Tricks of concealed carry: enlighten me!

P

Pond James Pond

New member
Hope this is the right forum for this question.

Despite not planning to carry on any regular basis, just reading about it has given me an inkling that doing it well requires a few tricks and techniques.

So, generally speaking (as many know I don't yet have a gun, and am no closer to deciding on one :rolleyes:), what tips do you CCW gurus have for someone who doesn't want to resort to using their underwear for concealment....

Basic info that I guess you need: medium height and build. Have all my limbs. I wear casual clothes mostly: jeans, outdoor type trousers etc, t-shirt and sweatshirts. Don't handle the heat well, so don't like many layers, even when it gets cooler.
Often ride a bike in summer, swap for a sidecar in winter so not sure about wearing a weapon on my person when riding: more likely to fall than draw and me on one side, the road on the other and a gun in between = broken ribs or hip...

Over to you lot. Let the wisdom flow...:D
 
As many have stated before me you will have to adjust how you dress to accommodate carrying a concealed weapon. ITW holster will require pants one size larger (for comfort) OTW a loose fitting shirt. If you plan on pocket carry forget about tight pants or snug fitting pants. Issues will be the gun printing and the other is drawing the gun from a tight/snug pocket. Shoulder holster will require a shirt over a t-shirt.
 
It is not that difficult to conceal carry. I have an OWB holster, but now I prefer the pocket carry method more. My gun is considered a little large for pocket carry, Ruger SP101, but it makes like easy since I don't have to worry anymore about the type of shirt I am wearing. Long sleeve, short sleeve, tucked or not tucked, it is a piece of cake. I carried for two months when I first started carrying in front of my son in law in HIS home and he never noticed till I couldn't stand it any longer and showed it to him.

Understand that if someone is LOOKING for a gun on your person, they probably will be able to see it in many instances if they know what to look for. The issue is for the majority of folks, they don't even consider that you would have a gun under your shirt. Understanding this simple fact makes the choices for concealed carry a bit easier.
 
The trouble with all this is simply the fact that we are trying to explain to a totally blind man the nuances of shading on a peach rose, . . . or open the understanding of a deaf man to the William Tell Overture. In a nutshell, . . . we may try, but we will never fully succeed.

What you are going to have to do is simply jump in, . . . get your CCW feet wet, . . . and be ready to pitch $1000 bucks out the window, . . . probably a hundred or so at a time.

You will buy guns you don't like, . . . I could give you my list, . . . but it wouldn't help you, . . . nor would my list of holsters in the cardboard box that I no longer use.

Even with 17 years military, . . . and some legal CCW before it was cool, . . . when I got my CHL, . . . it all changed.

Being an ex biker, . . . I understand some of your situation, . . . I have a gun vest for if/when I ever get back on 2 wheels and a shoulder holster.

I have found at 6-1 / 175 & 66 yrs old, . . . an in-the-waistband holster carrying an all steel 1911, full size with 1, 2, or 3 additional mags is my typical carry. It is not for everyone, . . . nor will yours be.

Jump in, . . . make a purchase, . . . trade up or trade down, . . . get a couple cases of buyers remorse and seller's remorse, . . . you'll do fine.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Everybody is different but here are few things that I have found out for me.

The J Frame sized revolver makes just about the most perfect carry gun ever. Easy to pocket carry, easy to always have, reliable, good for wrestling around at close range, hard to learn to shoot well. All in all though I think it is tough to be a J frame as a tool for CC.

A good belt and well designed (not necessarily nice looking) IWB holser will take you a long way. I have settled on the Crossbreed supertuck delux. Yeah, its ugly but after three for four days of use it is truly all day forget about it comfortable and easily allows for G19 sized guns to disappear. There are others of course this is just the one I settled on.

Don't worry about people making you. I have pretty much learned I could open carry a 1911 and wear a bright yellow shirt with bold black lettering that read. "Hi, my name is Chris and I have a cocked and locked .45 caliber pistol on my hip, nice to meet you." and the only people who would notice would be other gunnies.
 
Go baggy my friend....Go baggy. Very Loose, one size or two larger than you normally wear clothing.
Cargo Pants/ Shorts.
Button Down Shirts.

I personally like the Pancake style hip holster. Worn on the belt. Fits snug to your waist (inside or outside) of pant. And conceals the best.
 
Dwight covered it well as did graysmoke. In fact others nailed it pretty good too. So I guess you will have to jump in and see what happens. After all why should you be different from the rest of us? Start stimulating that economy!

Personally I can't emphasize enough buying a good belt. It will make a big difference no matter what direction you head and if you are not carrying (which I think you will once accustomed), you will be quite pleased how well a good belt also holds your pants up.
 
You will have to dress around your gun unless you carry a mouse gun. Shirts with patterns on them help break up any printing issues you might have.

As mentioned above, the most important part of your carry rig is your belt. A good leather gun belt is vital.
 
You really need a few ugly Hawaiian shirts

They hide everything.
Click to expand...

I don't think they hide anything: its more a case of passers by actively sheilding their eyes or looking the other way!! :D

I am just gonna blend in seamlessly to the Estonian winter in my Honolulu cotton wardrobe! :p

The price we'll pay for our passions, eh?
 
+1 with wearing more loose clothing. Not oversized, but usually one size bigger than your normal. So if you're a medium in shirts, go for a large. If 32 in pants, then get 34.

This way it'll have plenty of room for you to be comfy with your weapon of choice.

One thing I have learned also is that you should carry a light and slim pistol. This will make a world of a difference once you start carrying.
 
I agree with the previous writers: CCW is a very personal thing and you may find that you have a box of holsters and a few guns in a small safe until you find what works for you. It's going to depend on your body type, your customary attire and what you have available for weapon choices.

These days, though, with so many people carrying smart phones and the like on their belts, a minor bulge here or there may go unremarked by most people.

There is also a matter of perception. If you are wearing a business suit in Moscow and someone thinks you are carrying a gun, they may think that either you're a cop, FSB or private security. If you happen to look like a young Chechen male, you may find a lot of guns being pointed at you. The thing about having a CCW permit is that you will, subconsciously, carry yourself as a law-abiding citizen and that alone will forestall a lot of grief.

(I am using an example set in Moscow because, as far as I know, I've never seen any posts from Russians.)
 
Most folks are out and about totally oblivious to their surroundings let alone seeing a lump somewhere on your body. You'd be lucky if they even notice you. They are in a white condition.
 
1. Loose a few pounds, your current wardrobe will be bigger on you so you don't have to spend a fortune on new clothes other than a few shirts.

2. Go to a range with a large selection and start holding and shooting to see what works for you. I would go with something the size of a Glock 19 (for size reference) and go from there.

3. Get a quality gun belt and holster, be prepared to spend some money. Personally, I have been using a thick 5.11 nylon belt for about a year and it is getting to the point where I am going to have to replace it soon. I carry a full size M&P IWB with nothing more than a loose t-shirt or button up shirt off the clearance rack from REI.

4. It is going to feel weird at first. Walk around the house with it on and get used to how it feels for a while and have someone watch you from different angles as you bend and move around to see if you are obviously printing and what your range of motion is before you start printing bad or exposing.

Learn the laws for your area when carrying. Even with your permit you are no longer a law abiding citizen when you carry someplace you are restricted from carrying (school, federal building, ect.)

You should become hyper sensitive to what is going on in your immediate area (15ish foot bubble for me). Depending on where and how you carry, generally keep things out of your primary shooting hand and be able to draw and get rounds on target in 2 seconds maximum.

There are a bunch of other things you will learn along the way but the information in this thread is a solid start.
 
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I'm sort of in the same boat as you in that I am new to the handgun game and CC. But I have been thinking it out and here's what I have decided. 1) To me the "concealed" part of CC is paramount - I don't ever want anyone to know I have the thing. I'm not so worried about a quick draw, etc as much as surprise. 2) The season makes a big difference here - we go from tropical to arctic so whatever I use one month won't work later on because what I wear will change dramatically.

So far I have found an IWB holster for a S&W 642 worn right above my left pocket for cross draw works the best. It's pretty much invisible no matter what I wear and comfortable enough that I forget it's there. I'd prefer to wear it at 4 -4:30 or so but the grip, even on a small J frame, likes to poke out if I sit down or bend over, even with fairly baggy clothes. If I wear a coat or a hoodie all the time this problem disappears and I would then prefer this and CC a larger gun with more rounds. But this would only work for me if I was outside all the time.

Later on I will probabaly purchase a gun that will work for in-the-pocket.

So I guess it all comes down to time of year and what I'm wearing. For everyday use I plan on going with the 642 IWB as described above.

So far of course this is all hypothetical since the CC law in Wisconsin hasn't kicked in yet. But hopefully when it does and I have permit in hand I'll have a few methods that work well for me.
 
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I normally wear shorts and they just happen to have large pockets. I have carried full-sized pistols in them but I normally just carry my little Accu-Tec AT380 in them. For my regular CCW(an H&K P2000 .40), I use a Fobus pancake OTW holster-which I hide with my T-shirts. Both of those methods allow me to draw and fire pretty fast. When I carry in my pants, I normally have my hands in my pocket but not with the Fobus. The drawback of the Fobus is there is very little retention but it won't fall out if I'm running.

Also, we have leather seats and I hate the butts of my weapons pressing into the seats. Sometimes, I wear my Fobus on my weak side in a cross-draw fashion so this won't be a problem. Other than a slower a more obvious draw, it is more noticeable under my T-shirts.

I'm sure you know but if you can't draw your weapon quickly in a stressful situation, it isn't going to help you that much. I used to carry a Charter Arms .38 in an ankle holster. I could draw it an qualify but it was hard and slow to draw, and even harder to run in.

Lastly, there is a lady who makes a concealed carry under-the-armpit holster a few buddies just loved. I never got one because I would have had to wear two shirts to wear it comfortably.
 
Lots of good info already given but I'll add one more thing, learn to keep your hands and elbows off the gun!!!! Being an old LEO I tend to watch peoples hands and a newby is constantly checking, feeling, checking, pushing on the gun. Keep your hands off it and people won't notice it......
 
The above posts pretty much nailed it. You can carry about anything smaller than a Desert Eagle and no one will notice. Holster and belt are very important. Then everything falls into place (no pun intended). I carry a P2000 every day. OWB holster, great belts and one size large shirts untucked work. I've got belly bands, Thunderwear, a pager holster, ankle holsters, and pocket holsters. 99% of the time it's just an OWB holster (usually an Aker flatsider without thumbsnap), Ken Null belt and the P2000 and two spare mags.
 
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