Honestly, one question I get fairly often when talking about concealed carrying is whether or not to have multiple guns to carry depending on what you’re doing that given day. There are benefits of carrying different guns at different times of the year, but it’s also important to be proficient with one gun. Does that mean you should find one gun and master it before trying something else? It’s definitely a valid question that people ask fairly often. I’ll dive into both and we will figure this out.

Carrying One Gun All The Time

The biggest argument when talking about whether or not to carry different guns is the importance of being comfortable and proficient with the gun you carry. For some people, carrying different guns is like trying to date after being with someone for a decade or more. It feels weird and you just want to go back home and watch Netflix by yourself eating a tub of ice cream while listening to Sting. I get how stressful carrying a different gun can be and there’s good merit to picking one firearm and working on it until you are really good with a certain handgun. It’s smart to continually carry the same gun day after day for consistency.

Practicing and constantly carrying the same gun makes it easy to become familiar and confident with one handgun. There’s no guesswork or variables when you constantly carry the same gun. Everything is in the same place when you carry a Glock 19 day after day. There’s no manual safeties or anything that could get in the way if you ever have to pull the gun to defend yourself.  It may seem basic but it’s much easier to learn a weapon system if you devote yourself to only carry that one gun rather than trying to remember what gun you are carrying

New Shooters

I often see new shooters trying to conceal every handgun in their collection because they like different style guns and want to use their full collection even if they aren’t as proficient with them as other guns. Now, I completely understand this feeling and in all honesty, I used to feel this way as well. I wanted to carry all the guns I owned and used to swap out guns almost daily. When I stuck to one gun, I learned how to shoot and excel with it rather than confusing myself by constantly switching out my concealed carry handgun.

Picking Different Guns To Carry

There are some definite benefits to conceal carrying different handguns depending on the time of year and various situations. The time of year can be a big factor in determining what’s best to carry daily. If it’s a hot and humid day you’ll probably be less likely to carry a full-size handgun and go with a subcompact instead. The fall and winter months are great for larger firearms either inside the waistband or outside. With a jacket as concealment, it’s much easier to conceal larger items and can be more comfortable with something like an outside the waistband holster.

Having different handguns and being able to tailor your loadout for your day to day needs really opens up your ability to conceal carry no matter what. The big downside to carrying one firearm all the time is it limits your ability to adapt and change your loadout when you only have one size gun. If you carry a Glock 19 all the time and it’s 96 degrees with 80% humidity you’ll definitely survive but won’t be near as comfortable as if you were carrying a Glock 43 or SIG P365.

My Take On All This

So both sides have merits and I can totally understand both arguments and why it’s a good way to think about concealed carry. I think the correct answer depends on a few different aspects like experience, financial ability, and mental flexibility. Personally, I think if you are a brand new person just starting to conceal carry, you should probably stick with one gun and try to master it to the best of your ability. Learning how to shoot proficiently becomes immensely harder when you are switching between different handguns every other drill at the range.

Once you become proficient with your first gun then try to branch out and try different handguns. If you’re experienced and have shot all your life, I would encourage you to try out something new and try to be flexible with your daily carry loadout. It’s never a bad idea to try new things if you’re proficient in shooting handguns. Let me know what you guys prefer to do when conceal carrying in the comments below. If you have any questions on concealed carrying or just in general, don’t be afraid to reach out to me on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there!

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