Bergeron
Member
I've recently begun carrying a pistol, and have found that the learning curve is pretty steep.
I'm 6'1", 240, and I'm not either very muscular or very fat.
My centerfire pistols are a USP9F, Springfield full size 1911, and Delta Elite. What I had previously read indicated that the 1911s are easier to pack around, so I went and got a Galco Summer Special for a 1911. Louisiana is hot, so I figured IWB would be the way to go. Suffering a heat stroke due to a covering garmet for a concealed carry pistol seemed like a poor trade-off.
I've found that there is a reason carry guns have small controls on them. The Springfield is little too big for the holster, but the Delta fits it fine. That pistol has a single side wide Ed Brown safety, and a Brown extra-size mag release. That makes it comfortable and easy to shoot, but man, that stuff digs into you! Neither control has accidentenly activated/deactivated itself, but I could sure feel them. I now know why some IWBs have that "sweat sheild" Believe me, I was wishing mine had it. I quickly found out where every sharp edge was, and there were several. I think that "melted" procedure would be right up my alley for a carry gun.
I was suprised to find that although the holster was not uncomfortable in and off itself, it felt a bit better to ditch the holster, and simply stick the gun in my waistband and cinch down my belt. Yeah, I know, retention like that sucks, but the gun also printed a LOT less. This was because I could place the pistol such that the grip frame was only just a hair above where my jeans ended and was almost parallel to it.
For me, 5" of barrel is just too much. It felt too long, and if I wasn't careful, I could see it print below where my pockets ended. I know that just about nobody will look to see if they can see a pistol slide print through a pants leg, but I didn't like it.
The USP was MUCH more comfortable to conceal. For me, weight matters! This pistol weighs a lot less, and that really helped. Also, it was shorter in the butt and slide, which made a noticeable but not too huge of a difference. Also, I didn't feel any sharp edges on it. These things caused me to favor it in spite of its increased thickness.
These experiences are driving me toward what I feel would be a good carry gun. I know that a P3AT would be just about the easiest thing to conceal, and I intend to eventually aquire one, but right now I would prefer something more substantial. Let me state that I really do prefer my 1911s to the USP, for just shooting, at least, and tried the USP on a lark.
First off, either an aluminum or polymer frame is a requirement. Weight matters! Also, I'm going with a smaller than full-size frame, as it is a little bit of a job to find the right placement that minimizes printing with just jeans and a T-shirt. I know that I want a less than 5" barrel, and I would honestly prefer something a little bit shorter than the USP's slide.
I like the looks of the STI VIP http://www.stiguns.com/ but I can't tell if the frame size is full size or Officer's. I know that SVI offers an Officer's polymer frame, but I don't know if STI does. Officer's size polymer frame, 4" barrel (preferable to 4.25", least for me). I would prefer a 10 to a 45, but would be happy with either. I don't know if an aluminum single stack would be better, as it would be thinner but heavier, but an Officer's frame mated to a 4" barrel would be another contender. Not too much out there like that now, it seems, but an aluminum Series I Kimber compact in .40 (easily rechambered to 10mm
) would defintely cause me to do a double take. Not like it would be too hard to build up a 1911 that way anyway. I do know this though, I'm DEFINETLY sticking with the standard small mag release, and I'm for sure putting on either the small Colt standard safety like the Delta came with, or the small Wilson one that looks just a little bit bigger. And there will be a "meltdown" coming. For Sure. Now, the USPF impressed me enough that I'd look at the USP45 compact. It is a single stack, so it ought to be thinner.
The holster situation is a little bit of a quandry. Thiness is paramount, as is the holster's ability to ride low. The FIST #3 Ultra Thin Kydex Deep Cover looks like it comes the closest to meeting my needs, but I don't think I need (or nessicarly want) it to ride that low. I really like the idea of "Ultra Thin Kydex", and I wonder if anyone doesn't do up custom holsters in it. Then I could get it just right.
Anyway, how have your experiences been, and does anyone have additional insight that I'm sure I have missed that they would be willing to share?
I'm 6'1", 240, and I'm not either very muscular or very fat.
My centerfire pistols are a USP9F, Springfield full size 1911, and Delta Elite. What I had previously read indicated that the 1911s are easier to pack around, so I went and got a Galco Summer Special for a 1911. Louisiana is hot, so I figured IWB would be the way to go. Suffering a heat stroke due to a covering garmet for a concealed carry pistol seemed like a poor trade-off.
I've found that there is a reason carry guns have small controls on them. The Springfield is little too big for the holster, but the Delta fits it fine. That pistol has a single side wide Ed Brown safety, and a Brown extra-size mag release. That makes it comfortable and easy to shoot, but man, that stuff digs into you! Neither control has accidentenly activated/deactivated itself, but I could sure feel them. I now know why some IWBs have that "sweat sheild" Believe me, I was wishing mine had it. I quickly found out where every sharp edge was, and there were several. I think that "melted" procedure would be right up my alley for a carry gun.
I was suprised to find that although the holster was not uncomfortable in and off itself, it felt a bit better to ditch the holster, and simply stick the gun in my waistband and cinch down my belt. Yeah, I know, retention like that sucks, but the gun also printed a LOT less. This was because I could place the pistol such that the grip frame was only just a hair above where my jeans ended and was almost parallel to it.
For me, 5" of barrel is just too much. It felt too long, and if I wasn't careful, I could see it print below where my pockets ended. I know that just about nobody will look to see if they can see a pistol slide print through a pants leg, but I didn't like it.
The USP was MUCH more comfortable to conceal. For me, weight matters! This pistol weighs a lot less, and that really helped. Also, it was shorter in the butt and slide, which made a noticeable but not too huge of a difference. Also, I didn't feel any sharp edges on it. These things caused me to favor it in spite of its increased thickness.
These experiences are driving me toward what I feel would be a good carry gun. I know that a P3AT would be just about the easiest thing to conceal, and I intend to eventually aquire one, but right now I would prefer something more substantial. Let me state that I really do prefer my 1911s to the USP, for just shooting, at least, and tried the USP on a lark.
First off, either an aluminum or polymer frame is a requirement. Weight matters! Also, I'm going with a smaller than full-size frame, as it is a little bit of a job to find the right placement that minimizes printing with just jeans and a T-shirt. I know that I want a less than 5" barrel, and I would honestly prefer something a little bit shorter than the USP's slide.
I like the looks of the STI VIP http://www.stiguns.com/ but I can't tell if the frame size is full size or Officer's. I know that SVI offers an Officer's polymer frame, but I don't know if STI does. Officer's size polymer frame, 4" barrel (preferable to 4.25", least for me). I would prefer a 10 to a 45, but would be happy with either. I don't know if an aluminum single stack would be better, as it would be thinner but heavier, but an Officer's frame mated to a 4" barrel would be another contender. Not too much out there like that now, it seems, but an aluminum Series I Kimber compact in .40 (easily rechambered to 10mm
) would defintely cause me to do a double take. Not like it would be too hard to build up a 1911 that way anyway. I do know this though, I'm DEFINETLY sticking with the standard small mag release, and I'm for sure putting on either the small Colt standard safety like the Delta came with, or the small Wilson one that looks just a little bit bigger. And there will be a "meltdown" coming. For Sure. Now, the USPF impressed me enough that I'd look at the USP45 compact. It is a single stack, so it ought to be thinner.The holster situation is a little bit of a quandry. Thiness is paramount, as is the holster's ability to ride low. The FIST #3 Ultra Thin Kydex Deep Cover looks like it comes the closest to meeting my needs, but I don't think I need (or nessicarly want) it to ride that low. I really like the idea of "Ultra Thin Kydex", and I wonder if anyone doesn't do up custom holsters in it. Then I could get it just right.
Anyway, how have your experiences been, and does anyone have additional insight that I'm sure I have missed that they would be willing to share?
