The Gun Thread

[Rhinox]

So back when I started my security job, I had to buy my own gun. I ended up with a Beretta APX A1 full sized with red dot factory attached. Less than $400 brand new.
Then I realized that finding a duty holster for it was damn near impossible. Unless you went custom which usually means several hundred dollars.
Finally Beretta got smart and put out their own holster. Works with red dot (which I ended up removing because my company doesn't allow them) and a light attachment.
Yesterday the light attachment I've been looking at went on a surprise deep discount, $40 off. So. . . . yeah. Today my Beretta has a lvl 3 duty holster and a 1500 lumen rechargable light with green laser!
It's pretty awesome. And now when I go to requalify, I can use my own gun and stop paying rental fees.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Nice. If I can ever afford to upgrade I might go with Beretta. I trust their stuff.

 

[Caldwin]

I've always been more of a Glock man myself, but that Beretta is pretty sweet. Love the setup too. And at $400 brand new, that's awesome.

Man I want to go back to the range some time. I'll have to check the price of ammo. Last I checked it was really expensive. But man, I want to go back to the range.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

My old pocket .25 is good too I guess...

 

[Caldwin]

I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with anything less than a 9mm. 380 is the absolute smallest I would go personally.

But that's just me. I'm sure others wouldn't go with anything less than a 40 S&W. Personally, I'm of the opinion that something is better than nothing.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

If I stick anything heavier than a .25 in my pocket my shorts will fall off.

I really need to eat more cheeseburgers.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Suspenders, man.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

So you're saying he needs straps for his strap?

 

[Rhinox]

I actually have duty belt suspenders I wear instead of belt savers. Moves the weight to your shoulders/back and off your hips. Helps to prevent the massive soreness that results with 20 plus pounds of gear all resting on your waist.

I would recommend the APX A1 full sized. Again, mine came with a red dot factory installed. I had to take mine off because KCPD is whiny about that sort of thing. (and don't get me started on their hate towards drop leg holsters) The biggest issue with it is that holsters are hard to find for it.
Glocks are ubiquitous and you can always find gear for them. I just hate how they feel, all plastic and cheap to me. My beretta's slide is very heavy and grooved, which I prefer. The weight keeps me on target better.

Considering the job and the potential dangers, 9mm is enough. When I was on duty as a cop, I carried a Glock 22 5th gen 40cal. It was okay, but I really prefer my own.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Glock would be an upgrade. Most of my stuff is a mix of zytel and pig iron.

 

[Caldwin]

Not gonna lie, if I wasn't such a Glock aficionado, Beretta would probably be my secondary choice. There's a reason they have such name recognition.

I normally carry a G19 3rd gen 9mm. I also have a G23 4th gen .40. It's kinda heavy for my taste though.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I'd probably carry my old .38 if it weren't so heavy. It is not a snubnose, so it's a lot to try to fit in a pocket.

 

[Rhinox]

Call me a contrarian, I just really don't like Glocks.
I've shot them for every job I've had where I've had to carry a gun, except this security gig, where I use a M&P 2.0. I have a lot of experience with them. They're perfectly functional, they are easy to get accessories for, parts are everywhere. But I just don't like them. They feel plastic and cheap to me. I know most love the low weight, but as a big guy (I'm tall as well as fat, thank you very much) I want some weight. I want there to be some heft. I can handle it with no trouble and, again, the weight helps with keeping on target.

 

[Caldwin]

A gun for every taste. I prefer the light weight. In fact, There's a single stack Glock I'll sometimes switch out for just for the extra lightness. But those are my carries. I would absolutely love to try out a 1911 out at the range just to see how it feels.

 

[Rhinox]

A gun for every taste. I prefer the light weight. In fact, There's a single stack Glock I'll sometimes switch out for just for the extra lightness. But those are my carries. I would absolutely love to try out a 1911 out at the range just to see how it feels.

Dude, 1911s are a PITA to deal with, but they are fun to shoot. They pack a wallop!

As far as it goes, I know i'm in the minority when it comes to weight and my general distain for Glocks. The 5th gen I used on the force was a good gun, but the tolerances were so tight when we had to do misfire drills (a requirement at any shooting qual) it would jam so bad we had to use an awl and mallet to fix. I appreciate that level of precision, but at the same time, it got a bit ridiculous.

 

[Caldwin]

I don't recall a Glock ever jamming on me tbh. I used to have a Ruger LC 380 that jammed on me like crazy. I traded it in to help bring down the price of my first Glock. But the Glocks I have are 3rd and 4th Gen. Haven't seen how the 5th Gens handle.

 

[Rhinox]

Keep in mind, the jams were all when we were trying to manufacture a failure for the drill. You know, failure to fire, failure to eject, failure to feed. When they tried to set up the gun for the failure, the round just jammed tight in the barrel and would not pop out. Jammed the entire gun mechanism.
So, it's not like these would happen in real world situations, these were manufactured failures to test.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

For what it's worth, my .25 is mechanically flawless. I enjoy tinkering with junk until it works, but that one didn't give me anything to do.

I would probably enjoy a cheap 1911.

 

[MEDdMI]

Respectfully requesting to take the gun talk to another thread.

 

[Rhinox]

So having been dismissed from the happiness thread, I suppose we'll just make a thread about guns.

Myself, I use them for work and occasionally when I have a ton of spare money, go to the range and play.
For work I was issued a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 9mm. It's a solid, respectable gun that does what it needs to do with nothing fancy. Not really much to say about it. It's good, old fashioned pig iron.

My personal is a Beretta APX A1 full sized. I haven't been able to do a whole hell of a lot with it because that requires time and money. But, it does now have a fancy light and laser combo which I'm very happy about and I finally have a good lvl 3 retention duty holster so come requal time, I'm going to turn in the M&P and use my own for work.