Best Summer Carry?

[Charlie B]

I’ve been doing some thinking lately. Probably not such a good idea ;-)
I have seen a lot of posts lately exclaiming something like;

... and those of you who have a "Rat" (snubbie) in your pocket...and use the excuse of "This is a nice neighborhood"...."I'm just running down to get some gas"..."Nothing ever happens at the mall"..."This is enough gun..." Is it?

… this is real life, not "pretend"... If it had been your spouse or child that had been hit when you were within sight of them, you want to run to their defense before the gunman put the finishing round in them with a Mini Revolver, P32 or a snubbie...

… no one who has ever had a life threatening incident carrying anything .38 Special or below ever carried just that gun again…

What do you carry, where, and why?

In 25 years carrying, I have had several encounters and exchanged a few shots as an armed guard or armed escort. I have never needed to expend more than 5 rounds, except in IDPA style training scenarios.

For years I carried a .38 or .357 with a 3” or 4” barrel OWB or shoulder holster with maybe 10 or 12 extra rounds in a pouch.

Recently, I started thinking with all those stories about confrontations with 3 or 4 potential attackers…

So lately, I started carrying different autos with 1 or 2 extra magazines. Certainty, the autos reload much faster, but other than a LEO or an IDPA event, do you really need such firepower?

So, throughout the winter as concealment wasn’t such a concern I carried a SW9VE. During the spring I carried my Bersa T380 because it didn’t print through an over shirt. Now that the warmer weather is here I find myself carrying a P3AT because it fits so well in my back pocket.

Before the days of the auto’s popularity, say 20 or so years ago, nobody discussed stopping power as much and .38 was more than acceptable. Hell, even the Mafia only carried a snubbie with a few extra rounds.

So what do you have a preference for; a highly concealable auto or ultralite revolver in say .380 or .38 – or something bigger like high capacity 9/10mm, .40/.45 – or a .357/.44 Dirty Harry style 6” or so large frame revolver?

[LittleRedToyota]

i don't have any problem concealing a glock 17 beneath just a t-shirt, so i carry that year round.

i'll probably never need 18 rounds, but, then again, i'll probably never need to have a carry gun at all.

[God's Country]

For me a j-frame .38.
It has nothing to do with concealing
I hate having a sweaty sticky gun against my skin.
I'm a sweater so as soon as it's an issue the snub goes in my pocket, or if I’m just running out quick.

[MarcS]

I carry a glock 19 IWB and 2 reloads all year round. I carry my glock 26 as a BUG in an ankle holster as well when i'm not wearing shorts.

[gf45acp]

Kel-tec P3at in a pocket holster. Two spare mags in a Quartermaster leather glove pouch on the belt (they fit it like it was made for them). Naa 22mag mini for a BUG. Totally invisible as long as I have pants on!

[OneLungMcClung]

XD-45 with a 4" Barrel IWB. 1 Extra mag in a pocket. I wear a baggy shirt, no problems.

SO FAR i have gotten away with it - I'm tall and lean and it sorta passes for a hip bone or a cell phone...but Im still new.

[SSGF109]

Glock 23 in summer and Glock 21 in fall and winter.

[XD45]

j-frame .357 S&W 340PD, if you shoot off 3mags have fun in a civil courtroom, if not jail for all the other people you hit. if you cant hit your target dont take the shot, meanwhile take it over 45times, thats insane.

[MarcS]

j-frame .357 S&W 340PD, if you shoot off 3mags have fun in a civil courtroom, if not jail for all the other people you hit. if you cant hit your target dont take the shot, meanwhile take it over 45times, thats insane.

If you fire off your 5 shots and still have bad guys that need killing, have fun as a corpse.

[TcRoc]

I carry either a Sig P220R, Beretta Px4 or Beretta 8040 Cougar.
Just depends on what I feel like packing that day for carry, all IWB,don't have a problem concealing them.I'm 5'11 185 pounds