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Post by Vince on May 23, 2005 9:25:07 GMT -5
Depending on where I'm going and what time it is, I sometimes carry a fold out knife. The model I usually carry is a "Kershaw Vapor 2- designed by Ken Onion". It's a very quick thumb knob opening blade with about a 3 and 1/2 inch blade that is half serated. I've never had to use it to defend myself, and certainly wouldn't unless I had to. One time I had it on me and had to defend myself against 2 attackers, but luckily I didnt have to pull it out. However it gives a good sence of protection knowing it's there if needed. I have my wife carry pepper spray with her. It's on her key ring so that she always has it in her hands when going to or from the car or house. So what do you carry and why?
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Post by samantha711 on May 24, 2005 1:15:47 GMT -5
I grew up target shooting with my dad and brother. I remember my dad sleeping with a loaded gun right on the table next to him, he still does it. That's pretty much how I prefer to sleep, with a loaded Smith & Wesson 357 right next to me. I also travel with it. I got pulled over on the way to Phoenix awhile back. I had the gun on the front seat next to me. I left it there when the officer walked up. He asked me if it was loaded, I told him "yep". He told me to hand it to him, he looked up the ser. number & gave it back. He didn't even take the bullets out first, lol, which kind of surprised me. I hope I never have to shoot anyone, but I'm a d**n good shot. Can snap a twig from quite a distance. Just never liked the idea of someone walking up to the side of my car & trying to kill me for my car. I train hard, but still haven't learned to repel bullets
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Post by Vince on May 24, 2005 8:29:46 GMT -5
LOL, Sue, at least don't put the gun in plain view if your gonna carry it in the car.. Blondes...
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Post by samantha711 on May 24, 2005 9:41:14 GMT -5
Well, this blonde is gonna tell you that in Arizona the gun law says that we can either carry a concealed weapon (with a permit) or carry it in full view. I don't have a permit, so I let it be known if I'm stopped to avoid being brought in on concealed weapons charge! lol. But, I do avoid waiving it around in a fit of road rage at people who piss me off driving down the road
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Post by Vince on May 27, 2005 8:00:48 GMT -5
Wow, interesting law. So you could strap a pistol on your hip in plain view... ala the old west, and that would be perfectly legal even without a permit?
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Post by samantha711 on May 27, 2005 12:38:52 GMT -5
Vince, We ARE the old WEST!! And yes, people here (not many though, because you look like a freak) walk around with their guns strapped to their waists. Especially when you go to one of those gun shows. But, you're screwed if you get caught without a permit and you're hiding a gun or carrying one in your clothes. Plain sight, that's the law, unless you have a concealed weapons permit.
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Post by stanimal on Jun 13, 2005 18:04:52 GMT -5
My personal self defense weapon of choice is a Glcok, Model 22, .40 caliber with hollow points. In fact, I am requalifying with it on Friday.
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Post by Vince on Jun 13, 2005 19:20:09 GMT -5
Nice stanimal. Are you in law enforcement? If so, do you carry off duty as well?
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Post by stanimal on Jun 14, 2005 6:32:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I am an investigator for a federal judge here in S. Texas. I don't carry much off-duty because I have not gotten a concealed carry permit yet, and the laws regarding allowing federal officers to carry off duty are not as clearly worded as they are for state and local officers. That's why I'm happy the Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act pa*sed through congress. We're just waiting on how Texas will implement it.
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Post by Vince on Jun 14, 2005 11:10:51 GMT -5
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Post by stanimal on Jun 14, 2005 16:23:51 GMT -5
Vince, Unfortunately I can't make the seminar. I've had a vacation planned for that weekend.
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Post by toejoe2k on Aug 1, 2005 20:53:57 GMT -5
Though I cannot bring myself to qualify it as a weapon, I carry a CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool) Folder model M16-13z. It is thin, fitting in my front pocket just right and could deploy rather quickly in the event that I could justify doing so. It is a great tool and sharpens rather easily. It does a great job field dressing the whitetail that I take with my beloved RRA AR-15. I suppose that I would use it as a very last resort but, it would have to be a very cognicent decision. I would be more inclined to find a weapon that would give me a bit more range in a tough situation, like a stick, chair, computer monitor,...etc. I used to work as an unarmed (by preference) security/bouncer at various Latino bars in the Hill Country and found my flashlight and kubaton to be my two favorite secondary tools. My reason and soft tone worked most of the time. I hope that continues to work for me...
~Billy
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Post by fogster on Aug 2, 2005 5:10:54 GMT -5
I am pleased to say, where I live, there is NO need to carry weapons. Apart from anything else, I would goto jail for doing so.
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Post by ArmyOfOne on Aug 24, 2005 1:26:01 GMT -5
carrying mace is pretty much the best idea i feel, as you can use it against multiple people, and nobody will get killed. If you use a knife and kill or badly wound the guy, then it's your word against his (and he will lie of course). And you may look like the bad guy because you were carrying a "lethal weapon" like a criminal does. With mace you can hold it discretely and even use it as a solid ma*s in your fist so that if he still is coming at you, then you can pound him in the face a few times to finish it. Of course i do carry a knife many times myself, but mace would almost always be a first choice.
As an aside, I sometimes run late at night where there are loose dogs out and even coyotes at times. For these scenarios i carry "bear mace" in a large can that can reach 20-30 feet. It is also great to carry under the drivers seat of your car. In case of an altercation you can have it ready quicly. And since it is so powerful it WILL take out one or multiple attackers AT A DISTANCE (instead of the usual 7 or so feet that normal mace works at), The spraw is very forceful compared to most regular mace cans also......highly recommend it.
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Post by Vince on Aug 24, 2005 16:51:37 GMT -5
Excellent idea. I carry a stun gun/ flashlight combo in my car. (Runs out to buy some bear mace to carry in my car).
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tac364
50+ Posts Member
RMATA Member
I'd rather be judged by 12, then carried by 6.
Posts: 50
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Post by tac364 on Aug 25, 2005 16:14:33 GMT -5
I constantly evaluate what weapons are available to me: keys, pen, chair, trashcan, etc. I don't carry off duty much, unless I am travelling with my family.
I hear a law just pa*sed in TX making it legal to travel with a handgun in the vehicle - FOR EVERYBODY! I haven't seen it in print yet though. Pros and cons!
Johnny
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Post by ArmyOfOne on Oct 9, 2005 2:56:50 GMT -5
I just bought a 900,000 volt stun gun. Which is the smallest of it's kind. It's called a small-fry, and about half the size of a pack of cigarrettes and very flat/rectangular for easy concealment. I also carry varying sizes of the strongest pepper spray on the market as i mentioned above. Bear mace in a larger can is very powerful with a long spray. Good for the car, hiking, etc. But also, i carry a very small 1.5 oz. pepper spray that is extremely compact with a 10' range that i bring almost everywhere.
I also just purchased a .25NAA "mouse gun" that is a new cartridge that just came out last year....www.northamericanarms.com ...basically it's a .25 bullet in a .32 cartridge. It's a cutting edge technology for small guns. The muzzel velocity is about 1,200 fps on this gun, where normally you couldn't reach that velocity unless you were using maybe a .22LR out of a rifle. So basically, to me this gun packs more of a punch than a .32, with less recoil, and greater velocity, and you can carry it anywhere as it's about one half the size of your hand.
Of course at times a carry a knife too.
Ultimate weapon #1 will always be good judgement and attempted avoidance of all bad situations (even though i like to fight and am very capable)
But, weapon #2 is always mace. No lasting effects, shoot at a distance. And you don't have to hesitate like when using a gun. Because of course the guy will be dead.
weapon #3 will always be the third line of defense....900,000 volts of stopping power no bigger than a large ciggarett lighter. And again, you don't have to kill the guy like with a gun or a knife.
But of course, if the other guy pulls a gun or knife.....your other backups are always there. Which now days, you will see a lot of. People frequently carry knives and guns around as a first option.. Which is why i really wouldn't rely on a knife for the most part. I carry a good one b/c i like them, and like to play with them, etc. But in a real situation, if a guy pulls a knife, and i'm carrying my mouse gun, there is no way i would opt to pull my own knife on him. I would never risk a knife fight with somebody. Just pull the gun as a threat (although you could legally shoot him at this point),, and probably he will run away. You just solved the situation with NO violence. And if he came at you anyway, you would still win out. So you actually have a greater chance for avoiding violence and harm to either of you if you can threaten with a mousegun, and give the attacker a way out if it's possible.
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Post by Vince on Oct 9, 2005 3:46:20 GMT -5
Nice post army of one. I'm checking out that mouse gun website.
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Post by Vince on Oct 9, 2005 3:52:19 GMT -5
I couldnt find anything about that "mouse gun" on that NAA website. Can you give me a direct link?
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Post by ArmyOfOne on Oct 9, 2005 5:37:35 GMT -5
vince... the nickname for a VERY small concealed carry gun. A gun that you can keep with you at all times and almost not even be aware of it is called a "mouse gun" or "mini gun". There are many very small guns around. But most of them people really wouldn't carry on an every day basis. And they really wouldn't carry them at all because of size/weight, etc. The MOST famous of these are the Derringer's. Derringer epitomizes mouse guns and made them famous. And prior to the modern age of guns, Browning and Colt made two very nice "mouse guns" in the .25 caliber that were wildly popular. And many people still carry these older model "vest guns" still today. If you go to the www.northamericanarms.com web site,,,,,just click on the products/guns link on the front page.....Up at the top of the page, look to the far left...that is the .25 NAA mini gun. Just write down some of the gun measurements and compare them to something you have around you. And in some cases they show the gun in somebody's hand for reference. All of the guns on the page could be termed "mouse guns" except maybe the longer barreled "mini master" revolver, and maybe the .380 framed guns. But there are some very small guns, usually in the category of .22, .25, .32 calibers that can be referred to as "mouse guns" by small gun fanatics like myself. Of course you've heard the saying "the first rule in a gun fight is to bring a gun", and "any gun is better than no gun at all"......The small caliber guns like these epitomize these statements. In fact, i tend to believe these small guns are much more powerful than even a 1911 Colt .45.....That is, because who will actually carry their Colt on a nice date out on the town? Maybe after the date, you are by the beach and decide to take a walk on the beach and it's dark, next thing you know you're cuddling on the sand and a group of guys comes walking by and starts some trouble. Sure would be nice to have your Colt....But wait, that's way too big to be carrying around, and who expected trouble tonight anyway? ? Well....since you have your .25 NAA mini gun, you're ready to go. And of course you've got a small canister of pepper spray for multiple attackers at a distance. Some makers of the most popular mini guns, or "mouse guns" are: North American Arms, Seecamp, Kel-tek, Beretta, and of course Derringer. Smith and wesson makes some very nice "air light" revolvers that are good for concealed carry, but they are still kind of big to be carrying around, but they are VERY light (and expensive). The Seecamp guns are also very expensive relatively, but good guns. Kel tek has the smallest DAO gun of all (pretty cheap too), but i'm not sure about the reliability.. In my opinion after MUCH research over many years, and after seeing the new .25 caliber NAA mini gun. I would definitely say the North American Arms gun (400$) is head and shoulders above the rest. No other manufacturer makes this caliber. The next best would be the .32NAA caliber (which fits into the same frame as the .380 NAA gun. Again, the .32 NAA caliber is very new and revelutionary. It's a .32 slug, fit into a .380shell.....the ballistics are great...very high velocity with lower kick back. And of course there are many NAA mini revolvers that are great b/c they have 5 shots. By the way, the new .17 Mach 2 caliber is one of the newest things on the market, and incredible caliber based on the .22 long range. It is a .17 bullet put into a shell that houses a .22LR (same principle as above). They have a conversion cylinder for this bullet that you can put on some of the other NAA guns, and they have a .17 Mach 2 revolver. In the next few years you will see more and more manufacturers putting out .17 Mach 2 guns (along with the new .17 HMR caliber based on the .22mag.) Personally, if you weight ALL the factors, for an up close gun I think the .25NAA is the best, but you could also find some uses for the others on the site. In the future, when there are more options for the .17 mach 2, that will be my next mini-gun. either that, or i'd like to get it in a regular hand gun size with a longer barrel that can be used for long range "varmint" shooting, etc, etc. with BETTER ballistics than the .22LR......Once again, the benefit of this gun over some of the more powerful "hand cannons" that are so popular.....well, if you can't hit it then what does it matter what caliber you are using? Also, if you hit the guy once or twice with a .357 and only lightly "wing him" then that's not very good. Especially if you only had a 5-6 shot revolver. With a .17 HMR or .17 mach 2, you will be hitting almost wherever you aim with pinpoint accuracy, and at incredible distances. Putting one shot of .17 directly through the stermum is better than 2-3 hits with a .357 that only "wing" an a*sailant. Of course i still have my Glock 23, .40 caliber 12+1.....excellent multi purpose weapons with a decent sized caliber. Also is a sub compact gun.
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Post by Vince on Oct 9, 2005 6:57:10 GMT -5
Great post... with alot of info. I have wanted to be able to carry a mini gun for years, but gun laws in my state dont allow it. I actually have a derringer 22, but it's really just for my collection. I'd love to be able to carry a NAA .25 caliber, for the exact reason you mentioned of it being something I would actually carry.
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Post by ArmyOfOne on Oct 10, 2005 0:50:21 GMT -5
now these are some nice, top of the line, personal defense knives. Some of the best i've found. H and K gun makers have now come out with some really cool knives. Between the H and K knives and the knives listed below, i think they are the best for personal defense and overall quality. Although both are very expensive. www.darkopsknives.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/catalog.html&setup=1&ida=1&idp=0&his=0&cart_id=7301025.1332By the way, regarding carrying a small gun. I know the laws pretty much don't allow it. But the way i look at it all of the people that would actually use one against you, ie gang members, thugs, criminals etc. don't have carry licenses. They are they kinds of people that if you agree to "take it outside" and fight like men, they will take advantage of the situation and just shoot you once outside. I've treated a number of patients who have had this exact thing happen to them outside night clubs. I'd rather have the police cite me for illegally carrying a weapon in the event that i had to use it, and still be alive, rather than not having it b/c it's illegal to carry and let some 17 y/o street punk shoot me b/c he thinks it's cool, and doesn't really care if he spends a few years in prison. On the street now days, most thugs that will really do you harm carry knives FOR SURE, and if they can get their hands on one, a gun as well. At the first sense of trouble they will be pulling these weapons out. At least in some of the parts of town that i travel to in my job. There are areas that just have this kind of culture, and knowing submissions, fighting, etc. just won't cut it. They would NEVER actually fight with somebody unless they had lots of friends backing them up, or a weapon. In the street, for the most part, you need to carry some of the weapons i've mentioned. Or just pray, and try to avoid all potential problems with people. Which is a good idea anyway. The mentality of a young kid, punk, gang member etc. is the following: For whatever reason, if trouble starts they will perpetuate it most of the time. If they are with friends many times they will actually look for trouble. They don't understand the idea of trying to avoid trouble for the most part. They will want to "act like a man" and not back down b/c of their pride, etc. etc. etc. Unlike ourselves who would try to avoid a troublesome situation. If trouble is going to start, lets say a normal fight, they will perceive this as self defense, even if they were the main instigator. And even if they appear to want to fight fairly. And at this point most of them will pull a knife etc. and use it, b/c in their minds they are defending themselves. And to them it's a self defense situation. They might do this just as the trouble starts, or if they are losing the fight. If they are losing the fight, you are likely to get stabbed by one of their friends who perceives this as a "self defense" situation for their friend, and feel it's totally justified b/c you are hurting their friend. This is my view on the matter mainly through experience, and talking to people from various walks of life, victims of violence, gang members, street thug types of people, etc. They tend to think differently than us. To defend against them you can't always play by "marcus of queensbury rules", you have to know how to stay out of trouble, and if outnumbered, you have to have the right tools with you. And if that's the case, your fists and grappling just won't cut it.
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Post by Vince on Oct 10, 2005 3:50:16 GMT -5
Another great post... and I certainly agree.
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Post by somboboyd on Feb 20, 2006 20:11:07 GMT -5
I have carried a Spyderco Police Special for over 12 years. I no longer own handguns but when living in MS I carried a .45 auto rigged out for competition. laws there were much like AZ. You could carry it open on the seat and not get in trouble. I also had a Ruger 357 security six SS 4" barrel that I loved too. I miss shooting.
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migo
50+ Posts Member
Posts: 60
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Post by migo on Apr 13, 2006 19:44:34 GMT -5
All hail kershaw! LOL.
I've got a Scallion and a Blackout. I usually carry both of them with me, but I don't really plan them for self defense. I keep them in mind as a backup if I really need them, but I don't expect to always be able to use them so I plan to have to fight without any accutrements.
A note on the Dark Ops knives, they are generally viewed with derision on bladeforums.com due to their poor quality.
I'm planning on getting myself a flashlight, I've been toying around with whether to get a Surefire E2D, Streamlight TL-2 or a Pila GL2. Again main purpose would be so I could see in the dark, with maybe some secondary benefits of a light in the eyes or as a fist loader.
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Post by somboboyd on May 23, 2006 19:17:28 GMT -5
I have retired my Spyderco Police Special and replaced it with the Emerson Combat karambit. Love the knife. Of course having had extensive training in its use is a major plus. I am in love with this weapon. It is without a doubt the fastest opening non automatic knife I have ever seen. I would even put it up against autos. The chisel edge is sharp beyond belief. Hard to find but an excellent weapon. Addtionally, I have my protection trained American Bulldog I love training dogs. Here I am working an American Bulldog named Diego that belongs to a friend.
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Post by Vince on May 23, 2006 23:47:24 GMT -5
Boyd,
That dog training looks great. I am interested in getting one and getting it trained myself. Especially for protection for my wife while she's home alone and I'm working.
Also, can you post some pics of that knife you mentioned?
Vince
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Post by somboboyd on May 24, 2006 18:18:17 GMT -5
The Emerson Combat Karambit:
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Post by Vince on May 24, 2006 21:22:34 GMT -5
It looks cruel. I like it.
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Post by somboboyd on May 24, 2006 21:59:48 GMT -5
Its a great knife, traditionally used in reverse grip but can be used in forward grip as well. The 'wave' opening feature is excellent, it is razor sharp and with either your index finger through the hole for reverse grip, or your little finger through the hole for forward grip it is practically impossible to disarm the weapon.
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