Full Sized Concealed Carry

Two concealed guns for me, G26 which doesn't fit your full sized criteria.

And a commander sized 1911 4" barrell.

I'm 5' 6" and 140 lbs and they both conceal easily for me without any special dress. I'm a blue jeans and a tshirt kinda guy most of the time when i'm not at work so that's what i wear when i'm CCW.

I use a good 1.5" belt and Galco King Tuk holsters and neither gun is uncomfortable nor difficult to conceal. My body style does taper down from the chest to waste with a difference of 14" so that makes it very easy for me to conceal in this matter.

I don't find the weight or size of the 1911 to be any more uncomfortable than the G26 for me.

My dress conceals either gun fine, and I just kind of decide on a whim which piece i will carry on any given day, but i do tend to run a week of this one and a week of that one, more so than changing every day. I carry sun up to sun down when it goes in the night stand and am not leaving them anywhere else, car, home, etc..
 
As others have said, a good belt and holster is the foundation.

Beyond that, leave the "I dial 1911" t-shirt and the "Glock Perfection" hat at home. Foster the idea that you're not a guy with a gun; you're a guy who just happens to be carrying a gun. Don't touch it, don't adjust it, don't do anything to draw attention.

I've carried large guns OWB for years, and the only people who've noticed are ladies with busy hands who happen to touch it.
 
But were you also happy to see them, Tom?

Meanwhile, speaking of good belts and holsters, stopped by Sam Andrews' shop on my way to visit my parents.

Picked up an order I'd placed for an IWB holster for my FNX pistols, and a saddle holster for my 3" K frames, plus some speed loader and magazine pouches.

Sam had a 4" k frame pancake handy, so I picked that up for the 4" Model 10 we bought my lady's dad.

Last, Sam had a very nice belt, in my size, just hanging there.... Guess what I am wearing?

Check out andrewsleather.com.
 
There's also the alternative methods...

Paramedic Pants...slight mods make 'em CCW Pants!! And if you are wearing a FireFighting Shirt, nobody looks twice.

Day Planners...can hide quite a few options, not to mention 4-5 extra mags :)

Computer bags can easily be modded internally for a holster for carry.
Play up the Geek angle, wear Drew Cary glasses & 1980's NAMCO-branded t-shirts.

Used to be I'd carry a tape player in a fanny pack, headphone wire leading out, and have a Star 30-P hidden behind it in the second pocket.
Ipods kinda killed that. Well, that and the fanny pack itself kinda sux as a fashion item...lol
But...a Day Pack is larger, can carry a freekin DEagle .50AE easily...or a Calico III ;)
Day Packs are EVERYWHERE...and people generally think Student/Teacher/harried housewife/husband with diaper bag/etc...

As a father with Twin Boys...hiding my Calico in the diaper bag is always an option :)
Let it ride on the stroller so you save having to hide/carry anything on yer person.

Don't forget THUNDERWEAR!! Some are built for decent-sized pistols...but it helps if you are at least a 6'er.

Photographer's Vest/Safari Vest...tons of pockets...look pretty normal if you've got a camera strapped around your neck.
Hey, its Florida, look like a Tourist or a Pro Photographer, either blend into the scenery with ease! ;)

And the Ultimate hide...a Christian Biker leather vest!
Use an off-the-rack CCW vest, apply Christian Biker patches all over it...
NOBODY is thinking Bad Guy...especially if you are clean-shaven (including yer head).
Doesn't hurt if you are already a biker, either ;)
 
As you have probably figured out, any good carry system begins with a good belt and a good holster. Just remember, when a good belt is mentioned, this doesn't mean a $10.00 job from Wally-World. This has to be a QUALITY belt made for carrying a firearm. Anyhting less will not get the job done. When I carry a full sizw weapon, it is my XD40 Service (4" barrell). I use a amish made, double thickness leather belt and a Galco 3-slot holster, and I can carry all day with no discomfort.
 
Big fan of pocket carry....maybe not for everyone.

My primary carry guns are the XD-45, Glock 21SF & a Glock 23. Most of the time, it's one or the other .45s. I usually pocket carry with a longer shirt & have done so for 30+ years with never an issue. This includes never having anyone ever suspect or guess I was armed. No prints either, according to the mirror, my wife's close scrutiny & my buddies checking out how we all carry.

There are times when I use an Uncle Mike's soft holster in the pocket carry, but I'd say that's less then 10% of the time.

Sometimes, I'll carry inside the waist band w/ an Uncle Mike's but I never like that because I'm so used to the pocket carry. In winter or cold times, I pocket carry in my jacket pockets, which my wife has re-enforced thru some nifty sewing. Hands in the pocket convey a very casual demeanor while at the same time, having very quick access if the need arises.

As I mentioned in another thread on pocket carrying, I take great care to keep the pistols clean & lint free. It all works out great for me personally.
Very comfortable. I don't even feel like it's there.
 
A friend who recently retired has taken up the habit of wearing Hawaiian shirts. Those are the loudest, ugliest, most socially inept garments ever devised, but they do break up the outline of a gun very well.

That, and the fact that they burn the retinas if you stare at them discourages scrutiny. Which was kind of the point of my last post. I don't look like a guy who'd be carrying a gun, so nobody's really checking out my midsection.

Well, except for the groupies...;)
 
I agree with those who advocate a proper belt and holster to make a relatively large and heavy handgun relatively easy(ier) to carry concealed. But let's not kid ourselves: no belt/holster combination will ever make, say, a full-size 1911 as comfortable to carry and as easy to conceal as, say, a Ruger LCP. That's just how it is.
Like many people, though I carry a SIG Model 220 relatively comfortably and well-concealed in an iwb holster most of the time; I confess to the occasional pocket carry of an LCP some of the time as a concession to a state of attire dependent on climate and/or social circumstance. My guess is that I'm far from being alone in employing this ccw strategy.
 
Yesterday, 11:01 PM #28
Tom Servo
Senior Member


Join Date: September 27, 2008
Location: Foothills of the Appalachians
Posts: 2,094 A friend who recently retired has taken up the habit of wearing Hawaiian shirts. Those are the loudest, ugliest, most socially inept garments ever devised, but they do break up the outline of a gun very well.

That, and the fact that they burn the retinas if you stare at them discourages scrutiny. Which was kind of the point of my last post. I don't look like a guy who'd be carrying a gun, so nobody's really checking out my midsection.

Well, except for the groupies...
__________________
In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus
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That's pretty funny. :D
 
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