Do you carry a NAA Mini for self defense?

[Dinadan]

Yea I wonder if, in the carry world outside NAA, does EDC mean truly every day? Or is it, yeah my carry gun , when I carry, if I carry is a...I seem to believe this to be true, especially when you read a Glock 19, Kimbers, 1911s...that is only sometimes carry.

I expect you are right. I gave up on a bigger gun - I live in a warm climate (Gulf Coast) and in the summer a Mini is as much gun as I can conceal.

[Warthog]

Well. for me I do carry where ever I go, everyday.  The only time I would leave the knives and guns behind would be entering a governmental building.  Otherwise, EDC for me means I carry these things with me every time I leave my house.

[gadget]

Thanks Dinadan. I'm a quiet person face to face so I guess it carries over here, but I'm here every day.

[billmeek]

Yea I wonder if, in the carry world outside NAA, does EDC mean truly every day?

For me it is every day.  I've not left my yard without a pistol on me and the only places I've left it in the car is where I was required to such as government buildings and a hospital.  I've walked away from businesses that were posted not allowing carry (i.e. restaurants).  I have a few carry pistols, but have been carrying the Glock 26 daily since I purchased it.  Yes, It's a bit bigger and being a double stack 9, wider too along with heavier than my NAAs.  But it's reliable as clockwork and I've shot it enough to be sure I can hit what I need to at reasonable range point and shoot.

Would I just carry either the Pug or the BugOut II (or both) leaving my other pistols behind?  Maybe.  A lot depends on how accurate I eventually become with them. 

[LHB]

It seems to me that it is the younger guys who claim to carry the bigger, heavier pistols, but when asked to show will say "when I carry, I carry a xxx", but the older guys who do carry, carry something lighter and smaller all the time.  I don't know how many older guys have told me they used to carry a Kimber, Springfield, etc. but don't carry anymore, because they don't feel the need.   For some of us, it is as my old college room mate told me, our age marks us as easy victims.

[cbl51]

It seems to me that it is the younger guys who claim to carry the bigger, heavier pistols, but when asked to show will say "when I carry, I carry a xxx", but the older guys who do carry, carry something lighter and smaller all the time.  I don't know how many older guys have told me they used to carry a Kimber, Springfield, etc. but don't carry anymore, because they don't feel the need.   For some of us, it is as my old college room mate told me, our age marks us as easy victims.

You are soooo right!

I was shooting with some early 30's crowd and they mad fun of mini and .22 S&W revolver. It was a very hot Texas summer day, temps about 102. Everyone was dressed for it, T-shirts, shorts, sandals of some sort. We all went to a well known burger place down the road and lunch. Inside I asked them were their "carry' guns were. They had bragged and shown off the usual assortments of compact square semi autos. Every single one of them had the gun in the shooting bag outside in their trucks.

I took out and had the mini in the palm of my hand and asked them, "In other words, I'm the only swinging Richard in here with a gun?"

They were embarrassed but I think they got the point.

There's soooo much BS on guns and the 'I carry such and such1" while in reality they don't carry anything most the time, and fewer have even bothered to get a carry license.

[RICKS PLACE]

Loved the post re the 30s crowd and their "big" guns.  I'm the much much older crowd, and have heard enough of that "big gun" bull to last me a lifetime. I pulled the same routine several times, had a mini in my pocket and asked the big gun loudmouth how fast he could get to his cannon.  "Well, it's out in the truck".  Too bad, you lose.  I watched a man bleed out from a .22 short as the doctors could not find the path of the bullet or the entry for that matter.  (H

[heyjoe]

i have a few big bore guns that i get a kick out of....45 colt, 44 magnum, 44 special, 41 magnum, 10 mm but i havent really carried anything larger than a .380 since 2003. today i carried a 25 acp. so i guess you could say im a hybrid. 

[WECSOG]

I carry all the time, and have been doing so for pretty much all of my adult life. When I was younger it was usually a medium frame Ruger .357, but I also carried big bore revolvers for awhile: 4" N frame S&Ws in .44 Mag and .45 Colt.

Now my edc is a Ruger lcr .357 and I usually have something bigger nearby. Sometimes the "something bigger" is open carried on my hip while the lcr is in my pocket as always. Other times I carry the lcr in my pocket and one of my NAAs in another pocket. And rarely I carry an NAA instead of the lcr, if the situation warrants. During those times I will still usually have something bigger nearby.

[Warthog]

Well, I carry all the time too, as I said.  These days it is usually what is shown about, though the knives vary.  Usually though I carry what is shown, except the Black Widow.  I replace it with either my LCR in 9mm with some reloads or my DB9 with a spare magazine.  Either way I go I never leave home without my EDC items, I even grab at least my ported PUG to take out trash or go to the mailbox.  Not that my neighborhood is bad but one can never tell....

[top dog]

How can I answer this??
I have always the 22lr mini in my watch fob pocket and a PUG (I have two) in a IWB holster.

In my fly fishing vest is another PUG with 22 mag shot for the I have never seen a venomous snake in the area.

In my vest is also a Charter 44 Boomer for the two legged snakes.

I cannot say how pleased I am with the minis and the superb customer service at North American Arms.

                                                                             Top Dog

[RogueTS1]

If I were sitting at the table with you I would have pulled out my .45 acp from my messenger bag and a .380 Curve from my back pocket. Possibly other variations but you will never catch me out, "with my carry gun in a bag back in the vehicle." Now my long gun will be in the trunk of the vehicle in said situation but not the pistols. 

[Manticore]

My standard carry is a Sig P229 in .40S&W, but there are those occasions, especially in the summer months, where the P229 isn't practical.
So tomorrow I am going down to my fav shop to pick up a RII.
What I really want to get is a Sheriff, but I cannot find one at the moment so the RII will do for now.
I'll get the sheriff when I can find one.

[CavScout]

My EB Sidewinder travels with me 90-95% of the time.
I have it loaded with Federal V-Shok, and carry it in an Absaroka Kid Pocket Holster.
Since the photos, I've upgraded my old Flip-Phone to a Smart-Phone.

Here in Oregon, we are required to carry Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM's), when driving back roads.
The Ranger Stations will hand out thick stacks of Service Station style Folding Maps.
-or-
Load Avenza Maps on your Smart-Phone, and download free PDF Maps that sync with the Phone's GPS.

When traveling the Back Country, I upgrade to a Centerfire for the longer ranges.
I used to carry my Kahr CM9, but ended up losing it to my Wife...
So I got an S&W M&P Bodyguard 380.
I carry it in a DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster, and added a Hogue Beavertail Grip Sleeve in FDE (after trying a Pachmayr version).
I also carry a second Magazine in a Nylon Belt Pouch (looks like a Folding Knife Pouch).

[Uncle_Lee]

It is early and I haven't had a half a cup of coffee yet.
In the picture with the cell phone closed, my first glance at it, I thought it was a pocket scales.
I have never had either in my hands but I have seen them on TV.

[Dinadan]

Nice carry gear, CavScout. That Hogue grip sleeve looks cool. Regarding those Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps, I hope the back roads in Oregon have better signs than in my state. More than once I have been carefully navigating the back roads only to get to a point where they stopped putting up identifier signs and things got real confusing quickly. GPS helps a lot, except that in my area GPS maps show roads that have not existed in living memory, or show roads connecting that actually have gaps where no one has built a bridge across a creek.

[CavScout]

Nice carry gear, CavScout. That Hogue grip sleeve looks cool. Regarding those Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps, I hope the back roads in Oregon have better signs than in my state. More than once I have been carefully navigating the back roads only to get to a point where they stopped putting up identifier signs and things got real confusing quickly. GPS helps a lot, except that in my area GPS maps show roads that have not existed in living memory, or show roads connecting that actually have gaps where no one has built a bridge across a creek.

Partially Off-Topic... feel free to move this post.

The Hogue Grip Sleeve is not as elastic as the Pachmayr Sleeve... so it will induce self control against uttering Salty Vocabulary while putting it on! 
A lady at Hogue told me she uses a dry wash cloth to get a better grip on the exterior of the sleeve.

Our back road markings are iffy as well. There used to be markers at every crossroad.
Maintenance funding was cut as part of the "Roadless Area Project"... so missing markers don't get replaced.

The Forestry PDF maps are GPS Synced, so you can tell where you are, and if you are legal, by using a GPS enabled Smart Phone or Tablet.

Most of the Topo Maps we can download haven't been updated since around 1968? So there are a lot of road and trail detail no longer accurate.
My local USGS Quadrangle was drawn in 1959, and Field Checked in 163. It was later Photo-Revised in 1981.

I use Back Country Navigator Pro ($11.99 Android App) on an 8" Tablet mounted in a RAM Mount under the roof of my UTV for back road navigation. I also have Avenza Maps running so I can toggle over to the Forestry MVUM.
BCNP has many free Topo and Aerial maps available to download of off-line navigation.

http://www.crittermap.com/app/backcountry-navigator-pro-gps/
https://www.avenzamaps.com/

Our local UTV Facebook Group has done extensive Trail Route Mapping, and has dozens of Route-Way-point Tracks in their "Files" Section.
I have also created Route-Way-point Tracks in Google Earth for those outings not yet mapped by the Group.

[Dinadan]

Partially Off-Topic... feel free to move this post.

After fifty posts I think we are safe to go off topic, and a little thread drift makes my day!

I have not been doing much with GPS over the past two or three years so my expertise is a bit out of date. Maybe I will get a new unit and start creating some new waypoint maps. I had some stored in my old GPS until someone stole it out of my SUV, which I had stupidly left unlocked in my driveway at night.

[cbl51]

GPS?

What the heck is that?

You mean my Rand McNally road atlas isn't the end all/be all?

[OV-1D]

  Myself I use my wet forefinger or the rise and fall of the sun .

[Canoeal]

GPS?

What the heck is that?

You mean my Rand McNally road atlas isn't the end all/be all?

You joke but i still use paper maps. My wife does everything by Mapquest even thoght she has 2 GPS units in her car...Dinosaurs...I learned to use a sextant once...

[cbl51]

GPS?

What the heck is that?

You mean my Rand McNally road atlas isn't the end all/be all?

You joke but i still use paper maps. My wife does everything by Mapquest even thoght she has 2 GPS units in her car...Dinosaurs...I learned to use a sextant once...

Who's joking?

I admit to being a technophobe. I was very happy getting mourned this country driving at times coast to coast suing a good old map. Every time you cross a state line, theres a welcome center with fresh maps of all federal and state and county roads. Free. And my Rand McNally has seen me on some good long trips with no problems. So far, I have got by without even a smart phone. I'm notusre I am smart enough ideal with a smart phone, and all I ant is to make or receive a phone call. The little flip phone in my pocket is at Katy's insistence.

[Canoeal]

I don't even carry a flip phone. She has two GPS units she was given from her brother who lives by them, but she has never used either one. Yes, we have Rand Mcnally's , But we also use the state gazetteers that are more detailed for each state. The show most roads, even the backroads...

Use a Smartphone or a GPS and Big Brother could track you...(Joke...?)

[JRobyn]

I LOVE the (insert state code)DOT maps that are free from the welcome centers!  There's SO much information on them that I find them very entertaining dreaming about all those odd-sounding towns, parks, and "features"!

[billmeek]

I used to travel 50k+ every year with nothing but maps.  But I've run into a lot of places that don't even mark the roads anymore to save money.  After all, "Everyone has a smart phone or GPS these days."  Another thing I used to see and appreciate was road signs marking distance to the next town and major cities.  You don't see them too often anymore except on Interstates and even there they have become increasingly rare. If the GPS satellites were to ever go offline, how many of the younger generation could even find their way home? 

Ask a younger person, "How can you tell if an Interstate is goes east/west or north/south?"

[WECSOG]

Nice carry gear, CavScout. That Hogue grip sleeve looks cool. Regarding those Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps, I hope the back roads in Oregon have better signs than in my state. More than once I have been carefully navigating the back roads only to get to a point where they stopped putting up identifier signs and things got real confusing quickly. GPS helps a lot, except that in my area GPS maps show roads that have not existed in living memory, or show roads connecting that actually have gaps where no one has built a bridge across a creek.

Partially Off-Topic... feel free to move this post.

The Hogue Grip Sleeve is not as elastic as the Pachmayr Sleeve... so it will induce self control against uttering Salty Vocabulary while putting it on! 
A lady at Hogue told me she uses a dry wash cloth to get a better grip on the exterior of the sleeve.

Lube it with rubbing alcohol. I've done that with motorcycle and bicycle grips, and with slingshot bands. It slides on easily, then grips tight once the alcohol evaporates.

[Warthog]

I don't carry a cell phone.  Never had one and don't want one.  My Dad has given me two but I never keep them with me or charged which makes him very angry.  He thinks they are a gift from God, not that he actually believes in one.  I do have a GPS though because I tend to get lost often because I don't pay attention to stuff other than other drivers and possible accident waiting to happen.

[CavScout]

<snip>
The Hogue Grip Sleeve is not as elastic as the Pachmayr Sleeve... so it will induce self control against uttering Salty Vocabulary while putting it on! 
<snip>

Lube it with rubbing alcohol. I've done that with motorcycle and bicycle grips, and with slingshot bands. It slides on easily, then grips tight once the alcohol evaporates.

I know the Rubbing Alcohol trick well.
However, the Hogue Grip Sleeve needs about 10-15% stretch to get past the butt of the Pistol.
The un-stretched portion tends to "Pucker" under the butt, requiring several laps around to "walk" the sleeve past the base of the butt.
My left hand only has about 20% strength since my Stroke, so the Rubbing Alcohol would have long evaporated before I got to the straight push.
Also, the lubrication would make it more difficult to get "traction" on the interior of the sleeve to accomplish the "walking".

And did I mention that the Hogue compound is not as elastic as Pachmayr's?
Trying to get that 10-15% stretch feels like you're dealing with Poly-Vinyl tubing!

[CavScout]

I don't carry a cell phone.  Never had one and don't want one.  My Dad has given me two but I never keep them with me or charged which makes him very angry.  He thinks they are a gift from God, not that he actually believes in one.  I do have a GPS though because I tend to get lost often because I don't pay attention to stuff other than other drivers and possible accident waiting to happen.

Cell Phones remind me of the old CB Radio Fad... People constantly Yacking on them!

I used to be the primary Computer Tech Guy for a chain of 10 Newspapers across Oregon, and Northern California.
I was on-call all hours, all days, all locations.
I was issued a Pager, and required to call-in within 15 minutes, and show up at the nearest Newspaper within 30 minutes.
Eventually, my Pager was replaced with a French Roll sized Flip-Phone.

Later, after Semi-Retirement, I got a small Flip-Phone to use at my Home Construction site... long before they trenched in a Land-Line.

Then I had my Stroke in 2010. My Wife requires me to carry a phone anytime I leave the House.
I logged a total of 17 minutes last month on my phone!

My life was full of Paper Maps.
Free Service Station Maps in the 50's and 60's.
Navigation Charts in the Merchant Marine 1966-1968.
Navigation Charts for Coast Guard Aviation, flying as Navigator in the old Grumman Albatross 1968-1972.
Various Army Land-Nav Maps 1974-1996.

Always had a set of Forestry Fire Maps, since 1959... they are huge!... I keep my current set rolled up in a cardboard tube.
I unroll them scroll style for viewing.

I've had a Garmin Oregon 450 GPS for several years, but the small screen is not very useful on the road or trail.
I had to get a Garmin Rino (GPS-Radio) to satisfy my Hunting group... it has a feature that locates all members, and updates whenever a mic is keyed.
The other guys didn't want o deal with keying in coordinates sent by radio!

After I had to give up my Motorcycles, I went to UTV's to roam the back roads I grew up with.
I learned about using GPS enabled Tablets from a local UTV Group.
When I trail ride, I have my Tablet and Smart Phone, both loaded with GPS Mapping... and a Marbles Compass... just in case!

[Warthog]

No CB Radio either.  And I do keep a compass in my car too because sometimes I have a good idea of where I am on the map but need the compass to figure out if I am going in the right direction.  I used to be a lot better at this sort of thing but I guess I sort of lost a lot after all the infections started in on me.

[JRobyn]

After I had to give up my Motorcycles, I went to UTV's to roam the back roads I grew up with.
I learned about using GPS enabled Tablets from a local UTV Group.
When I trail ride, I have my Tablet and Smart Phone, both loaded with GPS Mapping... and a Marbles Compass... just in case!

What a beautiful compass!

[Boisesteve]

Hey Cav,
Speaking of relying on GPS, being in Oregon you musta seen the recent news of the young trucker whose gps guided him onto a back forest road where he and his big rig bogged down in the snow. He hiked out, over several days. Very lucky man. 
Five years ago ours tried to do the same thing on a trip back to Idaho from the Oregon coast, but after just a few miles we figured out what would happen to our little car if we didn't backtrack to the state road. Sez me (the mighty king of nobody), they are to be used as guidance and advice on route selection, not as the word of God on the best and only way to go.
Be well, Boise Steve

[CavScout]

Hey Cav,
Speaking of relying on GPS, being in Oregon you musta seen the recent news of the young trucker whose gps guided him onto a back forest road where he and his big rig bogged down in the snow. He hiked out, over several days. Very lucky man.
<snip>
Be well, Boise Steve

Sadly, we had a similar incident here 10 years ago that didn't turnout so well! 

http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonianextra/2007/11/kimfamily.html

[CavScout]

<snip>
When I trail ride, I have my Tablet and Smart Phone, both loaded with GPS Mapping... and a Marbles Compass... just in case!

What a beautiful compass!

Apparently Marbles is only making one version of their Brass Compass:

http://marblesknives.com/?BISKIT=38089973&CONTEXT=cat&cat=21

But, you can find many versions, both New and Old on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/marbles-compass

I just ordered on of these to have a spare:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marbles-MR388-Match-Safe-Compass-Set-Waterproof-Stainless-2-625-Overall/263205195498

[Dinadan]

All right, polling is closed! We have 55 respondents and 45% carry a Mini all the time as a primary; 25% carry most of the time as a primary. Not at all surprising considering this forum is dedicated to NAA, but still an interesting number to see.