How do you carry?

[Nightcrawler]

I've never carried before, as I've not yet got my Michigan CCW. (The process is long, and I've been living on campus anyway...no CCW.) In any case, I'm kind of familliar with a lot of the holster types out there. But a lot of you guys carry full sized pistols around all day; 1911s, N-Frame revolvers, Beretta 92s, Rugers, Glock 20/21s, etc.

Um, how? Will carrying require a change in my wardrobe? Normally, I run around in slacks/jeans/khakis, with a t-shirt, polo shirt or sweater tucket in. When it's cooler out, I wear a jacket. In the winter, I could hide just about anything under my winter coat.

I think one could conceal a large framed pistol well with an inside the waistband holster. But what do you do about the grip? Do you tuck your shirt OVER the holster (really slowing down the draw)? Do you have your shirt really baggy? Or do you just never tuck your shirt in? Am I going to have to start wearing vests or something?

One could use a jacket, I guess, but sometimes you want to take your jacket off, like when you're in a restaurant or something (besides, my A2 flight jacket won't work well; it doesn't come down far enough, and it's too close-fitting).

Also, how do you carry so you can sit down? One typically sits down a lot during the day; in restaurants, in cars, on benches, etc. A holster at the small of your back (paddle hoslter?) would strike me as very uncomfortable when sitting down.

Given my preferred mode of dress, I think I'm probably going to end up with a snubby revolver in a pocket holster. But, I'm curious as to how you guys manage to conceal your larger framed guns.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Summer time in Tucson. G19 IWB Comp-Tac Undercover Pro on my left hip. Yea Im a lefty. Anyway, I tried it at say the 8 0'clock position but it wasnt comfy sitting for a long time. I noticed that I print way less with it on my left hip at 9 0'clock position.

Winter time. Taurus PT100 AFS in a Don Hume JIT beltslide. Easier to conceal in the winter with a jacket on.

Clothes. Since I carry IWB most of the time due to Tucsons weather I went up a size in my waistline. Went from Medium shirts to Large so I can conceal better.

Of course in the winter I dont worry about it much cause I have a jacket on or a big pullover shirt.

I just like the extra punch a full size .40 pistol gives you when the layers of clothes comes out during the cold season.

 

[Wildalaska]

NAA mini revolver in front pocket, thats all the armed civilan needs. Always there, always ready........

WildandIalmosthadtopullitthisweekendAlaska

 

[Flashpoint]

Styer M40, IWB tuckable. Summer is actually easier for me to carry because I don't tuck my shirt in. My winter time dress, I prefer to tuck my shirt in, and down here it's not always cold enough to where a jacket.I've got a pancake holster ordered, I'll probably start using it more than my IWB during warmer days. I just recently had my tuckable modified to put a cant on it so the grip would stay closer to my body, it had a tendancy to stick out and cause my shirt to hang. I'll use my IWB for occassions when I need to dress nice and still carry.

 

[355sigfan]

NAA mini revolver in front pocket, thats all the armed civilan needs. Always there, always ready........
END

It’s a free county carry how you want. But I would not recommend anyone carry a 22 revolver as his or her only gun in a fumble prone location like a pocket. An armed civilian needs pretty much the same as what I need as a cop. A reliable handgun that in the largest most powerful caliber they can shoot well and conceal. The smallest gun I personally feel comfortable with is my 5 shot 442 38 snub with +p 158-grain lead hollow point rounds. This is what I carry when I must have the smallest gun possible. I have seen too many gun shot wounds to trust handguns in general to stop people. Much less a 22 handgun. Sorry but I personally feel that the 22 NAA mini revolvers are useless.

Now on to the thread. I work as a plain clothes narc. So I typically carry my Kimber Custom Series one in a Galco inside the waistband rig. If I am working uc I carry at least my 442 in a belly band holster. I also used to carry my Glock 33 and Sig 239 in inside the waste band holsters.

PAT

 

[Nightcrawler]

I don't know that I'd trust .22 Magnum (or especially .22LR) out of a 2" barrel to reliably be able to penetrate the frontal skull plate of a human, or penetrate deep enough from a side torso hit to hit something vital. And even if it did, that's an itty bitty hole.

 

[355sigfan]

I know of a shooting where a 22 mini revolver bullet did not penetrate Levi jeans. Not sure if it was a long rifle or short round.
PAT

 

[DigMe]

Then again ...I've seen a friend of mine take down two enormous feral hogs (both boars) with a .22 magnum in the same day. Each one was definitely somewhere around 200 lbs or more and they have some tough hides and thick layers of fat on them. That was a rifle though...not a 2" barrel. Still... there IS a big difference IMO between .22 lr and mag. Having said that...I would never even consider using .22 anything as my carry gun. I just wouldn't feel confident.

brad cook

 

[obiwan1]

Here in Miami, I carry my off duty weapon - H&KUSPc LEM- at all times when off duty. I carry in a strong side belt holster. I usually wear a colored Tshirt tucked in and a hawaiian shirt (lately, the Joe Marlin shirts are my favorites) worn like a jacket over the gun. It's (reasonably) stylish and nobody knows I'm carrying. Even in Miami summers it's comfortable and unobtrusive.

The 1% of the time that I can't carry this way, then it's my KelTec P11 in a pocket holster. Perfect in all slacks except blue jeans.

 

[TheFrontRange]

I currently alternate between a full-size Kimber 1911 .45 and a SIG P239 .40.

For the 1911, I usually carry in a good leather outside-the-waistband pancake-style rig with a double mag pouch on the opposite hip. Anything from just an untucked tropical-style shirt to a vest to a jacket or sport coat covers it, depending on where I'm headed. Sometimes I resort to a Galco fanny pack.

For the SIG, I've taken to carrying it a LOT lately, like for twelve to sixteen hours at a time, in a Kramer Confidant holster shirt. I was a little skeptical about these shirts but had wanted to try one for years, finally got one two months ago. For me, it works great! It's not a speed-rig by any stretch, but it enables me to carry a medium-sized .40 in a manner that doesn't require anything more than a normal shirt to conceal it. I prefer tucking my shirts in and this Kramer rig allows me to do that. A gun-savvy acquaintance of mine was stunned at a party recently when I told him I was carrying a SIG right there in front of him.

When I acquire something even smaller like a J-Frame .38 or .357 snub, I'll probably carry that in the second of the two holster pouches the Kramer shirt comes with.

I've been carrying a spare mag for my SIG in a pants/jeans/shorts pocket...the mags are blued (as opposed to the stainless slide and aluminum frame of the gun) and thanks to Southern humidity here, I kept getting rust on the spare mag when I tried to carry it in the offside pouch...if you sweat, whatever you carry in the Kramer shirt will get wet!

For walking or jogging or other exercise, the same Galco fanny pack carries the SIG nicely.

 

[Hemicuda]

Smitty 40-06, Beretta Mini-Cougar 8040F, or similar...

in a Galco Jak-Slide holster (worn between the pants and the belt @ 4:00 position... barrel in top of right rear pocket...

t-shirt or polo shirt (mens tall) worn untucked over the whole mess...

quick easy access, and good concealment...

and i didn't find the CCW process too long or time consuming here in MI... sorry to hear you're having problems!

 

[chaim]

I hope to be in a carry state within a few months (still about a 50-50 chance) so I've been putting a lot of thought into carry styles and carry guns lately.

I can't CCW in public living in MD but I have been carrying concealed around the house in anticipation of hopefully moving to a carry state before too long (I've been doing this off and on for about 2 years). I strongly suggest you give this a try, it will give you some idea of what you can and cannot conceal and how to do so most effectively as well as give you a better idea of how you like to carry.

I have found a few useful tidbits this way. I prefer IWB for concealment purposes over all but pocket carry. For comfort IWB is just fine with most autos and some revolvers. I like paddle holsters best when/if I do on the belt carry but generally I find belt holsters too bulky for my tastes.

I found that one gun that I thought would be one of my primary carries, a CZ 40, is just too wide to conceal very well, even under a suit coat. I also found that the 1911, despite being a full-sized gun, conceals very well due to its being so thin, especially IWB. I've also found that I don't mind its weight that much, especially with a good belt (then again, I am used to carrying around a lot of weight all the time- I probably keep as much junk in my pockets as some women keep in their purses). I've also found that the 5" barrel of a full-sized 1911 can be slightly uncomfortable in an IWB holster when sitting for long periods (but it is usually fine). I also am totally comfortable w/ a K-frame, especially in a 3" barrel, IWB. I have come to the determination that a 3" or 4" 1911 with the thinner concealment grips IWB would be a near perfect carry auto/carry style combo. Outside of 1911s, the experience of carrying around the house (esp. using full-sized 1911s) has taught me that I want my carry auto to be single stack (the thickest part of an auto, the grip, sticks out of an IWB holster), while a revolver's wide part (the cylinder of course) is concealed inside the holster so a revolver hides just fine IWB (and it isn't uncomfortable, for me anyway).

Carrying concealed around the house long before having any possibility of CCW has probably saved me from quite a bit of the learning curve where it really matters (in public where there can be real consequences of making the wrong concealment choices).

As for dress, I've found that even a 1911 can be done in a regular IWB with a clip with a shirt tucked around it with no one really noticing (I've done this around strongly anti-gun family members who never noticed and certainly would have let me know if they did). If you use a narrow gun and IWB carry (best in a "tuckable" holster, but you may be able to get away w/ a clip IWB) you probably won't need to change your style of dress much if at all.

Otherwise, have you considered wearing a suit more often. That is my plan when I move to a CCW state. You'll look more professional than if you used a loose and baggy shirt. I may be a freak but I don't find a suit uncomfortable once you are used to it. If you get a professional job, even one where many people don't wear suits, you can get away with one without anyone thinking anything of it even if you never remove your suit coat. In the evenings if you go out shopping most people will just assume that you came from work and won't give you a second glance. On weekends if you are out shopping people will just assume that you work weekends or came from a house of worship. You may not want to wear one all the time (at a concert or a ball game you might look a tad silly) but you might consider wearing one whenever you can get away with it.

Another option, is to use a snub or something like a Kahr MK9 in a pocket whenever the other two options above aren't practical (though between tucking around a slim auto or low-profile revolver grip IWB and/or wearing a suit whenever possible, plus wearing a winter coat a quarter of the year, this probably won't be necessary often).

 

[BerettaNut92]

I have a Sparky sharky rig (belt, magpouch and holster) for my P7M8, but I'm liking my Wilderness belt and Blade-Tech UCH better.

On hot days I wear an untucked polo shirt. Otherwise I tuck in a t-shirt and wear an open buttondown shirt or open jacket. For some reason a t-shirt makes me feel nakeder than a polo shirt???

When winter comes I'm going to try carrying dual Berettas. Reehaw!

 

[Tim Currie]

Kahr P9 IWB just behind my hip, I guess its about 4:00 if that helps. So far I love it, gotten really used to it, don't even realize its there anymore....its just normal. Wanted a slim/compact gun because I did not want to have to dress specially to hide the gun. It works perfectly with anything I wear shirt untucked. My holster is a tuckable model though should I ever need to dress like that.

-Tim

 

[Strings]

I've also been doing the carry at home...

... in anticipation of CCW passing here. Picked up a Milt Sparks VM2, IWB dual mag pouch and heavy carry belt. A couple observations:

1: a Colt Officer's Model absolutely disappears under a loose t-shirt, polo, or hawaian style shirt.

2: If you get an IWB mag pouch, take the time to break it in! That has been the one really painful part (the bottom is VERY stiff, and digs in directly under the belt).

3: spend the extra money on the carry belt. About twice the thickness of a normal belt, and stiff enough to be used as a weapon on it's own. DEFINATELY carries the weight of the weapon/ammo better...

Now... if my legislature would get on the ball and pass CCW!

 

[Erik]

I'm of the "carry the largest caliber largest sized pistol that you can shoot well and conceal adequately on your person" kind of guy. I prefer strong side IWB and belt holsters.

Though I do carry a Kahr MK40 on my ankle or in a lower abdominal holster on rare occasion.

 

[Soap]

Um, how? Will carrying require a change in my wardrobe? Normally, I run around in slacks/jeans/khakis, with a t-shirt, polo shirt or sweater tucket in.

You will have to change your wardrobe. Most college kid styles these days have untucked shirts which makes it that much easier for me to conceal old slabsides. IMHO, with most of today's styles, you don't really HAVE to tuck your shirt in unless you're wearing a suit. At that point, it takes care of itself. The only thing is that you have to keep your jacket on.

But what do you do about the grip? Do you tuck your shirt OVER the holster (really slowing down the draw)? Do you have your shirt really baggy? Or do you just never tuck your shirt in? Am I going to have to start wearing vests or something?

To answer your questions in order:

-Nothing.
-Not at all, most of them are fitted but the gun still conceals itself. But if you're fat (I know you're not IIRC), you can't wear fitted shirts. Or if you're really skinny you probably can't wear fitted shirts either.
-See above.
-You could wear a vest, but they seem to be verboten on college campus fashion styles today. Of course, if we were older, we could do it relatively easily without sticking out.

One could use a jacket, I guess, but sometimes you want to take your jacket off, like when you're in a restaurant or something.

You don't necessarily have to take it off all the time. Or you can get away with sitting with your strong side right next to a wall in a booth and take it off. Just make sure your mags aren't on your weak side in plain view if you want to be discreet.

Also, how do you carry so you can sit down? One typically sits down a lot during the day; in restaurants, in cars, on benches, etc. A holster at the small of your back (paddle hoslter?) would strike me as very uncomfortable when sitting down.

The same way I carry when I'm standing. Sparks SSII IWB and the Rosen belt. SOB holsters suck and paddle holsters stink too unless you absolutely have to take your gun on and off repeatly in a single day.

I think I'm probably going to end up with a snubby revolver in a pocket holster.

IMHO, as the dang French would say, pocket carry is tres poo-poo! I'm sure that carrying in a pocket is more comfortable, but it really isn't gonna help you in a fight. For example, my cell phone was in my right pants pocket the other day when I was driving. It was hell to get it out just to answer it. Some BG bearing down on you is going to be far more stressful than a ringing in your pocket.

 

[Soap]

NAA mini revolver in front pocket, thats all the armed civilan needs.

Need? What is that? Thank God I live in a capitalist reality and not one that is structured by need. I'll keep my full size 1911 strong side thanks, regardless of what you think I need.

 

[CB900F]

Like Obiwan 1, I carry the H&K USPc. But I'm in Montana, not Miami. I use a Milt Sparks Executive's Companion IWB & have for years. Summer, winter, hiking, biking, it does it all for me. I'd suggest one to anybody, but realize that the southern climes can make things difficult in the summer. 900F

 

[blades67]

I carry my SIG Sauer P220 in a Bianchi #3S IWB on my Wilderness "Instructor" belt.

 

[DontShootMe]

Mexican...

G17 Mexican at 12:30-1:00 position.

I'm yet to find an IWB holster I like.

And no, I don't keep one in the hole, speshly carrying 'up front'

 

[BerettaNut92]

I remember when vests were trendy for a year or two. *sigh*

(Royal Robbins Tactical vest sitting in closet collecting dust)

If cargo pants go out, I'm screwed!

"But mom...Stussy will NEVER go out!!!" --my sister.

 

[Wildalaska]

Sorry but I personally feel that the 22 NAA mini revolvers are useless.

Having said that...I would never even consider using .22 anything as my carry gun. I just wouldn't feel confident.

Bet you guys would hate gettin shot in the face with one wouldnt ya

And boy when i dropped my hand into my pocket a few days ago, the skells got the message fast and backed off..

And I was wearing gym shorts, no belt, and had just finished crawling under and over a truck doing work..try doing that with your tactical 1911 in a super duper combat rig....ouch

Wildpackinglegallysince1981Alaska

 

[Tamara]

1911 in an IWB rig under a lightweight vented vest with lots of pockets that allows me to dispense with my purse for short errands.

(The idea was to allow me to dispense with my purse entirely, but for some reason the more empty space I freed up in my purse by transferring stuff to my vest pockets, the more crap I found to tote in my purse... )

 

[Tamara]

WildAlaska,

Bet you guys would hate gettin shot in the face with one wouldnt ya

Oh, geez, that line is so tired.

You know what? I'd hate getting shot in the face with a Daisy Red Ryder, too, but I wouldn't use that factoid to justify it as a good primary combat firearm, either.

Yes, there are certain times and wardrobe conditions that dictate that my little Beretta Jetfire is all I can tote, but I try to minimize those times as much as possible.