Big guys, how do you carry?
- Thread starter chaim
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Fine Figure of a Man
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The best solution is to lose weight. You're carry issue will be solved and every thing else you do will be easier and more enjoyable.
I speak from experience and am not trying to offend.
Being overweight is a serious health issue that needs to be dealt with rather than compensated for. Asking, "How can I carry when I'm bleeding heavily" sounds ridiculous but is it really that different?
I speak from experience and am not trying to offend.
Being overweight is a serious health issue that needs to be dealt with rather than compensated for. Asking, "How can I carry when I'm bleeding heavily" sounds ridiculous but is it really that different?
The shoulder holster or Kangaroo Carry is sounding interesting. It would mean needing to spend some serious retraining time though since I've always carried strong side at minimum (pocket, OWB and IWB) and mostly IWB at 4:00 (ish). I'm thinking it might even work with a t-shirt or polo. I already often carry with a tuckable IWB holster and have to pull up my shirt to draw, I'd just have to pull it up a little higher with most shoulder holsters.
I do like carrying a 1911. In the past it has been a S&W 1911SC (Scandium, Commander sized), but I'm switching to all steel for more controlability and longer practice sessions (I now have an all steel Officer sized RIA). I find with the extra weight around my middle, I don't really notice a few extra ounces on the belt.
Haha, I have that problem even when I'm not carrying. Nearly every time I stand up I have to adjust my pants so they don't feel like they want to come falling down (comes with the round shape I suppose).
I used to have a Ruger 345. I really liked the feel and shooting characteristics. I meant it to be a carry gun. Unfortunately, mine was quite unreliable and once I got it working I sold it (I wanted to get it working properly first for ethical reasons, but I no longer had confidence in it so I sold it). I really did wish it worked out for me. Anyway, I am familiar with the gun and it is very comparable to my S&W 1911SC in size, weight, and carryability.
Most of my carry is in VA which is also an open carry state, and I am considering a NH non-resident permit so I can carry in PA again (I may be there as much or more than I'm in VA- especially lately since I'm considering moving to the York area or S. York County/Shrewsbury). Depending upon where I get a job next year (I'm a teacher and plan to apply for new jobs for next school year, but as a teacher, it is a seasonal thing so it will be up in the air a few more months before I can make any decisions) I'm hoping to move to either Northern VA or York PA. Anyway, yeah, I've been spoiled to not worry too much if there is a little printing (when carrying in states that are stricter/not open carry, I carry a smaller and/or lighter gun).
I do like carrying a 1911. In the past it has been a S&W 1911SC (Scandium, Commander sized), but I'm switching to all steel for more controlability and longer practice sessions (I now have an all steel Officer sized RIA). I find with the extra weight around my middle, I don't really notice a few extra ounces on the belt.
Last time I was this weight/size I had a few (I still have one pair) with adjustable waistbands. I'm not a fan, but I may buy a pair or two of khakis for the time being if I decide to continue carrying IWB. It won't help with jeans though since most brands aren't available with the adjustable waist.
Haha, I have that problem even when I'm not carrying. Nearly every time I stand up I have to adjust my pants so they don't feel like they want to come falling down (comes with the round shape I suppose).
Yeah, and I'm working on it but it is a slow and not so easy solution. I have a bad ankle (since I was 19, it is the reason the Army discharged me early) and bad knee which makes running difficult to impossible. I have a bad back (since I was 21, it is a family thing and pre-dates my weight gain) limiting my running and lifting. I have an arthritic neck which can limit any physical activity when it is acting up. As for calorie restriction, I am diabetic so I'm already careful with my diet. Unfortunately, even if I have already had my calorie intake for the day, if my blood sugar drops (and it can happen no matter how careful I am), I need sugar/carbs NOW, waiting for mealtime is not an option. I can't do a severe calorie restriction diet or my blood sugar will drop to possibly dangerous levels. So, slow and steady is my only option for weight loss.
Geezerbiker
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I'm 6'5" tall and I'm not going to say how much I weigh.... However I've always found a belt pack to be a good option for concealed carry. I've carried a M1911 for years and I found it easier to carry than a Colt detective special...
Tony
Tony
Fine Figure of a Man
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One day at a time, keep at it.
LL Beans has 'comfort waist' jeans that are comfortable. Also, continue to fit as you drop weight- I lost quite a bit after a stroke and jeans were still a fit even though my belt didn't. The elastic helps comfort when carrying IWB. BTW, I carry at 8:30 IWB (Omni) and 9 OWB (Blackhawk).
spacemanspiff
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Pfft. Most of ya'll are a buncha amateurs. Belly up to the all you can eat buffet, lightweights! I am 5'5" and 320 lbs. 
I carry a full size 1911 IWB. Low riding tuckable holster from High Noon and the gun just about disappears. A good polo shirt covers up any potential printing.
The pants are the key. I don't wear blue jeans, nor do I wear slacks. Khakis with an elastic waistband make it easier to accomodate IWB carry.
I carry a full size 1911 IWB. Low riding tuckable holster from High Noon and the gun just about disappears. A good polo shirt covers up any potential printing.
The pants are the key. I don't wear blue jeans, nor do I wear slacks. Khakis with an elastic waistband make it easier to accomodate IWB carry.
Due to health issues and medication issues I've put on 20 or 30 pounds of belly in the past few years. As a result I've had to modify my carry arrangements.
For cooler weather a G43 worn OWB covered by a long outer shirt or jacket works very well.
In warmer weather I wear slightly modified cargo shorts. I stitch the right cargo pockets just a little bit so that they will hold an LCR and pocket holster securely so that they won't move around. I just leave the flap unbuttoned. It's easy to access even when I'm driving/sitting.
For cooler weather a G43 worn OWB covered by a long outer shirt or jacket works very well.
In warmer weather I wear slightly modified cargo shorts. I stitch the right cargo pockets just a little bit so that they will hold an LCR and pocket holster securely so that they won't move around. I just leave the flap unbuttoned. It's easy to access even when I'm driving/sitting.
If a guy has a big gut and a flat butt, he will always be pulling up his pants, regardless if it's jeans or khakis or dress slacks. And that is without a holster. Guys built as I've described are probably not good candidates for IWB. I'm guessing those guys are either OWB or pocket carry.
I know a guy who is a former LEO who fits this body type description. He carries a Glock 17 OWB or with a shoulder harness or carries a small revolver on his ankle.
I know a guy who is a former LEO who fits this body type description. He carries a Glock 17 OWB or with a shoulder harness or carries a small revolver on his ankle.
Really? You're saying you'd take away a person's right to self defense because you don't like their body shape?Okay, just a "thinking-outside-the-box" question, ... but should dudes who are so girthy in the torso they can't see their feet even be allowed to carry outside the home?
I mean, at what point does one's obesity pose a public safety risk?
What "public safety" risk do you think we pose, exactly?
Never said that. Other measures exist for personal defense in public places. And liking or disliking 'body shape' has nothing to do with it.
Well, I'm tall slender guy who works out. Walking down the sidewalk, a big, portly obese fella (who's now diabetic from all the high glucose intake) could well pass-out (or slip) and fall on me while EDC-ing. In doing so, his gun could go off. That makes being "armed while obese" a public-safety risk. Worse, if the same scenario happens inside a public transport, like a bus or in a cabin on an Amtrak train. Trapped in tight quarters, beneath 400lbs of concealed carrier, I might never get help. Why, it'd be even worse if the victim was a short, small fella or gal.
Look, I'm not advocating for passing a law today somewhere that regulates or limits concealed or open EDC by the way-2-fat folks.
I'm just posing the larger (pun unintended) and rhetorical 'policy' question for the group here to consider in conjunction with what the O.P. inquired about ...
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spacemanspiff
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You most certainly want us fat folks to carry! We are larger targets than you skinny folks. Plus when we do get hit and hit the ground you can duck behind our girthy corpses for cover. So, you're welcome for that!
Well, I'll just say this: that's a lot of assumptions you're making there, fella. If I say much more than that, I'm at a pretty high risk of breaking some forum rules...
Do you also think folks who wear glasses shouldn't be allowed to carry? I mean, in a stressful situation, it seems pretty likely that their glasses might get knocked off, and then they'd be shooting blind! BLIND, I tell you! And what if there's a schoolyard on the other side of the bad guy? The horror!
Edit: he posted again while I was writing. After reading his latest, I'm just not going to feed the troll anymore.
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