Treo
Bullet Proof
If he had any common sense he'd be ARMYCPT. instead of NavyLT (WTF y'all deleted my favorite smiley?)
How Do You Safely Carry?
- Thread starter localgirl
- Start date
If he had any common sense he'd be ARMYCPT. instead of NavyLT (WTF y'all deleted my favorite smiley?)
Doug Rowan
New member
I'm probably going to catch a bit of crap for this however, I recently bought a Ruger LCP. 380. Hell of a long trigger pull, no way could you "accidentally" pull it. If you are worried about the one in the pipe, finding one like this, longer harder pull, it might make you feel more comfortable. I know it's no 45. However I work sales, and I can't have a big visible weapon strapped to my hip, and in 90 degree weather, a sweater over my shirt, um, not gonna cut it. A few of my friends have one as well and we did some water testing, modeling clay testing, etc, and I can tell you they put a heck of a hole in alot of things and the newer HP's doing very well at expansion. 3 jugs and fractured the 4th but didn't go all the way in. In the 12" square block of clay it took a 10" chunk spiraled in and penetrated 11.5". It's something to think about, smaller gun, long pull. Even the LC9 would be a good option, similar in most ways but a 9mm.
RJT CCW
New member
I appreciate your question.
The handgun you are carrying (Walther PK380) does have a de-cocking device, one in the chamber with the hammer down is an option.
Next, once you settle on a carry method, practice removing the empty firearm from the retention. If the gun is un-chambered, then add the chambering of a round into the practice session. Without this practice, when under stress, you will not be able to properly manipulate the gun into battery in a critical incident.
Remember that when we are under stress, our ability to carry out minute tasks is reduced by the adrenalin dump that naturally occurs. This is why practice, practice, practice is so important to make the manipulation of our chosen firearm second nature.
I hope this helps you in your quest to carry and feel comfortable doing so.
Rhino
New member
Doc Mustang already pointed out that what you originally thought was a weird discovery was actually a design feature of the PK380. Several people were giving you well intentioned advice without realizing that this gun has some rather unique features. Using those features, it is just as safe to carry as any other double action semiauto pistol, with or without a round chambered, and with or without the safety on. I carry all of my double actions chambered, with the safety off. The PK380 would be no different, at least not by virtue of its' design. The gun is desgned to be decocked with the safety on, just as you discovered. The safety is a hammer block, so the gun cannot fire when the safety is engaged, even when you pull the trigger to drop the hammer.
Several comments were made about the inherent unsafe nature of carrying a firearm loosely inside a purse, which I would generally be inclined to agree with, but your original post somewhat gave me the impression that the gun wasn't simply tossed in with the other purse contents. The possibility of other contents of the purse getting into the trigger guard would be the determining factor for me on whether the safety should be on or off. There could also be an issue with purse contents catching a hammer that is drawn back, if you carry that way. Even with the safety on, carrying a firearm in a purse mingled in with other contents invites all manner of possible failure scenarios that are best to avoid. The firearm should be in a compartment by itself, and should be held securely in a consistent draw position.
You said that you aren't interested in a different gun, though several people seemed to have ignored that comment. I assume your reluctance is due either to a lack of money or to having expended a lot of effort to locate this gun in the first place, and not wanting to go through that again. If that position should change and you decide you may want to buy a new gun or trade for a different one, I would like to offer a word of caution. I have seen recommendations for Glocks here. You should never, ever, ever carry a Glock loosely in a purse, pocket or anywhere else. The triggers on Glocks are very light compared to other guns and they are well known for their high rate of accidental/negligent discharges. Don't get me wrong. I love Glocks. I have two and my wife has one. You just have to exercise a high degree of diligence when handling and carrying them, and it seems that quite a few people don't do that, or at least don't do it very well.
I won't add to the on body vs. off body debate. I think all the relevant points have already been made there, and you seem to be contemplating them just as you should be at this point. My wife is going through the same debate.
I cannot stress enough the comments made by Doc Mustang, RJT CCW and others that practice is of paramount importance no matter what carry method you decide to use. And your practice doesn't have to be fancy either. Not all practice requires trips to the range. Most of the drills you need for concealed carry can be done without ever firing the weapon, yet far too many people never practice them. Don't be one of those people.
Several comments were made about the inherent unsafe nature of carrying a firearm loosely inside a purse, which I would generally be inclined to agree with, but your original post somewhat gave me the impression that the gun wasn't simply tossed in with the other purse contents. The possibility of other contents of the purse getting into the trigger guard would be the determining factor for me on whether the safety should be on or off. There could also be an issue with purse contents catching a hammer that is drawn back, if you carry that way. Even with the safety on, carrying a firearm in a purse mingled in with other contents invites all manner of possible failure scenarios that are best to avoid. The firearm should be in a compartment by itself, and should be held securely in a consistent draw position.
You said that you aren't interested in a different gun, though several people seemed to have ignored that comment. I assume your reluctance is due either to a lack of money or to having expended a lot of effort to locate this gun in the first place, and not wanting to go through that again. If that position should change and you decide you may want to buy a new gun or trade for a different one, I would like to offer a word of caution. I have seen recommendations for Glocks here. You should never, ever, ever carry a Glock loosely in a purse, pocket or anywhere else. The triggers on Glocks are very light compared to other guns and they are well known for their high rate of accidental/negligent discharges. Don't get me wrong. I love Glocks. I have two and my wife has one. You just have to exercise a high degree of diligence when handling and carrying them, and it seems that quite a few people don't do that, or at least don't do it very well.
I won't add to the on body vs. off body debate. I think all the relevant points have already been made there, and you seem to be contemplating them just as you should be at this point. My wife is going through the same debate.
I cannot stress enough the comments made by Doc Mustang, RJT CCW and others that practice is of paramount importance no matter what carry method you decide to use. And your practice doesn't have to be fancy either. Not all practice requires trips to the range. Most of the drills you need for concealed carry can be done without ever firing the weapon, yet far too many people never practice them. Don't be one of those people.
localgirl
New member
Thanks for noticing the details, Rhino!
I do indeed have a dedicated place for my weapon. I carry a small bag strapped diagonally across my body. There are three compartments. The one closest to my body holds only my pistol, in a draw-ready position. Another pocket holds credit cards. The outside pocket holds my cell phone. It's all in a package 8 by 5 inches. Nothing extra or loose ever goes in here. I'm not a very girly-girl when it comes to packing crap around.
I also hook my keys onto the bag via a carabiner, so if I am ever requested at gun or knife-point to surrender my bag, I can make a plea to remove my keys. Of course, I will not be removing my keys at this point, but rather my pistol, which I am now carrying half-cocked, loaded chamber, with hollow points.
I tried a few guns out before settling on this one. My husband is an absolute gun-nut. He bought me a new Bursa Thunder CC .380, but it hurt like heck to fire it. I tried the Walther he had just purchased for himself and loved it, so we traded.
I realize this is a fairly small caliber pistol, but anything larger just beats the hell out of my hands. I used to carry a .32 and that was great--except that it stovepiped about every fifth round. Not something I want to trust my life to.
The Walther is really smooth, has very low recoil, and fits my hand very well. Plus, I get to feel like an international spy!
As I said before, I practiced dry-firing and it helped me get over the long trigger pull using the pistol in DA mode.
Rhino
New member
Sounds like you have it covered. My only question would be if you have practiced with the hollow points. Most people practice with less expensive ammo, myself included, but it's always a good idea to put a couple of boxes of your self defense ammo through your gun too. Some guns just don't like shooting some types of ammo, and a self defense situation is not the place where you want to discover you have that combination.
Deja vu on the Thunder 380 CC. I bought one for my wife and she didn't like the way it shot either. She ended up renting a 9mm Glock 26 at a local range and liked the way it felt much better than the 380. I was much happier too because she had a bigger caliber weapon. The Glock actually has less felt recoil that the 380 did, mainly because the barrel axis is lower. That's something a lot of people never realize, that a larger caliber weapon can actually have less felt recoil than a smaller caliber weapon. That's why everyone should always try before they buy whenever possible.
I'm glad things worked out well for you. Keep practicing.
Deja vu on the Thunder 380 CC. I bought one for my wife and she didn't like the way it shot either. She ended up renting a 9mm Glock 26 at a local range and liked the way it felt much better than the 380. I was much happier too because she had a bigger caliber weapon. The Glock actually has less felt recoil that the 380 did, mainly because the barrel axis is lower. That's something a lot of people never realize, that a larger caliber weapon can actually have less felt recoil than a smaller caliber weapon. That's why everyone should always try before they buy whenever possible.
I'm glad things worked out well for you. Keep practicing.
Treo
Bullet Proof
Treo is married and as for BigGayAl well the name kinda speaks for itself right?
Ummm.... no. I was in the Army National Guard for 4 1/2 years before enlisting in the Navy.
It's that common sense thing localgirl talks about.
Treo
Bullet Proof
JamieLampert
New member
You can carry the PK .380 decocked with a round in the chamber. You need to learn your firearm inside and out and now to operate it safely and quickly before you think about carrying it. If you every end up in a situation you need it you will never get it out of a shoulder bag in time.
disneyr
New member
localgirl
New member
You boys are all just bad. BAD.
The only thing I wear consistently every day is boots, so I carry a 38 snubby in an ankle holster all the time. Usually, I also carry a compact 380 in a hip pocket holster. I know, the ankle holster doesn't give me a "quick draw" option, but it's great in the car or anywhere sitting down, such as a restuarant. The hip pocket 380 is easy and fast to get to, and it's available most of the time.
