Do you carry a tool or a "queen"

[jcj]

I need help on this one. Just got my carry permit and as most dont have a safe full of choices, but hav a brand new in box glock 22 which I have narrowed down to my ideal carry gun. I just cannot bring myself to holster it a bunch and scratch up the slide. So I am contiplating a trade for an XD40 stainless full size for the slide wear reason. I do like the xd alot. Do I keep the glock and wear the slide or trade for the stainless XD which wont show as much wear? Arghhhhh. I know its a tool. I almost wanna follow another posters advice, drink a few beers to get brave enough, and take a key and scratch the slide all to crap so I dont worry about it anymore lol. Now any gun i own I keep internally immaculate no matter how worn outside is. I just cant bring myself to mar the outside...... Help lol

Carry the Glock. Let the finish wear off a bit to the point it bothers you. Duracoat it yourself. Repeat as needed. Cheap and you have a Glock in different colors every so often.

[bersaguy]

I can promise everyone here that all my guns are tools and all of them have some sort of holster rash on them as I do swap off my guns for carry purposes so they have all been shot numerous times at the range and all have holster rash. I didn't buy them to look at. I bought all of them for use and use them I do. They all remain loaded with hot tubes where ever they may be in my house.............jmho

[glowdotGlock]

I read soooo many post about how many rounds people have fired through their weapons. How in the world do you guys keep up with it? I'm sure over the past 30 yrs I've fired no telling how many rounds, but to put an exact number? Anyway, I carry every day it's part of getting dressed, and to me my weapon is a defensive tool and I treat it with respect.

I actually started a few years ago writing down the ammo shot just to have an idea. I have a little book in my safe and when I go out shooting I write down how many rounds for each gun. Just for my own interest really. For insatnce my new fde 19 has 316 rounds (and yes that includes the factory test shot). When I sell guns on here I put an estimated round number in the ad because it I said "this gun has 631 rounds through it" people would think I'm nuts. I probably am. The only one of my glocks that I don't have a count on is my 34 which I'd estimate to 9-10k rounds.

[Grunt67]

I don't go out of my way to baby my guns but they are well taken care of and typically look like a well cared for used firearm. Some wear but nothing abusive.

 

 Same here. Bought mine to use & maintain as needed.
 

[whitewolf001]

Mine get banged up(every pun intended) every so often from things I'm doing but at the same time I don't go out of my way to abuse them, it's just one of those things that if it's a gun that I'm going to worry about hurting then it's probably not suitable to carry unless I plan on going to something like a Ball of some sorts, at that point It'd probably be okay to bring out a safe queen, lol.

[Guest Broomhead]

My carry piece, an older Kel-Tec P-11, is definitely not a safe queen. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I would be too worried about damaging a queen to carry one.

[Jonnin]

I came to that same decision years ago.   I have no one to pass mine on to when I get old, and they were meant to be used.   I do not abuse my guns usually (couple of times the bubba itch has gotten the better of me)  but I am not spending hundreds+ on things to store, untouched, for decades on end, to end up in an estate sale or something.   I respect collectors, but I am not one.  

[79troublehead]

I keep my savage 99eg wiped and pampered. I figured if she can make from the '40's looking good, it's the least I can do to show a little respect. Pain in the butt sometimes, though.