Posted on 08/05/2008 4:14:56 AM PDT by Pistolshot
Free Republic Gun Club – Concealed Means Concealed
You finally have your CCW permit. Now what?
You’ve qualified, shot the course of fire, did all the paperwork, made the conscious decision to protect yourself. Now what? Holsters.
The one mistake I see novice CCW permit holders make is the ‘hand-check. They consciously keep reaching for where the gun is in its holster. It’s a dead giveaway. I have more than once walked up to a permit holder and ask them why they keep checking to see if the gun is still there. If it’s in a secure holster and you’ve done the job of checking the mirror that, yes, it is concealed.
LEAVE IT ALONE.
Concealed mean the ability to hide a weapon where it can be reached and employed in the quickest manner possible. THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS IS THERE..
Deep concealment is for law enforcement, so let’s dispense with the ankle holsters, waist band, bra, garter, and other deep concealment holsters. They are S L O W. Slow to access and slow if you need it right now.
For anyone who has a CCW permit, you’ve had to make a lot of choices. What kind of gun to carry, caliber, and especially, how to carry it and still have it quickly accessible. What I am going to talk about today are holsters. The one item you can never have too many for carry.
We all have our favorites or the ones we rely on for almost every day usage. But there is a difference between carrying in cooler northern environments and the hot desert of the Southwest, between the jeans and a shirt and a suit or in the case of women, dresses, skirts, and blouses. The environment alone will determine what you carry as well as how. For most guys a good strong side holster inside the waist will be sufficient such as the Summer Special
or the Milt Sparks Executive Companion
My favorite for autos is the Biachi Pistol Pocket.
The PP covers just about everything I need in a good IWB holster and has one feature that has me sold on it for all my autos. The buckle has a swivel to change the cant of the holster. It can be shifted to crossdraw or deep behind the hip. It has a nice thumbsnap to help with keeping the weapon secure at any angle or even a tumble if you fall.
Ok, so these are a little more pricey that you’d like to spend on a IWB holster. Well, Galco has this little number.
It covers the tire weapon and is secure.
What about revolvers?
Also from Galco.
But a word of caution on IWB for revolvers. The cylinder is going to poke and rub against you. It will be uncomfortable. For revolvers I suggest a high rise thumbsnap such as the Bianchi Black widow.
Now, I didn’t forget the ladies. Galco has a couple of holster purses that work well with almost any size firearm.
These are not the only modes of carry. There are crossdraw, shoulder, ankle, small of the back or pocket holsters depending on what you want to carry. The crossdraw has you reaching across your body, similarly the shoulder rig does the same. Both modes are secure, but both have extreme drawbacks. If you are wider around the middle, or especially endowed on top, a shoulder rig or the crossdraw may not be your best choice.
Pocket holsters are great for the mouse guns or something along the Kahr/Kel-Tec lines, but for anything bigger, a proper holster should be employed.
Small of the back holster are nice IF you are not driving. Something about even a small pistol sticking you in the back while driving down the highway doesn’t sound too appealing. Fanny packs are out there, but a word of caution. Most law-enforcement officers pick them out quickly and a LOT of the criminal element take a fanny pack as a challenge.
These are not the only choices you have in a holster, just the ones I would recommend. You can find holsters almost anyplace, garage sales, flea-markets, and especially gunshows. I, personally have about 100 different types of holsters. Some work well…..others….well….they make good examples of what not to wear.
What do you like to use? Remember this is for concealment.
Enjoy
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Sucks to be wrong, doesn’t it? At least I gave you very specific reasons not to do what you are doing. You can’t even give a reason for carrying behind the back. I guess you saw Magnum PI do it on TV and you thought it looked cool. If you are not smart enough to follow the suggestions of experts, then the choice is yours. BTW, I also don’t know of any CCP instructor who will certify you if you carry behind the back.
Summers are tough. A Kahr on the belt doesn't print much more than a cellphone (and less than some of the monsters I'm seeing on the kiddies - is that a laptop on yer belt or are ya glad to see me?) Come fall, though, it's more often a 1911 in a Hellweg Tactical Speed rig my IPSC-shootin' bro got me for Christmas one year. It isn't a universal solution and some people hate 'em. For me it tucks that big ol' .45 right alongside my tummy and hardly prints at all. Fair retention for a speed holster. It just fits. Mr. Glock belongs in Kydex ("combat Tupperware" sneers one of my shooting partners but he's probably gay. I hope you're reading this, Roger.) ;-)
Then there's this weird fabric-and-elastic thingy I got at a gun show one time. It goes over your underwear and under your pants. At need you dig your hand down your waistband and come up with Mr. Happy. You can also do that not wearin it. Dunno...it seemed like a good idea at the time...
I also use a shoulder holster with horizontal carry (Miami II Harness). However, I do so realizing that it has limitations (as do all holsters). I would recommend using this holster with a double action, but I would not want to be around anyone using this type of holster with a cocked single action.
A fanny pack, such as the GALCO, works very well for concealment. Though, to gun people, it does scream “gun”, I doubt that many people on the street know that a gun is inside.
Fanny pack holsters are made by all the major holster manufacturers, plus some manufacturers that are not associated with the firearms trade. Example Camelback has hydration packs, which also have a holster built into them.
Disagree, A x draw worn on the weak hand side, requires one hand, no need to pull up pant leg, loose area vision while head is buried in the steering wheel.
Understood, but what I’m saying is that when I need to be concerned about ‘concealed’ versus ‘printing’, I am. No one will see my sidearm. But 99% of the places I go in any given year, I don’t have to worry about it as much so I don’t. I don’t live near, nor go to areas where I have to worry about people like those in charge in Philly. We’re pretty gun-friendly around here.
Just raise the skirt open. Unlike most people I know, I’ve had enough Marlyn Manore moments that I always try to wear long shorts under my skirt. I have no shame in hikin it up. I’m actually tempted just to get a couple pairs of short with good pockets after reading all this. (or a nice over short sleeve shirt, if I could find one)
Getting to an ankle holster while driving isn’t a problem with a little practice. Raise your leg, pick up the pants leg and then draw the pistol out of the holster all with one hand.
It really isn’t that difficult.
I know a young lady who competes in ballroom dancing and she mentioned she carries ALL the time. I asked her what did she use when she competed and she said she uses a thigh holster.
I kept thinking about her thighs for the rest of the day. My shooting went to hell.
The only and single reason small of the back holster are discouraged by “experts” is because on a range line, the muzzle sweeps the other shooters. It’s the same exact reason shoulder holsters are discouraged.
Here's one I had custom made for me a few months ago, elephant with an alligator band:
I keep going back and forth between the Seecamp and the Guardian. In .32 there isn’t a lot of difference in price (in .380 it’s a huge difference, but the Seecamp weighs a lot less). I have heard that the Seecamp is really picky when it comes to ammo.
HA! Well...you got me on that one! LOL! :-)
I’ve been needing to print that up and paste it to the wall here and work for long time! It’s ALWAYS a sobering reminder to read those rules! :-)
Consider? Sure. If I’m going into combat. For carry around the office, it’d stick out like clown shoes in Church.
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