Long gun or no long gun for 30 day, out of state trip?

[UTShooter71]

Hola,
I am an LEO but I have to do a 30 day stay away from home, out of state on Reserve orders. I know I'm taking my Glock 27 (loaded up as a .40 but bringing a 9mm conversion barrel & mags). I'm also contemplating bringing my 709 Slim and my duty 9mm AR carbine, or all three. I'm trying to balance need against paranoia (zombies are real..... I think?). Feedback and other options would be appreciated.

Gracias

[georgeib]

Though it's exceedingly unlikely you'll even need to present a firearm, much less have to use it, I would still recommend bringing a carbine. I always pack a long gun with half a dozen magazines on any overnight trips away from home. Habit, probably.

Better to have and not need vs the alternative, as the saying goes...

[gaijin]

^^Yep. Murphy’s Law.

I take a carbine on overnight/extended trips.

[telecustom]

I have a rule. If I travel 50+ miles from home, the rifle goes too. The only exception is if I’m having to fly.

Army time (and the no firearms restrictions on base) makes this difficult.

[pinzgauer]

I have a rule. If I travel 50+ miles from home, the rifle goes too. The only exception is if I’m having to fly.

Army time (and the no firearms restrictions on base) makes this difficult.

I do similar. Kiss Carbine taken down in non-descript case, 6 loaded mags plus some boxes elsewhere. Seriously stashed.

The concern is not to whip it out and defend myself real time. It's cheap insurance against a major event. I don't want to be caught flat footed far away from home. It's worked so far.

[3 AE]

I'm a bit confused. Does this thirty day duty involve the Army Reserves? Will you be able to securely lock your weapons on base? I can see concealed carry with a pistol but the carbine might be a bit more complicated when it comes to keeping it in a secure place when not in direct control of your person.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Though it's exceedingly unlikely you'll even need to present a firearm, much less have to use it, I would still recommend bringing a carbine. I always pack a long gun with half a dozen magazines on any overnight trips away from home. Habit, probably.

Better to have and not need vs the alternative, as the saying goes...

This.

It's amazing how inconspicuous a tennis racket bag, baseball bat bag, etc. can be.

All of them

This is greatness.

[thopkins22]

It's amazing how inconspicuous a tennis racket bag, baseball bat bag, etc. can be.

I love the idea of the bat bag over all of them. There is zero market in pawn shops for baseball equipment and it really is the most inconspicuous.

Guitar cases/golf bags/etc...while they don’t scream “GUN!” Definitely scream “steal me!” As do lots of “discrete” bailout bags that can hold a broken down carbine or that have molle on them. Better than a pelican, but far from “I bet whatever is in that bag stinks and might give me a staph infection” which is what I’m looking for when I haul guns around this country.

I nearly had my life ruined when some piece of shit stole $30,000 worth of camera gear out of my vehicle at one in the afternoon during a stop when I was away from my vehicle for literally six minutes in a parking lot with security cameras. I made a conscious decision to either never leave anything I care about, have it truly locked up, or make it look so unappealing that they don’t even give it a second glance.

I still haven’t been able to replace all of the equipment because like an idiot I hadn’t insured it well enough, and of course I have heard exactly zero from the police other than when I made the report.

[Moose-Knuckle]

I love the idea of the bat bag over all of them. There is zero market in pawn shops for baseball equipment and it really is the most inconspicuous.

Guitar cases/golf bags/etc...while they don’t scream “GUN!” Definitely scream “steal me!” As do lots of “discrete” bailout bags that can hold a broken down carbine or that have molle on them. Better than a pelican, but far from “I bet whatever is in that bag stinks and might give me a staph infection” which is what I’m looking for when I haul guns around this country.

I nearly had my life ruined when some piece of shit stole $30,000 worth of camera gear out of my vehicle at one in the afternoon during a stop when I was away from my vehicle for literally six minutes in a parking lot with security cameras. I made a conscious decision to either never leave anything I care about, have it truly locked up, or make it look so unappealing that they don’t even give it a second glance.

I still haven’t been able to replace all of the equipment because like an idiot I hadn’t insured it well enough, and of course I have heard exactly zero from the police other than when I made the report.

In my travels the best discreet camouflage bag for vehicles I've come across are those rectangle volleyball/badminton bags. These usually have one side with a clear plastic sleeve with a color cardboard insert depicting a staged family in a picturesque park playing whatever game. They have a zipper opening and can old a lot and still retain their rectangle shape. Not to many people would go out of their way to commit a BMV just to steal a volleyball/badminton set especially if you score a used one that is dinged up and dirty.

Sorry to hear about your equipment, IIRC you are a photo journalist so you put food on the table with your gear. I hate ****ing thieves. It's one of the few areas where I'm on board with Sharia law.

[thopkins22]

In my travels the best discreet camouflage bag for vehicles I've come across are those rectangle volleyball/badminton bags. These usually have one side with a clear plastic sleeve with a color cardboard insert depicting a staged family in a picturesque park playing whatever game. They have a zipper opening and can old a lot and still retain their rectangle shape. Not to many people would go out of their way to commit a BMV just to steal a volleyball/badminton set especially if you score a used one that is dinged up and dirty.

Sorry to hear about your equipment, IIRC you are a photo journalist so you put food on the table with your gear. I hate ****ing thieves. It's one of the few areas where I'm on board with Sharia law.

That’s a great idea as well. Any old large zippered bag designed for something that no pawnshop wants would probably be decent.

Yeah it has been a rough recovery because as you said I use the equipment to pay my bills.

I would genuinely preferred to be assaulted than to have someone rob me like that again. It’s not just stuff, it’s my ability to feed myself and to keep a roof over my head. Learned a lot of lessons, and I’ll be better off for it I guess.