Carrying a bigger gun

Ruger LCP .380

Ruger SR9c 9mm

Ruger's two fine self-defense carry pistols. Both have their place in a basic self-defense carry scheme. Without getting into the caliber wars, and you can read as much about this as you want on most internet gun forums if you can stand the tone that these "discussions" often descend to. My philosophy centers around being very proficient with your chosen self-defense weapon regardless of which make, model or caliber you like. There are limitations, of course, being a decision that is predicated upon carrying for self-defense. Too light of a caliber will most certainly be ineffective and too heavy will be hard to shoot and hard to carry consistently. I like the range somewhere in the middle, but whatever one chooses, it is imperative that you be able to consistently hit your target. This will make most any caliber effective, and minimize the possibility of shooting something or someone you don't intend to shoot.

At this point, I have settled on the combination you see above. The .380 shooting modern self defense ammunition, like Hornady Critical Defense (and there are other good choices as well) is an effective, short range self-defense firearm that is reliable and very easy to carry for both men and women, and with almost any wardrobe. Being both light and compact, it carries well in almost any position, and it is very suited to use as a backup gun when required. Pocket carry is very suitable for that role and I personally favor the Uncle George back pocket holster for that use since I don't like front pocket carry. When carrying as a backup, or singly, it fits well in an appendix or cross-draw carry position to supplement a larger handgun in a different carry position such as strong-side.

I find the LCP is very handy for around the house carry when you want something with you and your other gun, or guns, are parked safely in the house.

At one point, in addition to the SR9c, I had a Ruger LC9. Now, that's a good self-defense carry gun - compact, not so big, reliable, in 9 mm. However, I think the SR9c is a better 9 mm choice. It carries, with the small magazine, 11 rounds to the LC9's 7. It has better sights, better (for me) ergonomics, and a much better trigger. And, it is marginally bigger and heavier, but not so much that I cannot carry it all day in a suitable holster - which at this point includes the Bullard Bandit and the N82 Tactical Pro, depending on the occasion.

The biggest advantage of the SR9c over the LC9 for me is that I can shoot it better and more accurately than the LC9. And, coupled with the Ruger SR22PB as a trainer, it goes to make me a better shooter, and that's the most important thing. Your gun must be reliable, but you must be reliable too.

Choose your best carry guns and train with them often. Then carry them whenever you can.

Be safe.

D.M. Bullard Bodyguard Holsters

Although this may appear to be a blog commercial for David Bullard's holsters that is merely because I admire quality and craftsmanship when they combine to produce useful art. Some people would find it odd, and perhaps a little twisted to consider a leather gun holster to be a piece of art. Doesn't bother me though. Art is what moves you and I am moved by Bullard's work. I have at least one holster for each of my guns, along with two leather magazine holsters (calling them pouches does them a vast disservice) and a wallet.

David makes various styles and designs of gun holsters. Some of the ones he makes for concealed carry are similar to other makers designs, but they have that extra quality of construction and small design elements that set them apart. Other designs are unique to David and answer specific needs with functional but beautiful expressions in leather. One of his most interesting is the Texas Conceal Carry, incorporating the holster and a spare magazine holster in the same IWB design. There may be similar solutions, but none as well thought out and made as David's.

My direct experiences include the cross draw OWB holster, reviewed earlier on this blog, the Bandit Belt Slide and the Bodyguard designs. Today, I have some observations on the Bodyguards.

When I first saw them on David's website I thought they were pretty odd. Very nice leather work but made with what I then considered to be a wildly radical cant built into the design. Looks to be almost 45 degrees but it is more like 30. What's the point of that?, I thought. Most of the OWB holsters I had seen, in person, or on the web, were built with a cant, the FBI cant some called it, but it was nowhere a radical as the Bodyguard's.

I bought a leather holster from a good holster maker that had what was a "normal" cant (or slant, which is also a good word for the angle respective to the belt that is often built into a holster). After using it for a while in the recommended 3 to 4 o'clock position, I felt that there was not enough cant and wanted more. Recalling David's Bodyguard design, I sold that holster and ordered a Bodyguard for my Ruger LCP.

After trying it for a few days I learned a few things. It is very comfortable. It must be worn at the 4 or 5 o'clock position, or somewhere in between - behind the hip. It conceals amazingly well. After using it for a few months, I ordered another for the LC9. It was equally as useful and comfortable.

Being OWB holsters, and the LC9 being a fair size gun, I was somewhat uneasy about wearing this with only a T-shirt around town in the summer. After a number of excursions, some lasting most of the day, I found my unease to have been unwarranted. No comments at all, and at the end of one long T-shirt and jeans day with the LC9 in the Bodyguard, after returning home my wife took a look at me and asked why I wasn't wearing my gun that day. Success!

I have a number of choices when it comes to carrying at home. I usually opt for the LCP and comfort. I will sometimes go with a small IWB rig, or my Uncle George back pocket holster, but more often than not I slip the LCP into my now comfortably broken in Bodyguard. In fact, that is what I am carrying now as I conclude this post.

So, although I am not associated with D.M. Bullard holsters, other than being a satisfied customer and admirer of his work, I can strongly recommend his leather holsters and products if you are looking for quality, efficiency and art.

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Bullard Cross Draw photos update

As I mentioned in my first post about this holster, it's not meant to be worn under a T-shirt. About the only OWB holster I've worn under a T-shirt successfully is David's Bodyguard holsters for the LCP and the LC9. Still, a somewhat loose shirt is best. Not baggy or obviously over sized, but just comfortable and not 'form fitting' will do.

Remember that this holster is broken in sufficiently for the gun, but not to me as yet. My experience tells me that I need to wear this holster and gun for a few weeks to get it accustomed to my body shape before I can pass final judgement on its suitability for concealed cross-draw carry. It is very good now, when new, so my expectations are that it's going to get better over time.


Update, October 7, 2010
Since the post, above, I have continued to try this holster at different times, with different clothing. I've found that, for me and my body type, it is only really concealable with the SR9c under a jacket or cold weather vest. Wearing it with a sweater or sweat shirt, or a heavier shirt, still allows the butt of the pistol to push into the clothing such that it's obvious there is something there.

While this style of OWB cross draw holster may be very good for smaller framed guns or revolvers, and if the wearer is heftier and with a bigger body type, for slim people carrying somewhat larger guns, it is not a good choice. This is not aimed solely at Bullard cross draw holsters, but at all styles that do not have a method for the belt pulling the butt of the gun in against the body. If this isn't the case, the butt will protrude, more or less, but enough to show there is something under your garment.

So, my advice is not to avoid these designs, but arrange to try one out so that you can see if it fits your body style and clothing choices. If so, there is much to recommend them, as well as the cross draw carry itself.

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Accuracy Under Pressure

The importance of the ability to actually hit what one intends to hit with a handgun, especially while in a pressure situation, is, in my opinion, given far too little attention in the "gun media" - magazines, forums, blogs and videos. Many words and images are created introducing, explaining and evaluating guns, calibers, ammunition, holsters, target shooting accuracy and the like, but far to little has been said on what happens when the average, law-abiding citizen must actually draw and fire her or his weapon in self defense. This is a huge subject and there are a number of excellent studies available if you look for them, but in the main, the magazines, forum rooms and the like don't pay sufficient attention to this critical fact.

Having taken a class on the aftermath of a self-defense shooting I am particularly sensitive to this topic. (See my post on this blog for comments on that class.) I kept reminding myself that one of the main lessons from the class, and one I should take seriously, is to hit what you shoot at and nothing else!

This is vital. It is bad enough to have to shoot a person in defense of lethal force, but to shoot an innocent person by mistake when doing that would be beyond tragic. It happens, far too often. And the solution is, once you have no choice and must shoot to defend yourself or other innocent people, is to hit your target. Period. No exceptions. As we all know, this is far easier said than done. A handgun is notoriously difficult to shoot accurately even though people unfamiliar with that fact are persuaded otherwise by the endless gunfights in movies and the TV wasteland. Even professionals, law enforcement and trained military, more often than not, shoot poorly under fire or stressful situations. How, then, are we supposed to overcome this critical issue?

Many citizens who own and legally carry for self defense merely ignore it. They practice a bit, now and then, often at a range that prohibits handgun self defense tactics in favor of "safe" target shooting, then basically assume they are ready. Others will adopt technology to answer the issue: night sights, after market sights and, laser sights. In themselves they are useless in dealing with the main problem of hitting your target under stress. Sights don't acquire the target, stay on it and pull the trigger. The person does, and having a wavering red dot out there somewhere isn't going to guarantee that your bullet finds its mark.

The only solution is to shoot regularly, frequently and in such a way as to hone self defense shooting skills. Draw and fire with rapidity from the holsters one normally carries. Shoot without getting a sight picture, especially up close. Shoot with only one hand. Shoot with your non-dominant hand. Acquire and hone trigger control. All these things are easy to understand, but difficult to master. One of the main reasons, aside from having a place to shoot where one can develop and practice these skills, that keeps more people from learning and practicing this is the cost of ammunition. For example, $12 a box for 50 rounds of 9mm practice ammo is pretty steep for most of us. However, there is another solution.

Get a .22 caliber handgun that approximates your main carry gun's size, feel and operation, then shoot that one as much as possible, working on your skill set and building up muscle and attitudinal memory so that if the time comes when you have to resort to your gun in self defense, you can do so without thinking about it at the time, and are able to hit your target. .22 caliber ammo is cheap and you can afford to invest a thousand rounds or more in acquiring and maintaining the necessary efficiency and accuracy to effectively use your self defense weapon if you have to without worrying about who is going to get shot.

Walking the talk, I have my LC9 up for sale - relying on the excellent SR9c as my main carry gun now - and have bought a Ruger SR22P .22 cal semi-automatic pistol as my practice gun. Think about emphasizing your shooting skills instead of looking for a "better" conceal carry gun, or newest fad in self defense ammo, or that expensive IWB holster you want to buy.

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