I have something to say

[stroo]

If you look at the surveys and statistics on the use of guns in self defense, in well over 90% of the cases simply showing the gun or firing a shot whether you hit or not, stops the attack. That is the reason why the first rule is to have a gun.

Of course if you get into the remaining 10%, you really want a major caliber weapon with plenty of rounds. A mouse gun in .380 is right on that borderline both in terms of caliber and capacity.

It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. If you can only carry a mouse gun, that's a great choice!

[TreyHouston]

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.

man you guys are smart! as summer is coming, I am switching to shorts and can't really CC my XD Mod2 so I have been looking for a good Pocket Carry. With help from people on this forum, I have decided to go with the next good deal I find on a 9mm, like a Kahr, sig, Taurus 709FS PT709 Slim or G43. Should go well with shorts!

If ya know of someone selling let me know! (probably can't afford the sig)

[surferdaddy]

I generally agree that one should carry what they are comfortable with; physically and mentally. I don't take issue with moving from your g19 to an lcp, this fits your needs and I do believe a little lcp will end most confrontations immediately. Is it a considerable step down in power, yes it is, but something that is often overlooked is shoot-ability. I personally find it hard to make solid hits with small DOA pistols.

There are always options. I sometimes carry a sig p938 which is really comparable to small 380s like the lcp size wise. It is single action and has a far superior trigger to most small guns. Drawback...it is pricy, I ponied up. I am more comfy with 9mm and a more serviceable trigger which allows me to make good hits.

I generally carry my p30sk. I agree that none of are very likely to need a gun at all, but these mass shooting incidents will likely continue to increase, if it goes down in a dark theater where myself and my family are, I want to be as capable as possible.

Life is full of choices and compromises. Good luck with yours and mine.

Surfer

[magillapd]

A good pair of suspenders helps. I wear a t-shirt, suspenders & a cover shirt. More & more police departments are seeing the benifit of duty suspenders when it comes to helping with lower back pain.

Other times, I break out the shoulder holster.

[maverick2076]

man you guys are smart! as summer is coming, I am switching to shorts and can't really CC my XD Mod2 so I have been looking for a good Pocket Carry. With help from people on this forum, I have decided to go with the next good deal I find on a 9mm, like a Kahr, sig, Taurus 709FS PT709 Slim or G43. Should go well with shorts!

If ya know of someone selling let me know! (probably can't afford the sig)

Not that I want to discourage anyone from buying another gun, but you don't need a new pistol. You need a better belt and holster. I regularly carry a Glock 19 in shorts and a t shirt. I use a Wilderness Tactical belt and either a Comp Tac MTAC IWB or a Trinity Carry Systems OWB holster. You'd be surprised how much pistol you can easily conceal with the right gear.

[twomillenium]

I carry my G19 in a belly band, but I carry it high under the shoulder/ armpit. I had the same problem then a LEO friend told me that the belly band had a pocket on the other side, then I should try carry two full mags. I put 2 G17 fully loaded mags on the other side and now I can wear it from the time I get dress till I go to bed. Without back pain. I figure if I ever get into a situation where I need 34 extra rounds, I am probably in a situation that is over my head. But you never know.

[cmgee67]

I think some of you are confused as to what I meant in part of my post. I will continue to carry my G19 as my main gun but right now with my back issue my lcp works great. Its just temporary until my back gets better. Which hopefully will be soon. I have a great belt and great holsters. Belt man belt and crossbreed or alien gear holster. I can easy carry and conceal my 19 that's never been an issue. I am really enjoying my lightweight lcp. It's a ton of fun. After my back is better 19 all the way with lcp as my BUG.

I would like to try a shoulder rig. I've never considered a belly band.

[Jusme]

I think some of you are confused as to what I meant in part of my post. I will continue to carry my G19 as my main gun but right now with my back issue my lcp works great. Its just temporary until my back gets better. Which hopefully will be soon. I have a great belt and great holsters. Belt man belt and crossbreed or alien gear holster. I can easy carry and conceal my 19 that's never been an issue. I am really enjoying my lightweight lcp. It's a ton of fun. After my back is better 19 all the way with lcp as my BUG.

I would like to try a shoulder rig. I've never considered a belly band.

Yeah I didn't think about it either, but it might actually help with your back issue as an added support. I had one years ago, didn't like it, but the ones, they make now, may be a great idea for me also.

[cmgee67]

I have scoliosis in my back so it gets thrown out quite easily so maybe I should try a shoulder rig to just see how I like it. The bad thing is they are expensive just to try if I don't like it

[The Annoyed Man]

I have scoliosis in my back so it gets thrown out quite easily so maybe I should try a shoulder rig to just see how I like it. The bad thing is they are expensive just to try if I don't like it

Read this thread I posted this past December about my new shoulder rig.

Gould & Goodrich makes a perfectly serviceable decent quality product at a much reduced price from what Galco is asking. Here is the opening of what I said in that thread:

I took delivery on a new Gould & Goodrich shoulder holster today from amazon.com today. The reason I bought it was because of a change of policy at Galco I recently learned of. It used to be that Galco sold both right and left handed accessory holster bodies if you acquired another gun and wanted to carry it in your shoulder rig. I've owned a Galco Miami Classic II system for 7 or 8 years now, and I have holster bodies for a 1911 and a HK USP Compact .40. I also have a double magazine carrier for 1911s and one for the HK USP-sized .40 cal magazines. My back has been bothering me a LOT lately and I'm having trouble wearing belt holsters again, so I wanted to buy a holster body for my Galco to fit my Glock 19 and 17, and a new mag holder for the Glock 9mm mags.

The problem arose when I saw that the Galco website only shows right-handed spare holster bodies available. When I called Galco to see if I could order one over the phone, It was told that they no longer sold left-handed holster bodies by themselves. I could only get one by buying a whole new shoulder holster system. Well, the spare holster body alone (if I wanted a right handed one) costs $89.95. The entire new holster system costs $214.95. So Galco screws lefty shooters to the tune of $125 if they want a new left-handed holster body for their Miami Classic II. I'm not having any of that!

So a quick search for left handed shoulder holster for Glock 17/19 turned up this Gould & Goodrich #804. Their [MSRP] retail price is $186.13, but I thought I'd check Amazon (linked above), and they had it for only $129.66 with free shipping. No brainer. I'll take $129.66 over Galco's $214.95.

Anyway, it came in today. Quality seems easily on a par with the Galco product, and it fits. The one thing it doesn't have is a screw to adjust retention, but it doesn't really need it. Fit is perfect.

It's not my EDC holster, but I do wear it fairly frequently. It is holding up just fine, still looks brand new, and is quite comfortable. There is no discernible difference in fit or quality between it and the Galco which costs twice as much. I would easily recommend this one to anyone looking for a shoulder rig. It's not fancy, but it works and it looks good. Pictures of it in my other post.

[bblhd672]

Man I love this forum because of the many ideas and solutions that people share in response to questions/statements.

Big ole salute to you all!

[E10]

I also recently began experiencing back pain. I moved my wallet to my !eft back pocket (away from the gun) and switched from IWB to OWB (pancake-style). Oh, yeah, I also stopped caring about 'printing'. I find I can pack a bigger gun (today, it's a Beretta 92 Compact, sometimes a Ruger Speed-Six .357) and still be reasonably comfortable. I think moving the wallet probably helped more than changing the carry method.

[Deitz83]

I wondered if carrying a firearm daily could cause some individuals back issues. I do not to ever give up my daily carry so I do core exercises 5 days a week. Thanks for letting me know that I am doing preventive measures.

[Alf]

It's better to burn out than to fade away.

[spolct]

I think some of you are confused as to what I meant in part of my post. I will continue to carry my G19 as my main gun but right now with my back issue my lcp works great. Its just temporary until my back gets better. Which hopefully will be soon. I have a great belt and great holsters. Belt man belt and crossbreed or alien gear holster. I can easy carry and conceal my 19 that's never been an issue. I am really enjoying my lightweight lcp. It's a ton of fun. After my back is better 19 all the way with lcp as my BUG.

I would like to try a shoulder rig. I've never considered a belly band.

It's not for everyone, and it took me a long time with several attempts but I have found that appendix carry has helped my back quite a bit. The proper holster is key. I carry an M&P 9c daily and sometimes an LC9. An LCP appendix would most likely be very easy to carry and would be much faster of a draw than pocket carry. A G19 would be a bit more challenging to conceal up front unless you're one of those sub 32" waist flat bellies. Even if you're not it can still be done. I don't think I could pull it off in my particular situation.