Any advice for a first time conceal carrier?

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
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I would like to modify this advice:

1. Don't draw unless you are in danger of grievous bodily harm to you or someone you want to defend. You do not have to use it (fire) as you can deter in some cases. You should train to know when to do this or not.
2. You do not plan to kill the BG but to stop the aggressor.

These points are covered in quality training.

As far as TX heat - a pocket gun of reasonable power or I go with the t shirt and a floppy light weight shirt. Check out Academy for Magellan fishing shirts - not that expensive and very light.
 
What they said:

get a good belt

A good belt goes a long way to making carry comfortable

Invest in a good belt

A good belt is more important than a good holster

You will carry more often and buy a lot fewer holsters if you do the belt first.

Jim The Beltman is my personal favorite.
 
Skip the cheapest holster option. Those will end up taking up space in your closet. I know. I have several. Spend the money and get a quality holster.
 
Lots of good advice.

Second Chupps above, if you're not spending good money on a holster and belt, you're wasting what you do spend.

Also, be sure you carry daily, whenever you leave the house.
 
Overkill worked for my comfort level. I got my permit on a chilly day in December a couple years ago. The first two days I had it while walking the dog I carried 4 handguns in various locations. After that carrying one was never an issue comfort wise.
 
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As mentioned, I've only been carrying some 8 months. And yes, I do tend to "fidgit" with my shirt - making sure it's pulled down. I'm getting better at not worrying so much. When I first started carrying, I felt like I was doing something wrong - social conditioning, I guess.

I digress. . .

At the grocery story today, I saw my local range's head RSO. Knowing that he's carrying, I thought to myself: Here's my opportunity to put my mind at ease. . . I'll be able to see someone who I know is carrying in a real world situation; and I can see for myself how well concealed he is.

Yeah, that backfired. He was wearing a thin windbreaker and was severely printing right through it. I could see the slide, the handle, and even the grip extension! :eek: So much for putting my mind at ease. :) (I know. I know. Him printing has nothing to do with me. This was purely a psychological exercise - or at least a attempt at it.)

On another amusing side note: I thought to myself - considering we're both packin', this would not be a good time for a bad guy to hold the place up.
 
Alpena said:
I'm going to start carrying my HK45c for the first time as soon as my holster arrives...........The weather in south Texas is pretty hot and humid year round so I'm worried about the comfort factor amongst other things.
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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?
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In my experience the most comfortable IWB holster for all day carry is one of the hybred (leather + kydex) tuckable holsters especially in hot weather.

This might depend on what you consider a normal day but for me the holster/gun is subject to many movements from repetitive sitting, standing in/out of cars etc. and the tuckables wide spread belt loops pretty much eliminate any cant (angle) movement on the holster that disrupts proper placement for comfort especially angle.

Also, a good holster allows you to reholster one handed (stays open) and always retains the pistol even without belt tension.... (dont be that guy in the bathroom stall when he drops trou and the holster flips over upside down and sends the pistol sliding under to the next stall).
 
Have a cover garment that will continue to cover if you bend over at the waist.

Have a good quality belt and a good holster.

Adjust your gun in private, don't grab the pistol/hostler through your shirt and fidget with it.

There are many good things written about using the restroom while carrying. Look them up. Practice that at home.
 
Here's my very opinionated advice:

1. Cary something small - .380, 38sp or small 9mm. Most 45's are just too big for comfortable carry in the deep south. Ruger LCP, Ruger LC9, one of the small Kahr pistols, Colt Mustang, Sig P238, Boberg XR9-S, Rohrbaugh R9, Chief's Special - all good carry guns. There are plenty of others.

2. Make sure it is light.

3. Make sure you don't have to alter the way you dress to conceal carry. Design your holster/gun setup around the way you dress.

4. Consider pocket carry with a good pocket holster that looks more like a wallet. Otherwise, inside waistband is the way to go.
 
Some good advice so far but here are some actual tips on what to do and what NOT to do when carrying.

Clothing:
- If you are getting an Inside the Waistband style holster, make sure you have pants that are an inch to 2 inches bigger than you wear. The bigger the holster (padding), the bigger the pants.
- Make sure the holster is comfortable against your skin or else concealed carry will get old quick!
- Dark colors will "print a whole lot less than light colors. Wear thicker shirts (polos rather than dress shirts or t-shirts) to avoid printing.
- If you are going Outside the Waistband, make sure your shirt is long enough to cover it and thick enough to not print. Again, dark colors will conceal much better and not print nearly as much.
- Based on your gun, you will not be pocket carrying this gun. For those who carry pocket pistols, pleated pants are the only way to go.
-The belt issue has been beaten to death, but a good sturdy belt will keep everything in place.

Actions: You are going to be self conscious at first. It is unavoidable.
- Wear your gun in your carry rig at home ALL the time to get used to it. The more you are used to the feel, the less likely you will think about it.
- Have someone "check you out" to ensure you are properly concealed in your carry rig and normal attire.
- Do NOT reach up with your strong side. You have a much greater chance of exposing your gun.
- Do NOT bend over to pick things up or tie your shoes as the butt of your gun WILL print. Instead, kneel down on your strong side knee.
- Experiment with carry positions: If you sit a lot, SOB (Small of Back) carry will be very uncomfortable. I personally prefer carrying at 3 o'clock since it is the easiest to protect (your arm protects your weapons from bumps) and the hardest to stop (harder for someone to stop you from drawing than other positions). I doubt you will go with a shoulder rig which requires that a jacket be worn at all times.
- If you are going to adjust your gun, pretend you are stretching and use your arm rather than your back to adjust the angle of the gun.
-PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! If you can't get your gun, quickly and smoothly, it is useless to you (unless you are not in the line of fire).

That's all I can think of for now. Hope it helps! :D
 
I won't suggest you get a smaller, lighter, more concealable gun ....... you'll do that of your own accord soon enough......
 
Practice your draw from concealment A LOT! I agree with a lot of the stuff said above.

Don't worry about it 99% of people will not notice it. I carry an N Frame revolver or 2 and a 7inch blade all year round. Only people that hug me notice.

HK makes a nice pistol congrats and good luck.
 
Pretty much all the advice is solid. Remember, if you are going to carry concealed, do it all the time. Believe it or not, you will get so used to your gun being there, that it will feel as natural as wearing pants/shorts. And it will take a very short while before you realize that people really are not paying attention to your gun that they really can't see. If you go to a public toilet, don't let your gun fall out and hit the floor. Even more important, don't forget to take it with you when you leave the restroom.
 
RE: Use of force

You can shoot em till they're down, but you cant shoot em till they're dead.

Your self defense goal is to stop the threat, not to kill them.
 
Wear the holster, but not the gun, for the first couple of days. If your holster is leather or some other material that can be broken in, it will. Even if not, your body will become accustomed to something extra there that wasn't before other those couple of days.
 
It's typical to have multiple holsters to cover a wide range of scenarios. Probably less so in warmer climates down south like in Texas; but in colder northern areas where heavy winter clothing is worn, you can get away with using less restrictive holsters.




6459 said:
Overkill worked for my comfort level. I got my permit on a chilly day in December a couple years ago. The first two days I had it while walking the dog I carried 4 handguns in various locations. After that carrying one was never an issue comfort wise
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FOUR handguns? Where do you live that the threat level is so high? No reply required..
 
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