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The EDC Merry-Go-Round

Trebor657

Trebor657

Operator
Saw a friend of mine at a gun show last weekend....he was carrying three different handgun boxes. We walked over the break area for a cup of coffee and to catch up....I asked about the boxes and he said he just bought the P365XL and he was trying to sell the other two handguns....

For as long as I have known this guy he has been hopelessly trapped on the EDC Merry-Go-Round. He is strongly influenced by what is posted on various gun web sites, YouTube video reviews and magazine articles. Almost every time he sees or reads a good review on something, he feels he just has to have one....I know it's his own business but normally after owning something for a few weeks or months, he is on to the next greatest thing and is trying to sell or trade the last great thing....it's an endless cycle for him...

I asked him about his EDC and he said he hardly ever carries the same pistol for more than a few days in a row. I tried to explain the virtues of narrowing it down to a few select choices, to train with and become familiar what he has chosen and stick with them but he is not having that....So I asked him to tell me what he was carrying that day and he said I'm not sure, let me look....

I for one just can't justify this...I have three pistols in my EDC rotation....I have trained with them all and am very familiar with all of them....I enjoy reading about the latest developments in an EDC, the opinions on the pistol, accessories available and all the other stuff, but would never run out and buy something based on someone else's opinion or even a review of the good, the bad and the ugly just to be able to say "hey look what I just got"....I hope I never feel I have to take a ride on the EDC Merry-Go-Round....
 
"Retail Therapy" is a real thing.

I remember reading somewhere that buying new things causes your brain to release endorphins.

I seem to remember reading that in one study they hooked up electrodes people's hands and they compared to brain waves from people who were snorting cocaine and people who were buying things and it was almost the same.

After a while it gets addictive.
 
Sometimes I've got to think about what I'm carrying, but I haven't had to look at it yet.
Variety is the spice of life, I'm grateful to have a nice, mediocre carry selection, and especially a range from my front porch. I like to rotate every few days, but only after checking the sights.
Guns and motorcycles replaced my drug and alcohol habit many years ago.
 
Well I guess you can go overboard. But just because you bought a gun that would make a good CC gun, that doesn't mean you gotta CC it. Let's face it though, there are only so many different types of handguns. Everyone knows exactly how to handle a 1911. Guns like Glocks, Sigs, Shields, etc. all operate the exact same way.

Yes you should train with guns you plan to carry daily. But there's no reason to only have one.
 
Trebor657 said:
I for one just can't justify this...I have three pistols in my EDC rotation....I have trained with them all and am very familiar with all of them....I enjoy reading about the latest developments in an EDC, the opinions on the pistol, accessories available and all the other stuff, but would never run out and buy something based on someone else's opinion or even a review of the good, the bad and the ugly just to be able to say "hey look what I just got"
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I have 2 EDCs in my rotation, both 9mm. I carry either a Hellcat or a Ruger LC9S. They are both about the same size but the Ruger conceals better under light clothing and is a bit lighter being an 8 shot vs 13. Both of them were bought because I liked the way they felt in my hand. I've tried alot of them, some just holding and dry firing in the store and others tried out at the range. I've read reviews on weapons that were supposed to be the best thing since yellow coloring in butter and that may be but I was not comfortable with it and others that were supposed to have everything wrong and I kinda liked it. It all comes down to personal taste, what you can afford, personal taste, your carry strategy, and did I mention personal taste..
 
BassCliff said:
Hi,

While I'm envious of your friend's ability to try/buy/sell/trade many guns, I think it is ill advised to carry a firearm you have not trained with and know intimately.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
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I agree. Some people train with and are intimately familiar with an array of guns. In fact my personal opinion is that regardless of whether you plan to carry it, if you have a gun that will or could be utilized for SD/HD, you should train with it.
 
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This is my "Carry Rotation". Perhaps you notice a pattern.

This topic has been beaten to death all over the internet. When different people say "Rotation" they mean different things.

I remember this discussion came up once on another forum and one of the respondents posted "Here's my "carry rotation" with a picture of 7 J-Frames. Seriously, what was he really changing?

I think the reason I never got behind the idea of "Rotating" is because when I was working as an armed security guard my employer picked the handgun I carried. I really had no choice in the matter and I carried what they issued me to carry every shift.

So that's just what I'm used to. I don't understand the concept of changing out my carry gun because I'm bored. That's not why I carry it. When it comes to my carry weapon or carrying a gun in general I like bored. Bored is good.
 
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Trebor657 said:
Saw a friend of mine at a gun show last weekend....he was carrying three different handgun boxes. We walked over the break area for a cup of coffee and to catch up....I asked about the boxes and he said he just bought the P365XL and he was trying to sell the other two handguns....

For as long as I have known this guy he has been hopelessly trapped on the EDC Merry-Go-Round. He is strongly influenced by what is posted on various gun web sites, YouTube video reviews and magazine articles. Almost every time he sees or reads a good review on something, he feels he just has to have one....I know it's his own business but normally after owning something for a few weeks or months, he is on to the next greatest thing and is trying to sell or trade the last great thing....it's an endless cycle for him...

I asked him about his EDC and he said he hardly ever carries the same pistol for more than a few days in a row. I tried to explain the virtues of narrowing it down to a few select choices, to train with and become familiar what he has chosen and stick with them but he is not having that....So I asked him to tell me what he was carrying that day and he said I'm not sure, let me look....

I for one just can't justify this...I have three pistols in my EDC rotation....I have trained with them all and am very familiar with all of them....I enjoy reading about the latest developments in an EDC, the opinions on the pistol, accessories available and all the other stuff, but would never run out and buy something based on someone else's opinion or even a review of the good, the bad and the ugly just to be able to say "hey look what I just got"....I hope I never feel I have to take a ride on the EDC Merry-Go-Round....
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IMHO you just described 85% of non casual gun owners. I noticed the same thing on social media and inet forums. Some people have as many as 10 EDC they rotate through most of which are completely different sizes platforms and even calibers.

Others buy, sell, and trade repeatedly. The bright side is that I get great deals that way. They buy NIB, rarely carry or shoot the gun, and sell basically a mint condition gun a hundred or more below retail sometimes with extra accessories to boot. Over the past few years, I've purchased all my firearms used. If I see something I want, I check gun forums, ArmList, and Gunbroker for them. I don't buy retail unless it's online and there's a rebate involved.

I might go out and buy a new gun I just have to have because I'm more of a collector, but I typically EDC the same exact handguns 4 guns. It's not a rotation but rather situational carry. Pocket deep concealment pistol (Hellcat), high capacity double stack (Beretta APX) for when I can get away with concealment & I feel the treat level is higher, and a single stack (Kahr K40) and revolver S&W 686.

yotehtr said:
Guns are like a woman............
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That's an insult to guns. My guns don't nag, talk back, cheat, or get jealous if I have more than one. Most importantly, they know what the heck they want to eat when it's time for dinner.
 
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