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As most of you know already my carry gun is a glock 19 and I carry it religiously and have since I got my license in 2015. But over the last few weeks with my job my back has started to become an issue mainly my lower back. I have noticed it has become difficult some days to carry my 19 because of that so I went and bought a ruger LCP to carry in my pocket or iwb. I shot it plenty and ran hollow points through it over the weekend and it ran 100% for me so I have been for the last two days carrying it in my pocket. I have to say I really enjoy it because it doesn't weigh anything and 7 rounds of 380 don't make me feel out gunned or inadequate. In fact it's the first gun I have forgot I had it on me. It's very accurate and for me easy to shoot. Pocket carry is a little hard to be fast with but I'm practicing and I have a kydex iwb coming from Patton holsters that I'll use as well. I also have an extra mag coming too. I feel 380 although not the most optimal round is still very adequate for protection and my goal is not to kill the person but to stop them. honsetly the 380 and 9mm are not all to different anyhow. Hopefully my back will improve and get used to new job oriented tasks and I'll be able to carry my 19 all of the time again but as for right now for comfort and ease of pain I'll be toting my little ruger. I get the mentality carry the best tool you can for the job and a bigger pistol with more rounds is preferred but isn't the goal of even carrying a gun to protect yourself and loved ones? We can't go around from day to day beleiving we are going to get into a big gun battle. If I was worried about that I'd want my AR15 or 870 with me at all times instead of a pistol. We can't live in that kind of fear. So one thing I have to say is carry what you want and how you want to. Gun people although great people sometimes have a tendency to condemn others for their choices and methods because they feel they have mastered the art or just think they know better. Everybody is different and so go and carry and be confident. As long as you can shoot your gun and put rounds on target and carry safely then all I have to say is have a good day and God bless you!

If you need a gun, the one you have on you (whatever the terminal ballistics) is better than one somewhere else. "Mouse guns" fill an important role, and I am no more likely to stand in front of a .380 and be shot than in front of a 9mm, .45 or any other firearm. If/where you can, carry. WHAT you carry is up to you and you alone.

Well said cmgee!!

I have always espoused the same thing regarding what someone chooses to carry, or how they carry it. What works for me, may not work for you, and everyone will have to make that decision for themselves. I can sympathize with back problems, So far it hasn't caused me to have to change my carry method or the gun I carry, but I can see that may be in my future. Good luck, and be safe.

cmgee67 wrote:As most of you know already my carry gun is a glock 19 and I carry it religiously and have since I got my license in 2015. But over the last few weeks with my job my back has started to become an issue mainly my lower back. I have noticed it has become difficult some days to carry my 19 because of that so I went and bought a ruger LCP to carry in my pocket or iwb. I shot it plenty and ran hollow points through it over the weekend and it ran 100% for me so I have been for the last two days carrying it in my pocket. I have to say I really enjoy it because it doesn't weigh anything and 7 rounds of 380 don't make me feel out gunned or inadequate. In fact it's the first gun I have forgot I had it on me. It's very accurate and for me easy to shoot. Pocket carry is a little hard to be fast with but I'm practicing and I have a kydex iwb coming from Patton holsters that I'll use as well. I also have an extra mag coming too. I feel 380 although not the most optimal round is still very adequate for protection and my goal is not to kill the person but to stop them. honsetly the 380 and 9mm are not all to different anyhow. Hopefully my back will improve and get used to new job oriented tasks and I'll be able to carry my 19 all of the time again but as for right now for comfort and ease of pain I'll be toting my little ruger. I get the mentality carry the best tool you can for the job and a bigger pistol with more rounds is preferred but isn't the goal of even carrying a gun to protect yourself and loved ones? We can't go around from day to day beleiving we are going to get into a big gun battle. If I was worried about that I'd want my AR15 or 870 with me at all times instead of a pistol. We can't live in that kind of fear. So one thing I have to say is carry what you want and how you want to. Gun people although great people sometimes have a tendency to condemn others for their choices and methods because they feel they have mastered the art or just think they know better. Everybody is different and so go and carry and be confident. As long as you can shoot your gun and put rounds on target and carry safely then all I have to say is have a good day and God bless you!

Amen! I love my little Ruger LCP, even though i love my glock 26 even more. Lol. Its all a matter of every day comfort and protection.

I have also been carrying my Cold Mustang in a Desantis Pop-up holster more when I wear business casual without a jacket or sportcoat.

However, when I dress differently I will wear my Hi-Power.

Elitism is a problem with just about any "club" we join.
Some skeet and trap shooters only like certain scatter guns.
Some cyclists want to judge what bike you ride.
Some guitarists want to judge which axe you use.
Some drivers want to judge which car you have.
Some people want to judge what watch, or shoes, or pistol, or whatever you're wearing.

If someone is asking me why I do what I do, I try to assume they are judging how something could or could not fit into their lives. Not judging me.
If someone is judging what I am using during an activity without asking why, I figure they have all the answers they need and don't really need my input.

An enthusiast wants you out there and is more concerned with coaching/mentoring. You may be doing something wrong but they usually want to work with you.
An elitist usually wants to tell you why you're doing it wrong. And the 15 reasons why. And the answer is rarely how you can modify your behavior. The answer is usually just to copy them because they can't conceive that there might be more than one answer.

I think that one reason why this forum is so good is that by and large we have a large number of CHL/LTC enthusiasts. Most of us are looking to explore every angle. Sometimes we beat on poor dead horses but usually it is to make sure that we haven't missed anything. That is my take anyway.

When my back is sore, I carry my Kel- Tec PMR-30. Its so light I feel like I'm carrying an empty holster, and 30 rounds of .22 WMR (plus a spare 30 round mag) DEFINITELY do not leave me feeling outgunned!

I feel ya, after 2 back surgerys last year and a year of horrible pain I can get it. For me I found that appendix carry was what worked. Trying to drive and work in a physical job, carrying behind the hip hurts too much.

cmgee67 wrote:As most of you know already my carry gun is a glock 19

I was totally unaware of this.

cmgee67 wrote:...

cmgee67 wrote:So one thing I have to say is carry what you want and how you want to. ...

It's good to know I have this option, thanks!

cmgee67 wrote:honestly the 380 and 9mm are not all to different anyhow.

I also own an LCP and will carry it if I have no other option, but I simply cannot remotely agree with the above statement.

I've seen a lot of attitude changes in the years that I've been Involved with the self-defense community. The technolgy and the and the marketplace have changed dramatically. Back in the day, elitist looked down on the semi autos and looked upon them with disdain. The revolver was the way to go. Eventually, 1911s were looked upon with respect, while the faddish Glock was looked as a weapon for gangsters. Acceptance was gained when the LEO community started using them and even more so with Glock's adoption of the .40 Cal. While the popularity of revolvers and 1911s never faded, the old timers and elitist were learning to accept the alternatives.

Today the gun manufacturers have adapted to the unique needs of the conceal carry community. Subcompacts and smaller guns became available. These were eagerly adopted by some and accepted by most. The LC9 and It's predecessor the Keltec P3AT became instant hits. The 9mm is respected as a full power gun, and .380 as capable for self-defense.

We all have opinions, but most are no more correct than any others. Every handgun is the result of engineering trade offs. Weight, cost, complexity, look and feel. Thankfully the choices are vast. I prefer SA/DA with a hammer and manual safety that clicks off with an upstroke. This isn't everyones cup of tea.

An EDC is sorta like shoes, Some people wear the same shoes every day. Others like to mix it up.. Some wear big heavy steel toed boots, Some only wear Niké.It's different strokes for different folks and there is no reason to apologize. The thing is we can all learn something about other people choices and their reasons why.

Liberty wrote:I've seen a lot of attitude changes in the years that I've been Involved with the self-defense community. The technolgy and the and the marketplace have changed dramatically. Back in the day, elitist looked down on the semi autos and looked upon them with disdain. The revolver was the way to go. Eventually, 1911s were looked upon with respect, while the faddish Glock was looked as a weapon for gangsters. Acceptance was gained when the LEO community started using them and even more so with Glock's adoption of the .40 Cal. While the popularity of revolvers and 1911s never faded, the old timers and elitist were learning to accept the alternatives.

Today the gun manufacturers have adapted to the unique needs of the conceal carry community. Subcompacts and smaller guns became available. These were eagerly adopted by some and accepted by most. The LC9 and It's predecessor the Keltec P3AT became instant hits. The 9mm is respected as a full power gun, and .380 as capable for self-defense.

We all have opinions, but most are no more correct than any others. Every handgun is the result of engineering trade offs. Weight, cost, complexity, look and feel. Thankfully the choices are vast. I prefer SA/DA with a hammer and manual safety that clicks off with an upstroke. This isn't everyones cup of tea.

An EDC is sorta like shoes, Some people wear the same shoes every day. Others like to mix it up.. Some wear big heavy steel toed boots, Some only wear Niké.It's different strokes for different folks and there is no reason to apologize. The thing is we can all learn something about other people choices and their reasons why.

Well said

cmgee67 wrote:...As long as you can shoot your gun and put rounds on target and carry safely then all I have to say is have a good day and God bless you!

I made a determination early on in selling guns to people that I would never comment negatively on somebody's choice because of cost, brand, size caliber, or whatever.

Sometimes it's been a challenge but it's served me well.

In my LTC classes, somebody will always ask, 'what's the best carry gun?' They want a brand, caliber, .etc. My stock answer is - the best carry gun is the gun that you will actually carry.

Scott B. wrote:

cmgee67 wrote:...As long as you can shoot your gun and put rounds on target and carry safely then all I have to say is have a good day and God bless you!

I made a determination early on in selling guns to people that I would never comment negatively on somebody's choice because of cost, brand, size caliber, or whatever.

Sometimes it's been a challenge but it's served me well.

In my LTC classes, somebody will always ask, 'what's the best carry gun?' They want a brand, caliber, .etc. My stock answer is - the best carry gun is the gun that you will actually carry.

That was my philosophy back in the day as well.

When my back hurts, I keep the G19 + 2 mags, but switch to a shoulder holster until my back eases up.

Each to his own, but I'll strongly disagree with your statement that there's not much difference between a .380 and a 9mm. If you're talking about circumference, you'd be right. The .380 is also known as "9mm Kurz" (9mm short). But just like a .22 short doesn't pack the same punch as a .22 LR, the .380 does not come close to 9mm performance.

All would agree that Buffalo Bore ammo pretty much maximizes power available to a given caliber. A Buffalo Bore 95 grain +P .380 load fired from a Ruger LCP (SOURCE) yields 986 fps and about 240 ft lbs. Now compare that to a standard pressure 115 grain Federal JHP 9mm out of your G19, which has a 4" barrel, producing 1,094 fps and 300 ft lbs. Now.....let's make that a Corbon 115 grain DPX +P 9mm (since Buffalo Bore doesn't appear on that 9mm chart, and now you're talking about 1,316 fps and about 440 ft lbs. Now that .380 is starting to look kind of anemic. Better yet let's drop that 9mm bullet weight to a 90 grain +P Corbon JHP out of your G19, and now you're talking about 1,444 fps and 420 ft lbs.

Or, compare a standard pressure .380 90 grain Hornady XTP with 796 fps and 140 ft lbs from your LCP to a standard pressure 115 grain Federal JHP with 1,094 fps and 300 ft lbs from a 4" G19.

It would be like trying to argue that there isn't a significant difference between .40 S&W and 10mm Auto.

I'm not volunteering to step in front of your .380, and you may personally not feel particularly outgunned with one (choice tastes like freedom). But the .380 isn't even close to the 9mm, and they are significantly different loads.