Suit (As in Suit and Tie) Carry

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I was wondering if any gun toting suit-clad professionals can help me out with this question. I am planning on wearing suits again for various occasions, like religious gatherings, occasional business meetings (work for small home biz), etc. This mother's day we went to a very nice restaurant brunch and I put on my Burberry suit I picked up at Nordstrom's Rack. Anyway, because of the tight fit of the suit pants and the use of a dress belt, I could not carry IWB like I normally could with jeans , t-shirt and vest. It felt quite awkward and the best I could do was carry my pocket snubbie with me. Sadly, I had to leave my S&W M&P 9mm in the car.. :(:(

I would just like to hear from others hear who wear suits or other dressy and tight fitting clothing as to how they do most of their conceal carry. I'm thinking with summer coming around I won't be doing much of this, but when autumn comes around, I'd probably be wearing suits more often. Also, for religious gatherings, I'd probably wear a suit if it was early in morning or late at night. Yes, I do CC for religious service, sorry for those who are offended by that.

Anyway, I was thinking a shoulder rig may be the best option. I do have a chest rig setup, but it seems a bit to bulky for wearing a suit. I'm currently losing weight, which is helping a bit, but I still am a tight fit in most of my suits, which are like 48R range. I know a shoulder rig isn't the most ideal setup for easy access, but it's better than nothing and seems to make the most sense wearing a suit jacket with tight tailored pants. I'm thinking of other options. OWB seems to scare me, because what if the jacket lifts up at the wrong time. Another thing I want to look into is wearing more vests with suit or sports coat/slack combo, so I can remove the jacket without people seeing my carry setup.

I'd be happy to hear how other suit wearers go about this.. Thanks
 
My answer will disappoint you but I carry a snubbie in a pocket holster when wearing a suit or business casual clothes. So far, I have not been able to get on well with IWB with any type of clothing. I like OWB when I can wear a long loose outer shirt over my tee shirt and I like the snubbie in my pocket for everything else. A shoulder holster would not work for me because I rarely keep my jacket on for long. If I wear a suit for business, the jacket normally comes off as soon as I have made my entrance.
 
I used to carry a H&K P7 in an OWB holster and a Kahr CW9 or Springfield EMP would likely be my first choice nowadays. I would just have my coats tailored to drape straighter...no euro cuts...to cover the budge. If I went with a shoulder rig, it would be for the Kahr in a Ken Null SMZ.

Wearing a vest, under a coat, is pretty much a no-go for CCW....first it is out of fashion with a suit. Even with a sportcoat, the vest is meant to be worn very tightly...it is not like a loose vest you would wear casually.

For business casual, my jacket never comes off unless I'm at my desk/office. I'll unbutton it to look relaxed, but it stays on. this works pretty well with either the Null SMZ shoulder rig or an Alessi CQC behind my right hip. I've carried a Sig 220 or a Beretta 92/96 on my hip under an unbuttoned jacket that was cut correctly...Nordstrom or Men's Warehouse will do it for you
 
I find a P32 goes nicely with a good suit
you can slip it in your lapel pocket and it'll never be seen, and a .32 should be enough for most social situations you encounter.
 
After much deliberation and testing I have resigned to the simple fact that when in a suit and tie = LCR in my front right pocket.

I do have a suit tailored to accomodate owb carry of my G30. I will wear this but if there is any chance that I may have to remove my jacket I will carry the LCR and lock the G30 up in the car.
 
Why not buy a pair of slacks that are a size or two too big so you can CCW IWB then?

Perhaps if you can find a good tailor he can help you modify whatever you have to help conceal your weapon.

IIRC, the FBI and Secret Service always wear suit and ties and can even carry mini Uzis?
 
I have a couple suits with pants that are a size too large. A good IWB holster, like the CrossBreed MiniTuck, with a smaller gun (my preference is a Kahr PM9) is no problem as long as you have a sturdy dress belt.

The salesman at the store where I bought the suits couldn't understand why I wanted pants that were a size too large. I just joked that I could grow into them. :D
 
Deep concealment rigs such as the Null will work, but be warned that at family gatherings you need to be doubly afraid of the "hugging" relatives! I've been found out that way. I try to shift it into a handshake or do a one-handed hug, but it can end up being something of a judo match.
 
Not tried it yet, but why not a Crossbreed Super Tuck? I wear slacks, and tucked in shirt all the time with my CBST. Is it just for accessibility sake? CBST has to be better than ankle holster for that. Just sayin'
 
Cosmoline said:
Deep concealment rigs such as the Null will work, but be warned that at family gatherings you need to be doubly afraid of the "hugging" relatives! I've been found out that way. I try to shift it into a handshake or do a one-handed hug, but it can end up being something of a judo match.
Click to expand...
Hug them low, forcing them to hug high.
 
That's part of the reason I like the P32 or a similar gun, in a lapel pocket, UNLESS THEY KNOW, they just think it's a phone or wallet, and you reinforce it, say,
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my phone to poke you"

It's in a pocket and is the right size, they will immediately file it into the 'cell phone' catagory.
 
I never carry OWB, unless I am in a suit. Then I keep my IWB holster outside the pants and inside the belt (most comfortable way in the fitted suit pants).

I personally find formal wear provides the easiest options to carry. A good suit coat provides ample cover for even the largest of weapons.
 
I am going to respectfully disagree with 9mmEpiphany, and suggest that you do wear a vest. With the Mad Men TV show, they are coming back into style, and they show a bit of a statement that the non-vested suit lacks. The reason would be to better conceal a pistol, particularly if you are wearing a light colored shirt, plus I feel it accents the suit, shirt and tie combo better.

A tailor by the name of Antonio Centeno wrote a wonderful article addressing the issues of suits and CCW, located here: http://www.atailoredsuit.com/conceal-carry-tips.html The man is a classical style guru, and if you e-mail him, he will reply, but I think the article will address many of the issues you may encounter.
 
Having run into similar situations myself from time to time I have often wondered how many tailors out there are willing to work with non-le customers on fitting a suit around a weapon. I'll have to ask next time I'm in a suit shop, though I have the feeling 90% of the time I'd probably get the hairy eyeball from the folks at Men's Wearhouse.
 
Tempest, you'd be surprised. I have gone to several tailors in various parts of the country and other countries, and spoken with several more, and none of them blinked an eye when it came to CCW. All have been friendly and receptive, and some even carried themselves.
 
Some interesting ideas here. I guess I might need to get a list of "gun-friendly" tailors in the area :D. I'm hoping as I lose weight and get a more athletic body, I can wear a suit with a chest that has trousers that are a couple inches to big. If that is the case, I would not need the tailor to tighten up the pants. I will just say that my weight fluctuates and I want them loose.

As far as vests are concerned, I can see the point. Very tight in a 3-piece suit. I was thinking about using a neutral vest that was a bit looser. I am a bit outdated, but I wear a fedora and love the vest look especially with the pocket watch and chain. Sometimes its fun to dress up. My cultural background makes hat wearing more "in-style". But, most likely with a suit you have a lot more confines with vest wearing than just wearing a vest with a shirt. I have seen some dress vests though that were loose enough toconceal a gun carried IWB at the hip. This is my normal carry position with regular clothing. I always use a vest to conceal, because my body type has hard time concealing full sized gun.

The crossbreed super tuck resembles my Comp-Tac Minotaur paddle holster considerably. Assuming, it's the same type of holster, I wouldn't feel comfortable with my full sized (or even a compact) 4" 9mm with just slacks and a button down shirt. With looser pants I can continue to do IWB carry, but would need the jacket or a loose vest. But carrying a gun on my hip seems weird wearing a pair of slacks and a dress belt. That is why I was thinking shoulder rig. OWB makes sense in a perfect world, but I'd be too paranoid if the jacket is lifted and the gun is exposed.
 
I carry a SA XDm full size in a crossbreed supertuck with the dress shirt tucked in behind it. Just drape the suit coat over it, no problems. I just dont button it.

I even carry extra mags on the left side. Pants are one size too big and coat is just a tad big. Unless you're super skinny and like to tailor a suit to fit snugly, you won't have any problems.

You just have to decide this: do you want to win the fashion show or be safe in case of criminal attack?
 
Oh, one more thing that I have had problems with. You will want ventless or single vent jackets if you carry on the strong side. I have a blazer and a sports coat that have English vents and regularly (okay,whenever I stand up from sitting) have to mess with the back flap to conceal the grip of my 1911. I have since switched to a XD9SC when wearing these jackets.
 
When I carry in a suit I just use the same holster that I normally use, a UM IWB. Basically, what I end up doing is just to position the pistol as I would when CCing in my usual attire but leaving it exposed outside of the pants but covered by the jacket.
 
IMO the gun should dictate attire as opposed to allowing attire to dictate the gun.

Whether shorts, jeans, or slacks, all can be purchased with enough room to accommodate the firearm of your choice, and it is just a matter of buying the properly sized shirts to conceal the grip. Add a suit jacket, and you can use either an IWB OR OWB holster to conceal your chosen arm.

While others may not agree, I believe it is far wiser to make compromises in a wardrobe rather than a firearm.
 
Of course there is always the option of a shoulder holster if you plan to keep the jacket on throughout the day. That is the biggest drawback, the jack must remain on to conceal the firearm, but if you keep it on in a formal setting anyways it is less of a concern.

You could even wear a vest if you wanted, the straps of many shoulder holsters worn over a tight fitting vest would still be hidden by the jacket.


Just think of all the government employees that wear suits and carry guns concealed and invisible.
 
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