Now that it's cooling off, I'm revisiting owb carry. I haven't really tried it before due to my paranoia of printing. I quickly learned that a good belt and holster made all the difference for iwb. At 5'10" 175 lbs I'm still concerned about printing with owb in the face of a good owb holster. For those of you who owb on a regular basis what do carry and how do you dress around your ccw?
OWB carry
- Thread starter grantman
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chris in va
New member
Is printing illegal in your state? If not, don't worry about it.
I use a Don Hume 721 OT for...well, everything. A loose printed shirt helps to break up the outline. You don't have to go Hawaiian, but think along those lines.
I use a Don Hume 721 OT for...well, everything. A loose printed shirt helps to break up the outline. You don't have to go Hawaiian, but think along those lines.
I have a Ray Cory Lobo Leather Pancake OWB holster for a Colt Python 4" and a Smith 627 Pro Series 8 round 357 Magnum. I wear a shooting jacket or a Navy Waste Coat. Alternatively, I wear a hoodie that hides the holster well - zipper style not pull over.
When I carry OWB I generally use a Glock G26 in a Safariland 6378 holster and a 5.11 belt. The holster comes with paddle and belt attachment options and I have found the belt option works best for me. This seems to work pretty well even with an un-tucked polo and cargo shorts. With an over-shirt or light jacket the gun simply disappear.
I can't use OWB for general carry because I don't have/wear cover garments that hang down far enough. The general rule for cover garments is that they should extend 6" below the lowest visible part of the gun/holster. That margin allows you to move around, bend down, sit down, reach up, etc. without exposing the gun/holster.
I've done OWB for short trips out of the house, but I don't wear my shirts long enough to make it work for all-day, general carry.
I've done OWB for short trips out of the house, but I don't wear my shirts long enough to make it work for all-day, general carry.
"Printing" is a non-issue. No one's looking for guns. No one's going to notice any buldges under your clothes. Unless you're a supermodel or on fire, no one's going to notice you at all.
I wear a lot of monochrome shirts over a 19-round XDm 9mm with a C-More STS red dot sight. It’s pretty big on my 140 lb frame, but no one ever notices.
I wear a lot of monochrome shirts over a 19-round XDm 9mm with a C-More STS red dot sight. It’s pretty big on my 140 lb frame, but no one ever notices.
StainlessSteel215
Moderator
Agreed with Japle, lot of it is simply in your head in terms of shirt printing. Although 90% of my carry is IWB for my Glock26, I am slowly warming up to more OWB carry also. I find that to ease your mind when you do carry OWB....keep these simple clothing techniques in mind:
-Wear a more loose fitting shirt, if its skin tight printing is almost unavoidable.
-Darker shirts less obvious, and specially shirts with a pattern or graphic
-Make sure the shirt length obviously falls beyond at least 3" under the holster
-For cooler weather....long sleeve flannels or jackets are perfect
-Wear a more loose fitting shirt, if its skin tight printing is almost unavoidable.
-Darker shirts less obvious, and specially shirts with a pattern or graphic
-Make sure the shirt length obviously falls beyond at least 3" under the holster
-For cooler weather....long sleeve flannels or jackets are perfect
Open carry and printing are fine here in Georgia. I stopped worrying about it long ago. I dont open carry much but I dont worry about printing or even the barrel exposing when moving. I carry OWB CW9 in a Crossbreed snapside and I'm currently looking for a nice OWB holster for my SP101.
fullsize only
New member
I carry a 9mm fullsize xdm in the holster it came with when its cool. I weigh the same as you but I'm 5'8". I wear an xl tshirt and zipper style hoodie or a quarter length Windbreaker. If its chilly, a field jacket works well. I will also carry a g17 in a duty holster I bought from cheaper than dirt. No one sees the print, something dark or with print does help.
Kreyzhorse
New member
+1. A lose fitting patterned shirt or light jacket will cover virtually ever gun up. If it does slightly print, no one will notice, especially in this day and age of cell phones and pagers (I actually saw someone wearing one earlier in the week).
I always do OWB in a holster with an "FBI" cant. Just an untucked shirt over it and nobody is the wiser. The shirt isn't even always as long as it probably should be. I'm a small guy too, positioned at about 4:00 it doesn't show.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus that ate your iPhone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus that ate your iPhone.
As JohnKSa posts, I don't carry in an OWB holster for this reason of a cover garment's length necessary to cover the handgun and holster.
I carry a full size or commander size 1911 in an IWB holster which even a normal T-shirt will cover. In an OWB holster the garment would need to go to mid thigh to reliably cover it; instead of merely to cover my pants pocket for the IWB. Adding 8 or 10 inches to a shirt would make it like a dress (if you could find one). I'm not going to always wear a coat inside to cover an OWB setup.
OWB Is A Great Way TO Carry
http://www.lapolicegear.com/gaflhiribeho.html
I’ve become a big fan of Galco Fletch Holsters, for several of my concealed carry weapons. I may pocket carry a BUG but a good OWB Holster makes a world of difference when sitting, you need to access the weapon.
Shop around on the price, but they are well worth the money. They are well made and their design is contoured on the body side to the natural curve of the hip, keeping the molding on the front of the holster for significantly more comfortable carry. They have a narrower profile than ordinary pancake style holsters, are more compact and concealable with a smoother draw.
During the hot summer months I tend to down size in caliber, for ease of concealment so a couple of .380 Caliber Weapons like the Ruger LCP and the Walther PPK S-1 are common weapon carry. In the Fall I start to upgrade in caliber and with the ease of concealment provided by additional clothing, things tend to grow. There’s even a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan, .44 Magnum, being carried in a custom made shoulder holster from J.R. Roscoe out ion Ft. Worth.
I have a variety of different weapon that I can choose from and depending where I’m going it might be a Primary Carry Weapon, with a BUG or a Third weapon in the glove box.
Here’s a picture of a Kimber 1911 45 ACP Custom Super Carry Pro, in a Galco Avenger OWB Holster. Another good one.
Clothing is of course a main concern. Longer shirts, vests, jackets and coats make in a lot easier for concealed carry. You’re only limited by your imagination or by how much you’re willing to spend. Don’t go cheap on holsters, though, just to save a few bucks.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/gaflhiribeho.html
I’ve become a big fan of Galco Fletch Holsters, for several of my concealed carry weapons. I may pocket carry a BUG but a good OWB Holster makes a world of difference when sitting, you need to access the weapon.
Shop around on the price, but they are well worth the money. They are well made and their design is contoured on the body side to the natural curve of the hip, keeping the molding on the front of the holster for significantly more comfortable carry. They have a narrower profile than ordinary pancake style holsters, are more compact and concealable with a smoother draw.
During the hot summer months I tend to down size in caliber, for ease of concealment so a couple of .380 Caliber Weapons like the Ruger LCP and the Walther PPK S-1 are common weapon carry. In the Fall I start to upgrade in caliber and with the ease of concealment provided by additional clothing, things tend to grow. There’s even a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan, .44 Magnum, being carried in a custom made shoulder holster from J.R. Roscoe out ion Ft. Worth.
I have a variety of different weapon that I can choose from and depending where I’m going it might be a Primary Carry Weapon, with a BUG or a Third weapon in the glove box.
Here’s a picture of a Kimber 1911 45 ACP Custom Super Carry Pro, in a Galco Avenger OWB Holster. Another good one.
Clothing is of course a main concern. Longer shirts, vests, jackets and coats make in a lot easier for concealed carry. You’re only limited by your imagination or by how much you’re willing to spend. Don’t go cheap on holsters, though, just to save a few bucks.
Straightshooter629
New member
An untucked T-shirt or sweatshirt work well to cover my Rossi 462 in a Don Hume belt slide. I always carry cross-draw. My set -up works just as well in the summer as it does in cooler weather, minus the sweatshirt. The main point is to use the thickest T's you can find. The heavier weight shirts cover better than the thinner ones. Plus, I always wear an a-line type undershirt (wifebeater) to keep my weapon from rubbing directly against my body.
Most people just don't pay attention or look for weapons. I live in an open carry state so don't put excessive effort into full concealment. Many times, I don't even put on my cover when getting out of the Jeep to get gas or enter local businesses. Very seldom do I see anyone even notice the pistol even though it's fully exposed.
On the other hand, I look for folks carrying. I see someone now and then using some of the mentioned ploys-open shirt, shirt tail out, baggy patterned shirt, or oversized T-shirt. To me, those are just as obvious as open carry.
A sort of humerous scene developed several years ago involving not wearing my vest while paying for gas at a local C-store. Guy in line behind me pipes up about my pistol and asks if I'm a "big bad cop or just looking shoot someone". I answer no but he might want to stand a little further away since being too close to a fiream might violate his parole. I knew this guy from way back and knew he was a convicted felon. I thought the C-store clerk was going to explode trying to keep from laughing since she knew him,too.
On the other hand, I look for folks carrying. I see someone now and then using some of the mentioned ploys-open shirt, shirt tail out, baggy patterned shirt, or oversized T-shirt. To me, those are just as obvious as open carry.
A sort of humerous scene developed several years ago involving not wearing my vest while paying for gas at a local C-store. Guy in line behind me pipes up about my pistol and asks if I'm a "big bad cop or just looking shoot someone". I answer no but he might want to stand a little further away since being too close to a fiream might violate his parole. I knew this guy from way back and knew he was a convicted felon. I thought the C-store clerk was going to explode trying to keep from laughing since she knew him,too.