Carry Rotation

[1911Nut]

This is a very valid point, in that I don't think EDC should be dictated by people who think they know better. I for sure do not think I should have the authority to tell people what to carry. That said, I think there's a difference between wanting to impose preferences, and discussing opinions on best practices. The latter is what I think has been happening here when it comes to criticizing carry rotations.

For another example, I have a lot of opinions on how people should raise their kids. Some of those are strong opinions, and most of them are evidence-based. I have no desire to impose a single solitary one of them on anyone.

I totally agree. Hence the first sentence in my post. Anything discussed on this forum is so far beyond and above others in intelligence that there is literally no comparison.

[Edster]

I used to try to come up with a Grand Unified Theory of grip and trigger that would work for everything. That didn't work so I decided to optimize for the particular gun instead.

I'm only dealing with Glocks and a revolver anyway. In practice, they feel so different that muscle memory takes over and I use the correct grip for each without thinking about it.

It might be different if I had a 1911, Beretta TDA, or something more complicated. I confess, though, that I hate the process of vetting a new carry gun. I hate burning money on carry ammo just for testing. I hate spending money on new sights, installing them, and tweaking zero. Add the time I would have to spend gaining competence on a new system and it's just not worth it to me.

I guess I'm too cheap and lazy to have a carry rotation.

[GearFondler]

I used to try to come up with a Grand Unified Theory of grip and trigger that would work for everything. That didn't work so I decided to optimize for the particular gun instead.

I'm only dealing with Glocks and a revolver anyway. In practice, they feel so different that muscle memory takes over and I use the correct grip for each without thinking about it.

It might be different if I had a 1911, Beretta TDA, or something more complicated. I confess, though, that I hate the process of vetting a new carry gun. I hate burning money on carry ammo just for testing. I hate spending money on new sights, installing them, and tweaking zero. Add the time I would have to spend gaining competence on a new system and it's just not worth it to me.

I guess I'm too cheap and lazy to have a carry rotation.

I think you meant to say that you're too practical to have a carry rotation. And I'm in 100% agreement with all your points.

[Oldherkpilot]

Some rough dates and math reveal a boring selection of pistols over 11 years of tracking.

My 5 carry guns since 2011.

01/11 - 11/13 P30v3. Da/Sa 85,000
12/13 - 06/15 P30 v1. LEM 17,100
07/15 - 12/16 P2000 v1. LEM 8,800
01/17 - 12/19 USP9c v7. LEM 14,100
01/20 - 12/20 P2000 v1. LEM 7,200
01/21 - 02/22 P2000sk v1. LEM 4,000


The other night about 3am I woke up with an idea. As I'm pondering the approach of my 45th birthday, I get the idea to pick out a nice 1911 in .45. Spent the rest of the early morning talking myself out of it.

A 45C would keep you in the HK collective and fit in most of your P30 holsters.😁

[Hambo]

I confess, though, that I hate the process of vetting a new carry gun. I hate burning money on carry ammo just for testing. I hate spending money on new sights, installing them, and tweaking zero. Add the time I would have to spend gaining competence on a new system and it's just not worth it to me.

I guess I'm too cheap and lazy to have a carry rotation.

Or you're smart enough to realize that you should vet a pistol and have sufficient support gear, both of which are costly and time consuming. Whereas your current choices work and you can spend that time and money maintaining or improving skills.

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm only dealing with Glocks and a revolver anyway. In practice, they feel so different that muscle memory takes over and I use the correct grip for each without thinking about it.

That has been my experience. If the guns feel radically different in the hand I can adapt very quickly. If they are marginally different, it takes more time. I notice primarily on presentation and getting a more natural point instead of presenting nose high/nose low until I get used to the new thing. It's why I have no concern with one semi-auto and one revolver but only carry one 'breed' of revolvers and one 'breed' of semi-autos.

I'm sure folks who attain a certain high level of skill can overcome those things, but I equally know that's not me. I don't have access to live fire nearly as much as I'd like any longer.

[RJ]

The phrase "Carry Rotation" is closely associated with "derp" in my mind.
If there's something good worth recognizing that involves changing weapons with some frequency, we should find another phrase to refer to it.

YMMV

I wholeheartedly agree. Usually whenever I see the phrase "Carry Rotation" online, it makes my eyes water. It doesn't, really, connote any kind of actual objective performance metrics. It's more like "which of my BBQ guns goes best with these boots" kind of thing. (Not that there's anything wrong with BBQ guns ) Anyway, I decided to think about this until something distilled out of my Lizard Brain.

Leveraging Paul Sharp's concept of: mindset --> skillset --> toolset, I came up with:

Defensive Tool Selection

"Defensive Tool Selection" describes the process of what I do every day as it comes to what I will have with me:

Defensive. This is the key word that derives from mindset. The reason I put on, or wear anything really, is for my personal defense. While it can obviously refer to a pistol, I interpret this broadly. For example, am I going out at all? Do I need a winter coat, or a hat against the sun? Basically, what is the environment you are in?

Tool. While last in the concept, when incorporated into a phrase, it comes in the middle. This is the aspect of "what are you going to carry", specifically. This is where the options come into play; could be a Philips screwdriver, could be a POM cartridge, could be a full size service pistol. What tools do you have available to meet the need, with all the options at your disposal.

Selection. This is where what skillset I have applies. Can I use that screwdriver to poke holes in someone so they stop doing what they are doing? Sure, that seems simple enough, even for me. But can I operate this pistol over here, I'm unfamiliar with, as well as say this other one, that I have a lot of rounds with? Maybe not, and maybe I shouldn't use that one, until I can practice to be good enough.

Selection also speaks to prioritization. If I spread out all the stuff I'd like to take with me, daily, maybe it doesn't all fit for what I am doing that day. If I am going to the gym, I have on shorts and a T-shirt. Maybe all I can carry is a LCR in a Dark Star Gear holster, my keys and cell phone. If I am driving in the truck, maybe I have jeans and a regular belt, and can carry a pistol and a reload. Walking down to take out the trash? I might just slip the LCR+Desantis Nemesis into my pocket of my cargo shorts. Out and about running errands that day? AIWB the P365X, a reload, and POM spray on the belt.

My 0.02 FWIW.

[Jared]

I mostly agree with the OP, but kinda think this has been done a lot here on P-F.

In practice, I’ve been carrying the same PX4CC for some years now as my 90%+ carry and a snub revolver (j frame, then LCR, back to j frame) for when wardrobe selection or whatever makes it less practical to carry the Beretta. Along the way I’ve found that skills from shooting a 92 translate fairly well to the PX4CC and I shoot the snubs enough to maintain proficiency.

I add POM to this, carrying it every time I walk out the front door (mostly due to roaming dogs and the like where I live). I always have a folding knife, but that’s much more of a general tool than a defensive tool.

Others may do as they wish. One of our better contributors noted that being able to say “I have a gun” and mean it tends to solve 9 out of 10 defensive encounters. If said gun will reliably fire one round that goes a long way to solving the tenth. So if Bubba down the road carries a Beretta on spaghetti Wednesday and a 1911 on Freedom Friday it doesn’t affect me enough to worry about it.

On the other hand of that, I do think we need to send the best message possible to newcomers. In that vein, I think discouraging the “carry rotation” idea is noble. At least until we get sanctimonious about it (not seen in this thread, but I have seen it in the past). Arrogance and a “This is the way” attitude generally is off putting to novices IME.

[Jared]

I wholeheartedly agree. Usually whenever I see the phrase "Carry Rotation" online, it makes my eyes water. It doesn't, really, connote any kind of actual objective performance metrics. It's more like "which of my BBQ guns goes best with these boots" kind of thing. (Not that there's anything wrong with BBQ guns ) Anyway, I decided to think about this until something distilled out of my Lizard Brain.

Leveraging Paul Sharp's concept of: mindset --> skillset --> toolset, I came up with:

Defensive Tool Selection

"Defensive Tool Selection" describes the process of what I do every day as it comes to what I will have with me:

Defensive. This is the key word that derives from mindset. The reason I put on, or wear anything really, is for my personal defense. While it can obviously refer to a pistol, I interpret this broadly. For example, am I going out at all? Do I need a winter coat, or a hat against the sun? Basically, what is the environment you are in?

Tool. While last in the concept, when incorporated into a phrase, it comes in the middle. This is the aspect of "what are you going to carry", specifically. This is where the options come into play; could be a Philips screwdriver, could be a POM cartridge, could be a full size service pistol. What tools do you have available to meet the need, with all the options at your disposal.

Selection. This is where what skillset I have applies. Can I use that screwdriver to poke holes in someone so they stop doing what they are doing? Sure, that seems simple enough, even for me. But can I operate this pistol over here, I'm unfamiliar with, as well as say this other one, that I have a lot of rounds with? Maybe not, and maybe I shouldn't use that one, until I can practice to be good enough.

Selection also speaks to prioritization. If I spread out all the stuff I'd like to take with me, daily, maybe it doesn't all fit for what I am doing that day. If I am going to the gym, I have on shorts and a T-shirt. Maybe all I can carry is a LCR in a Dark Star Gear holster, my keys and cell phone. If I am driving in the truck, maybe I have jeans and a regular belt, and can carry a pistol and a reload. Walking down to take out the trash? I might just slip the LCR+Desantis Nemesis into my pocket of my cargo shorts. Out and about running errands that day? AIWB the P365X, a reload, and POM spray on the belt.

My 0.02 FWIW.

I actually like this as an alternative to “Carry Rotation” quite a bit. Good job RJ.

[CCT125US]

A 45C would keep you in the HK collective and fit in most of your P30 holsters.😁

Top right. Old picture, as it and several others left to make room for new things. Found it less than enjoyable to shoot, and only kept it around because it was an HK in .45, and it fit my P30 holsters, as you mentioned.