# Does a CCW really need to be pretty?



## AdamSean (Mar 16, 2008)

I have heard many people whine about Glocks being ugly. Before I begin, I just wanted to state that I think Glocks are down right sexy. 

And now, do you really think a CCW needs to look pretty? Or should it function well and be easy to use? The ancient Chinese referred to the state of the uncarved block in many situations. Here is on I will use it. The state of the uncarved block is simply this. If one keeps cutting to make the block look prettier, it will soon surpass its usefulness. But by keeping close to the original shape and cutting little, the usefulness remains its focus.

I often choose the darker finishes over shiny ones to remain effective. After all, I don't want the glint of the metal to blind me from seeing my attacker. Also, being a CCW, no one is going to see it anyway, unless I have to use it.


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## Concealed45_1911 (Jul 4, 2008)

I think it should be the ugliest worn out tested proven reliable one you own. because you know it works, and it wont hurt so bad when the police take it as evidence.


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## Playboy Penguin (Jul 17, 2008)

I used to be concerned about the looks of my CCW. I still feel to a certain degree that there are plenty of good quality firearms that are also attractive. Therefore there is no reason to settle for an ugly gun.

I have changed my opinion as of late. I even started buying polymer carry guns when I was strictly a stainless steel guy before. These days my pretty guns get time at the range and spend time in the safe a lot more than before and my ugly plastic guns do all the grunt work.

It is just like real life where the pretty people sit back and take it easy and the homely people do all the work.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

As long as it goes "Bang" every time you pull the trigger and you are accurate with it, a CCW can look like Nancy Pelosi.


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## RevDerb (Jun 4, 2008)

Todd said:


> As long as it goes "Bang" every time you pull the trigger and you are accurate with it, a CCW can look like Nancy Pelosi.


Now, *THERE'S* a reason to keep it in your holster!!!

\"doggy:


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

A CC gun should be the largest caliber you can shoot and conceal well. Looks are not even on the list. How you dress and where you are going will determine which gun to take. I have several rigs and I shoot all my carry guns on a fairly regular bases. :draw:


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I have never understood people who care about looks in fighting pistols. Nor can I understand people who seek to prevent wear to their defense guns at all costs. 

The guns are just tools that are here to take care of us. We aren't here to take care of them. If they are ugly - or get ugly - who cares? We carry them concealed, anyway. 

I carry Glocks and KelTecs. I think both brands are hideously ugly, but both work well, and that is all I ask.


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## Ram Rod (Jan 16, 2008)

Glock's engineering is it's beauty, of course you don't talk 'pretty' when you talk about defensive pistols anyway. They should be all business with no detractions. Glock pistols are above all that nonesense. A level of their own.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

I'd have to agree with Mike and RamRod but I'll say that I carry a fairly "pretty" gun for CC, but I don't mind if it gets a few dings in the wood grips or a little scratch here and there. I think the marks from CC give a gun character. In fact, I can pretty much remember when every little ding came from and there's usually a story behind it. 

I've always appreciated the beauty of firearms in any form. The beauty of simplicity of my Glocks and Kahrs, to the intricate work on my Kimbers, they each have a way of making me smile every time I see them.

Appreciation for a guns qualities is a matter of magnitude though, for my CC gun, I appreciate its functionality and concealability. For my safe guns, they have beauty in their finish/form/familiarity to me.

Of the guns I utilize for CC, my Glock is the ugliest and my Kimber Raptor II is the prettiest. I've shot both enough to know that they will fire with 99% reliability. Someone will undoubtedly say a carry gun should be 100% reliable, but I just haven't found one of those kinds of guns yet, because I don't believe that anything is 100% reliable.

In closing, I'd say that Glocks do fit the bill most of the time, but if I can cover it well, depending on the weather, I'll carry my Kimber because I shoot it better and am more confident with it.

Zhur


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

CCW = Concealed Carry Weapon

If its concealed, no one is supposed to see it.

But, like a virgin with nice lingerlie, if it makes you feel pretty to have pretty underthings, go for it.

Realize though, if you ever have to USE your CCW, it will likely get confiscated and you will have to fight a bureaucracy to get it back. More often than not, it will get destroyed. This is probably the best reason not to use a gun for CCW that you either truly love or spent a lot on.


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## James NM (Jan 4, 2007)

I think CCW's are like women.

They don't _have to_ be pretty, but is sure doesn't hurt.:smt023


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

Mike Barham said:


> I have never understood people who care about looks in fighting pistols. Nor can I understand people who seek to prevent wear to their defense guns at all costs.
> 
> The guns are just tools that are here to take care of us. We aren't here to take care of them. If they are ugly - or get ugly - who cares? We carry them concealed, anyway.


+1

Great post! :smt023


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

I would never consider being seen with an UGLY gun. After all a person needs a few scruples.

Suppose you get run over by a Mack Truck and, as your Momma used to say, you have on dirty underwear and an UGLY gun. You would be the laughing stock of the emergency room.

:smt076


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## Old Padawan (Mar 16, 2007)

submoa said:


> CCW = Concealed Carry Weapon
> 
> Realize though, if you ever have to USE your CCW, it will likely get confiscated and you will have to fight a bureaucracy to get it back. More often than not, it will get destroyed. This is probably the best reason not to use a gun for CCW that you either truly love or spent a lot on.


Not true in the free state of AZ. I have known two people that shot and killed in a self defense situation. Both guns were returned to the owners (one owner being me), once the decision was made not to prosecute.
One gun got some blood on it and it was not cleaned (for evidentiary reasons), while the other came back without a blemish. It took about 6 months from the time of the shooting to get the guns. No muss no fuss, no hassles.


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## rvl8 (Jun 4, 2008)

padawan, did they take all their guns, or just the ones used in the shooting


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Ehh. If the gun I shoot the best and trust the most is a pretty $3000 gun, and the cops confiscate it after I have to shoot for blood...oh well! $3000 is a small price to pay for my life, and will probably be dwarfed by my legal fees anyway.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

well said Mike. The legal ramifications of drawing and firing are staggering!!!

I had to draw my weapon on a BG one time without having to fire. He didn't even see it the first time I called him all sorts of bad names to get him to stop pounding the shart out of a window of a minivan. He saw it when he came towards me on the third warning when I raised it from low ready to center chest. His knees wobbled and he dropped the crow bar. Straight to the ground he went, per my instructions, with hands behind his back. Was carrying a Kimber Custom II Target model and after I had him thumb barred, I reholstered as the police pulled up. The worst feeling in the world was "would they know I'm the good guy!" Luckily for me, my older brother was in the car and I threw him the cell phone and said.. call the Pd, tell 'em who the good guy is, what I'm wearing." 

Anyways, knowing what they did, they still had to approach the situation with caution and asked me to toss my gun aside, even though it was holstered. In total disbelief (hindsight) I actually asked them to just come and take it from the holster because it was a $1200 gun. No kidding.

As soon as the pistol cleared Kydek, I got hit by about a half ton of COP from the other side. I really can't blame them, but I can't believe that during all that stress, I was more worried about tossing my Kimber on the asphault than weather or not they were gonna cap my arse for having a gun hehehe.

Now, in hindsight, I'da tossed that mother trucker into next week!!! hehehe

Padewan... sounds like your situation got a little tighter in the underpants than mine did.... glad you came out alright.

Encounters with guns are scary situations. It pays to think ahead. I remember how many times I'd rehearsed the phrase.... "Officer, I have a permit for a handgun and I have it in my possession", but by darn the first time I got pulled over.... I said.. "Officer, I have a gun and a permit for it!" Now, normally that wouldn't be much of a difference until you happen to be up against a new trooper and he about sharts himself drawing his gun and you are trying to be a good citizen and tell him about the situation. All he heard was "Officer I have a gun....." Long story short, be mindful of your situation, it can have many different meanings to many different people involved in the situation.

Zhur


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

Pretty not a requirement, but, *MUST* be functional as CCW.


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## Rhino (Jul 12, 2008)

AdamSean said:


> I have heard many people whine about Glocks being ugly. Before I begin, I just wanted to state that I think Glocks are down right sexy.


the glock is too square for my taste. I know many people like it, but not me. My favorite pistol is the HK USP.


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## Desertrat (Apr 26, 2007)

In a word......Nope.


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

I gave up on keeping my daily carry gun(s) "pretty" a few months ago. They have holster wear, they have scratches, they have dings... They get shot a lot, and they work every time.

A pretty defensive gun is like a pretty work truck. It's obviously not being used...

JW


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## DogRanger (Apr 12, 2008)

Beauty is only skin deep but ugly is to the bone.............If it goes bang every time its good to go.


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## larry1911 (Jan 20, 2008)

Who cares what it looks like when the bad guy is comin at you


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## XD Sub-Compact (Mar 18, 2009)

I think most guns are great looking in their own ways. If you appreciate firearms then you buy the models you find most appealing and useful. Unless you are buying pieces that you can't stand the sight of (don't know why you would do this) you are going to be CCing something you love for one reason or another.


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## Growler67 (Sep 8, 2008)

Mine is:










:mrgreen: If you're gonna leave the door THAT wide open..........:smt023


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

Assuming reliability is NOT an issue....

I think the aesthetics of a handgun are more important than people here have suggested. Who am I to say what may or may not be an "attractive" gun for you, but I know how I qualify such things for myself. More often than not, a handgun with a curved grip (and with any luck some palm swell) really adds to how a gun appears to me. These same guns are also the ones which feel more at home in my hands. Now I've never been in a gunfight, but I have to imagine this kind of comfort helps more than it hurts. It certainly helps at the range.

Take it for what it's worth. The correlation between aethetics, comfort, consistency, and accuracy is too great for me to ignore. Needless to say I carry weapons which I find "attractive."


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## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

zhurdan, 
I hate to hear that.. You're complying with the officer as the goodguy and still they tackle you like a perp? That just sucks. Gotta love procedure.. Sounds like that one is to tackle the living @#$% out of the good guy and the bad guy.. ask questions later. I hope at least that was your minivan window you saved for that beating. Jeeez!

On CCW guns, I'm with Mike.. The better they go bang and better you shoot with it when you need it, the better.. Looks be damned. Get a Sig, and you won't care.. Their looks are all business anyway.. A few well placed scrapes and rubs give them character I think.


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

larry1911 said:


> Who cares what it looks like when the bad guy is comin at you


+1...and I'm fairly confident the BG isn't going to stop and tell you how ugly your CCW is when you pull it.:smt082


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## JackCrow (Mar 10, 2009)

Functional reliability first and foremost with a carry piece.
Second is ergonomics
Looks is waaaayyyyy down at the bottom of the list.


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## Dougsboy (Mar 20, 2009)

TOF said:


> I would never consider being seen with an UGLY gun. After all a person needs a few scruples.
> 
> Suppose you get run over by a Mack Truck and, as your Momma used to say, you have on dirty underwear and an UGLY gun. You would be the laughing stock of the emergency room.
> 
> :smt076


I don't care who you are, that's funny. And oh so true.


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## AC_USMC 03 (Apr 5, 2009)

WHo cares if its pretty. Does it put lead down range everytime you pull the trigger, can you effectively engage and defeat your enemy and can you manipulate the weapon under stress? Those are the only questions that matter


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## slodsm (Apr 10, 2009)

^Spoken like a true jarhead.

<----1996-2007

And I am not "too" concerned with looks, but I actually think a function over form pistol like the Glock IS a good looking weapon.


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## David_S (Apr 7, 2009)

_..."a CCW can look like Nancy Pelosi."_ LOL

Come on now, the Glock at least has inner beauty!


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

JackCrow said:


> Functional reliability first and foremost with a carry piece.
> Second is ergonomics
> Looks is waaaayyyyy down at the bottom of the list.


totally agree
seeing a glock says to me - this person is serious, the gun is reliable, he's probably a cop


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

hideit said:


> seeing a glock says to me - this person is serious, the gun is reliable, he's probably a cop


When I see someone at the range with a Glock, you know what it says to me? It says, "He's shooting a Glock", nothing more. I make no assumptions on how serious a person is or his profession based on the gun he is using.


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## unpecador (May 9, 2008)

Todd said:


> When I see someone at the range with a Glock, you know what it says to me? It says, "He's shooting a Glock", nothing more. I make no assumptions on how serious a person is or his profession based on the gun he is using.


+1 :smt023


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## Guest (May 2, 2009)

*Benny Goodman weighs in.*

Comment withdrawn with apology.


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## RevDerb (Jun 4, 2008)

I carry Glocks. What do you suppose I think about pretty guns?


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## mike#9 (Jul 14, 2008)

Yes....it is absolutely vital for you defense weapon to be pretty!!!!!!!!! Pretty accurate and reliable that is. :mrgreen:

Actually, very reliable and accurate!


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