Concealed Carry Thread: Join The Hawaiian Shirt Wearers Club of America!

**Phrost** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 10:43am

This was originally posted on a gun-related subforum of SA by LoungieMu. Reposted with his permission as it's pretty damn informative.

So, you've got a CCW? Well congratufuckinglations.

Stuff that thing in your wallet, assuming you have one. You can also put it in a money clip or on a lanyard if you are a fucking oddball. I don't care, just keep that **** on your person, because the police don't give a **** if you are riding dirty at 3 AM to Taco Bell and don't have common fucking sense.

Okay. Got a gun? Get one!

Yeah, you can technically carry other weapons with a CCW in most places, but if you are planning on pulling a Mick Dundee and drawing an Arkansas toothpick out of your asshole, you are a fucking weirdo. Get a gun already. Not just any gun, shithead. Put down that .22LR! Drop that mosin! Sit down, and let me tell you what you are preparing for:

You are preparing for the contingency of being forced to defend your life with lethal force.

That means, essentially, you are planning on the rare chance of shooting motherfuckers, possibly until they die. I am sure you could do this with that .22 or your flintlock or whatever avant garde **** you want to carry, given enough sedatives are in your victim's system. However, that wouldn't mean a damn thing when you are trying to save your ass in the quickest amount of time possible.

What are bulletz?

While the caliber dickwaving rages on forever, you'll be generally okay if you use a caliber .30 or greater and less than .50. Of course this is an extremely simplistic overview of cartridges, so if you are concerned over a ramming that .454 Casul derringer into your cheeto-stained thunderwear, you are probably on a statistical outlier, and should consult the nearest adult.

To water it down even more, take a gander at these cartridges:

9mm parabellum
.40 S&W
.45 ACP
.38 spcl

There are dozens and dozens of other pistol cartridges, but these are by far the most commonplace. Get to know these, and branch out to your snobby cheese & wine limited release **** later.

Now, we know what your gun will shoot, probably. Now, what else is there?

The first C in CCW stands for Concealed. Put down that Deagle. Okay, not you, ZerglingMinor

To conceal a weapon, we want a small weapon. That means a pistol. But not just any pistol, we want one that is going to be easy to carry and doesn't attract notice when worn. To that end, we have a few options:

Snub-nosed revolvers
Service automatic handguns
Compact/Subcompact automatic handguns

Snub-nosed revolvers are very small, double-action revolvers, and come either with an exposed hammer or without. These are very easy to carry in a holster, as well as in a pocket or elsewhere if you must. The amount of cartridges you can hold will generally be less than that of an automatic handgun.

Automatic handguns are weapons that fire a bullet, eject a casing, and feed a new cartridge from the magazine with a single trigger pull. They are by far the most common concealed handguns. These guns can come either single or double action, as well as a myriad of striker-fire and other crazy options. Some have safeties, some do not. Some have exposed hammers, some do not. Some have metal grips, others polymer. These are important, but the only difference between service, compact, and subcompact is all about size, dimensions, and weight.

All of these are generally good ideas, depending on your own experiences and preferences. While some people are fine with concealing a service handgun without trouble, others benefit from compacts, where others still want a revolver. The best way to decide this is to spend a lot of time and money at the range and blow through a lot of ammunition. Don't skimp. Don't settle. Don't put yourself at a disadvantage.

Got my gun, now where to put it?

Time to buy a holster.

STOP!

Get away from those Uncle Mikes padded nylon holsters. Yes I am sure that at $7, they look quite the bargain. Do you want to be using a "bargain holster" to rely on you keeping a loaded (and possibly chambered) weapon in place during your day-to-day, or even when you need it most?

Save your money for something good. What is good? Well, there are a lot of really reputable vendors out there that sell holsters made out of stuff like bull hide, kydex, and other such materials. Word of mouth helps, but you won't go wrong with names like Alessi, Galco, Blade-Tech, or Comp-Tac. You know what is odd? You won't find much in the way of padded nylon with these guys.

Holsters vary in style and use. Some have thumb breaks that keep a strap looped over the firearm, while others use form-fitting materials to keep a retention fit on the weapon. The latter are usually made of synthetic polymers, and usually for automatics.

Styles of holsters also vary. The most common method of concealment is going to the inside-the-belt holster, or IWB. IWB works on a simple premise of having the gun and surrounding holster resting inside the pants and belt, and being secured by one or more loops or fasteners that connect to the belt itself. Many of these IWB holsters also allow a gap between the loops and holster body so that you can tuck a shirt over a weapon. This makes IWB an easy and convenient choice for many, although there are situations in which IWB can be cumbersome, such as sitting in certain ways.

Shoulder holsters are another popular choice. These holsters are ideal for anybody who wears a coat or a blazer on a consistent basis, where the overgarment will be able to conceal. Of course, this restriction on clothing choice can be cumbersome to some.

Ankle holsters are popular with revolvers and compact automatics. They have none of the restrictions that IWB or Shoulder rigs have. The downside is that they are harder to draw from, and you also have to re-train yourself to walk, in a way. You wouldn't think a pound or two of weapon on your ankle would make you stumble like a drunk idiot until you try it for the first time. Practice makes perfect.

Of course, there are other methods of carry, including using outside-the-waistband rigs, gun clips such as the ones from Kel-Tec, purse carry, boob carry (hey ladies!) mexican carry, thunderwear, etc. For the sake of brevity, we won't go into them. If you feel compelled to be different, look it up on your own, and caveat emptor.

For the sake of keeping this readable, I'll refer mainly to IWB carry in this instructional thread, unless specifically saying otherwise.

Durr, what else?

Well, you're almost there. What I suggest now is to buy a sturdy belt. I am sure the one you got at Abercrombie or wherever is really nice and stylish, but you can and must do better. You need a gun belt. My recommendation goes to Belt Man belts, but Wilderness and a few others make nice ones too. I suggest Belt Man because a double bullhide belt will keep a station wagon in your pants, and unlike the Wilderness belt, it doesn't look like an abortion of fashion. Of course, you will be fine as long as you make sure you're wearing something that is rated to support a holster and firearm. You also want to make sure that the belt you buy sizes up a notch in anticipation of a weapon, just fyi.

Beyond this, you may want to consider different pants. 5.11 tactical pants, while not fashionably correct, are fantastic pants to wear a holster in. They have very wide belt loops, space just widely enough to secure most IWB's comfortably, and the material is sturdy as hell. Of course, many other vendors make good and sturdy pants that would fit that category too. I am a fan of robust belt loops, and as long as the pants aren't made of tissue paper, they're good. In addition to the belt, you also want to plan your pants to accept the extra girth of a weapon, should you IWB.

Buy some shirts. You want some heavy fabric, and preferably dark colors when you can. Both of these combinations will prevent noticable printing profiles when your gun handle juts too close for comfort. I like cotton myself, but you can experiment with what is comfortable. Of course you can be a slackass and go hawaiian shirt style, but we'll all know you are either packing or a total jackass. Also, make sure those shirts you buy are of a decent length that allows for a good tuck, or a good overhand, depending. You don't want a seam that hovers just below the waistline. This is a useless shirt.

For things like ankle rigs, plan on some pants with enough ankle space to accomodate the weapon, not print, and make drawing easy. For shoulder rigs, you obviously want a coat or blazer with good coverage. Nuff said there.

Now how do I wear this ****?

Easy. Do what feels good, and do what works.

IWB goes by clock orientation, with 12:00 being your dong and 6:00 being your butthole. The classic righty-dominant configuration is 4:00 carry, which would rest the gun snug against your kidney. This works very well for the right handed shooter of average build. It's out of the way, conceals a bladed draw, and prints minimally on most people.

Now, if this doesn't work for you, don't get bent out of shape. Some people prefer to choke up a little higher on the clock. I myself carry 3:00 because I am a big guy and a carry towards the back prints a little more. I know others who carry to extremes like 2:00 or higher, and some who carry dead at the small of their back. Further, beyond clock positioning, many holsters allow you to adjust the cant, or the angle of tilt, on the holster. An inward cant can be easier to draw from, depending on the position of your weapon. The best idea of what works is to wear your gun and holster in each position, and go about your daily business. If you are uncomfortable, then how do you expect to carry and defend yourself? Try until you find a fit that is both comfortable, and easy to draw from.

Learn how to tuck your shirt, if you will find yourself doing this. Tucking with a gun in the holster is a bit like learning how to ride a bike. It is frustrating at first, but it becomes second nature later. If you are a professional slackass, skip this step and learn how to wear an untucked sh...oh you got that? Ok fine.

You are almost ready!

What do you need from now? Training!

Lots of fucking training!

Do you shoot Isosceles? Weaver? Chapman? Blind behind the back while crying? Whatever you shoot, you need to learn how to master that technique, and how to effect a fast and fumble-free draw. There are reams and reams of tips and techniques on this, and I won't get into the styles. I will suggest that you make that your next priority after getting down your carry basics. Each will outline in nauseating detail the transitions you will go through from concealment to draw, to firing. At least after this, you have the first part down pat.

Good luck.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 11:04am

On the Holsters section, I've had very good expirence with Blade-Tech

**Phrost** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 11:35am

Yeah, but you CCW a Katana.

**Matt W.** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 12:55pm

LOL. Good stuff.

I have to CC on the job when in public (except for certain cases like planned arrests...). Sometimes I do the shirt, other times I wear a fleece vest. The vest is actually the most comfortable, not entirely unstylish and quite concealing. Of course, it doesn't take Columbo to figure out that a guy wearing a fleece vest and cargo pants in the dead of summer might be packing...

For civilian CC, I break one of this guy's rules, because I carry a .22lr. I give up calibre for the ease of carry. It's a beretta Tomcat and fits EASILY in my front pocket and prints no more than my keys. And it's an easy, fast draw.

**Phrost** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 1:29pm

The instructor at my CCW course carried/carries a tiny .22 magnum revolver in his pants pocket.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 2:04pm

Originally Posted by Phrost

Yeah, but you CCW a Katana.

+

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**Zendetta** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 2:08pm

Great stuff. I was considering looking into CC out here in Cali, but rumor has it you have to be holier than St Theresa to get the permit.

**Phrost** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 2:12pm

Or Barbara Boxer.

Who votes against private gun ownership even though her bodyguards get to have them.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 8/06/2007 2:17pm

Originally Posted by Phrost

Or Barbara Boxer.

Who votes against private gun ownership even though her bodyguards get to have them.

Or Rosie ODonnell who stopped doing Kmart ads because they sold gun ammo, however only months later her bodyguard was busted for an illegial possession of a firearm.