Which ones to put on my CCW?

[c good]

I'm in the 90 day background check. I'm wondering what handguns to put on my permit.

I'm thinking of keeping it simple. Hellcat for everyday around town carry. Glock 29 or 20 for hiking, exploring, motorcycle rides in desert and mountain etc.

Possibly add a Snubbie J or K frame S&W just to have another one available if something needs to go in for repairs.

Any thoughts? What would you do differently? All input appreciated.

[Ol'Chap]

I try to have redundancies, but also believe in "less is more". By that, I can carry pistols (H&K P2000/P2000SK) and revolvers (S&W L/J snubbie frames) accordingly ~ cheers!

[tokuno]

Similar way of thinking: I’ve only ever carried one of them, but the other two are: a camping/hiking gp100, and the same make/manual-of-arms as the first (1/2 inch longer and taller than my primary, but still concealable) in case of unavailability of my primary (repair, confiscation).

[L-2]

Post 1, your possible handgun choices seem very sound (although I personally don't have or use 10mm).

Many jurisdictions limit a person to three handguns. Some folks don't even have 3 handguns. Other folks' jurisdictions allow more than 3 handguns.

Some jurisdictions may have a qualification course which may make, something like, a J-frame had to qualify; for instance, if there was a 25 yard distance, although lately, I've been reading many qual courses of fire are in the 5, 7, & 10 yard distances. Regardless, try to ensure yourself you'll be able to pass the qual course.

Especially if shooting or practicing a lot, it is possible any specific handgun could temporarily go down for repair. Do have something to use as an alternate, which you mentioned. Some folks might even carry 2 guns (a backup gun) at a time.

It's disappointing California seems so overly-strict or detailed about having specific guns listed on people's permits; but that's the way it is right now. Whatever you choose, the permit is probably only good for 2 short years and renewal with the opportunity to change one's carry line-up will come up seemingly in no time.

[G-forceJunkie]

I would like to have a full size in a hefty caliber for your aformentioned hiking.camping/ MC riding but I'm limited to 3 so I went with a Glock 26 (with 15 round Glock 19 mag with sleeve) for my "big" gun, a Glock 43 for "everyday IWB" carry and a J frame for pocket carry.

[L84CABO]

Redundancy is a good idea in case one needs to go in for service, or you do actually have to shoot someone and the police take it for the duration of the investigation.

If you're new to carrying, you may also not have considered all the various needs you might have...winter carry vs. summer carry vs pocket carry, vs off body carry in a bag of some sort, vs deep concealment with a shirt tucked in, etc. So try to think about all the possibilities.

[Rumblemonkey]

^^^^^^ I was thinking the same thing, summer/winter carry are different. My second renewal, I was concerned with the possibility of grab-and-go scenarios, if you needed to arm yourself for leaving the house in a hurry, and did not want to think of which ones are on or off the permit. So... I had 9 on the permit. Three on the permit this time, qualifying was too much. I wish it was not so confining, as .357, .40's and bigger are nice to have at times. .22 Magnum derringer BUG's are nice at times too! I went with KISS this time.

[Dr T]

All that you can. I have every pistol (5) on my permit so I don't have to be concerned about which one needs to be locked up when going to the range. Realistically, I carry only 2 regularly. San Diego County has no limit.

[Irvine]

I will (hopefully soon) have all mine on my permit. That way when I go to the range or need to take one or more to another location I dont have to worry about removing ammo, mags, etc.

Orange County has no limit.

[DolphinFan]

I carry a Glock 26, Glock 43 and Ruger LCP.
I'm keeping the Glock 26 on the permit.
I am switching out the Glock 43 for a Glock 30SF
and I'm switching out the LCP for an LCP Max
I rarely carries the 43, the 26 is just as concealable and holds more rounds

[mitch1]

two is one and one is none..

I have two m&p Shields, two glocks and two 1911'S on my permit.
This way I have one on my person and one in the car at all times.
Winter time I have the 1911 officer on me with the full size 1911 near me
Summer time glock 26 on me with the 34 near by
Most of the time shield at 3 o'clock and the other in a ankle holster.
Yeah, I am paranoid about my safety.

[Dvrjon]

I will (hopefully soon) have all mine on my permit. That way when I go to the range or need to take one or more to another location I dont have to worry about removing ammo, mags, etc.

Orange County has no limit.

SB 2 limits the number you can carry to no more than 2 at a time. If you are carrying 2, then all of the others need to be unloaded and in a lock box as defined.

(d) A licensee authorized to carry a firearm pursuant to this chapter shall not carry more than two firearms under the licensee’s control at one time.

CA PEN 26200(d): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/f...de=PEN&title=4.

[Johneracer]

Sig P365Xmacro, HKVP9SK and Good ol trusty G20SF for hiking and backwoods. LA allows only 3.

[Kevin James]

Seems like you have a good methodology to your choices, but I would recommend a few tests to be sure.

1. Find out the specifics to your IA's qualification course and practice that course with every gun you intend to put on the permit to make sure you won't have any problems (The Hellcat is small and has a really short barrel and might be difficult to qualify with at distance. Same with a J frame snubby... better to know ahead of time if they could cause qualification issues)
2. While you wait, practice carrying all three guns around your house (INSIDE ONLY, where it is legal) to get use to all of them and make sure you are comfortable carrying all of them for long periods of time.
3. Practice your draw from concealment with all of them. A LOT. Again, to make sure you are comfortable with them and that they are the right choices for you.
4. For guns listed for unique specific purposes, ie.. a "Bear Gun" for hiking camping etc. put some real thought in to how often they would actually get carried or how often those specific circumstances even come up. It might not make sense to waste a spot on your permit for a gun that would get carried maybe once a year on an annual camping trip, but if you are an avid outdoorsman that goes hiking /camping a lot.. then it could make a lot of sense. Just depends on your situation.
5. Find out if your agency is willing to process modifications once the permit is issued to add/remove guns if you should happen to decide later than one or more were not the right choice for whatever reason. If not... then getting the selection right the first time is even more critical.

As an example, here's my story. Just got my permit earlier this year. I am limited to three guns and chose 3 based on specific criteria ... one full sizeish gun for my primary EDC, one compact and lighter gun for days I want something that's still a good size but just a little smaller and a little lighter, and one micro compact for those blazing hot summer days I need something super small due to light clothing. I chose a Kimber Pro CDP II light weight aluminum frame Commander size 1911 for my "full size" EDC (I'm just a 1911 45 ACP guy... always have been, always will be), A Glock 23 for something just a little smaller and lighter for days I don't want the weight of the 1911 on my hip, and a Springfield Hellcat for something super small for blazing hot light clothing days. Those choices felt right based on the specific set of criteria. I qualified with all three and am good to go.

Now on to the real world after getting my permit and starting to actually carry out in the wild.... I realized that I needed to make changes to my summer wardrobe to be able to carry ANYTHING without printing, including the tiny little hellcat. Even that printed badly. After making the required changes.. (no T-shirts... only button down shirts 1 size bigger than usual) I realized I can make my primary EDC 1911 or even a full 5" government model totally disappear without issue.. so the choice of the Hellcat for blazing hot light clothing days is now moot. Further ... I am able to draw from the holster at the range I go to and also do a lot of dryfire practice from the holster at home. I realized that I'm so used to carrying a full size gun that drawing the little Hellcat from concealment causes me to fumble around and I'm not really comfortable with the grip I get on it. As a result, I just don't carry the Hellcat. I think I've carried it only one time in the seven months I've had the permit. The Kimber 1911 get's carried about 95% of the time. It's size and weight don't bother me at all, no matter how many hours it's on my hip. The Glock 23 gets carried every once in a while, but lately I've been thinking about if I should have just listed my Glock 19 instead and left the 40 cal in the past for 9MM as everyone keeps telling me. I don't know, I am a little faster on follow up shots with the 9mm but not by a huge amount, ammo for it is a lot cheaper for sure. Unfortunately for me, my IA is not currently allowing any permit modifications to add/remove guns form your permit until renewal... which for me is a year and a half away. As such it turns out I wasted one if not two of three guns allowed on my permit and I wish someone had given my the advise above before I finalized my guns on the permit. Not a huge deal as I carry the 1911 95% of the time, but if I had it to do over, I would have chosen differently if I knew then what I know now.