The 24/7 Gun
September 8th, 2008 by Syd
It is seldom glamorous, and it may even be a bit beaten up. It may not be terribly expensive or possessed of "match grade" accuracy. It earns its place not from its power or accuracy but because of what it does: it’s there, 24/7. It is the gun that is always with you. Because of what it does, it becomes the most important gun that you own.
The 24/7 gun is the one you grab when you’re leaving for a road trip. It’s the one that slips into a pocket or purse when you go down to the quick stop for a gallon of milk late at night. It’s the one that sits hidden behind the counter when you’re running the cash register.
The 24/7 gun is usually just big enough to do the job and just small enough to carry well wherever you go. It’s the one with the dust bunnies in the trigger guard because it has spent so much time with you and picked up the dust and debris of your daily existence. It isn’t a safe queen, nor are you likely to find it in the leg holster of a SWAT operator. A Marine MEU(SOC) may have one, but it will be in the pocket of his BDU’s for that last ditch second backup.
Most often, the 24/7 gun isn’t the one you grab when you go to a match or that expensive training course out of town where you want to look like you know what you’re doing because it isn’t sexy or as easy to shoot well as the Match Grade Master Blaster. The 24/7 gun just does its job in your pocket without complaining while the Master Blaster gets all the glory on the range.
For me, the 24/7 gun is most often a snubnose .38 Special. I carry other guns, but the .38 snub is never far away. Whether I’m in a bath robe or a tuxedo, I always seem to be able to find a place for a snub gun. A lot of folks select a compact auto for their 24/7 gun. The type of gun is not near as important as the role that it plays. It is there. It is present.
The 24/7 gun is the most important one that you own because it’s the gun that is most likely to be there when the shit hits the fan. Plain and simple. Because it is easy to carry and always there, you will find it in your hand when things go bump in the night.
So, don’t you think it might be a good idea to buy a hundred rounds of ammunition for the 24/7 gun, take it to the range, or if you’re really bold, to the match, and let it spit its fire, feel its muscular buck and kick, and see where the lead falls?
Good post, I have a Smith and a Wesson 640 that I carry a lot. I took it to the range and shot 50 rounds of Speer gold dot .357 through it. I told myself that I should shoot what I carry in it. I cannot say that it was comfortable or easy but I got through it. It was kind of fun in a painful sort of way.
Thanks for your comments on the photos of the 24-3. Good lookin gun aint it.
A 24/7 gun is a lot like a good dog, if ya love, looks don’t matter..
Great post Syd…
Very good post. As I write this comment, a S&W 642 resides in my right front pocket. It is the worst looking gun I have. It looks that way because it is with me all the time. It certainly has some, “character”.
whw
Syd, I LOVE this post. This is kind of what I was trying to get at in Episode 6 of the Handgun Podcast. Would you mind if I read this for the next episode, or better yet, since you’re not podcastig anymore, would you be interested in reading this for a segment on the show? I’ve just gone back and discovered your podcast, and really enjoyed it- I’d love to have you read this post on the show…
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