Carry in the Summer?

[Blue Jays]

Also consider wearing an extraordinarily comfortable merino wool tee-shirt as the base layer.
Covering garment then goes atop the wool tee-shirt. It prevents unneeded contact with skin.

Wool is cooler in summer, warmer in winter, dries almost instantaneously and wool does not stink.
They are excellent travel garments because they can be washed in a hotel sink and dry in a snap.

The only disadvantage is merino wool is certainly not cheap.
The good news is that with proper care they last many years.

 

[MikeInOr]

How's the DB9 working for you?

My DB9 is my most carried gun because it packs the most firepower that I can carry in a pocket of all my guns. I have about 400-500 rounds through it and it has never misfed or jammed once. That picture shows my DB9 Gen 3. I have since picked up a DB9 Gen 4 but don't have enough rounds through it to carry it yet. With all of my pistols, when I first purchase them I clean them dry when they are brand new out of the box. Rack the slide several hundred times. Clean them again and oil them before taking them out for the first time. All of these pistols have never had a malfunction and I think my pre-break-in helps.

Both of my DB9's are pretty universally considered not fun shooters by all of my friends. Some friends just won't shoot it. I have gotten used to the DB9's and am quite proficient with them but they do pack a good kick to them and the first one took a fair amount of range time to get used to. Such a lightweight weapon shooting a 9mm is pretty simple physics. My light weight Desert Eagle L5 has much more recoil but all of my friends will choose to shoot it over choosing to shoot my DB9. I am not trying to dissuade you from buying a DB9 just trying to prepare you that it is a tool that does its job well but is not a particularly fun gun to shoot.

For me a rubber grip sleeve on my DB9 really helps me keep it under control.

P.S. my XDs in .45acp is my second least fun gun to shoot. The Kahr CM9 is a much nicer gun to shoot and a much better made gun than the DB9 but it doesn't fit in my pocket. If I choose a gun to IWB carry I will almost always choose the XDs in .45acp over the CM9 simply because it packs more power for its size.

 

[Styx]

My DB9 is my most carried gun because it packs the most firepower that I can carry in a pocket of all my guns. I have about 400-500 rounds through it and it has never misfed or jammed once. That picture shows my DB9 Gen 3. I have since picked up a DB9 Gen 4 but don't have enough rounds through it to carry it yet. With all of my pistols, when I first purchase them I clean them dry when they are brand new out of the box. Rack the slide several hundred times. Clean them again and oil them before taking them out for the first time. All of these pistols have never had a malfunction and I think my pre-break-in helps.

Both of my DB9's are pretty universally considered not fun shooters by all of my friends. Some friends just won't shoot it. I have gotten used to the DB9's and am quite proficient with them but they do pack a good kick to them and the first one took a fair amount of range time to get used to. Such a lightweight weapon shooting a 9mm is pretty simple physics. My light weight Desert Eagle L5 has much more recoil but all of my friends will choose to shoot it over choosing to shoot my DB9. I am not trying to dissuade you from buying a DB9 just trying to prepare you that it is a tool that does its job well but is not a particularly fun gun to shoot.

For me a rubber grip sleeve on my DB9 really helps me keep it under control.

P.S. my XDs in .45acp is my second least fun gun to shoot. The Kahr CM9 is a much nicer gun to shoot and a much better made gun than the DB9 but it doesn't fit in my pocket. If I choose a gun to IWB carry I will almost always choose the XDs in .45acp over the CM9 simply because it packs more power for its size.

I owned an early model DB9 that I promptly sold, and I fired a friend's XDs 45. I concur that they're not fun to shoot, and I'm not recoil sensitive. The Shield 45 is much better. Nice to hear that the DB9 is more reliable.

 

[jstert]

keltec p32 pistol in a generic, owb, paddle holster, the backing of which extends upwards between the pistol and my skin, under an untucked shirt.

naa bugout2 22lr revolver in a small pocket holster.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I'm the same as others. Summer time wear I move to pocket carry. I generally carry a .380 in a front pocket in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster during the summer months. Disappears and is easy to access if needed.

 

[Steven_Seagull]

Depends on the weather/timing.
In the night/cool evenings a hoodie helps a lot.

A Shield in .40 was a fun one.
Mostly carry a pocket rocket in .22 or .25
Sometimes a J-frame if I'm up for it.

The Beretta 81/84 series are an amazing carry piece IMHO.

 

[Bazoo]

Don’t carry a gun that’s abrasive. I carry a Ruger Blackhawk with smooth grip panels. Before that I carried a 1911 with panels that didn’t abrade, and I dehorned it with sandpaper anywhere the caused discomfort.

 

[Mizar]

Instead of risking hyperthermia from the second layer of clothing, why don't you try this:
1. Get rid of Kydex IWB holsters in favor of hybrid or full leather ones with a sweat shield.
2. Address that aggressive grip surface with some 600 grit sandpaper.
3. If you are a firm believer, that a handgun must conform to you and not the opposite, just continue buying more handguns - who knows, you might get lucky...

 

[trackskippy]

Kydex is actually a LOT more forgiving and comfortable against bare skin, especially if youre sweating. Leather SUCKS, and big time in that respect, and wet leather just quickly rubs you raw, especially if youre active.

Even without the gun, an undershirt actually makes things a lot more comfortable, as it absorbs sweat, and your outer shirt doesnt look like you got hit with a hose in places, because of all the sweat. I've always found it to be a lot more comfortable, gun or not.

Gun wise though, the shirt between you and your gun is a lot more pleasant and comfortable, and helps protects both you and the gun from each other.

As far a swapping grips with good texture for smooth grips, its almost a self defeating type of thing. At least for me anyway. My hands have always been calloused and I need a lot of aggressive texture in the grips to help lock the gun in tight while I shoot, especially if my hands are sweaty. Trying to shoot guns with a smoothish plastic frames, or smooth wood, bone, ect grips, and the gun just squirms around in my hands as I shoot it, which makes shooting it well difficult. Better to figure out another way to deal with grips against your body, and not modify the gun.

 

[Blue Jays]

"…Even without the gun, an undershirt actually makes things a lot more comfortable, as it absorbs sweat, and your outer shirt doesn't look like you got hit with a hose in places, because of all the sweat. I've always found it to be a lot more comfortable, gun or not…"

Exactly 100% correct.

Anyone saying a thin merino wool tee-shirt somehow "makes them hotter" has obviously never worn one. It instantaneously renders the wearer much more comfortable plus protects outer garments and the firearm.

 

[Old Dog]

I'm a leather holster guy primarily. I've lived and/or worked in Arizona and Florida, so I understand heat and humidity. While I favor Kydex for OWB and range work, for concealment, it's almost always leather. I've got some great Milt Sparks and Kramer IWBs and OWBs (Kramers in horsehide) that I bought back in the 90s that are still in great shape.

If grip texture is abrading one's skin, change out the grips or the handgun. IWB by its nature will be more uncomfortable, which is why one should consider OWB.

I carry under a thin, light (dark or patterned) untucked shirt in the heat of the summer, most always OWB in a moderate or high-rise pancake. It's just not a problem. Seems as though many here way overthink the process and consider it a "problem."

 

[Styx]

+1 on the undershirt to catch sweat, and kydex holsters for iwb carry in the summer. I don't want my leather holsters soaked in sweat, so it's OWB carry in a leather pancake holster with an untucked shirt or kydex IWB.

 

[Kleanbore]

I prefer a Crossbreed Superslide. It is worn OWB, and the kydex holster is attached to a leather piece that keeps the grip of the firearm from contacting one's body.

Untucked shirt or summer blazer. Undershirt.

 

[bdickens]

Unlike my friends that have CCL's and are stuck on carrying a compact to full sized gun I carry a gun every time I leave the house.

I carry every time I leave the house. Always the same Glock 19.

 

[desmobob]

Carry pistol matches clothing choice... IWB subcompact auto or J-frame with button-down short sleeve shirt or Hawaiian shirt; mouse gun in pocket holster in cargo shorts when a tank top or t-shirt is chosen.

 

[Bob Willman]

I carry a Springfield XDs 45 in a Crossbreed Supertuck at 4:00 and a Crossbreed double magazine carrier at 8:00. My typical daily attire - I am retired - is a t-shirt tucked in. I do not find the leather against skin to be a problem. If I need a more formal attire, the t-shirt is replaced by a button down dress shirt again tucked in. I prefer tall shirts which reduces the chance of the shirt becoming un-tucked and allows the shirt to be bloused about the waist since my figure is not conducive to having a shirt skin tight.

NRA Benefactor Golden Eagle Had a great time in Indianapolis

 

[chaim]

So I started carrying daily a few months ago (thank you bruin) and I have a kydex holster I really like. Normally I have been wearing a tucked in t-shirt or undershirt in-between me and the holster and a pullover or something on top. But the weather had gotten nice and it is time for shorts and t-shirts. Today I was wearing a pair of kaki shorts with my gun iwb and a t-shirt untucked over top but the holster and more importantly the grip of the gun rub against my skin.

So what do you all do for summer time carry?

I'm new to full-time carry too thanks to Bruen (Marylander here), though I have been carrying for a decade +/- a year or two one or two days a month on average on my UT permit when out of state. I have found myself making some changes since then, though my solution to the grip abrasion hasn't changed.

Depending upon your gun, I'd do new grips with a different grip pattern (or no checkering depending upon how sensitive your skin is), or on a polymer pistol without grip panels, I sand the side against my skin lightly. My P365s (yes plural, I love it for carry and have two now) were not comfortable against my skin. Light sanding, just until it doesn't bother me, was enough. It still has enough texturing for a positive grip on the gun without it rubbing my skin raw (and I am not a small guy).

As for the holster, if it is part of the problem (I don't find kydex holsters against my skin very comfortable), I'd suggest a hybrid. I find most of mine comfortable with the leather backing, but the kydex shell still gives plenty of trigger protection and gun retention for me. I've gone through several over the years, but like the Black Arch and Theis quite a bit, and I've found I like the Galco Kingtuk Deluxe and Kingtuk Air best. Unfortunately, Black Arch no longer makes a hybrid with a leather backing, replacing it with a combination of leather and fabric. I haven't tried their new version yet as my old Black Arch Holsters hybrid for my PCR is still going strong.

 

[The Night Rider]

I'm a leather guy primarily.

I don't think that sentence reads like you intended it to read.

Colorado Springs has been described as a high plains desert or a sub-arid climate. I don't ever really get too sweaty here.

In the summer I wear all cotton clothes, they tend to be more comfortable and cooler than synthetics. I also went down to the local surplus store and bought a few of the moisture wicking OCP T-shirts to wear as under shirts.

When I was working I had to wear those stupid polyester security uniform shirts and body armor. That combination will make you sweat like a pig. I learned early on to cut the sleeves off all of my work T-shirts to vent heat. It makes a noticeable difference.

So I said all that to say that in the summer I wear short sleeve cotton camping shirts usually from Wrangler over cotton Wrangler cargo shorts and an OCP T-shirt. and I'm comfortable and concealed all day.

 

[Old Dog]

I don't think that sentence reads like you intended it to read.

Yeah, uh, I think you'd be right.

 

[Howland937]

what do you all do for summer time carry

I do the same thing year round. IWB SIG UC (officer sized) 1911. I don't wear undershirts in summer. The top of the holster has a barrier that keeps the safety from digging into skin. I use Hogue Piranha grips that are pretty aggressively textured, but they aren't an issue. You didn't specify where the holster is oriented on your waist though. Are you dead on 3:00? Maybe rotating it a bit farther back, say 3:30/4:00 may help. Or just wear it. You'll get used to it.

 

[entropy]

Thanks for tip on merino t shirts, Blue Jays! I've worn merino socks for decades, and have some Alpaca socks that are also well worth the cost.
I've been wearing sports tech t shirts under summer shirts in the summer when carrying with the more irksome of my holsters but I will try a merino t shirt, and if that good, will slowly phase the tech shirts out.

 

[JR24]

I wear a wife beater under one of my normal tee's.

I cant stand the gun and holster against my bare skin, and the leather holsters just make that misery about 100 times worse.

Same.

Also I’ve noticed that when I wear just a regular t and no a-shirt under it, I feel hotter despite less clothes.

I assume it’s because my sweat evaporates more easily on the thin a-shirt.

As for leather, I typically sweat enough on a hot day if I’m doing something active that I basically need two leather holsters so one can dry out after a day of use. I’m all Kydex all the time now, much better if occasionally slightly less comfortable.

 

[Diamondback]

Either a J frame of some iteration in a pocket holster or OWB with an untucked, square bottom, ss shirt over. I've got a couple of El Passo Saddlery pancakes that that hold the little J fame nicely...high and tight. I bought them years ago when their stuff was still within my budget.

 

[WisBorn]

Summer = Shorts = LCPII in the front pocket!
Of course, I carry in my front pocket all year. I just change what I carry based on my attire. J frame is my go to. The LCPII is a little lighter, thinner, and smaller for light clothing.

 

[Blue Jays]

"…Thanks for tip on merino t shirts, Blue Jays!
I've worn merino socks for decades, and have some Alpaca socks that are also well worth the cost…"

@entropy …that is the first thing you will notice is merino wool tee-shirts are expensive!
Just wash them inside a mesh garment bag and HANG DRY rather than using the dryer.

Treated like that they will last many years…very durable with proper care.
Unlike athletic tech fabrics you will experience merino has zero stink, too.

My anticipation is you are going to absolutely love using these as base garments.
Any gunowners in my circle have become huge merino wool fans just trying it once!