# Why Having a Carry Gun Rotation Is a Bad Idea



## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2...hy-having-a-carry-gun-rotation-is-a-bad-idea/


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

The author of the essay to which we've been linked tells us that it is wrong to carry a "rotation" of several different pistols for self defense.

His advice is correct: Carry only one pistol, all of the time, because you need your response to attack to be instantaneous and automatic.
You will not have the luxury of pausing, in a mind-numbing, save-your-life panic, to remember what gun, with which controls, you're reaching for.
(Well, you could safely carry either one of two essentially identical pistols which differ only in size, for instance a 1911 Commander and a 1911 Officers' Model.)

But the essay's author does not practice what he preaches. He switches at will between a Glock semi-auto and a Ruger revolver.
I admit that these two pistols operate in a very similar manner: Just point and shoot.
But it's not that simple:
• How many shots do you have at your disposal?
• Is the Glock's trigger easier to press than is that of the Ruger revolver?
• Is the recoil sensation the same?
• Are the grips, and how they fit in your hand, the same?
• Is the reload process the same?
(Hint: For every point above, the answer is "they're different.")

Do as he says.
But do not do as he does.


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## Tangof (Jan 26, 2014)

I switch according to the season and the clothing appropriate to that time. Since it's between a CZ P-01 and a CZ97b that operate exactly the same way, I don't see it as an issue. If I need to take the safety off, like a 1911, I would stick to that type.


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## Slowalkintexan (Feb 6, 2007)

Been carrying the same gun, concealed for over thirty years... a 38 special snubby... Practice with it six days a week.


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## Pistol Pete (Jan 8, 2010)

Are you saying to own only one gun????? Kind of boring.


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## Slowalkintexan (Feb 6, 2007)

Pistol Pete, don’t believe I said that,,,,,,however,,,,’beware the man that owns only one gun,,,,,,,he knows how to use it!!!!!”


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Slowalkintexan said:


> ...'beware the man that owns only one gun,,,,,,,he knows how to use it!!!!!"


I don't remember who said that, but I know from long experience that it's the absolute truth!

(Add the word "probably" between "he" and "knows," and the quotation is complete and truthful.)

And, no, you needn't own only one gun. (Truth: Jean and I own quite a few of them.)
You need to _carry_ only one gun.

...Or one gun and its clones, anyway.


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## rickclark28 (Apr 14, 2019)

I agree on training with what you carry and often. I am very happy with my 38 subbies but have taken the last two years to get to know my semi-autos. Being a older new shooter it has been a good learning experience and I trust what I use and have taken steps to train as much as possible. There is good advice in the thread and the article but everyone has their own needs and comfort levels. Be safe and have a good day!


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I don't often disagree with Steve, because his logic is always sound. He's probably right about this, too, but I just don't completely agree. I have gone through several stages since I started carrying, and have switched several times, but only after a period of regular drilling with the 'new' firearm. I finally did quit carrying the 1911 and the CZ-75, altogether, because striker-fired pistols seemed the most logical weapon for me, as I began to backslide on my training regimen.

So, while I do think that randomly mixing and matching is not smart, I do believe that an experienced hand-gunner can feel confident switching, with good practice frequency and habits. I no longer have good practice habits, so I stick to one full-size or one subcompact striker fired pistol, one being a 9mm and the other being a .45 ACP.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Bisley said:


> ...I do believe that an experienced hand-gunner can feel confident switching, with good practice frequency and habits...


Remember that when you really do have to use your pistol for self protection, it will be in an adrenaline-fuelled panic.
Whatever you do at that moment had better be on "automatic pilot." There will be no chance to think things through, or to remember which gun you're carrying.


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## Slowalkintexan (Feb 6, 2007)

Amen, Steve


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Remember that when you really do have to use your pistol for self protection, it will be in an adrenaline-fuelled panic.
> Whatever you do at that moment had better be on "automatic pilot." There will be no chance to think things through, or to remember which gun you're carrying.


I mostly agree, Steve, but I also believe that if you panic, you are screwed, regardless. I mostly think of self defense scenarios in terms of those that do not require a 'quick-draw.' If it happens so suddenly that reacting correctly in a couple of seconds is required for survival, I won't make it. Still, you do have a valid point - it's just a point that I have decided to concede, and prepare myself for scenarios that I believe I might have a chance to survive.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Bisley said:


> I...believe that if you panic, you are screwed, regardless...


Attack?
Been there. Done that. Twice.
(Neither turned out to be terribly serious, though.)

Believe me: When you're being shot at, or even threatened, panic is what happens...at least at first.
In order to survive, you first have to live through your own panic.
That means "running on auto pilot" for a while, until you stabilize yourself.

The third time, it wasn't an attack. It was only a threat.
No panic in that one: I was in complete control of the situation from the beginning.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I have experienced genuine fear only one time, since I've been carrying a weapon, and it diffused quickly, without the two young men I feared ever knowing that I had a .45 in the hand at my side.

The lesson I took from that fairly benign event was that the greatest danger, for me, appears to be the uncertainty about the intentions of the perceived aggressor(s). Knowing when to fight is where I see the greatest danger for a person with my particular lifestyle, and determining that _require_s hesitation, more than quick reflexes. A law-abiding person has to let the situation develop to the point where he is sure that the confrontation is going to be violent, before reacting violently, himself. That hesitation can get him hurt, but it may also prevent _anyone_ from getting hurt. Such situations are tricky, but unavoidable, except by avoiding any scenario that can put you into such a situation.

I can see where it would be different for a person who must frequent high crime locales, but that is not a situation that I experience, normally.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Bisley said:


> ...A law-abiding person has to let the situation develop to the point where he is sure that the confrontation is going to be violent, before reacting violently, himself...


Yup.
Exactly.

It is at that point, when you know that you will have to react violently...and very quickly, that adrenaline-fuelled panic sets in.
It may not last long, but your violent reaction has to have already started when it sets in.
Thus the well-practiced "auto-pilot" concept.


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## Slowalkintexan (Feb 6, 2007)

Situational awareness is key,,, analyze, analyze,,, every situation,,,,,plan ahead.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Forgive me for being hard-headed, but during those few seconds of hesitation, I did have a vague plan of action for what to do if I saw a weapon, or was rushed, and was well aware of what weapon was in my hand and how to operate it. I'm not saying that a second or two of panic would not have impacted my accuracy, but I am fairly certain that any attack would have required my attackers to dodge several blasts at close range. This is not a textbook self-defense solution, for sure, but it probably is a fairly decent response for a person who does not think enough about gun fighting to motivate him toward a better training regimen.


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## rickclark28 (Apr 14, 2019)

Training and having a training plan is for me very vital. Make the best time I can of each range trip and try to have some fun with my drills. Situational awareness is very important so I train for different situations and for me training with what I carry is first. Just practice, practice and practice for me.


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## Brianm14 (Jun 10, 2019)

As a certified (NRA and various states) instructor with decades of experience, and a person who has carried a concealed handgun most days of my 68 years (I was a part-time licensed private detective for some years, as well), I always strongly caution my students against rotation of carry guns. But let me make that a more nuanced position before I am verbally "bumped off" here!

What I totally condemn is the type of rotation practiced by gunowners who just want to have some time with yet another one of their -let's face it- toys. They rotation handguns the way other people rotate tires. Thoughtlessly. A dead give away is the lack of functional similarity across the platforms, one firearm may be a Govt. Model, another a DA/SA, another a pure DAO, and so on.

What I have never opposed is the practice of being initimately familiar with several firearms showing a strong degree functional identity. For instance, there is nothing wrong with having several versions of the same handgun, differing only in barrel and grip length, to accommodate limitations in concealment due to seasonal dress. That's childishly eary in the Sig or Glock lines, for instance. It can even extend to pairing a DAO semiauto with a revolver! The adminstrative functions are the same, save for reloading. And we all know -or should in 2019- of the miniscule importance of reloads in civilian and even LEO gunfights.

"Familiarity" and "similarity" are the keywords. It is not about fillling out a dance card of six or eight guns. That practice leads to failing to take a safety off, or confusing a safety with a SA/DA decocker, or having no "feel" for the firearm when the shooting is up close and personal.

For many years, family and other expenses meant I could only own a High Standard Citation for competition (I often borrowed other guns for certain stages), and I shot rabbits and squirrels and did action competing with a S&W M14 K-38, with a six-inch barrel. It was my concealed handgun, too. It wasn't that hard to hide. When it came out of it's Bianchi holster, I had absolute confidence in that revolver's capacity to do the job. Twenty or thirty thousand rounds+ in practice give just that sort of confidence!

Everyone should experience that feeling.

Stay safe.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Brianm14 said:


> ...What I have never opposed is the practice of being initimately familiar with *several firearms showing a strong degree functional identity*. For instance, *there is nothing wrong with having several versions of the same handgun, differing only in barrel and grip length*, to accommodate limitations in concealment due to seasonal dress...[emphasis added]


Yup.
Exactly.

(See Post #2 in this thread.)


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Brianm14 said:


> "Familiarity" and "similarity" are the keywords. It is not about fillling out a dance card of six or eight guns. That practice leads to failing to take a safety off, or confusing a safety with a SA/DA decocker, or having no "feel" for the firearm when the shooting is up close and personal.


This is pretty much what I believe. I tried to say it, but my lack of professional experience and credentials prevented it.

When I was more dedicated to practice, I found that I could shoot almost any rifle or handgun well enough to defend myself. But I also learned that I needed several hours of intelligent training with my SD choice, immediately prior to carrying it, to feel confident of my ability to shoot it in a stressful situation. For this reason, all of the SD weapons that I will actually carry (now) have the same basic function characteristics (striker fired, or DA only). I never carry anything with a lever safety mechanism, because that is the major difference that can not be overcome with a few hours of practice.

I love my revolvers, 1911, and CZ's, but I only shoot them for fun, after my first attempts to feel comfortable with them for SD. They are perfectly fine for SD, but not optimum in my particular case.


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## Tangof (Jan 26, 2014)

More importantly, switching holster design/carry is a much more tricky thing to do. Going from OWB to IWB to shoulder rig or small of the back is to be frowned upon unless you practice, practice, practice.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Tangof said:


> More importantly, switching holster design/carry is a much more tricky thing to do. Going from OWB to IWB to shoulder rig or small of the back is to be frowned upon unless you practice, practice, practice.


It is, in fact, exactly the same bad practice as wantonly switching among several unrelated guns.
Carry the same gun***, in the same place, in the same way, and you will have a much better chance at survival.

***"The same gun" can be comfortably construed as very similar clones of one type and set of functions. For example, a full-size 1911 and a Commander-size 1911 are "close enough for folk music." But an Officers' Model 1911 may be stretching the point.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

All the guns I carry are all DA/SA. For me, it is not really an issue to change guns. If it were something significantly different, I would agree. But in my case - I don't see the big deal.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Shipwreck said:


> All the guns I carry are all DA/SA. For me, it is not really an issue to change guns. If it were something significantly different, I would agree. But in my case - I don't see the big deal.


See *Brianm14*'s Post #19, above.

If all of your "rotation" are similar in grasp and feel, as well as similar in function and capacity, and if you carry them in the same place and in the same way, then there is, indeed, no big deal.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

I carry identical models the only exception being one is in .40cal the other 9mm. No issues here. I shoot one as well as the other.


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