Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about the problems of carrying an ultra-lightweight pistol. If you happened to miss that article, or want to check it out be sure to click the link here for more information. This week, I wanted to talk about something we all eventually go through if we carry a firearm every day. Murphy’s law states that anything which can go wrong will go wrong and some days that’s the absolute truth. all kinds of things can break if you put them under heavy use or just use them daily. Over time things wear out and it’s important to keep an eye out for these signs. Let’s take a closer look at what you can do to avoid the moment when things completely break.
Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:
What Typically Are High Wear Parts?
When we think about high-use parts, oftentimes we will think about ammunition, magazines, and batteries which are all valid points. These are high-wear and high-use items that need more attention than most of the other parts you use on a daily basis. Battery drain, bullet setback, and corrosion are all real things if left unchecked. Once we get away from the obvious list of high-wear parts that need to be changed every 3-6 months, there’s another list of things to keep an eye on over time just to make sure you don’t run into any issues down the road. Things like weapon-mounted lights, red dot optics, and holsters are all items that need attention eventually.
Some may not think of holsters and lights as high-wear items but the fact they are pulled out and worn day in and day out against the holster does eventually wear on both the part as well as the holster. Whether it is a leather or a Kydex holster, both have their wear parts and have the possibility to break or wear out from years of use. I hear all the time people complaining about various things breaking from regular use. They say how the product is junk but the honest truth is sometimes things happen outside our control and things break no matter how well-regarded a particular product is viewed.
Quality Items Still Break
Over the last few years, I’ve had a number of things break that surprised me. It’s become a running joke that if something can break, all that needs to happen is to have someone put the particular item in my hands to see if it’ll survive. I will admit I can be rough on items but I by no means go out of my way to abuse items. Over the last couple of months, I’ve fallen down at a muddy range and smashed my weapon light against the barrier. I’ve also done some vehicle training with a concealed carry holster and landed on the clip breaking the holster as well. Does that make these items unreliable and cheap? In my mind, absolutely not because they were being used in rough circumstances.
Everyone I talk to about my Surefire X300 glass breaking is shocked because they’ve never seen one break. It’s rare but by no means impossible. Thankfully, certain companies have fantastic warranties like SureFire which means they will fix your products with no problem. Most high-quality companies will take care of you or offer you a discount when it comes to replacing broken parts. The biggest takeaway point is even if something breaks during use, doesn’t mean it’s not a quality part. Things happen and items are machined parts which mean they aren’t protected against murphy’s law. Over the past few years, I’ve broken almost every major manufacturer light with holsters and optics breaking too. Things happen and it’s just a part of life but trashing the company for bad luck isn’t the answer.
Guns Sometimes Fail
In rare cases, firearms can even fail given enough use and abuse without proper maintenance schedules. There have been a few pistols I’ve had springs break which ultimately leads to the gun having a failure. I’ve had a P320 as well as an HK fail because I pushed their springs to the limit way past the recommended round count. This is again another example of parts failing that are known for quality. With enough rounds and use, any firearm will start to have issues sooner or later. It’s important to understand how critical maintaining your firearm is, not only with regular cleaning schedules but part maintenance as well.
For most shooters, this won’t be an issue with their handgun but it’s never a bad idea to take a look at the manufacturer’s PM (preventative maintenance) schedule to see what parts need to be changed at a certain round count. Some of you may have never heard of that, and I encourage everyone to look up the form for their pistol to see what they need to switch out eventually. It’s never a bad option for long-term pistol use and I would encourage everyone to give it a look.
Overall Thoughts
So often, I hear people bad-mouthing great products for a number of reasons. What most don’t understand is the fact that almost anything can break given enough use and stress applied to the part. It doesn’t matter if it’s a holster, flashlight, or firearm, the potential for something to go wrong is always there. In certain moments, it’s incredibly easy to plan the tool or part, but the vast majority of cases were caused by human error rather than a manufacturer’s defect. Certain things are always possible occurrences but with proper care and maintenance, it’s easy to avoid any issues with your firearm.
Let me know what you guys think about the problems of breaking things. Is there anything you’ve severely broken on your carry gun? If so, leave your experiences 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 and we will see you in the next episode of Concealed Carry Corner.
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