U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Every Day Carry (EDC) of a concealed handgun is one of the most hotly debated topics in the firearms community, as it crosses all the battle lines. Brand X vs brand Y? My amazing choice for caliber vs your terrible choice? Optics or iron sights? Open carry vs CCW? We can argue on any of those and do it well.
The simple truth is, the decision should be argued from a results-based viewpoint, that examines performance to determine shortcomings. Slow draw? Poor accuracy under stress? We can break down problems with gear choices (or just as important, a shooter needing more training) to determine how to improve performance. I’d take Jerry Miculek with a cheap .32 on my side at the O.K. Corral against Elmer Fudd with the latest race gun.
I’ve been regularly carrying a gun for the last 23 years, or so. I’ve carried some great setups and some truly awful ones. I’ve carried in brutal Alaskan winters where bulky clothing made hip carrying a Glock 17 with flashlight easy. I’ve carried in a 115° Utah summer, where nothing was comfortable and everything printed to some degree. I carried a 1911 in an ’80’s cop movie shoulder holster because I was young and dumb.
GLOCK 43X, Tenicor Arx OWB Holster, Shield Arms Magazines
All of this has led me to where I am now. I carry a Glock 43x Handgun in a Tenicor Arx OWB holster, with a Shield Arms 15 round mag. I have one spare mag in a magnetic NeoMag pocket clip. I keep a powerful, tiny, Crimson Trace flashlight in my left jacket pocket. All of this to deliver Norma 108 gr Monolithic Hollow Point (MHP) rounds, when I can find them in stock.
This isn’t a flashy setup, it’s a simple and straightforward one. I carry a Glock over others, as I have far more experience shooting Glocks of every variety than any other brand. It fits my hand and acts as an extension of my arm. I’m not the fastest or most accurate shooter you’ll meet, but this gun helps me get the closest to the peak of my potential. Finally, it’s as reliable a gun as I’ve seen. I’m not going off marketing hype, but my own decades of experience. I treat my guns somewhere between “poorly” and “working tool”, my Glocks have fared better than a litany of others.
The Tenicor Arx OWB holster is durable, comfortable, and hides nicely under the type of clothing I usually wear. Appendix carry isn’t even remotely comfortable for me, but I tried it for long enough to discount it on experience rather than opinion. It works well for many, but not me.
A spare mag in the NeoMag pocket clip is a simple way to carry, and quick enough to draw. Combined with the Shield Arms 15 round mags, I go from 10 rounds (single OEM mag) to 30 rounds.
At the end of the day, I’m not here to tell you that one brand of gun is inherently better than all others. You need a quality gun that is reliable and accurate enough. You need a holster that is comfortable enough that you’ll wear it often, holds your gun securely, and allows a smooth draw from concealment. Modern ammunition designed to perform in the circumstances you’re likely to encounter is a must. Many don’t carry a flashlight or spare rounds, which is something we can debate the necessity of. But first and foremost, the shooter needs to be practiced (recently!) with the setup he or she plans on carrying out into the wild blue yonder. The single most important link in the chain is you!
About Rex Nanorum
Rex Nanorum is an Alaskan Expatriate living in Oregon with his wife and kids. Growing up on commercial fishing vessels, he found his next adventure with the 2nd Bn, 75th Ranger Regt. After 5 tours to Afghanistan and Iraq, he adventured about the west coast becoming a commercial fishery and salvage SCUBA diver, rated helicopter pilot instructor (CFII) and personal trainer, before becoming a gear reviewer and writer.”
