I leave the gun in the holster until it needs to be cleaned or I'm at the range. After that, it goes back in the holster. Same with mags. Both go in the safe until I need them again.
Stainless steel is a godsend, maintenance wise.
I leave the gun in the holster until it needs to be cleaned or I'm at the range. After that, it goes back in the holster. Same with mags. Both go in the safe until I need them again.
Stainless steel is a godsend, maintenance wise.
Great thread! I'm going to lay out my routine, mostly for my own benefit - it's good to review a routine once in a while to make sure it still works for you. So:
1. I have a little safe by the bed. The G17 is in there with a light. I open it, test the light, and check the chamber and magazine every couple of days, call it twice a week, as I lay down to bed.
2. I have another little safe on my dresser. The G19 goes in there, holster and all, when I undress at night. Note that this is the summer situation. In winter I carry and practice with the 17 and leave the 19 by the bed.
3. Whenever I get dressed (I work from home, so sometimes I don't get dressed for days! ) I put on my pants by the dresser, leaving the belt partially unthreaded. I open the dresser safe, take the holstered gun out. I do a quick visual inspection, make sure it's still well-holstered, etc. I especially note if there's excess dust/crud in the magwell/magazine interface. I tuck the whole thing in my pants, thread my belt, and finish getting dressed.
4. If I noticed excess crud in step 3, only now do I unholster the gun and blow off some dust/lint - if there's a bunch in the magwell joint, there's probably a bunch of lint on the front sight. I don't mind some of it, but one time at the range I couldn't really make out the front sight for the big dust bunny parked on it, and it doubled my normal cold-drill time. If I unholster, I check the chamber and magazine before holstering again.
Yep, I'm still happy with this routine. I don't carry a spare mag because I just haven't found a way to do that comfortably. Working on my belly and will try again when I'm under 200lb. I have mixed feelings about using a g19 for the HD gun during winter (why not have the bigger, higher-cap gun for HD where size doesn't matter?) But it works to have the smaller gun in summer clothes, and I like that the HD gun is always function-tested at most 6 months ago, and realistically the g19 is fine for HD.
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
Great thread and all I can add is this: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2012/08/...ego-depletion/
Fairness leads to extinction much faster than harsh parameters.
In Deep Survival, Gonzales describes how interruptions of routine are commonly found at the root of horrible (and preventable) accidents. One example I recall was a veteran climber who was in the process of gearing up. In the middle of her routine, when she was supposed to be tying her climbing rope, she noticed her shoe was untied, and went to tie it. Not only was her routine interrupted, but the distraction was (at least somewhat) similar in nature to what she was supposed to be doing (tying laces vs tying a line). She moved on without realizing that she had failed to properly secure her line.
I don't recall whether she suffered a fall because of it, or whether she simply had a close call: realizing at the last minute what she had done. Gonzales offers examples of both accidents and close calls.
This is just part of the reason why checklists have spread out from the aviation world to other realms (like surgery). When you force people to check things off a list, rather than just let them rely on their routine, accident rates fall sharply.
Not necessarily saying you should fill out a checklist every time you leave the house, but I highly recommend the book and think it ties into this discussion.
"If you run into an a**hole in the morning, you ran into an a**hole. If you run into a**holes all day, you're the a**hole." - Raylan Givens
I know of climbers who refuse to climb if their routine is messed up. They'll just hike or go home. They take it seriously for the above reasons.
Think for yourself. Question authority.
My life with young kids and a busy schedule doesn't lend itself to routines that go beyond keeping my stuff in the same place.
I limit my choices when I can - I don't change guns, holsters, glasses or anything else.
It's not foolproof, but I don't care to put more effort in to it, it's good enough.
Last edited by JV_; 07-09-2014 at 02:08 PM.
This is why all of my serious guns are Glock 9mms and S&W J frames. Tougher to screw that up.
The ironic thing about the P30 being in the safe is that I want to transition to the P30 as my carry/HD guns for commonality with what my wife uses. I just am not ready yet.
I do change (leather) holsters every day to allow the holster to dry between uses. I have duplicates of holsters for just that reason as sixteen hours in a VM-2 in the humid summer is tough on holsters.