Daniel W. writes . . .

This may be a bit different take on things. It should be quite obvious that this equipment gets used, and there’s not a lot of bling in it.

This is my “What I’m Carrying Each Walk Around My Block”, a 7-mile round trip through rural Kentucky. My family has been using the great cool spring air to burn up some miles prepping for an eventual return to backpacking.

The GLOCK 20C is the only firearm that I own that I have actually used defensively, against a charging coyote. For the 7-mile walk I have it loaded with Liberty Civil Defense 60 grain hollow points. I realize that is a bit unconventional, but it makes the gun amazingly lighter and should be plenty for any coyote that I come across.

The holster is nothing special. Pure function, Blackhawk Serpa.

My handheld light is a Streamlight Nightfighter X backed up with a Black Diamond Storm headlamp.

The knife is a Benchmade Axis that I had etched at the NRA convention in Louisville.

My trusty near-antique Camelback Mule carries my water, bug repellent, and tick key.

And finally, I keep a set of ear plugs draped around my neck. This little GLOCK is quite loud!

 

This post is part of our series, What I’m Carrying Now. If you’d like to submit a photo and description of the gun, holster and gear you’re carrying in the new world in which we live, send it to us at [email protected] with WICN in the subject field.]

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52 COMMENTS

  1. If you take the time to Stop and put in ear plugs during a DGU. Fill in the Blank___________.

    • 7 miles of rural Kentucky. Maybe he shoots a can or two on the trip or a cruising coyote . When I was young I carried a .41 Blackhawk for pigs or just plinking on the back side of the farm and wish I had used a set of plugs then. Guns in rural areas are handy and fun and not just for self defense.
      Get out of the dump man and find some excitement in life.

      • Been shooting for over 50 years. Never used ears until about 7 years ago when I started going to ranges. Hunted for food for 20 of those years out of need to survive. Damn hard to hear a deer creeping through the woods with fingers stuck in your ears. I lost more hearing doing lights and sound for bands than ever by shooting. My old man for 50+ years never used ears. Survived two years of HELL in Europe during WW II. No Ears. Heard just fine. Ears are fine for ranges and plinking. Just don’t get hung up on them when the real SHTF.

        • “I lost more hearing doing lights and sound for bands than ever by shooting.”

          I wore plugs when mixing sound for local bands, because I discovered I couldn’t clearly hear what the gear was doing at full volume in the venues. I picked that habit up after my first touring rock concert as a kid when I didn’t much enjoy the ear pain in the hall. Foamie plugs next time – lo and *behold*! I can HEAR the music! And my ears didn’t ring for two days after!

          Hallelujah! 🙂

        • You know you’re in trouble when at the end of the evening it sounds like your head is wrapped in cotton.

          Even worse can be on stage, when deaf performers need the monitors cackling.

          Trying to get a vocal on top of the Marshall stacks so the performer can hear her self is a real pain.

        • Darkman. Got tinnitus thanks to my world tour with my rich uncle sam. When I hunt these days I use electronic muffs. If I fiddle with them just right I can hear better than just bare ears and I don’t add damage to my ear balls.

        • Darkman,

          Protect your ears. Electronic muffs turned all the way up will not only protect your eardrums, but also allow you to hear those elusive deer even better as they walk around the woods. In fact, I keep e-muffs next to my gat at night so I can throw them on and crank them up if I ever hear anything suspicious in the middle of the night.

    • He says right in the blurb that he’s shot a coyote before. If you see an animal acting strangely towards you it’s not necessarily a bad idea to put ear protection on if you think you might have to shoot.

      That’s a defensive gun use.

  3. I like headlights a lot. Hands free is the way to go. Especially if you expect to use both hands, like changing a tire.

    • I was extremely confused by this comment until I realized you were talking about the headlamp.

      To me, headlights are on cars. Headlamps are lights you wear on your head.

      • Me too, how the hell could he motorboat a couple mammary glands and change a tire at the same time?

      • “To me, headlights are on cars. Headlamps are lights you wear on your head.”

        And on some women in cool air, but I digress. Highbeams are *on* 😉

        It’s like the old saying about the word “Score” – You can tell how old someone is if the first thing that pops into their head after hearing that word is sports, sex, or drugs…

    • Headlights scare me, Ford headlights not so much, I usually hear those rattle traps banging down the road long before I see the headlights.

    • Same here. Once you use them you see the benefits and start buying and storing them in your truck, tool bag, BOB, EDC/hiking Backpack. Good one cost less than $20, but the Harbor Freight ones are crap.

      • Yup. Threw one into the toolkit in my truck. Have a gajillion knives and flashlights in that kit.

  4. That knife is cool, fits great in the hand but I find the handle is a bit thing when she’s riding in a pocket. Still, for an outdoors knife it’s a great choice.

    Overall interesting load. Wasn’t aware of the ammo until you mentioned it. I’d have said 10mm was a bit overpowered for ‘yotes.

    Overall I like it. Love the MULE for a bit of stuff and a bunch of water.

    • Take a look at that round. I’ve chrony’d it out of this gun, more than 2,300 FPS. It’s plenty for anything I’ll stumble across on a hike near my house. And the recoil is very mild. Plus the magazine feels empty it’s so light. I wouldn’t necessarily carry it for many other purposes, but wouldn’t feel under prepped either.

      When I go out west, it’s loaded with a home brew 200 grain FMJ going about 1,250. Problem is that round requires a heavier recoil spring and is no where near as quick to fire.

      Different pills for different ailments.

      • The problem with light rounds is penetration and retained energy at range. 60g will handle a thin skinned animal but will be problematic against a more substantial beast.

        • I suppose he could easily toss a magazine of Buffalo Bore hardcast in a pocket of that ruck if he stumbles across a bear on those hikes.

          For ‘tweakers’ and coyotes, follow-up shots with the light round is quicker…

        • I face the multiple wildlife problem. Coyotes, potential for rattlesnakes, bear and in theory mountain lion. I see more snakes than anything so my first two rounds are .45 auto snake shot. Followed by 7 rounds of Underwood Xtreme Penatrator. I figure the snake shot will either scare off or stun a coyote long enough to finish it off with solid ammo. You are not going to have time to switch magazines if a large animal comes at you. It is easier to fire off the snake shot and may it will scare the bear. A better option might be to have a couple of light weights for a coyote followed by hardcast or copper solid.

          I have no sympathy for the weight argument. If he can do a 7 mile stroll through the countryside he doesn’t need to worry about a little extra weight. Yesterday I took 8 mile walk with the dog carrying a small backpack and a 1911. I’m no spring chicken as my late mom would say.

  7. Well. I am truly amazed 😲

    No one has shit a brick over the Blackhawk serpa holster.

    • When I saw “Pure function” I was expecting it. I’m not sure what everyone has against them. Is it the retention release that is near the trigger area of the gun? I’ve seen a ND blamed on that.

      Or is it that it’s not super carbon fiber that can stand up to 500 ft\lb of force during a wrestling match with ninjas?

      • It’s the button newr the trigger and somebody(ies) has had an ND cause they went ahead and grabbed the go pedal.

        There are others who swear there are other mechanical issues that make them unsafe.

        Like you, i have no problem with them. I have two (SR9, Beretta 92) that I have used a decent amount with no problems. I can easily draw with am straight finger with the Serpa.

        The Fobus (with the bullseye button), I might see and issue with but I dont own one.

        I always get a kick out folks getting crazy mad about Serpas.

        Now the clip draw……..

  8. A Glock 20C for coyotes?! That’s a lot of gun to tote around when hiking. A nine would certainly do the trick.

  9. Do people actually send these in, or are you just grabbing shit from the garage and putting them in bins then spreading them out for pictures?

    • I hesitate to send in pics of my workout vest (plate carrier and steel plates) with admin pouch that hides my carry gun. Most folks would call BS. I just cannot wear a belly band.
      BTW, happy Armed Forces Day to all the active duty at home and deployed.

      • I don’t rock a PC as a EDC item but I do use it for working out.

        Steel plates though? Ugh.

  10. My paranoid delusional cousin( God Bless) would say upon seeing a Glock.” So your a cop!! ?”. Iz joking not. Had friend who got in fight, pulled gunm and whacking with light aluminum frame, Iz to No good, he had to shootzing guy.. possum shows Colt Trooper to friend, freind say” I could have knocked him out with that.” It was big fight ,close quarter, as Iz say. A handy gunm needs to be a duel propose tool, boat anchor or Billy clubbing is what I thibking

  11. On hikes I usually carry a .S&W 6″ 586 with 125JHPs and a load out of 200g cast core with some snakeshot. When I carry my G23 on hikes I carry two mags, one with Double Tap .40 S&W 200g cast core, and one loaded with Corbon 135g JHP. Regardless of the firearm caliber, on hikes or when camping I always bring snakeshot rounds. Pretty much covers the spectrum of threats, two and four-legged, or no-legged.

    If your hiking in black bear country, definitely carry some heavier rounds like the 200g hard cast for 10mm.

    I use Serpa holsters on occasion, they work, not to expensive can afford to have lenty of them for different firearms. Some “pros” have a problem with them. Some departments have banned them, may take on the negligent discharge issue is that its a user malfunction not a serpa holster issue. From my research it is not the holster causing the negligent discharge, it is the shooter improperly putting their finger on the trigger upon drawing plain and simple. Watch the two videos at the link below and make up your own mind. The Serpa’s with the finger release were designed for the shooter to properly place their finger so as to keep it off the trigger when drawing. To me its just piss poor trigger finger control, and likely a bad grip not holding high enough, your finger should be along the top of the frame. Trigger finger control was beaten into us at every turn, lack of, or an ND would get you kicked off the teams. Yes, there are better holsters, at 4-5 times the price, thats not the point. The non-locking Serpa holsters are just fine and plenty cheap.
    You decide.
    https://lockedback.com/lapd-bans-use-blackhawk-serpa-holster/

  12. The coyotes around my house don’t want anything to do with people. I’ve had more trouble from crazy labs.

    I’ve never seen the tick key. I’ll have to check those out. I pull ticks off of me every year. There was already one crawling on my neck last week.

  13. 60 Grain typo? I have no real desire for a compensated slide/barrel anything. The older 20 model points high and shoots high and needs a back-strap mod. Adjustable night sights and an aftermarket captured recoil spring are the basics needed. Hornady 180 grain worked well. If they only were lighter and handled like the 17.

  14. OK to my surprise there is an expensive 10MM 2400 FPS 60 grain disintegrating projectile…Only if I ever run out of Hornady and nothing else is available and can’t reload.

  15. Ok, I’ll try to address a few of my favorite comments.

    1) in regards to the dude with Superman ears that is too much of a badass to wear ear pro… good for you.

    2) The ammo doubters. This stuff will pierce a soft bulletproof vest. I’m pretty sure it will get through the skin of anything that actually decides to cause trouble while I’m out walking. You don’t have to buy it. But it is pretty neat. And this gun fully loaded with 16 rounds of this ammo only weighs 4.5 ounces more than my G23 with 13 rnds of conventional ammo. Full frame gun with more ammo for a mild weight penalty. I love this gun. And the recoil with this is so mild. Very easy to shoot quickly. But the punch when it hits is pretty wild.

    3) But what about bears? Well, they don’t live here. And I did state that when I’m in bear country I load a heavy round. The flexibility of this gun is what I really love. Bullets from 60 to 220 grains. FPS of 1150-2350. It’s crazy flexible.

    4) But what about snakes? I’m not scared of them. We don’t have many venomous ones around here. And if I see one I’ll likely just leave it alone. Probably take a ton of pictures.

    5) Mr Montana Actual. Yep, this is my stuff. Taken off my back and spread over my workbench, mud still all over it.

    6) Serpa haters. Whatever. I own two of them and have never had a single issue. They are comfortable and functional. I’ve used them in pistol matches and never had an issue. Sure the draw is not as fast as no retention, but I like the positive retention while hiking and backpacking. My concealed carry holsters are Alien Gear, but again, this is for the outdoors.

    7) Dude, the tick key rocks. Very simple tool.

    8) Debbie W, sorry Glocks don’t work out for you. For some reason they do with me. I get all the hate towards them. They dont feel good even to me, but I shoot them well. That is why I always tell people to pick whatever gun they personally shoot best. And BTW, I do reload. Plenty. Just haven’t been able to match this round for this use.

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