakes have bitten her dogs more than once. One had a big hole in its leg from a snakebite for nearly a year until it finally healed up.

I've got a Browning Buckmark that I take out and shoot cans with occasionally. It's pretty accurate but I can't see iron sights too well anymore so I put a Red Dot on it. With that sight I can hit tin cans pretty good at 25 yards offhand and up to 50 yards away if I shoot from a rest. I need to take it out and do some shooting with it once the weather warms up and the roads dry up from the snow-melt. I use the penny to open the battery compartment and adjust the sights. I've used those same Army ear plugs for almost 50 years now, not the same type, the same ones.

Edited January 19 by Snargfargle

[Snargfargle]

OK, I decided to go out and run a clip of .22s through my pistol. Yes, I said "clip," that's what we called them in the Army so sue me. It didn't take too long because the government starts only a mile outside of town. The roads were a mess and I had to weave through six-foot snow drifts but I made it in 4WD. I had to wade through two feet of snow to set the target up too.

The first shot was low so I had to adjust the sights. The other nine were pretty much on target though. I don't think I did too too badly for the first time out after two years of not shooting a pistol. I'm glad I decided to post this because I just checked and I'd left the Red Dot turned on. Looks like I could go with one more click higher on the sight adjustment too, which is about 3/4 inch at 25 yards.

 

Edited January 19 by Snargfargle

[Guest]

I carry every day, won't leave home without it. It was more necessary back in Houston than here in farm country, but better safe than sorry. 

Edited January 19 by Kalishnikat

[Ensign Cthulhu]

2 hours ago, Snargfargle said:

Once when I picked it back up from the Canadian border checkpoint it was nice and clean and they gave me a box of .22s and a box of shotgun shells too.

God only knows what would happen today.

No EDC here in Canada. Fists and feet only. But I know my anatomy better than most. 

[Snargfargle]

My cousin always carried a .22 pistol in a shoulder holster when we were out float fishing to shoot cottonmouths with. The snakes were always chasing us around. They weren't trying to attack us per se but they thought our floats were nice places to crawl up on and sun themselves. He served on C-47s, dropping paratroopers in WWII and was a part of the Berlin Airlift too so he was used to carrying a pistol. I don't think I'd want to float fish anymore where we used to in southeastern Oklahoma now that there are alligators there. I caught an alligator while bass fishing once down in Louisiana.  It was just a little one -- about eighteen inches -- but it put up a heck of a fight and I never thought I was going to get the hook out of its mouth. McCurtain County has a lot of alligators. It's named after a sort-of relative of mine as my great-grandpa's cousin married Jackson McCurtain's daughter. The McCurtain brothers were the last three chiefs of the Choctaw Nation prior to Oklahoma becoming a state.

 

[Snargfargle]

7 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

God only knows what would happen today. No EDC here in Canada. Fists and feet only. But I know my anatomy better than most. 

I was last up in Canada in the early 90s when you could still travel to Canada and Mexico from the US without a passport. Rifles and shotguns seem to be still allowed in Canada though as my cousin is always flying up to your country to hunt moose and geese and such.

Edited January 20 by Snargfargle

[Ensign Cthulhu]

1 hour ago, Snargfargle said:

I was last up in Canada in the early 90s when you could still travel to Canada and Mexico from the US without a passport. Rifles and shotguns seem to be still allowed in Canada though as my cousin is always flying up to your country to hunt moose and geese and such.

Oh they are, but I don't think these days you'd get your gun handed back cleaned with some bonus ammo.

[Snargfargle]

23 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Oh they are, but I don't think these days you'd get your gun handed back cleaned with some bonus ammo.

Probably not, but I did always think that the Canadian border agents were really friendly, and I crossed the border several times, into BC, AB, SK, and NB. I went up to Vancouver a lot when I was living in the PNW and thought that it was a nice, friendly city. America can be uptight or nice, depending on where you are. I found Seattle to be decidedly unfriendly. Portland, OR used to be friendly but I've not been back there in twenty years. When I was doing some field research once in Texas, my truck broke down in LaMesa and they practically gave me the keys to the city. The fire chief let me stay at the fire station and the sheriff, whose sister owned a restaurant, gave me a week's worth of free meal vouchers. Of course, it didn't hurt that I was still a paramedic back them so I sort of was an insider. However, much the same thing happened in Germany to one of our tank crews that broke down on maneuvers. The little town practically adopted them and the mayor took them to all sorts of local events, seeing that it was Oktoberfest at the time, to show off his "pet" American soldiers. They had a blast.

 

 

 

Edited January 20 by Snargfargle

[Wolfswetpaws]

7 hours ago, Kalishnikat said:

What's your EDC?
Beretta APX Centurion.

Erectile Dysfunction Cure?  😉 
 

[Taylor3006]

I have carried a handgun every day since 1982 except for (oddly enough) my stint in the Navy. Usually it is my trusty SW model 19 with a 6" bbl. Lighter than the N frames but packs the same punch. She is loaded with Winchester Silver Tips, IMHO some of the best ammo ever made.  If I want to tote something a bit smaller I will take my SW model 39-2 9mm which is loaded with Black Talon ammunition. People are always fascinated with the 9mm because it is a bit on the rare side. 

If I am working on the property, I keep the .357 loaded with home made snake shot rounds and have one of my favorite firearms close at hand. That is my NEF Survivor. It is a single shot 12 gauge that looks like the old Snake Charmer shotgun. I found it at Walmart of all places, never seen anything like it and was a total impulse buy. Just such a handy $100 shotgun. 

[Snargfargle]

1 hour ago, Taylor3006 said:

I have carried a handgun every day since 1982 except for (oddly enough) my stint in the Navy. Usually it is my trusty SW model 19 with a 6" bbl. Lighter than the N frames but packs the same punch. She is loaded with Winchester Silver Tips, IMHO some of the best ammo ever made.  If I want to tote something a bit smaller I will take my SW model 39-2 9mm which is loaded with Black Talon ammunition. People are always fascinated with the 9mm because it is a bit on the rare side. 

If I am working on the property, I keep the .357 loaded with home made snake shot rounds and have one of my favorite firearms close at hand. That is my NEF Survivor. It is a single shot 12 gauge that looks like the old Snake Charmer shotgun. I found it at Walmart of all places, never seen anything like it and was a total impulse buy. Just such a handy $100 shotgun. 

You never know when you'll run into a rattlesnake around here. I ran over one with my mower in the big lot last summer. I use to hunt them to make snakeskin hatbands, which were somewhat popular when I was in college and something I could make a few bucks on. Now, I just leave them alone unless they are near the house. I used to have a four-foot bullsnake that lived out in my garden shed. It would scare the bejesus out of me sometimes when I went to reach for a bag of fertilizer and found it coiled up and hissing at me because they look a lot like the rattlesnakes around here. I wish I still had one around the property as I'm cat free now and I had a couple of mice in the house earlier this winter.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

Erectile Dysfunction Cure?  😉 
 

Every day carry. 

[Guest]

15 hours ago, Taylor3006 said:

I have carried a handgun every day since 1982 except for (oddly enough) my stint in the Navy. Usually it is my trusty SW model 19 with a 6" bbl. Lighter than the N frames but packs the same punch. She is loaded with Winchester Silver Tips, IMHO some of the best ammo ever made.  If I want to tote something a bit smaller I will take my SW model 39-2 9mm which is loaded with Black Talon ammunition. People are always fascinated with the 9mm because it is a bit on the rare side. 

If I am working on the property, I keep the .357 loaded with home made snake shot rounds and have one of my favorite firearms close at hand. That is my NEF Survivor. It is a single shot 12 gauge that looks like the old Snake Charmer shotgun. I found it at Walmart of all places, never seen anything like it and was a total impulse buy. Just such a handy $100 shotgun. 

Haven't owned a revolver in years. When I first started in law enforcement back in the early 80s I carried a S&W 586.

[Wolfswetpaws]

2 hours ago, Kalishnikat said:

Every day carry. 

Over the years, I've carried on a number of occasions for personal reasons.
My equipment choices have included ...
S&W Model 36, Ruger SP-101 (.38 Spl.),
Colt "Government Model" .380ACP, SIG P238,
Taurus PT-111, Taurus 709,
H&K USP .45ACP

Last year I sold the S&W 36 because I needed some cash in a hurry.  It was smooth and of a 'vintage' wherein it had the firing-pin mounted on the hammer.
I hope it found a good home.

I also have an assortment of holsters and spare magazines and "speed-loaders" for revolvers made by HKS and Safariland.  Each have their merits.

[Taylor3006]

9 hours ago, Kalishnikat said:

Haven't owned a revolver in years. When I first started in law enforcement back in the early 80s I carried a S&W 586.

Yeah we had the 686 issued to us when I was a cop back in 1982. IIRC it is the same as the 586 only it was stainless. I still have one that I keep in the nightstand.  I have a small herd of firearms...  

I am partial to wheelguns because that is what I learned to shoot pistols with at the beginning of the autoloader ascendence. The double action autos were just starting to come out so everyone was still pissy about keeping one in the chamber. 

Edited January 21 by Taylor3006

[Asym]

Ah, the topic I always avoid...  I don't EDC and if I ever have to point a gun at someone ever again, I'll be darn sure it'll be a brief experience....

You see, in some places, EDC is almost a religion for want-a-be's.  Even, in organizations committed to preserving the history of firearms: which, I am very involved.  So, when pressed to "get my EDC license, I simply refuse.  And, when that wasn't enough, I attended the class and when range time came around, and, the people who know me around this-a-place, had this look of "uh-oh, he's got that look" and here's what I took to the range:

Now, this is a 1-1/8 inch barrel, 62 Caliber, with a 1:65 twist, made (the barrel) by a close friend in the early 80's to test patched round ball stability.  I purchased the barrel decades later and had a 32 inch Dimick rifle made from it (I hunt Buffalo with it and have taken several with one shot) and I had 10 inches of barrel left.....  So, I had a pistol made out of the rest of the barrel.

Shoots a .615 patched round ball, with - not get this -35 grains of Swiss 2F powder.  Very accurately....  But, since the local activists wanted to make an issue of EDC, I developed a load using "patched (.005 thin) glass marbles" from the early 20th century of the same .615 diameter. 

Now, when I "pulled out" this massive pistol, the local Law Enforcement instructors rolled their eyes and made all sorts of squeaking noises....  Before they could say anything, I reminded them that "there are no rules for EDC" other than this course and proving you won't shoot yourself....  Oh-Kay, what in the pock are you loading....????!!!  A glass marble Sir !  WHAT>>>!!!   Anarchy ensued.

So, I demonstrated loading 35 grains of BP and a patched marble and took a shot at the 5 yard entry target as they insisted.  It was a ex-MIL plastic body shape with a bad guy paper target stapled to it.  When the smoke cleared;  well, where the heart should have been was a "rather large" hole and torn up plastic/paper target that was actually on fire....  There was a silence.  So, I explained my logic:  glass shatters on impact.....sort of......mostly.  And, since glass is so light, in won't be immediately fatal.  And, as you saw, the "fireball of un-spent BP igniting" is as big, as the Battleship New Jersey's (proportionally that is) and is likely to flash burn at 3 to 5 yards. 

And, if the bad guy isn't on fire, I'd bet a dollar to a donut, in the time it takes for him/her/them to figure out they are alive, one hit from this very, very heavy club will end the engagement.  

Now, you see why I can't EDC....my perspective of "superior firepower" isn't within established norms..... 

PS>  I took this picture for @Ensign Cthulhu a wile back and that is why there is a Canadian coin added for perspective....

 

Edited January 23 by Asym

[Ensign Cthulhu]

11 minutes ago, Asym said:

You see, in some places, EDC is almost a religion for want-a-be's. 

Oh, we could easily discuss that all day.

I think if I had general concealed or open carry ability here in Maple Syrup World, I'd use it to stick my gun in my holster at home, wear it to the range, shoot it, wear it home, and then put it away. I might go out in public with it once, just to exercise the right. 

 

[Snargfargle]

43 minutes ago, Asym said:

Shoots a .615 patched round ball... Very accurately...

When I joined the Army I wasn't yet old enough to purchase a handgun so I bought a Ruger Old Army .45 black powder pistol. Once, a bunch of us went out shooting at a dump. Everyone was laughing at my "old fashioned" black powder pistol. I paced off 30 yards and set up a bunch of cans. When I got back, everyone said "How the heck do you expect us to hit anything that far away?" I then proceeded to knock down the cans. They didn't make fun of my pistol after that. We then shot their guns and I realized why they wanted the targets close. They were guys from Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago. Their personal handguns were a bunch of snub-nosed .38s, .32s and .25 automatics that you probably had a better chance of hitting something with if you threw the gun at it.

My state has permit-less carry for any knife or firearm you want to carry around, open or concealed. The only pointed weapons that are banned are throwing stars because when the movie Kung Fu came out in the 70s the kids were sticking each other with them so a bunch of mothers got together and petitioned their state legislators to ban them. It does issue carry permits but that's just if someone wants to concealed carry in another state that has a permit reciprocity agreement.

Edited January 23 by Snargfargle

[Guest]

I'm not a big 2A person, but I do believe self defense is a basic human right. After years as a police officer, I can tell you that bad stuff can happen to anyone at any time in any place. The closer you are in proximity to a major American city, the higher your odds of having to need a gun, and if you need a gun when you don't have one that's not going to end well for you. 

[Snargfargle]

1 hour ago, Kalishnikat said:

After years as a police officer, I can tell you that bad stuff can happen to anyone at any time in any place.

My entire county only has 2700 residents and we are 100 miles from anything that could be called an actual city (and "real" cities would laugh at its population of 30,000). However, there are crimes committed everywhere, as you said. Violent crime around here is rare but it happens. Almost all of it is drug related. It baffles me how many idiots get involved with meth around here. A half-dozen of my former schoolmates, who are now in their late 60s and 70s so you think that should have known better, have served hard prison time for cooking and distributing meth. Of course, you know the type -- why do any real work when you can get rich quick? Most of them were pretty harmless themselves. However, the drug cartels that they got involved with weren't. One guy who was in my class, his wife, and unborn baby were killed by the big city drug dealers he'd gotten involved with. They finally caught them in New Orleans I think. It seems that at least one was eventually killed or died in prison, good riddance. Another guy I went to school with got kicked out of the Army for selling drugs then proceeded to sell them locally. I don't know why as he was from one of the richest farm families in the area. His drug connection came into town and tried to kill him one day. I went on that run. My former schoolmate got shot but survived. The drug dealer took himself out with a shotgun when our local deputy, who ironically lived just across the street, cornered him in the cab of a grain truck. I bagged and hauled his body to a local small city for the investigatory autopsy. I've zipped a lot of dead people into body bags. Sometimes being a medic sort of sucks.

Edited January 24 by Snargfargle

[Ensign Cthulhu]

29 minutes ago, Snargfargle said:

I bagged and hauled his body to a local small city for the investigatory autopsy. I've zipped a lot of dead people into body bags. Sometimes being a medic sort of sucks.

As a pathologist I'm on the other end of that final ride, whether by accident, violence or natural cause. Sometimes in cases where aid was rendered in the hope of survival, it's clear at autopsy that the case was unsalvageable from the start, and the first responders are usually very grateful to know this. 

Edited January 24 by Ensign Cthulhu

[Guest]

It used to be drug dealers etc, now its just opportunistic amoral a-holes out "crimin and robbin" because it's what they do. Violence is their first response to everything. They feel entitled to have your stuff. I mean normal people don't have 3 or 4 friends that they routinely commit felonies with. "Lets go rob someone" is a good idea in their culture. It's not some poor druggie who makes a mistake because he's looking for a fix..its people for whom crime is a way of life. 

[Snargfargle]

3 minutes ago, Kalishnikat said:

people for whom crime is a way of life. 

I've associated with a lot of criminals as a medic. Some of them were sort of likeable people. Others, I sort of wished that I could have just left in the alley I found them in. However, it wasn't my job to judge but to treat. I think that's one reason why I finally got out of EMS and went into biology instead. My EMS training still came in handy though as I was a field biologist and had to keep up my 1st Aid and CPR certifications to teach field courses at the college I ended up at. I also taught or helped teach courses in CPR, first aid, scuba diver rescue and recovery, and boating safety so I guess I never did quite get completely out of EMS.