modifying your edc

[jestermx6]

I'm mostly curious what everyone's views are on the subject.

I'm not talking about painting "THUG KILLA" on the slide or grip.

I'm talking actual modifications, everything from a grip, to sights, to mechanical mods.

For reference, I just got fingerprinted and submitted my application for my CHP and have been eyeballing something a little more compact for when i start to carry.

Currently, since the winter months are upon us, I plan to carry my P95. Its fairly bulky, but the only thing I've done to it is a hogue slip on.

The gun I've been looking at is the SR9C. I love the feel of the gun, the weight, thickness, etc. The one thing that i keep teetering back and forth on, is the magazine disconnect safety. Normally that wouldn't be a blip on my radar, but as a defense weapon, god forbid a situation arises where I have to drop my magazine, or it drops on its own for whatever reason (fumbling hands, nerves in the heat of the moment etc), knowing i can't defend myself with the round in the pipe until i reinsert a magazine is a little unsettling.

Now the solution to this is obvious. A quick look through the ruger forums shows most people remove the magazine disconnect as it was pretty much only added to make the gun legal in California. And while I was on board with this and planned to do the same, I got to thinking about it some more and now I'm not so sure.

in the event i have to use the gun, and i then i subsequently end up in court, i feel like removing ANY safety device (even though there's countless other models that don't feature that particular safety method, let alone any others) could potentially make a case against you.  By extension, other mods i might want to do but probably wont for a carry gun (upgraded sights, trigger lightening, etc) could also come up in the same way.

I have zero knowledge about courtroom stuff. I'm in IT and couldn't be further from lawyer stuff. Just wanted some opinions on what y'all think. Hopefully my Hogue grip doesn't come back to haunt me. 

[gsd]

A Glock Armorer I know recommends no modifications at all to a carry firearm other than perhaps sights.

That being said, I'm in a similar line of thinking with you, I don't think the removal of the magazine disconnect shouldn't cause an issue from the legal aspect of things.

Not a lawyer, just my $0.02.

[jestermx6]

yeah i keep going back and forth on it.

on one hand, if i'm forced to fire on someone and put a few rounds in someone's chest, my intent being to defend myself and purposefully firing my weapon, the assumption would be that safety devices would not be in question.

but in our society, any assumptions about such things go out the window.

[OnTheFly]

This is one aspect of a subject that I have been thinking about starting a thread on.  After a SD shooting, any modification you make to your gun, the ammo you use for the SD shooting, classes you have taken, things you have said, type of shooting sports you are involved in, types of targets you shoot at (I have some silhouettes), whether you or your father were in the marines, etc., etc., etc. will ALL become scrutinized by the prosecutor. 

Personally, while I don't advocate over the top actions, I think the only real answers to dealing with all of this is to...

A) Be aware of your surroundings.  This may go a long ways in avoiding ever having to be in a SD shooting situation.

B) Make sure you have the BEST attorney you can find.

While a prosecutor is likely going to try to use the most ridiculous information as proof that you were negligent and/or bloodthirsty, a GOOD defense attorney should know how to counter such attacks.

In the end you will find people that will tell you not to do any one of a long list of things.  For example, you modify your trigger so that you can be accurate with your SD gun and only shoot what you want to shoot.  After all, we are "responsible for every bullet that comes out of the barrel", and we don't want to be haphazardly throwing lead around into innocent bystanders like the NYPD. 

You will be in a world of hurt regardless of whether you do everything correctly. 

Fly

[patrickdm]

Would it be simpler to find another gun you like that doesn't have the issue?

[jestermx6]

i'm still not sure its an "issue" per se. just something i was thinking about and thought it'd get a conversation going.

[patrickdm]

Understand. It took me a while before I found something I was comfortable with carrying on a regular basis. Best of luck to you.

[jonm]

I see this come you a lot but I've never seen an instance where someone was charged because of the modifications they had done to the gun. if someone has links, I wouldn't mind reading them.

[bkoenig]

For some modifications I wonder how they would know - if you swap in a different sear, for instance, it's not readily apparent.  One sear pretty much looks like another unless you actually look closely and measure the angles.

[jestermx6]

quick update:

After mentioning to Randy at Thunder Alley a few weeks ago that i was contemplating an SR9c and how sexy the stainless model looked, i got a call tuesday night that he happened to have one in stock. I didn't ask if it was the stainless model.

I go in yesterday to look at it and, well...


2014.01.08 Ruger sr9c by jestermx6, on Flickr

guess i own a stainless SR9C now 

Also worth noting, i turned in my CCW app and got printed on Dec 11th. Permit was in the mailbox when i got home (coincidentally, with the ruger in tow) yesterday Jan 8. So even with the holidays, it took a little less than a month.

Thanks again to Gene for the class, and Randy for being on the lookout for my pistol.

Gonna strip it down and give it a nice clean up, then start the break in process hopefully this weekend.

[tstuart34]

I really like my SR9. I was kicking around the idea of getting a C when I get my CCW sometime this year.

[gsd]

I heard you got a birthday present...

[thirtydaZe]

quick update:

After mentioning to Randy at Thunder Alley a few weeks ago that i was contemplating an SR9c and how sexy the stainless model looked, i got a call tuesday night that he happened to have one in stock. I didn't ask if it was the stainless model.

I go in yesterday to look at it and, well...


2014.01.08 Ruger sr9c by jestermx6, on Flickr

guess i own a stainless SR9C now 

Also worth noting, i turned in my CCW app and got printed on Dec 11th. Permit was in the mailbox when i got home (coincidentally, with the ruger in tow) yesterday Jan 8. So even with the holidays, it took a little less than a month.

Thanks again to Gene for the class, and Randy for being on the lookout for my pistol.

Gonna strip it down and give it a nice clean up, then start the break in process hopefully this weekend.

i love that gun, i ended up purchasing a m&p shield 40, but just about had the sr40c.  just looking at your 9 has my wheels turning once again.

[Opusnbill7]

I used to love my SR9c.  Great gun!  Only reason I got rid of mine was I wanted to cut down on the number of calibers I was keeping around, so I sold off my 9mm and ammo and kept the 45ACP.