Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we discussed the benefits and potential issues of carrying customized pistols. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. A common consensus in the comment section is buying higher factory options of carry guns, so everything is sorted from the factory. While I completely agree with that train of thought, it's important to understand the realities of carrying concealed and what those potential drawbacks are in the world today. Picking A Gun To Carry For most of us, we have this step taken care of and it's all set. Those of you just beginning often have to take a number of factors into account, which could include your comfort level, budget and frequency you'll actually carry. A run-of-the-mill factory handgun won't have very many added features, but will be everything you need and nothing more. Also, the fact that your life depends on this tool means that money should not be the main factor. In the past, I have seen a number of individuals argue with others about whether or not it is good to have basic practical handguns or go all out with more expensive handguns with more factory-based features. It's not an easy decision, but there are certainly benefits to each way of thinking. Practical Guns Are The Safer Option When it comes to the practical side of thinking, less really is more. Something like a Glock 43X or Glock 19 is reliable, easy to manage and simple to use. There are no compensators, upgraded triggers or magwells added on the gun, but it's a simple no-frills handgun. The biggest benefit to these handguns is the fact that you don't have to worry about constantly maintaining them since they are more rugged and reliable than other options on the market. One of my close friends was just talking about carrying a documented government-issued World War II Remington 1911 that he recently purchased. The extractor was too tight and didn't allow the next round to reliably feed into the chamber. Now this classic 1911 was worth $2,500-3,000 and it wasn't reliable feeding rounds, so not only was it expensive, but it wasn't remotely reliable either. These classic handguns may be an incredibly cool piece to have and can even be fun to carry if you want to have an interesting talk with other concealed carriers, but as practical self-defense tools, they are often incredibly expensive and ineffective. This is one of those moments where having a modern, reliable striker-fired handgun will take you way further than having something that is questionably reliable and roughly 5-6 times the price of a regular everyday carry gun. This isn't the first time I have seen someone carry a questionable handgun because it has an interesting history. Having something that's completely reliable is one of the best baseline items to start with for a solid concealed carry handgun. Practical carry guns don't have the fancy bells and whistles on them, but they are reliable and will always be ready when you need them, so it's hard to argue against that. Carrying Expensive Handguns The other view on this topic is the old saying to “buy once and cry once.” Having an upgraded factory handgun does allow you to have the extra bells and whistles. It's never a good idea to start swapping internal parts on your carry gun with aftermarket parts. When you start swapping parts like that, then you trade performance for reliability. Instead, spend a little extra money to get a factory-upgraded pistol. Not only do you get the upgraded parts you want, but you also get a factory warranty. When you carry every single day, it's important to understand that your carry gun is the number one tool when it comes to your safety in a self-defense situation. That's one of the few things in my book that shouldn't be put under a budget. Overall Thoughts With the amount of carry guns in the market at every price point, it's important to find what you like and go from there. If you want a factory-upgraded gun and think it's worth the extra money, it's certainly the safer way to go in terms of getting a reliable option. So many people want to have add-ons but don't realize that the handgun's reliability will be drastically affected if you start swapping parts. If it seems completely unnecessary, it's important to stick with a basic, practical gun to protect yourself rather than something with extra features you may not necessarily need. Both are solid options with benefits depending on your preferences. What do you guys prefer? Let me know in the comments below. If you have questions on carrying guns or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner is brought to you by GLOCK