Forums / Gun Discussion / FEAR FACTOR in concealed carry weapons.

I believe if the Ruger Vaquero don't scare 'em, not much else will. Big iron rules!

give a shit about 'fear factor'....If my 'whatever' is pointed at the bad guy, he will likely shit his pants....lol ..........I look at a concealed carry weapon in the terms of comfort not size or caliber, I carry a Walther PPS, 9mm in a IWB holster, day in, day out.....and I love it, however, I recently tried to carry my Taurus 1911 in a 'sling' and it just don't work, it's heavy and bulky and uncomfortable as hell for my day to day.

Betting your one funny guy, have to agree with Pard on this one.. Most guys with some street about them might have a bit more respect for the big hogs legs out of legend and not seeing many, and that hammer coming back send a pretty solid message.. sorta the pistol equivalant of racking a shotgun slide..

I do that mezk'n carry thing myself, and im with you on it being comfortable. I think the only thing here about "intemidation" is that it's a bad road to go down.. That piece should only come out if you feel your lifes for real in danger.. that way your always covered..

Know you wouldn't do this Jimmy.. Saying it for all the kids out there who might..

The 1911 I used to carry cocked and locked in a shoulder holster worked quite well in the intimidation department. I'd have to go into an apartment where we suspected drug sales, or into a night club where there was trouble, and the bad guys picked up on the cocked and locked .45 practically immediately. I had to pull it about 3 times, and the sight of that big hole pointing at them calmed them right down, especially since when drew it I flipped the safety off. Worked like a charm. One time I heard, "That skinny motherfucker's crazy, man!"

Could you intimidate a thug with a scary looking gun???? What you gonna do?? Show him you are armed??? And what in the HELL is a scary looking gun???? Boy, you been watching too much tv!!! Any gun pointed at me is scary!!! Have someone point a loadded bb gun at you, see if you can keep from dancin!!! When you are presented with a life threating event,_________ and you are for shure in fear of losing your life, the only time you show your weapon, is when its going BANG BANG BANG!!
WD4JIM, is your State set up for conceal carry??? If so, go to the shooting club/range/sporting store, where ever you can get into a conseal carry class. Education is your best ally, then work on hitting what you are shooting!!!
The class will explain the DO'S and DONT'S !!!!! This will keep your ASS out of jail!!!!
Remember, training, training, training, training, training, training!!!!!!!!!
They should teach the 21 foot rule, shoot from 9 yards, 5 yards, 7 ft. and up close 3 ft. and how and where to stand, at that distance.
Now you will need training to keep you from shooting your self!! This is not a put down!!
This is knowladge. Seek out pro. help in this. you will be more confident in yourself!!
Arm yourself with knowladge first. Then buy a weapon you can carry all day!!! Comfort, think comfort. I have a Glock-19 and a Glock-26, both are 15 hour weapons!! (easy to carry)

Lyle

You have to understand that in many places, pointing a gun at someone can bring an aggravated assault charge, so hoping to intimidate someone with a gun is not a good thing. The only time you should ever pull a gun is if you are in fear of imminent death or grievous bodily harm (Think life, limb, or eyesight). If you pull a gun, you should be justified and prepared to use it. If the bad guy backs down or takes off, then congratulations, you have an intimidating gun. Don't worry about this question, it has no practical purpose.

But for shits and giggles, my answer is to carry a high-capacity, snubnose 16 -inch battleship cannon with a laser sight and silencer. That'll scare God.

look me in the eyes...what do you think i am capable of doing??? i refuse to confirm or deny having a firearm...and the hard bump in my pants....well, maybe i am happy to see you

I agree with Vaq, Big Iron, but like Lyle said, anything that sends a missile down range should frighten hell out of anyone, & don't count on intimidation, don't even think about it.
No one should ever know your armed until that last nasty second when you are ready, able, willing to fire. If you don't have to good, but when you unskin that piece you better be instantly ready to put a hole in someone, & equally ready to deal with the BS that's gonna follow.

muzzle flash would be more intimidating,followed by a loud bang,repeat as necessary.

If your not willing to use it......leave it at home! If I pull my gun, you have about 2 seconds to stop what your doing or your get to learn about Speer Gold Dots the hard way!

Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest. Let me start from the beginning. I was 6'2" tall 225lb by the time I was 13yo. I never had to fight much growing up at all. But even though I was larger I was taught to respect other people and not bully them because of my size so when I did fight I would use the least amount of force possible. When I was taught to hunt I was taught to use the smallest calibur or gage it takes to do the job.I was taught to respect guns & to this day still do. That being said I would not hesitate to defend myself or family by what ever means it takes if it came down to it. On a few occasions I've even carried my 32 when someone had escaped from jail or running from the law. But now that I am getting older I am starting to consider more the aspect that I probably couldn't handle some of these young whipper snappers if it had to came down to it. I have been considering getting my carry permit but I am thinking that I might need something a little larger because if 1 shot didn't take down an attacker I might not be abe to wrestle him down like I once could. The FEAR FACTOR post above was mostly fabricated( I don't even own a Ruger Vaquero)to trigger your responses and opinion on my situation. You guys did remarkable thanks for all the great information. I am conncidering either a Kel-Tec P3AT or a TAURUS ULTRA LITE 38SP. I welcome your opinions on these 2 choices. Thanks again.

put it under a long coat they start shit pull FIRE!!!! oh DOOOOOOOOOONE !!!!

I'll weigh in............I hope you'll never buy a self defense weapon for It's looks........After going to some very dangerous places around the world, including Idi Amin's Uganda in '72, ( when I was young and indestructible) I finally found out the #1 rule of gunfighting: If you think there might be a gunfight............Don't go!..I never carried a weapon to scare somebody, and I never showed a gun without being ready to kill with it.............But once upon a time 3 urban black guys jumped outta their car and hurried toward me yellin' mostly cuss words......................I was just returning from shooting siluettas with my target stocked, 6" barreled (with a full underlug) Dan Wesson .44 mag in a case on the front seat. (loaded). I laid my arm , with said handgun attached, on the back of the front seat and those 3 men started squeelin' and divin' for the doors of their car like they had seen a Hoodo! Not a carry gun I know......but the only true story that mite kinda fit here .......Don't know if their response would have been the same if I had shown them my Seecamp.

up here we use a 12 ga. pump when ya pump it they know what that sound is stops 99% of them in thier tracks had 3 of them lay on the ground and back to jail after they heard that 12 ga rack

1. I don't care how big the gun is, there is someone somewhere that will look straight down that barrel and tell you to go f#$k yourself....then they will attempt to assist you in that biologically difficult endeavor. Worry about how well the gun runs and how well you run it.....never count on intimidation.

2. If a person is under the influence of certain drugs, mentally ill, or simply very determined (all 3 are common among violent criminal in my experience), I can personally guarantee that racking a shotgun (or any other sound for that matter) will not be a deterrent. That's gun-counter logic, and does not work out well in the real world. If you are relying on an unloaded gun (otherwise, why would you rack it?) then you'll be sucking hind tit when the neigborhood thugs already have one chambered.

3. Being (dubiously) lucky enough to be in an occupation where I point guns at folks almost daily, I've found that intimidation has a lot more to do with your language, spoken and unspoken, than what's in your hand. Intimidation *can* work, and hooray when it does (less paperwork!)....but never expect it to. Be damn well good and ready for "Plan B" whenever your shotgun racking, laser dotting, harsh language or unkind vibes do nothing but encourage the braindead drainplug in front of you to act even more dangerously.

My original post was mostly intended for conversational purposes only. But the replies it has gotten was well worth the effort. I am so glad I don't live in an area where I have to worry about things like that on a daily basis. However I like to be prepared if the need arises. Thanks for all your valuable imput and have a great Thanksgiving.

law enforcement, (in edit) I think that your post was a valid one, as some people think that dragging around an unloaded cannon is enough to save their life through intimidation, which we all know is not the case.

If it's used in specific context, "intimidation value" is one the best tools you can have. Cops unfortunately use it every day, but it's always better to win with your brain than with bullets.

There was a gent who lived in my area, an ex-con who was really afraid of knives after getting quite a bit of bacon carved off his back in a fight with rival gang members. He and I have had several meaningful conversations since he is the "basis of good business"; a "repeat customer".

I recall a time when this guy was making things worse for himself and everyone around him at an already unpleasant call. When I arrived I didn't say a word. All I did was walk in, lean up against the wall in the same room, flick open one of the folders I carry, smile at him and begin cleaning my fingernails. It got his attention, and his attitude improved noticeably. In another situation that might've been aggravating, even suicidal, but as a managed risk with known variables it worked and worked well. It kept me, my guys, him, and his folks safe and allowed for a honestly positive outcome that day.

And yes, 'plan B' for that event would have an awful mess, but I was ready to get awful in a hurry and he knew it.

Yuma, Jeff Cooper had a similar tale of a time when he was actually unarmed OCONUS but his attitude/posture made the difference.