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A Gun for People Who Don’t Carry Guns?

Thanks for the informative article…just wanted to add my two cents…my favorite home defense and edc is my xd40 sc…it also has a clip I added to slip in my pocket and be held securely…really happy with it’s performance, reliability, the enhancements I’ve added to insure reliability…it’s may be an oldie, but it’s definitely a goodie!!
 
I have always enjoyed,,, and possibly more importantly,,, LEARNED from The Armory Life! Thank you!! I really needed this article today.
I too EDC concealed whenever possible.
My problem is combating sweat when IWB carrying. I'm fine in the winter because of additional clothing (t-shirt, etc.) under my outer wear with the weapon between inner and outer. Warmer weather brings a single upper layer of clothing. I ignored my Sig 225A (I prefer single stack and DA/SA) and the 1st inch of the muzzle is now pitted (it still shoots great and is otherwise perfect but I am POed with myself for not checking it sooner). I alternate between two handguns depending upon the weather - blued in winter and stainless in summer.
I'm still trying to find the right combination for warmer weather.

Thanks for listening.
 
I realize that this is an SA forum and this article is an add for the Hellcat... but I am confused how the title fits the article.

A Gun for People Who Don’t Carry Guns?​


What in the world does a person who does not carry a gun have to do with an article that is all about authors off duty carry of a Hellcat? Don't get me wrong, I love my Hellcats, but... huh?
 
This is all good info, but a problem is for runners. This type of attire is typically elastic waist band, light weight, etc. A belly band is really the only option and firearm size a factor. Running with a firearm is never comfortable. Not much thought has gone into this segment, which is huge, and assaults are on the rise (especially toward women).
 
Sadly, despite my affinity for Springfield firearms, I sold our Hellcat within weeks of buying. Call me silly, but I fell prey to the marketing machine across the industry that convinced me I needed a micro compact. I discovered I really didn't. That realization coupled with the fact that shooting the Hellcat is akin to bathing a cat, I continue to carry my XD Mod.2 subcompact with no issues.

In addition, I haven't developed any sort of comfort level for pocket carry. Haven't really tried it, mainly because I like my pockets for other things I typically have on my person. I enjoy IWB carry and over the years have adjusted my wardrobe to accommodate that secure and safe method of carry. But that's me, YMMV. (y)
 
There was some relevant information/confirmation in the article to go along with the repetitive advertising - I don't mind the advertising for SA when I'm voluntarily here on their website and reading their articles.

But after retiring after decades of carrying a single action FN High Power in 9mm in plainclothes and also being a police firearms trainer - kind of similar to the author's preferred single action .1911 45 ACP - I am left bemused by a few things.

First, I have no issue with anybody who chooses to carry a microcompact pistol sometime or all the time. Whether it is a microcompact striker fired pistol like the Hellcat the author is advertising here - or a single action pistol like the S&W CSX more similar in function to the single action 1911 the author says he favors or the FN High Power I have come to favor. BTW, while the Hellcat isn't offered in the author's preferred .45 ACP, SA and others offer subcompacts in .45 ACP... but those pistols only hold 10 rounds of .45 ACP at most (no surprise given the size of the round).

That said, you not only dress around the gun AND holster... you also dress around all those spare magazines and knives the author is also advertising. I started dressing in plainclothes around a full sized FN High Power back in the mid 70's - as others were dressing around a government sized 1911. Many service pistols these days have barrels an inch shorter, which common sense would suggest makes it even easier.

That leads to me knowing that IF YOU WANT TO, you don't need to go to a microcompact pistol for concealed carry as long as the situation allows you to wear an untucked sports shirt, sports jacket, vest, etc. And if it must be a tucked shirt without an over garment, there are IWB holsters that allow tucking a shirt. I suppose this won't help those trending to yoga wear or jogging who don't wear a belt that also carries water.

It's rarely impossible to carry a service pistol size handgun in whatever your dress of your day is. In reality, in the majority of cases, it's a choice based on convenience and liking the fact the microcompacts weigh about a pound less than a service pistol. There's nothing wrong with choosing a microcompact pistol at any time - but it is wrong to say you carry one because you can't concealed carry a full sized carry pistol.

Second, the author says he prefers the .45 ACP due to it's record. Meanwhile, he's advertising some of Federal's excellent service and self defense ammunition. Federal's terminal ballisticians say that the record they get back from police involved shootings on the streets is that no service caliber with modern ammunition has a better record than any other caliber.

I am not going to be a Caliber Wars participant and say one caliber is better than the other, but I find it slightly amusing that the author who is also deep into the police world and training police would prefer .45 ACP over the 9mm (or other smaller calibers). All of which provide more rounds than .45 ACP in the same magazine space, when Federal's internal ballisticians (and Speer, and Winchester, etc) tell police that whatever issue caliber they're carrying, it is not inferior to the performance of any other caliber.

At the same time, when it comes to compact carry pistols he then gives up his favored .45 ACP for 9mm. Would I be wrong to assume he does that probably because he wants more rounds that the 9mm offers over the .45 ACP... the number of rounds on tap doesn't matter in a service size pistol, but then it does when it's a microcompact pistol?

Hmmmmm....

From my police perspective, pertaining to me only, given that information we get from the service ammunition manufacturers is that no one caliber is better than the others, I want more rounds in each magazine - not the least.

I also suspect when you're a firearms trainer for police when many of those officers have no particular interest in shooting other than competence for work, you get better training results with police shooting with longer sight radiuses i.e. service pistol versus microcompact. As well as with 9mm and it's recoil versus .45 ACP and it's recoil.

At the end of the day, of course, once we're in the civilian world we get to pick not only the size of pistol we buy, but also the caliber that it is in - and then carry it in our manner of choice. And I'm not going to try telling anyone the size of carry pistol they should have and what caliber is supposedly the best.
 
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It's not an "Aholster." It is an Alabama Holster. And if one carries a pistol in a pocket, *nothing else* goes in that pocket including a knife. I carry a Ruger LC Max in an Alabama holster in my front right pocket when I need to be totally stealth and it works well. Yeah, it's a .380 but it should do the job at defensive distances and it carries easily which means it is not at home in a drawer.
 
Tonopah said:
It's not an "Aholster." It is an Alabama Holster. And if one carries a pistol in a pocket, *nothing else* goes in that pocket including a knife. I carry a Ruger LC Max in an Alabama holster in my front right pocket when I need to be totally stealth and it works well. Yeah, it's a .380 but it should do the job at defensive distances and it carries easily which means it is not at home in a drawer.
Click to expand...
I have several Alabama pocket holsters, one for an XDs .45, another for a micro Hellcat. Had to Dremel it a little to fit the OSP. Good pocket holsters.
 
Old Airborne Dog said:
There was some relevant information/confirmation in the article to go along with the repetitive advertising - I don't mind the advertising for SA when I'm voluntarily here on their website and reading their articles.

But after retiring after decades of carrying a single action FN High Power in 9mm in plainclothes and also being a police firearms trainer - kind of similar to the author's preferred single action .1911 45 ACP - I am left bemused by a few things.

First, I have no issue with anybody who chooses to carry a microcompact pistol sometime or all the time. Whether it is a microcompact striker fired pistol like the Hellcat the author is advertising here - or a single action pistol like the S&W CSX more similar in function to the single action 1911 the author says he favors or the FN High Power I have come to favor. BTW, while the Hellcat isn't offered in the author's preferred .45 ACP, SA and others offer subcompacts in .45 ACP... but those pistols only hold 10 rounds of .45 ACP at most (no surprise given the size of the round).

That said, you not only dress around the gun AND holster... you also dress around all those spare magazines and knives the author is also advertising. I started dressing in plainclothes around a full sized FN High Power back in the mid 70's - as others were dressing around a government sized 1911. Many service pistols these days have barrels an inch shorter, which common sense would suggest makes it even easier.

That leads to me knowing that IF YOU WANT TO, you don't need to go to a microcompact pistol for concealed carry as long as the situation allows you to wear an untucked sports shirt, sports jacket, vest, etc. And if it must be a tucked shirt without an over garment, there are IWB holsters that allow tucking a shirt. I suppose this won't help those trending to yoga wear or jogging who don't wear a belt that also carries water.

It's rarely impossible to carry a service pistol size handgun in whatever your dress of your day is. In reality, in the majority of cases, it's a choice based on convenience and liking the fact the microcompacts weigh about a pound less than a service pistol. There's nothing wrong with choosing a microcompact pistol at any time - but it is wrong to say you carry one because you can't concealed carry a full sized carry pistol.

Second, the author says he prefers the .45 ACP due to it's record. Meanwhile, he's advertising some of Federal's excellent service and self defense ammunition. Federal's terminal ballisticians say that the record they get back from police involved shootings on the streets is that no service caliber with modern ammunition has a better record than any other caliber.

I am not going to be a Caliber Wars participant and say one caliber is better than the other, but I find it slightly amusing that the author who is also deep into the police world and training police would prefer .45 ACP over the 9mm (or other smaller calibers). All of which provide more rounds than .45 ACP in the same magazine space, when Federal's internal ballisticians (and Speer, and Winchester, etc) tell police that whatever issue caliber they're carrying, it is not inferior to the performance of any other caliber.

At the same time, when it comes to compact carry pistols he then gives up his favored .45 ACP for 9mm. Would I be wrong to assume he does that probably because he wants more rounds that the 9mm offers over the .45 ACP... the number of rounds on tap doesn't matter in a service size pistol, but then it does when it's a microcompact pistol?

Hmmmmm....

From my police perspective, pertaining to me only, given that information we get from the service ammunition manufacturers is that no one caliber is better than the others, I want more rounds in each magazine - not the least.

I also suspect when you're a firearms trainer for police when many of those officers have no particular interest in shooting other than competence for work, you get better training results with police shooting with longer sight radiuses i.e. service pistol versus microcompact. As well as with 9mm and it's recoil versus .45 ACP and it's recoil.

At the end of the day, of course, once we're in the civilian world we get to pick not only the size of pistol we buy, but also the caliber that it is in - and then carry it in our manner of choice. And I'm not going to try telling anyone the size of carry pistol they should have and what caliber is supposedly the best.
Click to expand...
Thank you for those detailed comments. It’s always nice to correspond with another police officer.

A subcompact pistol, such as an XD-S, chambered in 45 ACP is physically larger than a Hellcat. Yes, modern defense or duty ammunition is remarkably effective — based on a perfect center of mass hit. But when a defender makes a less than perfect shot, the larger diameter of a 45 bullet is more likely to stop a lethal assault.

However, the point of the article I wrote, if forced to choose between no gun or a micro compact Hellcat, of course I’ll carry a Hellcat. I give up a 1911 in 45 ACP, not to gain capacity but to be able to conceal a pistol in lightweight summer clothing (when off duty).

Anyone (police officer or citizen), with enough time and ammunition, can be trained to shoot anything well — irrespective of size or caliber. However, larger heavier guns are easier for beginners— the weight helps with recoil management. If an officer cannot qualify the instructor is not instructing and only testing.
 
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