I'll show you mine, if you show me yours........

It really doesn't matter what the topic is, I guess. Any time guys get together there has to be some showing off. Be it cars, motorcycles, stereos, big screen TV, whatever, there is always some show and tell. Or at least tell.

So, what kind of gear have I acquired in my short concealed carry life so far? Well, I'll start by saying that the first weapon I actually bought when we moved to Texas was a shotgun. And no, it isn't a "concealed carry" shotgun. Just your run of the mill home defense shotty. Because there will be more than just me potentially using this, I got something simple and manageable. A Remington 870 Youth Express 20 gauge. Let me break it down step by step.

• Remington 870 because it is one of the most popular and reliable pump shotguns made.
• Pump, because there are fewer things to go wrong than an auto-loader. Plus, I have to agree that the sound of a shell being jacked in to the chamber has got to be one of the most intimidating sounds in the world.
• Express because it is the lightweight plastic stock. No worry about that ever cracking, warping, having the finish flake off or anything else.
• Youth, because it has a shorter length of pull (the distance from where the stock meets your shoulder to the area that your trigger hand holds). Easier to mount to the shoulder, shorter to move about the house if needed, useable by the smaller folks in the family if needed.
• 20 gauge because I really don't need a 12 gauge. I know, somehow it is slightly less manly. But it has less recoil, is easier to handle the muzzle flip to get back on target for follow-up shots, and still manages to send 20 # 3 buckshot (each about .24 in diameter) at 1100 fps. I know a lot of people say a 25 caliber handgun is too small to do any good, but imagine being smacked with 20 of them at the same time, all penetrating to a depth of maybe 9-12 inches. Talk about a bad day.
• Without the plug, I can get 4 shells plus 1 in the chamber. The plan is to have a shell with #8 shot in it, followed up by the #3 buck loads. The idea is that the first shot will do some real damage if it needs to be taken at close range, but won't over-penetrate if some of the pattern doesn't hit the target. Then the #3 buck will seal the deal if there still is a reason to shoot again.

Ok, now on to the handguns. Like most people now, I don't have a huge amount of cash to start off. So I definitely went to the bargain end of the scale. But I think I got some fairly decent weapons for the money.

• Smith and Wesson Sigma 40VE. This is the gun that got S&W sued by Glock, because it got a little too close. Like the Glock, it as a safe action weapon, meaning it is double action, striker fired with no safety and a very heavy pull. You have to really, really want to squeeze the trigger to get this one to go off. At 40 caliber, with 14 and 15 shot magazines plus 1 in the chamber, if I can't settle a dispute I definitely didn't practice enough. Nice home defense gun, but a bit big to carry all the time.
• Next came a Taurus 709 Slim, in all blue. 9mm, about 1" thick at the widest point, slide mounted safety plus all the other usual safety devices, adjustable rear sights, second strike capable and just a little bigger than the Kel-tec and Kahr guns everyone likes so much. This is my usual carry gun, and it sits really nice just behind my right hip or in a pocket. Even though it is pretty small and I don't get my strong hand pinky finger all the way on the grip, it still feels really nice in my hand and I can shoot it really well. Since I carry it, this is the one I practice with the most.
• I wanted to try a revolver, but knew I probably wouldn't be carrying it. I just like pistols much better (for those that don't know, a "pistol" is technically an auto loading handgun, as opposed to a revolver). So, I decided I wanted to have some fun with a .357 magnum wheelgun. I bought the absolute cheapest thing I could find, a Rossi Model 971 with a 4 inch barrel. I have subsequently realized why you don't buy cheap guns; this one will occasionally not get a good hit on the primer of some cheap loads. But then again, the nice thing about a revolver is that if the gun doesn't go bang you just pull the trigger again. Boy, does it like to go bang really loud.....
• My last addition is probably my favorite. Having spent some time in the Marine Corp, I have fond memories of the old 1911 auto. John Browning definitely got it right when he designed this gun. Now, as mentioned before I am not made of money, and the cash tree refuses to grow in the soil around my house. So I couldn't afford a real Colt, or any of the fancy Kimber, Ed Brown, low drag kind of weapons. But I am absolutely convinced that "it is smarter to be lucky, than it is lucky to be smart". I happened to be in my local Bass Pro Shop. I went in looking to see if they had any of the then-new Ruger LCP pistols in stock. I figured I could use another small pistol so share the load with my 709. Well, they didn't have them in stock yet. So I wandered down to look longingly at the modern 1911's, all shiny in their own little area of the counter. Well, I saw a particularly pretty all stainless Para Ordinance Model 745, and it said it was on sale. I asked the counter guy, and he said that this was the last one in the entire Bass Pro inventory, and corporate told them to move out all the items that didn't have good stock levels. It was the display model, so it had a few light scratches on the slide. I knew those would come out with a little elbow grease, since I have spent my share of time polishing metal. It ends up I got it for about 60% of the normal retail price. Real government size, 5" match barrel, beavertail grip safety, skeletonized trigger and hammer, and a sweet set of dovetail sights. So now I have a real beauty to take out and play with from time to time. I have to admit, it feels the best in my hand, and I take it out every couple days to make sure it stays nicely lubricated just so I can fondle it a little.

So, that's the collection to this point. I have a few more things in mind, but need to arrange the finances first. We just had to buy a new car, and I'm still reeling from the down-payment. But, there is a gun show in town this weekend, and I'm planning on taking my father-in-law just to get him out of the house for a while. So, maybe there will be something new to talk about.

There are probably those of you who don't understand why you would possibly need more than 1 gun. Well, guns to me and my type are like shoes or jewelry to some women. You just can't have enough, and besides they get lonely all by themselves when they are locked up.

Then of course there is all the ancillary gear; spare magazines, cleaning gear, storage, tactical knives and the like. I have the beginnings of a pretty impressive holster drawer as well. When I first got started, I decided to try to knock the rust off my leatherworking skills and make some holsters too. I have probably purchased 8 to 12 holsters, and really rarely use any of them. The ones I find are most comfortable are the ones I made. They are EXTREMELY homely, but since it is called "concealed carry" no one will ever know. So I have a couple black inside-the-waistband, and one pocket holster that I have on almost every day.

Maybe someday I'll get ambitious and take some pictures. For now, you'll just have to use your imagination.