Any advice for a first time conceal carrier?

A

Alpena

New member
I'm going to start carrying my HK45c for the first time as soon as my holster arrives. This will be my first carrying a firearm and I feel kind on nervous still. The weather in south Texas is pretty hot and humid year round so I'm worried about the comfort factor amongst other things. So I've come here looking for advice in conceal carrying. Position of carry, dressing around to not accidentally show, etc. Anything will help.

[EDIT] Do you get used to the weight of your CC?
 
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Yea, do not be constantly putting your hand on it to "check it". I know it may seem like an odd thing to remind you of but the natural tendency of a new carrier is to always be checking their weapon.
 
1) A good belt is more important than a good holster.
2) Keep your hands away from it. You don't need to check it every 5 minutes.
 
Just pretend it isn't there, and no, not everyone is going to notice it, no matter how paranoid you get thinking they will......;)
 
Practice ccw at home for a week or two befor going in public. Out in public is not the place to discover the many nuances you may be particular to. E.g. going to the bathroom.
 
1. Unless you hug everyone you meet, the paranoia you experience of someone noticing it are greatly unfounded and are all in your head.
2. Resist the urge to check it and touch it.
3. Invest in a good belt.
4. Begin making a habit out of checking the entrances to different buildings to see if they are posted (if the signs carry force of law in your state).
5. Try it out for a day or two in your house before you go in public. The urge to check and readjust your belt is strongest in the first several days and this will help break the habit of checking.
6. Before deciding where on the body you want to carry it, try several things out: sitting in your vehicle, sitting in your office chair/lazy boy/wherever you spend the bulk of your day, going to the restroom, and light jogging or fast motions.
 
So far, other posters have all given you good advice:
1. Be sure you're familiar with local laws on the subject. (www.handgunlaw.us)
2. Wear it around the house for a few days to get used to the feel.
3. Avoid the temptation to touch the gun every few minutes.
4. A good belt goes a long way to making carry comfortable.
5. So does a proper holster.
6. Remember that in spite of feeling like everyone and their dog automatically knows that you're carrying, they don't.

For the first, oh, probably couple of weeks that I carry, I kept waiting for someone to start screaming about a Man With A Gun, but it never happened. That feeling goes away.
 
  • Become LESS agressive that ever; you cannot afford to get into a 'fight' anymore
  • A gun is useless without situational awareness; if you never see it coming, the gun can't save you
  • If you pull, be ready to use it; very few career criminals are frightened at the mere sight of a gun
  • If you haven't gotten any formal training, consider it as essential as ammo, a holster and the weapon itself
  • Play 'what if' with yourself to create plans for various situations: 'what if' someone stuck up the bank while I'm in line? 'What if' someone grabbed my kid?


Larry
 
Training for surviving a potentially deadly encounter is very different than training to shoot.
Get both, if you haven't, yet.
 
In Minnesota, I don't have to be nearly as careful as you do about concealment because OC is legal here if you have a permit. I carry a 4" service revolver on my belt at about 8:00, covered by an untucked tee-shirt or polo shirt.

Just as an experiment, I wore a different holster that rides a lot lower to work once (empty) to see if anybody noticed. The bottom half of the holster was exposed, and you couldn't really tell if it was empty unless my shirt rode up. Nobody even saw it -- and the people I work with certainly would have said something (probably a dumb joke)
 
Be prepared to invest in multiple holsters. You may find certain IWB works with certain clothing. And you may find yourself wanting to match your belt/holster to your shoes, so prepare to have a brown holster as well as black. And then you might find a kydex holster fits well sometimes. And when it gets chilly, and you find yourself wearing a longer coat, you might want an outer waist band holster.

I'm not addicted! I can stop anytime I want! :D

You mentioned heat in your area, I have always liked having a layer of thin clothing between my body and my holstered weapon. Underarmors Heatgear is ideal for this. As would any of the compression style shirts now available from a variety of sportswear manufacturers.

I have been using belts bought from Rafter S Gunleather, but it seems they are no longer in business. My next purchase is likely to be from a local leather shop.
 
Be prepared to invest in multiple holsters. You may find certain IWB works with certain clothing. And you may find yourself wanting to match your belt/holster to your shoes, so prepare to have a brown holster as well as black. And then you might find a kydex holster fits well sometimes. And when it gets chilly, and you find yourself wearing a longer coat, you might want an outer waist band holster.*
Click to expand...
I bought a mitch rosen USD II for my carry holster. I want to carry pretty much all day so I'm curious to how it feels to carry concealed after a normal day?
 
Like the Kenny Rodgers song about card playing. Know when to run.
Having a weapon does not make you bullet proof. If you pull a gun to control a situation, then they pull a gun. What are your choices then? Self defense in court doesn't work well when you draw first. Someone else with a CCW sees you pull out and he thinks you are the problem.

A lot of people get into trouble by trying to be the hero. If lives are not in danger before you pull out the weapon, they certainly will be after.
 
Don't draw it unless you're gonna use it.
Don't use it unless you plan to kill the BG.
My personal opinion is that you should not use it unless your life or someone else's life is in danger, property can be replaced.
Remember that in today's litigious society, even tho it was a righteous shoot you can still be sued in civil court, incurring horrendous expense to defend yourself. GW
 
Whenever I'm experimenting with a new holster or a new method of carry I use a red gun or a blue gun to "proof" the concept in public. This way if there's a problem and my concealed "gun" becomes unintentionally exposed then it's not a crime because it's not an actual firearm.

My primary carry gun is a Glock 19 and I have an old ASP Glock 19 red gun. My secondary carry gun is a Glock 26 and I have a Ring's blue gun for that.

It allows me to experiment and "proof" with confidence.

Good luck!
 
^^^^THIS X1000^^^^^

Go to a recognized shooting school. Your life, the lives of your loved ones and quite frankly the lives of anyone around you are worth the cost involved. NOTHING you are likly to do has the responsibility or potential monatary costs of carring a pistol in public

Get the appropriate training
 
Lots of good posts. I'm kind of new to CC - 8 months. I too live in a warm climate. So we have some things in common. (I don't believe you mentioned if you're male or female.) I'm an average size guy, fairly normal weight. I found that a loose fitting button-up short-sleeve shirt shirt with an undershirt works well. The two layers adds to concealment and doesn't seem any hotter. (I was a polo shirt guy before I started carrying.)

My primary carry is a compact 9mm in an IWB holster. It conceals very well. I also sometimes carry a Smith 686 3"bbl in an OWB - it's a large gun but conceals better than I would have thought. It's rounded grip resists printing. My last CC gun is a Glock 29 in an IWB or OWB. It has sharp edges and is hardest to conceal - I usually reserve it for the cooler months when I have a windbreaker on.

I usually carry at the 3 O'clock position. Especially with my big Smith. I like having the grip right under my arm when it's naturally to my side - adds to concealment. Sometimes I'll move back to the 3:30 position with my 9mm because it's more comfortable driving and still conceals when I get out of my car.

Get a good holster. You might end up getting a couple different ones. Maybe a few; until you find something that is right for you. And as previously mentioned by several others: get a good belt.

All my carry holsters and belts come from this guy: http://theisholsters.com/index.php

He makes excellent products, one at a time, to order. He's prompt. And he's a great person to do business with.
 
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