New to the gun world

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ad313am

New member
Hi everyone. I'm 28 and very new to guns and just bought my first handgun a couple months (s&w 638) for the purpose of concealed carry and HD. I've been visiting my local gun range once a week shooting my gun and have gotten pretty acurate with it as well as a little bit lighter in the pocket book:(. I took my CPL class on saturday and turned in all my paper work on monday for my permit. Currently i have been told its a 4 month wait in my county until you recieve your CPL in the mail! (i live in the same county as Detroit:() I've been looking for different ways to carry my pistol and was just looking for a few good websites for holsters or even someone with the same type gun that can recomend some holsters they are comfortable with. These forums have been a great help to me and i enjoy visiting them every morning to kill time at work:D There are many knowelegeable people here and i'm looking for a few more to point me in the right direction.

P.S. I can't spell and our work laptops don't have spell check so sorry for the spelling errors!
 
Welcome to the forum and to the field of firearms enjoyment. There are countless producers of concealment holsters out there. Just do a google search and take some time to go through all of them and figure out what you like. If there are larger stores in your area that stock some of them, it's always a good idea to check them out in person. And not to be rude, but if you haven't already, please take some classes or get some instrction from someone with some experience shooting and carrying. There's a lot more to it than strapping on a gun and going to the range once a week.
 
And not to be rude, but if you haven't already, please take some classes or get some instrction from someone with some experience shooting and carrying.
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I'm one step ahead of you! I just signed up for a Advanced CCW/Shoot To Survive/Combat Handgun course at my range:) I'm looking foward to this class to further my knowlege on guns. And i have a couple of buddies that are cops that i grew up with that have also been very helpful. Basicly just wanted some good websites that the forum vets here use and trust. Thank you.
 
ad313

Sounds like you got the bull by the horns mate, you seem to be doing things perfectly ;) Bugga about the 4 months wait tho, hope it happens quicker for you :D Waiting is a pain in the rrr's

Great you have the brains to do some training in the mean time.... I wish alot of new shooters were as sensible as you.... good to see.

Hope the monts fly by quickly for you, and yes, welcome to TFL :D
 
There are three main ways to carry--pocket carry (with appropriate pocket holster), OWB (outside the waistband), or IWB (inside the waistband).
There are also other ways, like shoulder holsters, thunderwear, ankle holsters, etc.

Do you know what type(s) of carry you want to pursue?
 
Personally, I dislike pocket carry. I think it is only comfortable, and therefore viable for daily use, with super-small autos. These are fine, but I don't own any at present. Some people will pocket carry J-frame revolvers, but I find them too big and heavy, personally. Of course, one nice advantage to pocket carry is that you can have your hand ready to draw w/o anyone noticing.

I very much like IWB carry. Its among the easiest to conceal, is very comfortable with the right set-up, and can be retrieved quickly. I carry IWB most of the time. A lot of IWB holsters can be used with a tucked-in shirt, known as a tuckable-IWB holster. These are what I use since it is imparitive that my gun is concealed while at work, and I keep my shirt tucked in. I can hide an OWB under a suit-coat, but I usually take them off while around the office, so have to go for IWB-tucked. The downside to IWB carry is that you have to have a little extra room in your waistbands to accomodate the gun, and reholstering can be a pain if you don't have a good holster that stays open.

OWB is a great method which I shied away from at first, but use more and more as time goes by. It is probably the most comfortable way to carry, since it doesn't alter your clothing any (buy bulding your waistband) and can be well suporteed by a good belt. While a little harder to conceal than IWB, most guns can be concealed with a jacket, vest, or simply an untucked shirt of proper length.


For me, I carry tucked-IWB or OWB. For work and times when I have to focus on cealcement I go tucked. For evenings-out or weekends when I can dress a bit more casual (especially if I can wear a jacket) I opt for OWB carry.

In general, I've learned not to worry about people noticing whether I have a legally-carried gun. Everyone worries when they first start carrying; it seems everyone is staring at you and you don't want them to see you have a gun. The truth is, most people don't notice, nor are they likely to at all. People carry all kinds of stuff on their belts these days, so unless you are open-carrying or acting suspiciously, its unlikely anyone is going to figure out what they've seen (if anything) is a firearm, nor are many people going to care if they do.
 
I'm one step ahead of you! I just signed up for a Advanced CCW/Shoot To Survive/Combat Handgun course at my range I'm looking foward to this class to further my knowlege on guns. And i have a couple of buddies that are cops that i grew up with that have also been very helpful. Basicly just wanted some good websites that the forum vets here use and trust. Thank you.
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Props to you sir. I also wish there were more new shooters who act so responsibly when they get into it.
 
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Welcome!

+1 for asking the questions. ++1 for going for the training.

Welcome to a lifelong addiction. As to your question, i think there have been several posts on the Tactics page about how to carry, what holster to wear, and the general conclusion i came to (i only have 6 different holsters, but i'm sort of new also) is that you're going to buy a lot of holsters! Ask for advice at your local gun store, try a couple out. Unless you go for top shelf quality preformed leather, there are several inexpensive (under $ 20) but perfectly functional ballistic nylon models you can try. Face it, you'll wind up with a box full of them - okay, because you'll eventually find a favorite and you are also bound to end up with more guns - we all do.

Personally, i like IWB, but can't seem to get the tucked shirt method. I drape a non-tucked shirt over, always like to have a tee shirt under. I used to carry at about 2:00 (think of the belt as a clock face), moved to small o'back at about 6:00 (both weakhand draw, but i shoot nearly equally with both) and am now at exactly 9:00 with a Beretta Cougar compact 9mm. Yep, i'm left handed. You're carrying a .38revolver, with what - a 2" barrel? Should be lots of choices to fit that short barrel revolver. Have you thought about semiautos?

I just bought an ankle holster. My Beretta fits in it, but then my pants hang up on the grip panels. So, now i need another gun! a compact .380 for my back up gun (BUG) like the Ruger LCP. Oh darn...
 
Yep, I'm left handed
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Yes, so am i. And we live in a right hand mans world:D. I have seen a couple of iwb's that i liked but they were weak side and did not have that model for lefties.
Have you thought about semiautos?
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YES! Everyday since i bought the .38! I've got my eye on a .40 Glock but me and the Lil lady are going on vacation soon so i told her I'd wait till next tax time to pick one up. But i don't know if i can wait that long:cool:
 
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