best guns for open carry

[MrWolf]

For seated the 6 pocket cargo pants are great.

I wear Duluth firehose cargo pants ever since Levi's went anti American. Love em and the front right bottom pocket fits a S&W 380ez nicely. I had originally planned on the pistol for my gf but her hands are to small. Works great for going to doc appointments, etc as you cannot even tell it is there.

[JoeJames]

Here in Arkansas in the later part of the 19th century concealed carry was illegal, and open carry was only legal if you were carrying a militia type revolver - either a Navy or Army revolver - with the emphasis on either the model 1851 Navy Colt or the model 1860 Army Colt.

[Baltimoreed]

Open carry is ok when hunting or working on your property but a bad idea when running errands in town. Makes you a target as guns are valuable to thugs. Also makes you a threat to those same thugs. Carry concealed and you look like the rest of the sheeple and you have the element of surprise on your side if you decide to or are forced to intervene.

[bedbugbilly]

IMHO . . . just because you "can" open carry doesn't mean you "should" open carry . . . . unfortunately there are many who seem to get the "right" to open carry confused with the need to show their testosterone level.

I am permitted for carry in two different states . . . both of which allow open carry. The only time I have "open carried" in either state is when I was our in the field or woods . . . otherwise . . . I always conceal . . . . sometimes it pays "not to advertise".

As far as which handgun to carry . . . the one that you know is reliable, that you shoot the best and that you practice with on a frequent basis . . . . like a lot of things in life, "size" doesn't matter . your ability to use it does if need be.

[rbuck351]

What matters is what you are defending from. If in Alaska and in bear country, a double action 41 mag or larger revolver that you can shoot well. If for defense from two legged varmints, don't carry open. If defending from charging chipmunks, any decent 22lr should work.

[Daekar]

Depends on what you need. Carrying open means that the size can be larger, so to me that means a longer barrel and larger magazine.

Revolver? 8-shot Ruger Redhawk in 357mag
Semi? Any reliable 9mm with at least 16+1
Barrel length to taste, with a red dot if practical

I am not a fan of open carry in the current urban or suburban environment. If you're in the country and especially on your own land, that's a different story, but I figured out a long time ago that there in little point in my owning a pistol too big to conceal because I would never use it except as a range toy or hunting implement. So all my pistols are concealable, and they open carry just fine when I get the urge... that is, mow or work in the back field.

[Geezer in NH]

Do some states have open carry and not concealed carry?

Mostly my Spring/Fall wear.
Attachment 298958

Summertime it will go good with a speedo!!

[Geezer in NH]

IMHO open carry requires a retention holster to stop grabs. When I was in uniform gun was in a retention holster and constant vigil of the folks near you is needed. My arm would get sore from keeping it tucked over the gun.

Plain clothes concealed is much more comfortable to me. Now being retired I keep my carry gun out of sight unless fishing, hunting in the outdoors where folks are comfortable with it. That means in rural northern NH, VT and ME.

[Pipefitter]

10# Mountain Howitzer,,,,, absolutely no one will mess with you.

[rbuck351]

If you can carry that howitzer, you probably don't even need a gun.

[Idaho45guy]

I open-carried in Iowa once. Once.

About 25 years ago, me, my wife, and our two small children flew into Des Moines to visit the wife's family. I worked for Homeland Security at the time but did not have an issued weapon. I carried a Glock 22 for personal protection, so I brought it with me.

The mother-in-law picked us up at the airport and we rode with her to Newton, IA on the way to Grinnell. Kids were hungry and tired, so we stopped at the A&W for dinner.

I was wearing khaki pants, tucked in polo shirt, dress shoes, had a military haircut, and looked as close to a cop as you could get. I had my Glock in a leather Bianchi holster on my hip, as I did not have a concealed carry license for Iowa.

So all of us were sitting there eating when a fat slob in sweats and a T-shirt, unshaven, with messed up hair comes over and tells me that this is a family restaurant and that guns are not welcome.

I looked him up and down, determined that he was a moron, and chuckled and told him to mind his own business and go away. He did.

10 minutes later, I see the waitress going to the other occupied tables and whispering to the customers and then them getting up and leaving. Then I see about 5 cop cars come flying up and surrounding the restaurant.

You have got to be kidding me!!

I told my wife and mother-in-law to not panic, but there will be a bunch of cops coming in and maybe pointing guns at us, and to just remain calm and keep their hands flat and on the table.

The cops of course came in with guns drawn, and as soon as they saw a clean-cut family, immediately holstered their weapons. I announced that I was with Homeland Security and slowly showed them my credentials.

They informed me that Iowa was not an open-carry state and that the people are nervous around guns and that they got a report about a man threatening customers with a gun.

We had a good laugh, and I swore I would never open carry in Iowa ever again.

So yeah, I would advise against it.

I open-carried in church last Sunday. Wore my fancy 1911 and got lots of compliments. Went to the grocery store afterwards, totally forgetting about it, and had some college girls nervously giggle and say to each other, "I guess it's an Idaho thing."

I just smiled and nodded.

[lksmith]

Concealed carry is the best, otherwise you immediately become the first target, HOWEVER if you are going to open carry go big or go home, do it right with one of these:
https://www.americanrifleman.org/con...n-45-70-gov-t/
https://www.gunsamerica.com/96073475...ome-finish.htm
https://www.hinterlandoutfitters.com...h-p-22567.html
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ull_rL2214c/hqdefault.jpg
http://cdn2.armslist.com/sites/armsl...pistol_640.jpg

[lksmith]

I agree. Though, if everyone were carrying, open carry would not leave you the only person visibly armed, and that would be great! And there will be pie in the sky bye and bye...

I'll believe open carry is the way to go when New York and California become open carry states. I.e., not in my freaking lifetime, probably. Here in Oklahoma, at least as long as I've lived here, you could open carry legally on your own property. My next-door neighbor's son carried religiously while he was maintaining his mom's lawn. I guess he was terrified of gophers.

Bill

I carry while working in the yard, mainly for snakes. Snake in the woods I usually let them be, but in my yard where my little girl plays, snakes gonna die! in the woods I generally carry something 9mm or larger for hogs, and whatnot.
But around people, I prefer concealed, although I have left my gun on my hip while getting gas if I was on my way to/from the woods just because I didn't want to take my belt loose and lose my pants

[WRideout]

I agree. Though, if everyone were carrying, open carry would not leave you the only person visibly armed, and that would be great! And there will be pie in the sky bye and bye...

I'll believe open carry is the way to go when New York and California become open carry states. I.e., not in my freaking lifetime, probably. Here in Oklahoma, at least as long as I've lived here, you could open carry legally on your own property. My next-door neighbor's son carried religiously while he was maintaining his mom's lawn. I guess he was terrified of gophers.

Bill

Back when I lived on the "Left Coast," ( and Eisenhower was President) CA was an open carry state, but one could apply for a concealed carry permit, like Nancy Pelosi's husband, so I hear.

Wayne

[jonp]

I generally am not a fan of open carry but when back home i will most of the time. My preferred is a revolver because everyone knows what it is on sight.

[jonp]

I carry while working in the yard, mainly for snakes. Snake in the woods I usually let them be, but in my yard where my little girl plays, snakes gonna die! in the woods I generally carry something 9mm or larger for hogs, and whatnot.
But around people, I prefer concealed, although I have left my gun on my hip while getting gas if I was on my way to/from the woods just because I didn't want to take my belt loose and lose my pants

Reminds me of something. A number of years ago i showed up at the local eatery for a breakfast meeting with a few guys about some fish and game stuff. Walked in dressed in wool pants, gaiters as i snowshoed a new trail out of camp, Johnson wool coat and my trusty Ruger Single Six in leather as always. None of the locals batted an eyelash as i ordered coffee and pancakes with real syrup but the flatlanders who towed ski doos up from CT, MA etc all got an eyefull and whispered back and forth giving me the hairy eyeball. To heck with them.

[Jeff Michel]

^^^^This^^^^

Open carry is a bad idea. You lose any element of surprise, set yourself up as a potential target to have your gun taken away and used against you and you scare the natives.

Most civilian holsters lack security features to enhance weapon retention. If you are not physically fit, trained in weapon retention and unarmed combatives, open carry is just plain stupid.

If you want to make a political statement find another way.

Spot on and thank you, Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[memtb]

If you feel the need to “open carry”…….make it as big as possible, for all to see! memtb

[fastdadio]

I don't usually open carry, but when I do, I like to carry my mod 94. 30-30. Makes me feel like the Duke. Fill yer hands you sum#$%^'s!!

[Mytmousemalibu]

On one hand, I like the idea of guns in the open to normalize firearms but thats a farce idea really. Personally when out in the public domain, I wouldn't open carry. For me personally, be the grey man. Dont draw attention from anyone and be instantly forgettable. Not necessarily to look weak or harmless nor to exude yourself as force to be reckoned with. I carry a P365XL and I feel adequately armed with it. It also has a Holosun 507K and Strreamlight TLR-7 Sub on it.

If I had to open carry, it would probably be my 3" 686 Plus or my TP9 SFX.