What are some good ways have a concealed but accessible handgun while driving?

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davek

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I've been thinking about this. I carry on my hip with a Fobus paddle holster. That's fine when I'm in the standing position, but if I were to need my handgun in a hurry while sitting in my truck...especially with my seatbelt buckled, I'd be in big trouble. Lately I've been keeping it in the center console while driving, but that's really even less accessible in a hurry. I know that a shoulder holster would be perfect, but it would really be a pain in the butt and my wife would think Id finally lost it and sing the Miami Vice theme song when ever I wore it.

What have you ladies and gents come up with?
 
I carry in front of my hip, about 1 o'clock. With a short-barrelled gun, I never even notice it's there, whether I'm wearing a seat belt or not. I can access it with either hand, from sitting or standing, and it doesn't throw my back out of alignment.

pax
 
Mine usually lays on the seat next to me in the belt holster/catridge belt. Concealed would be laying a jacket over it.
 
Cross draw is a good option for people who spend most of their time seated in a vehicle. An ankle holster will also give good access from a seated position.

Jeff
 
I use a Comp-Tac cross-draw paddle holster when driving. Presentation is very fast.

It is not very concealable when out of the car, but when I get to my destination I just transfer my gun to a strongside IWB holster. Then, I either take the comp-tac off or leave it on as it weighs next to nothing and doesn't print through my standard cover garments. I have to make sure no one is standing around, looking into my car though *hehe* :D
 
Mine usually lays on the seat next to me in the belt holster/catridge belt. Concealed would be laying a jacket over it.
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Given that you won't generally need to access the gun while driving, and also given that there's a good chance that you'll need it after a sudden stop (think road rage incidents, "bump & rob" attacks) -- it therefore doesn't seem a good idea to put the gun anywhere it could simply slide off the seat and out of reach at the very moment you'll want to reach for it.

pax
 
Plus one for Pax.

I was having the same thoughts as I read her post. As for carry method, I'd suggest cross-draw or shoulder if you wear a sport coat to and from work/etc. Personally I don't like shoulder rigs, so my vote would by cross-draw.
 
"Given that you won't generally need to access the gun while driving, and also given that there's a good chance that you'll need it after a sudden stop (think road rage incidents, "bump & rob" attacks) -- it therefore doesn't seem a good idea to put the gun anywhere it could simply slide off the seat and out of reach at the very moment you'll want to reach for it."


Good point, tho I haven't heard of any events like that in Wyoming or Montana so far. When in the hills the belt is normally on me. The Nissan PU has a nice spot between the front seats to hold a belted pistol fairly securely, but easy to reach, the Suburban has a bench seat, so the gun just stays on the seat.

The "Bump" incidents here involve deer, antelope, elk, moose, or bears, tho bears rarely seem to get hit. There's usually time to get the Winchester carbine out of the scabbard in front of or behind the seat (depending on which vehicle) when the bumps happen, and need to be resolved with gunfire. Have shot 1 antelope and 3 deer hit on the road by others. The ones I've hit myself didnt need finishing shots

Road rage seems to be getting caught behind a couple hundred cattle being driven on the roadway to new pasture, and not knowing how to push gently through then to continue. Tourists seem to have trouble with this one.

I thought the response to bump and rob situations was acceleration? Perhaps into the offending vehicle if needed.
 
If you are unfortunate enough to live in an anti-gun, concealed carry only jurisdiction make absolutely sure that your firearm does not become visible if and when you transition between carry modes.

In Massachusetts, for example, if someone sees your gun and calls the police you probably will lose your permit and you will likely be arrested.
 
In that little trashcan/pouch plastic thing integrally built into the door (if you have one). That would be great for lefties, but not so great for us righties for quick drawing however (unfortunately).

I have thought about this subject on numerous occasions when I want to pick up a hitchhiker but want to protect myself as well. I have passed up a number of hitchhikers whom I wanted to help out, that I truly think I would have picked up, were I left-handed (because then I could in a worst case scenario pull and shoot across my body with my left hand while driving with my right; whereas, if I try to point and shoot to my right with my right hand, the gun will be easy to wrench out of my hand before I fire). Thus I play it safe, even with honest-looking hitchhikers. Beyond that scenario, anything that would come up which I can envision would develop slowly enough that I could draw my CCW weapon, or open the car gun safe and whip out the glock 20 in there (or stop, get out, and grab & load the SMLE .303 which is on the floorboard under a blanket in the back of cab).
 
I've mounted a bag with a velcro flap to the side of the driver's seat in my van. I can access it right handed while driving and my wife can draw it in a pinch from the passenger's seat as well.

I mounted the bag in order to get the gun up higher and to secure it to a fixed location that wouldn't move during sudden stops, etc.

Photo:

PistolBag.JPG
 
Similar to many other posters........I use an inexpensive clip on IWB postioned for cross draw and I make sure that it is not hindered by a cover garment or seatbelt.

My normal carry rig is a VMII and you would have to have ample time to undo a seatbelt, move a cover garment if worn, and reach back in a seated position and draw a full size 1911 from it. I've practiced that and I can do it, but I wouldn't want to have to do it in an emergency........thus the fast, effective, and confident crossdraw (but only in my vehicle).

A paddle rotating type holster from various makers would fit the bill quite nicely as well. Easy on and off and you can rotate the holster into a comfortable and efficient position. The reason I use an IWB is because if I don't want to take it off and switch the sidearm to my main carry rig, then I can just keep it in its general location or move it over into a better position, check the cover garment over top........run a quick errand out of the vehicle, use a rest stop, etc. and it remains secure and concealed without having a lot of fuss and attention getting.

Other options are good and available, but I like this one most for now. I have a very bad feeling whenever I secure my weapons in a location that is not on my person (console, door pocket, glovebox, under seat, etc). I figure the safest place in the world for them, is with me, on me. You never know what might happen.

Anyway......my .02
 
Clench the gun between your teeth, like how pirates and various other people hold knives in movies! :D
 
I lucked out by driving a new Ford F150. The overhead rail system, which lets you add up to three storage units, is perfectly sized to hold either my .45 or 9mm. It's padded, doesn't allow the gun to shift or rattle around, and when you open the latch and drop the little door down, the pistol is oriented with barrel down and away from me, grip to me. I use a paddle holster most of the time, too, and it's a simple thing to just park it up there when I'm driving.
 
I'm not familiar with the details of the Miami shootout, and the situation of the gun being on the seat. What happened?



In my regular situation, finding a gun in my rig would not be a problem. There is normally at least 2 belt guns, (sometimes 4 or 5) and at least 2 rifles in the truck at any given moment, sometimes more, such as figuring I may get to do some shooting on the way home from town, or fooling with guns (show and tell of new gun, comparing this or that etc)with friends in town. I probably have LESS guns in my truck when actually hunting than on an average day.

Dang, I'm starting to sound like a Wyoming redneck!

Hmm, maybe I am one?
 
My truck (Ford Ranger) has a 60/40 bench seat, and the seats are pressed fairly tightly against each other. I find that nearly any full-size handgun (long enough to rest the muzzle on the transmission hump) will fit snugly between the seats, leaving the grip in a very convenient, easy-to-draw position. Toss a ball cap or jacket over it, and it's concealed.

Of course, this method works best when driving alone. :D
 
Wilderness Safepacker; it attaches to the outside of the seatbelt securely (designed to do that very thing), yet ready for quick access, and hidden in plain sight.

Cruc
 
I'm not familiar with the details of the Miami shootout, and the situation of the gun being on the seat. What happened?
Click to expand...

The cops didn't have their guns secured and when they forced the suspect's vehicle off the road their guns went flying out of reach.
 
Several of teh FBI agents in the Miami Shootout drew their primary weapons and put them on the seats, under their legs, etc., in anticipation of the stop. What happened was the bad guys didn't simply stop, and fairly violent vehicle crashes took place before the actual stop. During these crashes, weapons fell top the floor, etc., leaving some of the agents to fight with BUG. If I remember correctly, one agent, one of teh best handgun shots on the "team" lost his glasses during the crash, and ended up shooting without benefit of corrective lenses.

For what it's worth, I like crossdraw, somewhere betweeen 10 and 12. Several cops I know consider the ankle holster as teh best draw while seated in a vehicle. Not a bad idea, if you think about it.
 
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