While many of us carry the same firearm for years and years without ever changing anything, not everyone does that. Sometimes, you find a gun that’s more comfortable to shoot or is lighter in the holster, something that makes you want to try to carry something different. Sometimes, it’s something completely different such as a change in philosophy. Who knows?

It doesn’t matter why someone changes, only that they do.

However, before committing to anything, it’s a good idea to test your firearm as a concealed carry weapon.

Over at The Daily Caller, they have a post by Sheriff Jim Wilson with three steps on how to do just that.

Many of us who teach and write about personal defense have cautioned against folks switching defensive handguns on virtually a daily basis. There are a number of good reasons why this is simply not a good idea.

When a person is confronted with a criminal threat, their focus must be almost entirely on the threat and plans for dealing with it. This is not the time to be trying to remember which gun you are carrying today and exactly how it operates. The operation and deployment of the handgun must be almost a subconscious function. Some guns have safeties that are pushed down, some push up, some don’t have a manual safety at all. In addition, various guns have different grip angles, which can affect our ability to bring them onto the target quickly and effectively. The business of different sights and different trigger pulls is also a factor that can affect our ability to deal with the threat in a timely manner.

Still, there are times when we decide to switch to a different carry gun. The reasons for doing so can be varied. We might be upgrading to a better-quality gun. We might be making the switch to one that we think we can shoot more effectively. And it may just be there is something new on the market that we feel is a better choice for personal defense. These and other concerns may be valid reasons for making a change. Making a change is not a bad thing if we go about it the right way.

Sorry, not going to give away the good stuff. That’s not my place, but I will recommend you read the original post and take those into consideration if and when you change up your concealed carry firearm.

As I’ve noted before, I switched from a CZ-75B to a Glock 19 for everyday carry purposes not all that long ago, and I went through a similar evaluation period as the one the good sheriff describes.

When you’re using equipment to help keep yourself alive, he behooves you to make sure everything works like it’s supposed to and that it works well for you. Who cares if Glock is perfection if you can’t deal with the stock trigger, for example? It means the gun doesn’t work for you as is. Wouldn’t you rather find out before you need it to save your life?

What about you? What do you do to evaluate a new concealed carry weapon?