Concealed Carry Corner: Best Carry Items To Buy After Christmas
Welcome back to another episode of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at some of the benefits when it comes to winter carry. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to give it a look. This week, I wanted to talk about some of the options you can pick up with your Christmas time gift card or extra money you may have gotten. Obviously, this will be dependent on how much your gift card is, but there are several options no matter what your budget is. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best carry items to buy after Christmas.
Fresh Carry Ammo and Batteries
Some of you who have read my articles for a while now know how I feel about carry ammunition. Most people I know will pick up carry ammo for their gun and then proceed to carry it year after year. Two things should be changed out every single year at a minimum. The first thing is any batteries you use on your carry gun whether that’s a red dot battery or flashlight batteries. Those items you don’t want to let run out of juice when they are potentially something you will need in a self-defense situation. Batteries should be changed every single year at the same time whether that’s the first of the year, on a birthday or Christmas. Consistency is key when it comes to consumable items. The other big item is carry ammo, I will typically change out ammo at least once a year to make sure they are good to go.
After a while, ammo becomes tarnished and discolored from the sweat, moisture, and overall dirt from everyday use riding in your waistband. All the extra moisture can work its way into your ammo and given enough time can dampen the powder to the point it won’t fire as intended. Now it takes years to get to the point where the rounds will stop working but with the low price of self-defense ammunition, it’s important to just swap it out once a year. After picking up a fresh box, you can put the old rounds into a spare magazine to carry or you can use those old rounds to train with at the range so you know how the recoil and rounds will feel once fired.
Magazines
Depending on how old your carry gun is, magazines can start to become a concern if you train and carry with the same magazines day in and day out for years. I know these are certainly an easy thing to say you’ll replace later down the road. It gets put off and then you start to carry magazines that have years of use on them when a replacement magazine can sometimes be as cheap as $20 depending on your carry gun model. I usually pick up a new magazine to carry with every two years unless I use the gun a lot at the range.
If I do heavily use the gun, I will pick up new magazines sooner rather than later to always have a fresh factory magazine with strong springs inside. My P226 Elite magazine is a MecGar 18-round magazine and I have been talking about replacing it with a new 18-rounder for over a year. Trust me, even I am guilty of swapping out magazines but if you carry your pistol regularly for years and do train with them, it’s important to swap out magazines. The old magazines can be kept for range use to keep the carry magazine as new as possible to ensure reliability. It may be something you put off or try to do later on but if you have a gift card from family members, a replacement magazine to keep your carry mag fresh may be a good option.
Holsters or Replacement Parts
The last thing most people neglect is their holster or attachments after a few years of use. Kydex holsters have hardware to keep them all together and given enough time with no maintenance or checking, the screws can begin to back out. If you really ignore any holster maintenance, the screws can completely fall out which will require you to order replacement kits. I try to check my screws every 3-6 months just to make sure they are tight. If you see your Kydex holster start to loosen up, it’s never a bad idea to throw on some blue or pink Loctite just to make sure they don’t back out under stress. If the holster becomes worn out with leather or brittle over time when dealing with Kydex, it is important to maintain your gear, and if it is time to retire your old equipment for new stuff, that’s always good to know so you can plan ahead.
Overall Thoughts
Every year, I cannot tell you how many people talk about having gift cards but not sure on what to spend it on. The items above are all things that can be easily forgotten or dismissed when it’s really important to upkeep your gear and make sure everything is in working order as a safeguard to allow your guns and gear to be dependable day in and day out.
What are some things you guys like to spend your Christmas gift cards on? Let me know what you prefer down in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.