Concealed carry while driving, some questions

K

Kimio

New member
Okay, this is something I never really considered before, but I figured it's something to think about.

I like to carry appendix style, with my handgun sitting roughly at the 1 o'clock position. It's the most comfortable position for me. However, this position is quite difficult for me to be able to access if I were to carry my gun concealed while in my car.

While the likelihood of me needing to ever draw my handgun in a defensive manner is very low, I never gave it much thought before about how well I could respond if I were called upon to do so.

With that in mind, I was wondering what some of the folks here like to do when they travel about. Do you unholster your firearm and place it in a location that is inconspicuous yet easily reachable, or do you alter where you wear your gun in order to make it more accessible?

I was also wonder how the heck you would even practice firing from a position such as this. It's not like you can go to a local range easily and just pull up in your car and fire from the window.
 
Accessing your handgun when seated and belted in is always a problem. I carry at 3:30 or 4:00, and I don't change when in the car for short trips around town. It isn't the fastest, but there are safety and privacy factors to consider when you re-holster every time you get out of the car. For longer trips I use the oft-ridiculed fanny pack. The pistol lays right in my lap with quick easy access, and I don't much care what people at gas stations and rest stops think of my fashion sense.
 
Two words: ANKLE HOLSTER. Ankle draws are very easy and fast while seated.

Leave your primary alone and when you go on a long drive, pack a backup on your ankle. *Pack one daily if you feel the need.
 
Last edited:
I find appendix the BEST carry position while driving. Dont let the lap belt trap the shirt. Just move the shirt over the lap belt when you get in th car and then draw as usual.
 
My preferred method of carry is by no means the quickest to access in any situation, but it poses little if any problems when seated in a vehicle or anywhere else.
I know that many don't think much of the Kangaroo Carry, but under a button up collared shirt I have found nothing that I like better and doubt that I ever will.
Under a t-shirt or polo? Eh ...not so much, so yeah, I typically dress like an old man.
 
Last edited:
I will suggest how not to carry on long trips. 3-4:00 clip holster or right side outside should be avoided.

Some time back I made a mistake of carrying a clip on the pistol Right side. After driving 300 miles I sopped at a bank to conduct business and found that it can be very embarrassing to hand the teller my papers then hear a clunk. There was my 9mm at my feet. Even though the teller was assured by someone I never seen. That they had it on tape. I found my self quickly picking up the pistol and tucking it into my pants. Then calmly waiting for the teller to complete the transaction so I could leave the bank. Then I pulled out of the parking lot as the State Police went past the driveway. :o

Remove it from your side
 
I haven't got a clue what appendix or kangaroo carry is? I always carry on my right side with the gun a bit behind my front pocket. Then I put my belt over the top of the holster. I've never tried anything else as I comfortable with it and no doubt where my gun is. Many year's ago in Illinois, the state cop's were made to carry on the left side. Not bad for lefty's and the rightys got used to it. The deal was to get the gun away from anybody else that might be in the front seat. Have no idea why someone would be in the front seat with them!
 
I drive in my two vehicles with either a Shield or a Sig P229 at 3:00. Most of the time either weapon will be in an IWB holster. If not IWB, then probably a paddle OWB holster (I also carried the Sig in a OWB belt slider for a while). I don't carry either weapon tucked, so I've always been able to slightly adjust the seat belt, holster, and clothing as needed to give me quick access to the gun.
 
"...Ankle draws are very easy and fast while seated..." Very decidedly no they aren't. You're assuming the vehicle is stopped and the shooter can reach his ankle with a steering wheel in the way.
The answer is cross draw. However, you should never have to fire from a vehicle. Especially not while driving. It'd be the ultimate in distracted driving. People die from that.
 
I will suggest how not to carry on long trips. 3-4:00 clip holster or right side outside should be avoided.

Some time back I made a mistake of carrying a clip on the pistol Right side. After driving 300 miles I sopped at a bank to conduct business and found that it can be very embarrassing to hand the teller my papers then hear a clunk. There was my 9mm at my feet. Even though the teller was assured by someone I never seen. That they had it on tape. I found my self quickly picking up the pistol and tucking it into my pants. Then calmly waiting for the teller to complete the transaction so I could leave the bank. Then I pulled out of the parking lot as the State Police went past the driveway.

Remove it from your side

Brother, that's a funny story! Glad you came off no worse for wear. I think though the problem lies in the type of holster.....it was a clip on? As in "string steel clip that grabbed belt with holster outside of belt?" I only use OWB belt holsters. I don't even like paddles.

"...Ankle draws are very easy and fast while seated..." Very decidedly no they aren't. You're assuming the vehicle is stopped and the shooter can reach his ankle with a steering wheel in the way.
The answer is cross draw. However, you should never have to fire from a vehicle. Especially not while driving. It'd be the ultimate in distracted driving. People die from that.

Strangely, ankle holster while driving works fine for me. Maybe I'm taller and sit farther back from the steering wheel. Maybe I'm more flexible and maybe I'm thinner. In short, people are different and what works for one might not work for the other.

We should never have to do a lot of things but then, there is always the unexpected.

Original poster, give the ankle holster a shot. Give cross draw a shot. Figure out what works for you.
 
I usually carry crossdraw when I am going to spend a good amount of my day sitting, driving, or on horseback. Rarely I use a shoulder holster for the same reason. You can practice drawing in a garage or just a chair in your house.
 
Tony touched on this.....a shoulder holster would be nice choice too.

Original poster.....

I was also wonder how the heck you would even practice firing from a position such as this. It's not like you can go to a local range easily and just pull up in your car and fire from the window

But you can practice just that and here is how. Snap caps. Park in a secluded place where people won't see you and freak out (private garage). Practice your draws and use snap caps.

If you want to use live ammo, park in a secluded place (woods or desert) and practice. I've actually done just that with a friend. We drove his pickup up a railway road bed (tracks had been taken up) and parked at a closed tunnel. We practiced car jack/robbery scenarios with live ammo.

He did warn me "don't shoot my truck door, OK?" I didn't. He didn't either.

Don't forget your ear plugs.
 
Last edited:
I've settled on carrying OWB in a pancake holster @ 4:00 almost exclusively. It doesn't take long to click off the seatbelt if needed, and your hand would already be close to this position afterwards.
 
My normal carry holster is a pancake with a thumb break. My other is simply a thumb break. Wearing them with the belt coming in from the back and over really pulls the whole thing in well, I can hide them under a T-shirt.
 
In uniform, it was always the department regulation holster, right side, waist level thumb break. Off duty or our of uniform, I had more leeway. At first, I carried right side,butt to the rear, in a Bucheimer Federal Man, an old style thumb break holster I still have and still like. But as the problem with car carry became apparent, I switched to a left side, grip to the front, holster as easier for carry in a car. So I don't think there is any hard and fast rule. FWIW, I have always advocated one gun or one gun type, and the same should apply to holsters. But I never had any problem with holsters, though; I always seemed to know where the gun was and how to get to it with no wasted motion.

Jim
 
Ankle holster left leg (normal carry anyway), easy to get to and can still hold the brake pedal with the right foot or even mash the gas pedal at the same time as drawing. Heck who knows what kind of strange situation it could be as to where you might need to draw.

Seat belt makes right hand waist draw or shoulder holster draw tough, but if a person practices they can about do anything.
 
I’ve always just carried 3 o’clockish, IWB. Offhand undoes seatbelt and removes cover garment, dominant hand draws and beings it up over the wheel. I think Clint Smith has a video demonstrating the process somewhere.

I’ve done some shooting from cars and haven’t run into trouble yet with this approach. Of course, I’m also not trying to draw WHILE driving. My general thought there is you aren’t in a John Wick movie and the driver should be fully focused on driving since the vehicle is your primary means of escape as well as a weapon every bit as deadly as a pistol.

I’m trying to think of a situation where I’m the sole driver and drawing a pistol while driving is a good solution; but I am coming up blank at the moment.
 
I've stopped carrying IWB at 4:00 mostly because of how uncomfortable it was in the car for me.

I've switched to appendix, and it's both more comfortable and pretty easy access while seated.

The few times I pocket carry, I do remove my gun and holster from my pocket and place it in the driver's door pocket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top