If I was in your spot - Advice for a Newbie

[Studley]

Well I just got my LTCF and am awaiting my holster (crossbreed supertuck, shipped yesterday!) and I'm about to embark into the world of concealed carry. I've been doing lots of reading the last few months and a lot of soul searching. The decision to do this took a lot of thought and consideration. I was wondering if anyone would kindly share there experiences when the first started carrying? Maybe some advice, words of encouragement, things to watch out for etc. Basically what I'm asking is things you have figured out, advice you wish you got, or things you wish you knew when you first started carrying.

My holster should be here tomorrow or Saturday, so I'm hoping to carry around the house for a while and take a trip or two out and get a feel for it.

Thanks in advance.

[Gary737]

Well I just got my LTCF and am awaiting my holster (crossbreed supertuck, shipped yesterday!) and I'm about to embark into the world of concealed carry. I've been doing lots of reading the last few months and a lot of soul searching. The decision to do this took a lot of thought and consideration. I was wondering if anyone would kindly share there experiences when the first started carrying? Maybe some advice, words of encouragement, things to watch out for etc. Basically what I'm asking is things you have figured out, advice you wish you got, or things you wish you knew when you first started carrying.

My holster should be here tomorrow or Saturday, so I'm hoping to carry around the house for a while and take a trip or two out and get a feel for it.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to CC, and OC once you get comfortable. Carry as much as you can and everywhere you go. Knowing that you have an upper hand on the scum that prey on good people, does a lot for your "soul searching".

[Ricochet]

The best advice I can give you from personal experience is- just do everything as normal as you did when you didn't CC or OC.

There's nothing to worry about (unless youre in Philly) because you are 100% legal.

[thebearpack]

If I could only give one piece of advice it would be to "be cool" while you're carrying. When I first got into hand guns I wouldn't let myself carry because I wasn't ready for it. Too short tempered. It took a long time to grow up and realize that in real life some things have to be let go. Screwing around in an online forum is one thing - and I enjoy it - but out there in the world you just have to let stuff go and walk away. Don't ever be the aggressor and always try to diffuse any situation that comes up. Your firearm is there for emergencies only and should not give you a false sense of confidence to enter into situations that you would normally avoid. That's my $0.02!

[Amazon Hunter]

I'm sure you will get tons of advise here. So much that it is too much for one person to think of. I just started carrying back in February of this year. I have the Crossbreed as well and love it. Some people on here tell stories of how they were very nervous the first time they carried. For some reason I never felt that way. Maybe it was because while I was waiting for my gun and holster I discovered this site and did a ton of reading before I actually carried. As long as you have the LTCF you don't have to be concerned if your gun shows or not. So if you are in Walmart and you bend over and your shirt comes up don't sweat it. When that happens to me though I do try to be conscious of who is around me. Another thing you have to be careful of is your friends (people that are with you that know you are carrying). I go out from time to time with some friends and you have to make them aware that you don't want any fooling around with your gun or your side while you are out in public. That could draw unwanted attention in certain places. Me and my friends have an agreement that we don't touch our sides or our guns unless we are in our own back yards. Only then will we pull our guns out and flash them around to each other. That in itself could be careless if you don't know your gun. I don't carry with any rounds chambered so I know when I pull my gun out it is perfectly safe. My joke (but serious) to my friends is that you only have to worry when I pull it out and you hear me racking one in. I tell them if they hear that and I am looking in their direction they better hit the ground because something seriously went wrong behind them. That is all joking around with my friends though. That is all I can think of for now. Enjoy and goodluck.

[Shawn.L]

Read this
http://forum.pafoa.org/training-tact...xperiance.html

[Gary737]

..... I don't carry with any rounds chambered so I know when I pull my gun out it is perfectly safe. My joke (but serious) to my friends is that you only have to worry when I pull it out and you hear me racking one in.......

I agree with most of what you say, except the above. If the trigger is 100% covered by the holster, it is completely safe to carry with one in the chamber.

21 feet is found to be the min. distance from where you can identify a threat and draw your gun to confront the threat before they can be on top of you. Inside 21 feet, and you can't react fast enough.

By having to rack the slide in a panic situation, you have increased that distance by a large amount.

[camper]

If I could only give one piece of advice it would be to "be cool" while you're carrying. When I first got into hand guns I wouldn't let myself carry because I wasn't ready for it. Too short tempered. It took a long time to grow up and realize that in real life some things have to be let go. Screwing around in an online forum is one thing - and I enjoy it - but out there in the world you just have to let stuff go and walk away. Don't ever be the aggressor and always try to diffuse any situation that comes up. Your firearm is there for emergencies only and should not give you a false sense of confidence to enter into situations that you would normally avoid. That's my $0.02!

My experience is the opposite...I'm extremely short tempered, and carrying calms me down. Less likely to be flippant and more cautious with my behavior, because I'm tempered with the knowledge that I can screw up a lot of lives (mine, my wife, my 4 kids, whoever pissed me off, etc) very quickly by acting stupid.

Carrying has made me a better me. *sniff*

camper

[Gun]

Me and my friends have an agreement that we don't touch our sides or our guns unless we are in our own back yards. Only then will we pull our guns out and flash them around to each other. That in itself could be careless if you don't know your gun. I don't carry with any rounds chambered so I know when I pull my gun out it is perfectly safe. My joke (but serious) to my friends is that you only have to worry when I pull it out and you hear me racking one in. I tell them if they hear that and I am looking in their direction they better hit the ground because something seriously went wrong behind them. That is all joking around with my friends though. That is all I can think of for now. Enjoy and goodluck.

Sorry for pickin' on ya, but what I bolded is not safe, and pretty much the rest as well.

********

Treat the gun as it is always loaded, AT ALL TIMES!

Buy Snap-Caps for the gun. Practice drawing the gun from the holster (might have to break the holster in), using the Snap-Caps, until it becomes 2nd nature! Never have ammo in the same room that you practice drawing from the holster, so do it in a room that has no ammo. You can practice your draw and fire, USING Snap-Caps ONLY!!!! Then later you can do it at a range, with real ammo.

Have the confidence for WHY you are carrying the dang thing in the first place, and respect it for that purpose alone. This ain't no fashion show.

[LoCo]

Sorry for pickin' on ya, but what I bolded is not safe, and pretty much the rest as well.

********

Treat the gun as it is always loaded, AT ALL TIMES!

I knew I couldn't be the only one who had a problem with most of that statement!