In some respects, I'm wide open in the clothes I wear (I meant in terms of type & style
), and in other respects I'm sorta bound by personal limitations.
Not being part of the legitimate work force anymore, I can wear whatever I want that doesn't get me arrested. But & however, I have an aversion to letting my bare knees hang out in public, I dislike baggy cargo pants, and the only pants I actually am comfortable in outside the house is blue Levi's. That goes back to a childhood where we didn't have a lot of money for clothes, I had one good pair of "dress up pants" that I absolutely hated because I couldn't ever do anything in them & had to be very careful to keep them un-stained and un-torn for Sundays and visiting. The Levi's I could get dirty, play in, and just "live" in. It's a personal limitation that's an inescapable leftover from childhood. I gave away my last suit years ago, have two pair of slacks that are for funerals & weddings, and I hate wearing them both. Got one tie that goes for both functions.
Levi's being relatively tight, especially with my build, I can't wear an IWB holster, it's uncomfortable & I would never be able to re-holster without undoing the belt. Thunderwear is outa the question, would never be able to access it inside the pants for the same reason. Not much more room in the pockets, already got a key ring in each front pocket, Swiss Army knife in one, change in the other. Speedloaders would bulk them up too much, plus there's the blue lint to get in the way.
I've found over the years that carrying spare rounds in just about any kind of
pouch or loops for very long cruds them up. Verdigris on either the cases or the crud on the bullets themselves. I still occasionally use a 30-year-old six-round Safariland snap pouch when I carry a lightweight S&W snub for short periods, but have to change the rounds in it fairly often because they get gunky & may not load in a hurry if I need them to.
As for loading one or two at a time from bullet loops, I still have too vivid a memory of the bright & sunny day in 1976 when I went to my first FBI-conducted range training session as a young & starving cop with my first PD. I had six spare loops on the top of my handcuff case, and one double dump box. I kept up with everybody on the shooting part, but was woefully behind on the reloading part. Everybody else had speedloaders & I didn't. During the lunch break I went home, found an unexpected check in the mail, skipped lunch, cashed the check, bought a set of speedloaders & pouches, went back to the range, and started, by gum & by golly, to keep up with the program. I'd prefer not to try to fumble with rounds from loops, unless I really have to, or I'm carrying a single-action.
I'm also too uncoordinated with the Bianchi strips, and again- I don't like to carry ammo in pockets.
Halfmoon clips may ride flatter, but they're slower to load with than full moonies, and I'd rather give up the flatter carry for the quicker loading.
I've got pouches that carry full moons halfway decently & they're not bad, just kinda pokey-outie. My typical summer outfit is a long untucked shirt over the Levi's, the flat mags on the hip are slightly less protuberant than the moonies up front. In cooler weather I wear various vests, and it's maybe a little less of a problem.
Carried spare ammo in a leather belt knife case once. Was working plainclothes at a local bar one night, things were going fine till one of the bouncers caught sight of it (wore it to "blend in"), and told me I'd have to lose the knife or get the blank out. Explaining that it wasn't really a knife, just spare ammo for the gun....... Never went back to that method of carry again.
But, these are all just my idiotsyncracies & certainly not meant to put anybody else's carry methods down. Everybody has to find what works best for themselves.
Denis
I'll probably come to my senses in time on that one, though.