Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
In 2016, a man in Arizona was spotted with a firearm at a hotel, and law enforcement responded accordingly. During the officer’s attempts to detain both the man and the woman he was with, the man ended up being shot. Now, we’re not going to get into the many furtive movements the man made or the numerous warnings he received from law enforcement. Instead, it’s the rifle belonging to the officer who shot him we’re looking at, because it had two words engraved on the dust cover: “You’re F****d.” This led to an uphill legal battle for the officer in question, and although he was eventually acquitted, it was quite a process. Using this as an example—although it involved law enforcement—do you think you should customize your carry gun? Let’s consider the reality of what that could mean for you.
Table of contents
Customizing Your Carry Gun
Talking about customizing firearms invites a lot of speculation over what you’re discussing. Many truck guns and home defense rifles are AR-15s. That might mean changing the dust cover, finding custom magazines, or mounting various lights, lasers, and grips. On handguns, it might be swapping out the trigger, getting a custom Cerakote finish, or simply dropping new night sights on. And for concealed carry guns—our focus here—those custom touches extend to things like the holster and belt. So what’s okay and what strays close to the line of “A Very Bad Idea”? We have some thoughts on that.
Triggers (Or: To Lighten, or Not to Lighten)
As a bit of a self-professed trigger snob, I understand the desire to customize your gun’s trigger. But when we’re talking about carry guns, it becomes a gray area. The general rule of thumb is yes, you can certainly get an aftermarket trigger. However, it’s wise not to get one with a lighter pull weight than what the factory sets the original trigger at. For something like a Glock, that means you generally don’t want to get an aftermarket trigger with a pull weight below 5 pounds, 5 ounces. It’s easy to find the factory pull weight on the manufacturer’s website or, if need be, by calling customer service.
Avoiding ultra-light triggers doesn’t mean you can’t improve the quality of the pull. A lot of factory triggers have stacking, grit, and lousy breaks. Changing to an aftermarket model can smooth all that out and improve trigger control, which, in turn, boosts accuracy. Don’t be let down by pull weight restrictions. There’s a lot more to a good trigger than its pull weight alone.
Fancy Holsters
Whether we’re talking stamping, dyeing, painting, or whatever, there are endless custom holsters for your carry gun on the market. Some are a better idea than others. First, your holster should be good quality and provide the proper retention, cover the trigger, and have a mouth that remains open for safe re-holstering. Second, you can consider aesthetics (if you care).
When it comes to holster designs—and we’re not talking about those floppy sock-like holsters, we’re talking colors and images—things like basket weave and floral patterns aren’t a problem. If you like a nice steerhide basketweave stamped holster, go for it. However, there are other designs out there like Punisher skulls, Molon Labe-inspired slogans, and all manner of posturing and political statements. Before you go for that black Kydex holster with the silver horned skull on its public-facing side, stop and think. How’s it going to look when you use your carry gun in self-defense and the responding officer comes to find some dude with a shiny skull holster standing there? It’s a smart plan not to wear holsters with designs or words that could be perceived as threatening, dark, or gory.
Available on GunsAmerica Now
Magazines (Yes, They Come Custom)
Surprise, handgun mags can be customized, too—that isn’t limited to AR-15s alone. It’s becoming increasingly common for magazines to be laser-engraved with designs. Granted, those are aftermarket models, but they’re still out there. The base plate is another common part of the magazine that gets customized. Sometimes it’s as simple as a caliber designation, but others it’s something like a skull, Molon Labe, or the Gadsden flag. When it comes to customized mags with those types of designs, just…don’t. Don’t do it. Keep plain, unembellished magazines for your carry gun.
Sights, Lights, and Lasers
Factory guns often come with useless iron sights, although the standard three-dot sights seem to be less common over time. Even so, the irons your pistol ships with aren’t likely to be what you prefer. Maybe you want to customize your carry gun with a red dot, or perhaps you just want different night sights than the manufacturer offered. Yes, you can swap out your sights for something better suited to your needs. Making it possible to aim with greater precision is a good thing if you find yourself defending your use of force, because better aim means far less risk to innocent bystanders.
As for lights and lasers, they have their place on carry guns as well. If you want to use one or both, go for it. Just make sure the holster you’re using fits them, and if it doesn’t, get a new holster. Any legitimate device that helps you visualize your target or hone in on aim is a great idea.
READ MORE HERE: SIG P365 AXG LUXE – The Softest Shooting Concealed Carry Pistol Ever?
Customization Consequences
The bottom line of customizing your carry gun is that it might not land you in jail, but it is likely to force you to add a zero to the check you write your attorney. It costs more to defend these bad choices, and that’s reality. Why make it harder, more costly, and more time-consuming to get through court? And before you try to say that any shoot you’re involved in would be righteous, let me stop you. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the perception of those investigating the case. Try not to make it easier for them to paint you as the bad guy by using a Punisher end plate on your Glock or a Confederate flag holster. Be smart. Do smart things. And carry every day.
Want a good carry holster? Check out Galco here.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Kat Ainsworth Stevens is a prolific outdoor writer based in North Texas. Her love and enjoyment of firearms extends to both self-defense and hunting, and she’s driven to teach safe gun handling. Kat’s the author of several books and thousands of articles as well as a successful editor with more than a decade of experience in marketing. With experience in everything from defensive handgun use to field dressing a deer, Kat’s background is varied and extensive. She firmly believes in the importance of protecting the Second Amendment as well as the First.
When she’s not behind a gun or processing her own game meat, Kat can be found trapping, boating, doing yoga, and mudding. The outdoors and the Lone Star State are where she belongs.
Experience
Author:
Handgun Hunting and anthologies including The Deer Shot Back: And Other Hunting Tales and How Not to Shoot Fish and Other Deer That Got Away.
Dedicated Outdoorsman:
Year-round enthusiast of hunting, trapping, and fishing.
Advanced Training:
More than 1000 hours of training in defensive handguns, long guns, edged weapons, self-defense law, force-on-force, handgun retention, and related topics.
Focused Specialty Skills:
Expert witness. Massad Ayoob Group certified Deadly Force Instructor and graduate of Active Self Protection The Practice & Preparation of Being an Expert Witness.
The police officer should be in jail. He committed a cold-blooded murder. He was looking for an option to shoot the man on the floor on his hands and knees. The officer was behind concealment. He was not being threatened when he shot. Put you or I in his place. How would we be judged? The officer was trigger happy and totally in control of the guy on the floor. Nobody on hands and knees could pull a gun and shoot before someone with a gun trained on him could shoot. The officer just wanted to shoot. And he did. To what consequences for him? He lost a job while the man with no gun on him lost his life. Wrong.
Many of the previous posters were barking loudly at the author about “the murder of Daniel Shaver”, which isn’t the point of the story. The author was reminding us readers that when we use deadly force, the only friend we’ll have in the courtroom is our defense attorney. We have to expect all of the witnesses, the police, DA or PA, judge, jury, and the entire family of the person shot to come forward and use every piece of evidence against us. Don’t give them any. If you’re foolish enough to do so, picture yourself as John McClane walking through Harlem wearing a sandwich board in Diehard 3.
Imagine Detective McClane wearing a board that says “I love rape” while trying to give you legal advice.
If I tell you that I just got done kicking a puppy, do you care about my opinion on tactical gear?
The author is repeating something Massad Ayoob warned us about 30 years ago, while defending an unjustified murder.
I don’t care what she says after that. You shouldn’t either.
A jury acquitted Officer Brailsford of all criminal charges.
So what? OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury. Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury.
The consensus of 12 people does not define what is moral or just.
Your description of the murder of Daniel Shaver is as appalling as the shooting itself. You either didn’t watch the video, or are so obsequiesly obssessed with law enforcement that you are willing to overlook even the most egregious misuses of deadly force.
Daniel Shaver did NOT have a firearm, he did NOT make furtive motions, the police had many opportunities to apprehend him while he was proned out in the hallway, he was drunk and begging for his life, and the police were issuing contradictory commands. How could you not see that?
That you so obviously ignored these vital pieces of information so you could appease the law enforcement community tells all of us who take time to read these articles that you are no better than the fake news reporters who have corrupted the mainstream media.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I agree about prosecutor and jury perception! That’s why I would not own a “Hellcat” gun!?
All that should matter is whether or not you were JUSTIFIED in using the firearm ! Who gives a crap what paint you use, if the trigger was light or anything else. Did you intend to pull the trigger, and WHY ? Was it justified to use lethal force, IF YES, move along, nothing to see here !
I don’t totally agree or disagree with this article but come on!! Trigger pounds, custom grips, paint job? Come on!! When I taught personal defense and women’s self defense the lines going around were like: If you wear a short skirt or a low fitting top you were inviting trouble. The truth is that women have the right to wear what they want and shouldn’t have to worry. Just like my trigger, grips, magazines, I should be able to use what I want without worrying about what a jury or judge might think, especially if Im law abiding. This could be a full blown article for another time, but I said what I wanted to say.
Thank you
In 2016, in Mesa, Arizona, Daniel Shaver, a 26-year-old unarmed man, was shot and killed by police officer Philip Brailsford while crawling on his hands and knees and begging for his life.
I hope you never loose a loved one.
Dead on. In an era where an officer putting their hand on the butt of their HOLSTERED weapon can be construed as “an offensive posture that precipitated the gun fight”, it is beyond foolish to customize your carry gun in any way that might make you a target for prosecution.
I can’t say I agree with anything you said. The whole reason we carry and practice is for the day we hope never comes. That being said. If I like a smooth four pound trigger for Compitition, that is what I am going to put in the gun I bet my families life on. The gun companies are building guns for every man. My gun, is only going to be used by me and my family members whom I have trained. As it is my gun, the second amendment protects the first. Self expression is part of the first amendment. That’s all the jury needs to hear on that subject. Any part of the system that makes me a better shooter is also for the safety of everyone who might be around during the time I needed to use my firearm. The reason for a justifiable shooting has nothing to do with how the tool looks, it just doesn’t.
In 2016, a man in Arizona was spotted with a firearm at a hotel, and law enforcement responded accordingly. During the officer’s attempts to detain both the man and the woman he was with, the man ended up being shot. Now, we’re not going to get into the many furtive movements the man made…
“Firearm” – a pellet rifle is now a firearm
“Responded accordingly” – Screamed at the man to get on his knees and crawl towards them
“furtive movement” – pulling up his shorts as they fell
GFY Kat, I hope you get killed the same way one day. Back the Blue until they shoot you.
A cop with “you’re fu*ked” on his dust cover certainly sounds like someone itching to kill.
Also, this topic has been done to death. Find yourself something new to talk about.
Although I agree this particular shooting could have been handled differently you could have disagreed like an adult without being a childish asshole hoping someone gets killed for writing something you didn’t like. That’s quite the childish outburst.
An unarmed man was callously gunned down over a pellet rifle. The author casually glosses over so much garbage to defend the killer cop. And you presume to police MY TONE? I do hope that people who defend murderers get killed. There is nothing childish about wishing for bad things to happen to bad people. I don’t simply dislike what the author wrote, I wholeheartedly revile it. .
Call me whatever you like. Real people lose loved ones because of trigger happy nutcases that get a hold of a Badge. Maybe if it happened to someone you care about, you’d understand.
Agreed with your criticism, but you should have stopped before the end.
Let’s keep things civil when discussing the violent termination of a young man’s life while he was crying and begging not to be shot.
How rude of me to be enraged at the author for excusing the callous murder of an unarmed man, right?
Two other points to consider:
The ammunition will also be scrutinized. As your mentor M.A. has noted, best not to use handloads, the same ammo the cops use (somewhere )is best choice.
Your gun will likely be confiscated and, even after a rightous shooting, never returned (even though they are supposed to).
Mas also recommended keeping a box of what you actually carry for ballistic comparison if needed.
The article kind of skipped over the facts that:
It was a pellet gun for pests.
The man was intoxicated.
The man received contradictory commands.
The man was commanded to move in physically difficult and/or impossible ways.
The cops were wrong, regardless of what was on his dust cover.
Very bad example for your point!
He was a kid or young man . The heavily tattooed officer was screaming making commands not understandable . The kids underwear was coming off , he reached back to pull them up and the cop unloaded his AR on him from a few feet away. Better to lay flat spread your arms and legs and not move. Let them scream all they want eventually they will come to you.
Seems to me the often unasked question regarding ANY ‘customization’ – or improvement if you will – is WHY are you making that change? If it is just for ‘looks’ – who are you trying to impress?
I default to all of the ‘complaints’ regarding Glock pistols. Too many folks forget that it was originally designed as a military service sidearm, if the intended use is similar then why would ya wanna mess with ‘perfection’? Full disclosure: the only things I have changed on my Glocks is to replace the sights to more durable ones, usually night sights if not originally installed. Daily LE use does cause a fair share of wear and tear after all.
Finally, if the intended use is as a competition arm and NOT as an EDC, put all the bells and whistles on it ya want – and can afford.
So a “Trump Fight” (w/fist) portrait embellishment on you CCW won’t help your court defense after far Left protesters block the highway and are smashing windows with bricks and sign poles to get access to you? Hummmm. What about truck guns, home defense handguns and long guns? Lets take the hypothetical a bit further down the road with a “clean”, no mods or motif CCW. Most jurisdictions will leave formal charges up to the DA. In the interim time during follow on investigation, the “Defender” may be Red Flagged or Bond/Bail Condition no to use/possess firearms/accessories and possibly confiscated by LE. At this point every firearm taken into evidence will be inspected and anything “unusual or identifying will be noted in the description. This places your clever zombie killer, Deadpool, Punisher, Hand of Good, From my cold dead hands, ect.. on evidence lists which become prosecutor “Discovery” material for Trial and twisted into whatever negative propaganda the prosecutor wants to imply including support of criminal Motive. Seems like any firearm artistic embellishment other than floral engraving poses a potential of being taken out of context from owners interpretation and enjoyment to a Courts “Common Man” understanding presented by the DA.