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Back-Up Guns: Do You?

Mil-Spec

Mil-Spec

Operator
Founding Member
I carry a 5" TRP 1911, which is no lightweight, with two spare mags. That's a lot of weight and gear. But, you know that whole "one is none" thing has me wondering if I should get a back up gun like a 911 or maybe something even as small as an NAA mini revolver. Do you all ever carry a BU gun, or do you stick with your one gun? I'm talking civilian CCW here, not LE. But, I'd also like to hear from cops as well about if they have some thoughts on it... Thanks!
 
There is something to be said about having another weapon to rely upon. Although rare, catastrophic damage and/or stoppages (as defined by stoppages which require more than either immediate-action/remedial-action or even mortaring the gun to remediate/solve) can occur, and when that happens, having another gun on-person is really the only way to stay armed and in the fight.

Carrying a backup gun is certainly not unheard of in the civilian legal concealed-carry world. Noted instructors such as Massad Ayoob, the late Louis Awerbuck, Greg Ellifritz and even Robert Vogel have all voiced their favor of such setups, whether it be for use by the same person or as a hand-off to another capable shooter.

That said, indeed, it's one more piece of gear to carry - but the same hymn goes: "One man's crazy is another's preparedness." :)
 
I guess for me, in most areas of my life, I rely to a certain extent on statistics and probability. For example, most of the time I would be safer staying at home instead of driving somewhere, but I have things I need to do and the probability is that (if I am careful) I won't have an accident. I look at carrying a back up gun similarly. The probability is that I will not have an encounter for which I need even one gun, especially if I am careful and keep myself apprised of the situation I am in. So, with the actually fairly minuscule chance I will need to defend myself or my loved ones with a gun, the chances of needing a backup gun take that minuscule potential need to an almost imperceptible probability. That being said, the primary gun needs to be one that is reliable, as if your life may depend on it. So, I don't carry a backup but I don't "go cheap" on my primary carry gun either, and I keep it clean and use dependable ammo. Law enforcement is a whole 'nother ball game, since they have to deliberately put themselves in dicey situations in order to protect the rest of us.
 
Grifter said:
I have never carried a backup weapon on me when carrying concealed. I have carried a 2nd weapon in my vehicle when I feel the risk is higher than usual, think black friday shopping with the wife.
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Agreed on the second gun in the car. That's a great place for something with a little more "oomph" to back you up.
 
No BUG for me on my person, as I don't know were I could keep it. I have ankle holsters, but when wearing jeans I can't get them to fit over the pistol and holster. Keeping another in my truck is an idea, but I can't get over the fear that 1) it could be stolen and 2), I'd forget about it and travel into NJ to see friends and get pulled over for something. I guess in summer wearing cargo pants I could fit one with a pocket holster in one of the pockets, but for now I just carry IWB with double full mag pouch on opposite side on belt.
 
308Lover said:
Agreed on the second gun in the car. That's a great place for something with a little more "oomph" to back you up.
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A second gun in the car sounds good, that's why I drive my dually with a minigun mounted on a popup mount under my tonu cover. You never know how serious it could get. Just kidding, but it would be nice.
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
A second gun in the car sounds good, that's why I drive my dually with a minigun mounted on a popup mount under my tonu cover. You never know how serious it could get. Just kidding, but it would be nice.
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I always thought the BRCC Prius was funny -

1578963410009.png


And the Magpul Bus really has some swagger -

1578963464291.png


But honestly, I really don't think there's anything cooler than James Bond's Aston Martin - that DB5.... And it's been leaked that apparently, in the yet-to-be newest installment to the films, it's going to have a weapons update:

1578963781978.png



Except I'm a child of the 80s, and I've always had a fond place for this one, instead.....

1578963609068.png



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OK, in all seriousness -

I also keep a "car gun."

Except mine is a simple handgun.

It's in a typical little handgun safe lashed to the seat rail on the passenger side of the vehicle (my belief is that the driver's primary duty is to drive: that the vehicle itself is both the best offense as well as defense).

It's a handgun - holstered (as mentioned in another thread, in our household, a holstered weapon is assumed to be loaded and ready-to-fire) - because I work in a prohibited area, and this allows me to remain armed for the commute and also effect legal concealed-carry to any other place that the day may take me, while allowing safe storage for when not.

It's a second-hand Glock 32 that I bought on-the-cheap and wouldn't fret about losing, in case of a break-in and a thief determined enough to remove the safe or break into it. I've run several hundred rounds of defensive ammo through it and am comfortable with it, while its durability/reliability has been proven with a few class-days' worth of more intense action. 13+1 in the gun, and a spare 15-rounder in a concealment carrier of 125-gr. .357-SIG Speer Gold Dots makes for balanced carry, should I need to do so (usually, the school/work/sport commute for me and my child doesn't involve any stops). The two 22-round happy-sticks in the glove-box makes for a comforting amount of extra, if that dire of a scenario ever presented itself.

I would like to have a long-gun in the car, but I just haven't found the budget to do so mainly because I keep thinking that if I were able to make it to my car, I'd most likely high-tail it out of there (particularly if I'm with my family).....but maybe this isn't forward-thinking enough?
 
TSiWRX said:
I always thought the BRCC Prius was funny -

View attachment 343

And the Magpul Bus really has some swagger -

View attachment 344

But honestly, I really don't think there's anything cooler than James Bond's Aston Martin - that DB5.... And it's been leaked that apparently, in the yet-to-be newest installment to the films, it's going to have a weapons update:

View attachment 347


Except I'm a child of the 80s, and I've always had a fond place for this one, instead.....

View attachment 346


--------------------


OK, in all seriousness -

I also keep a "car gun."

Except mine is a simple handgun.

It's in a typical little handgun safe lashed to the seat rail on the passenger side of the vehicle (my belief is that the driver's primary duty is to drive: that the vehicle itself is both the best offense as well as defense).

It's a handgun - holstered (as mentioned in another thread, in our household, a holstered weapon is assumed to be loaded and ready-to-fire) - because I work in a prohibited area, and this allows me to remain armed for the commute and also effect legal concealed-carry to any other place that the day may take me, while allowing safe storage for when not.

It's a second-hand Glock 32 that I bought on-the-cheap and wouldn't fret about losing, in case of a break-in and a thief determined enough to remove the safe or break into it. I've run several hundred rounds of defensive ammo through it and am comfortable with it, while its durability/reliability has been proven with a few class-days' worth of more intense action. 13+1 in the gun, and a spare 15-rounder in a concealment carrier of 125-gr. .357-SIG Speer Gold Dots makes for balanced carry, should I need to do so (usually, the school/work/sport commute for me and my child doesn't involve any stops). The two 22-round happy-sticks in the glove-box makes for a comforting amount of extra, if that dire of a scenario ever presented itself.

I would like to have a long-gun in the car, but I just haven't found the budget to do so mainly because I keep thinking that if I were able to make it to my car, I'd most likely high-tail it out of there (particularly if I'm with my family).....but maybe this isn't forward-thinking enough?
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I think there's a company that makes a 50 rnd drum or snail mag for the 40/357.
 
^ I've played with one......it's definitely fun, but it's a bit of a doozy to handle.

The 22-round happy-sticks aren't too outrageous in that respect. In terms of reliability (something that I do worry about with the drums, even though my friend's were flawless through that range session), the happy sticks (factory Glock) have been fine through the 5 or so magazine's worth that I've put through each (initial vetting of these mags got kinda pricey, with the cost of those Gold Dots 😅), but I also still worry about how they will fare a few years down the line. I shoot-through the ammo on a yearly basis, just to keep things fresh.
 
On occasion I do ankle carry a backup. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and pray for the latter is my opinion.
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
I think there's a company that makes a 50 rnd drum or snail mag for the 40/357.
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Have a 50 round drum from Midway for my Glock 23/32.... garbage.... doesn't feed.
Got the Glock 23/32, 22 round sticks from Midway and they were very unreliable.
Bought Glock sticks and they work flawlessly....
 
SMSgtRod said:
Have a 50 round drum from Midway for my Glock 23/32.... garbage.... doesn't feed.
Got the Glock 23/32, 22 round sticks from Midway and they were very unreliable.
Bought Glock sticks and they work flawlessly....
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That's the other reason why I stuck with the OE-Glock happy-sticks.

I've even been lucky enough to have played with the OE 33-rounders on factory G18s, and they were reliable in that context. So far, their 22-rounders have done well in the 7 years or so that I've had them...we'll see in the years to come!

FWIW, I believe my friend tinkered a bit with his drums to make them reliable, but I don't really know what all he did. So far, the only reliable drum I've ever used are the Magpul D60s for the 5.56/.223 application.

As for the aftermarket Glock magazines, I've heard so many horror stories about them that I've never even had the inclination to try, particularly as their factory magazines are quite reasonably priced. That said, I've picked up 20 or so of the Magpul PMag 17 GL9s, and in the 10 that I have in active use, they've so far functioned flawlessly and without complaint for a few thousand rounds of range-fodder and premium defensive ammo alike. For the price difference, I've made the GL9s our training mags, and reserve the slightly pricier OE-Glock for defensive use (after proper vetting, of-course!).
 
TSiWRX said:
That's the other reason why I stuck with the OE-Glock happy-sticks.

I've even been lucky enough to have played with the OE 33-rounders on factory G18s, and they were reliable in that context. So far, their 22-rounders have done well...we'll see in the years to come!

FWIW, I believe my friend tinkered a bit with his drums to make them reliable, but I don't really know what all he did. So far, the only reliable drum I've ever used are the Magpul D60s for the 5.56/.223 application.

As for the aftermarket Glock magazines, I've heard so many horror stories about them that I've never even had the inclination to try, particularly as their factory magazines are quite reasonably priced. That said, I've picked up 20 or so of the Magpul PMag 17 GL9s, and in the 10 that I have in active use, they've so far functioned flawlessly and without complaint for a few thousand rounds of range-fodder and premium defensive ammo alike. For the price difference, I've made the GL9s our training mags, and reserve the slightly pricier OE-Glock for defensive use (after proper vetting, of-course!).
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I have a 9mm conversion for my Glock 23. It works great. Have to have 9mm barrel, G17 recoil spring, and 9mm mags.
I bought the 33 round Glock stick and it's a hoot. Like an all day sucker. "Man that guy is quick with the mag changes."

After market Glock mags.... don't buy them.... everyone I have purchased ended up going back. Waste of time.
 
^ Give the Magpuls a try, I think you'll like them - at least for practice/training use. :)

SMSgtRod said:
I have a 9mm conversion for my Glock 23. It works great. Have to have 9mm barrel, G17 recoil spring, and 9mm mags.
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Yup.

I'm kinda stuck on my XDms, as you've probably read (https://www.thearmorylife.com/forum/threads/xdm-3-8-compact.105/#post-2758), so I try to give my G32 some exercise by loaning it out to friends for classes.

That's where I pop in the 9mm hardware, and yup, it just ticks along, like any good Glock should! :)
 
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