CCW clothing 'tells'

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BADUNAME13

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All the discussion of CCW leads me to wanting to relate a story (Gather around kiddies);)

I was washing my hands in a fast food place, while waiting on my food.

Standing in line behind the guy at the sink I asked him "What do you carry?"
He asked me "What do you mean?"
I said "CCW"
"Mini Glock, how did you know"
I told him that he was wearing 5.11 pants.

I wear a wilderness belt every day, carry a benchmade clipped into my pocket, wear Danner 'Hiking Boots'...
During the summer it is covered up, but in the winter when I can tuck in my shirt again... people who 'know' can tell what kind of person I am. (Also a reason I rarely wear 5.11's)
I kept this in mind when I went to Ca... I wore my Milt Sparks leather belt..

Remember to watch the clothing when you REALLY care.
(My Knob Creek T-shirt...)

What are some you look for?
 
LOL. That's a good one.

A beard is one occassional giveaway. Seems that a beard goes with carrying/loving guns, IME. the mountain-man-type beard, that is.
 
I have a stubble Clint Eastwood beard myself. But yeah, now that you mention it, I have known a lot of gun guys with full-blown beards.
 
Is there characteristics someone like myself who isn't familiar with 5.11 pants and all that specialized clothing can identify a ccw? Basically, what are some dead giveaways?
 
Apparently the clip of a knife in the front pocket is seen by some as at CCW "tell" (I seem to recall someone posting that this is how criminals can spot CCWers).

clip.jpg


I also assume anyone wearing a photographer's vest but not carrying a camera is packing ... and when I see a fanny pack I figure its either a gun or someone with really poor taste (actually I assume its a gun carried by someone with really poor taste :p )
 
I can carry an XD-40 Service in an OWB holster with nothing but an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt on over a T-shirt. As I live in Florida, this does not stand out. In the winter, I can swap the Hawaiian for a long-sleaved denim shirt. Either way, nobody would think twice. Of couse, that only works for casual dress.
 
Hahahaha, Hemicuda.

Regarding the 5.11 pants, I think only fellow CHLers will be able to point them out.
 
They only folks likely to pick up on a particular tell are other gun folks.

You could walk around a mall with a black shirt with bright pink letters that say "Hi, my name is Chris, and I have a cocked and lock .45 caliber handgun hanging at my side. Have a nice day." and 99% of the people would pay you NO mind at all. Most folks are oblivious to the world. The thing that makes most of us gunnies safer isn't the gun its the mindset.

Chris
 
The biggest tell is frequently touching the gun. People who are new to CCW are always afraid their gun is exposed or about to fall out of it's holster, so there is a natural tendency to touch it often. Sometimes it's so subconscious you don't even realize you're doing it, but someone watching with a knowledgeable will spot it in a heartbeat.
 
You're right - RNB65 - about "Touching your gun all the time" when you're a newbie carrier. I seem to remember doin' that 'cause I was self-concious about it and thought that everyone KNEW I was carryin'. Now - 3 or 4 years later - I totally forget that I even have it with me.
 
Almost everything that we consider a dead giveaway of someone carrying, 99.9% of the general population wouldn't notice. 5.11 stuff, knives, belt loops of a holster, loose unbuttoned shirts, are really only thing that fellow gun people notice. Even a lump under a shirt most people wouldn't think gun in this age of cell phones and other gadgets hanging off the belt.
 
The biggest tell is frequently touching the gun.
Click to expand...
I still do this, discretely, mainly because my Uncle Mike's IWB holster is such an unstable piece of crap. The butt of the gun often flops over and points towards my weak side.
 
I've always wondered how many false positives people get. I wear loose unbuttoned shirts, have a knife clipped to my pants pocket, and frequent grab my belt or adjust my pants and I very rarely have a gun on. Sometimes the guy touching his belt is just a fat guy in roomy pants ;)
 
I doubt most people would suspect me of carrying. I have long hair and like to wear tie-dyes. :D

ShooterMcGavin said:
I still do this, discretely, mainly because my Uncle Mike's IWB holster is such an unstable piece of crap. The butt of the gun often flops over and points towards my weak side.
Click to expand...

Man, you owe it to yourself to get a better holster. I have a snap-on Galco IWB that has the same problem, and it hasn't left the "holster drawer" since I received my order from ubgholsters.com.
 
Remember to watch the clothing when you REALLY care. What are some you look for?
Click to expand...
No t-shirt look. No shirts printed with any message, particularly gun-related or "big-talk" type messages. No CCW-only brands or styles (ie, 5.11 gear, SIG Tac jacket, vests of any kind). No webbed belts, slings, straps or the like. Nothing in camouflage pattern. Nothing exposed, as with a knife hanging out for all to see. No "printing," if I can avoid it. Avoidance of fidgeting, playing with the covering garment, patting the gun in the holster, or any other such silliness that gives away the concealment. Avoiding the one main bane: my slip is showin' (ie, the damned thing is visible, due to the shirt riding up, or whatever). Beyond that, I actually purchase garments (and sometimes have them tailored) to suit the need for concealment.

That combination results in fairly good concealment and practicality, for me. Something breaks one of those rules (above)? It's the wrong choice of clothing. YMMV.
 
I've got a goatee, does that count?

I have worked long and hard to fit my gun, holster and pants together (ok, basically I bought a smaller gun.) I have a buddy who doesn't CCW (yet- what a pal) who loves to play the guessing game. From him I can tell that I print, but only if you're looking for it. He knows I usually wear IWB and can tell where on the belt, or if it's not there at all (sometimes life necessitates pocket or ankle carry).


So look for a 'print' or even traces thereof - absent that, look for an untucked shirt big enough to hide a print.

Funny incidental, the younger guys at my fave gunshop carry OWB at work, the owner may think he's 'beyond' it - so he's an L sized man in an XXL sized button-down, because he's carrying a full sized pistol OWB 'concealed'. It's like that.


Frankly I have nothing against photographer's or other vests - the guy in a T-shirt and jeans (like myself) might be packing a small nine, but the guy in the denim vest is gonna pull out an iron that'll make a baddy :what: himself at the sight of.. experience has taught me that, not as a BG but as a young buck at the range talking to some ex-cop types.


If I may make an analogy, boy george once said "It's not like I walk into a sandwich shop and say oh hello, I'd like a turkey sub- and by the way, I'm gay." so be quiet about outing your fellow packers, wouldja? :D
 
There are certain items (vests, fanny packs, etc.) that to me scream gun.
You would never know from my clothes (loose casual) that I'm packing and I like it that way.
About the only changes I've made were to carry my wallet in my left hip pocket instead of my right because I normally carry at the 4:00 position.
 
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