Try the Simply Rugged pancake style holsters or slides, I use these for my 44 special with 4 in barrel and occasional my 45 acp worn at 4 o'clock. In summer a loose fitting t shirt or aloha shirt work well to conceal and I go everywhere with this combination.
I vote against a vest in summer. As soon as I spot one on a 101 degree day like we had yesterday I think the guy may as well wear a sign that says, I'm packing.

I carry a J frame size Taurus M85 or S&W 360J in quality nylon holster with sweat guard (Cardini holsters) in Appendix position at 10-11 o’clock with 2 speed strips in pocket or in console tray when driving.Comfortable in all positions and great for car carry (put seatbelt behind grip). This is Three season carry with shirt cover. Winter is coat/pants pocket carry with jacket.
If suite or sport coat is required or desired a cross draw may work. There are ALOT of good suggestions on Google or YouTube.

Congrats on your Cal CCW!

I've carried a sidearm of one sort or another for the last 38 years. Like most other people here, I've got dozens of holsters that were great in the store or in the catalog, but in real life they were a pain, sometimes literally. I discovered side snap holsters a few years ago, and that's pretty much the only holster I will wear anymore. Easy to put on, easy to take off, and comfortable. As in wear it all day and never notice comfortable. I've got one for a 4 inch N-frame that makes my Model 29 feel like a J-frame snubby. But, the best holster in the world ain't worth two hoots in a windstorm if you don't have a quality belt to wear it on. A quality holster, worn on a quality belt, will hide most any handgun under an untucked shirt or lightweight vest. I have a few different vests that I wear, none of them are the "tacti-cool" variety, just simple casual or dress type vests. I think the most expensive one I wear cost me a little less than 30 dollars and a thrift shop. Looks good with jeans or casual slacks.

Use enough gun. Leather by Bucheimer, Don Hume, Bianchi. Good, heavy belt increases comfort. Tough to go wrong. More uncomfortable to become a victim.

Right after I got my concealed carry shortly after it became legal in my state, my family and I went to a restaurant and were seated in a booth right near a table where four police officers were finishing up their dinners. My daughters and my wife were already in the booth when I sat down accompanied by a loud “thunk!” as the butt of my revolver hit the backrest through my jacket. I didn’t realize how loud it was until one of the officers leaned over, saying, “Happened to me my first time out, too. You’ll get used to it.” I thanked him and later re-evaluated how I carried. I don’t carry IWB or AIWB, so I moved my holster further forward to almost 3 o’clock, still concealed under my shirts or jackets, but less likely to “thunk!” or tent when I bend.


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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

To me the vests and fanny packs just scream "gun". Especially when the wearer has a Glock hat and/or Molon Labe t-shirt on as well!

I live a pretty low risk lifestyle, so I've always felt o.k. with a pocket gun of some sort.

Here is the way I carry. The leather holsters are from Wright Leather Works and are called the "Predator". I carry them on a Wrights leather gun belt or for shorts or cargo's I wear them on a Wilderness Instructor Belt with 5 rows of switching. With the proper belt these holsters will hug your body. A button type shirt left unbuttoned and un-tucked is all it takes.
Leather Concealed Carry Holsters & Belts | Wright Leather Works LLC

S&W Shield 003cf3 by Jerry Jaynes, on Flickr


S&W 442 OWB by Jerry Jaynes, on Flickr

For pocket carry that's a Mika' pocket holster. Great with cargo pants or shorts.
https://mikaspocketholsters.com/

Mika Pocket Holster by Jerry Jaynes, on Flickr

S & W .380 Bodyguard or the small Taurus pop-up barrelled .22 auto in a good leather pocket holster is what works for me.
Buy pants with deep front pockets with wide openings, that are made with good medium or heavy duty pocket drill material. After a few days carrying like that you will forget you have it on you.
Don't worry about the smaller calibers. They do better than many would have you think.
Nobody wants to get shot with anything.

I carried a S&W Model 36 2 inch for 50 years! Now I went to pocket carry of a S&W Bodyguard. Absolutely fantastic carry piece.

Now for under the arm or on the belt question, both places are fine and practical. Never carry on the ankle!!!!! No way to draw quickly, especially if you are running!

You should see the shock and awe look on a bad guys face when that BG 380 comes put of the pocket and that laser hits them in the eyes. PRICELESS!

Find a gun that you can shoot effectively repeatedly and dress around the gun. It may take a while for you to find a method of carry that suits you but don’t give up. You may end up with a drawer full of holsters like the rest of us but that’s how it goes.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

FWIW I carry my LC9 in a Galco pocket holster a lot in the summer when I'm wearing loose shorts & T-shirts.

I carry the LC9 in a Targus brand hybrid holster (leather base with a kydex shell) IWB @ 4:00 most of the rest of the time. For any holster a good belt is essential, just as others have said.

I own a few shoulder rigs, but I am so barrel chested that they don't work very well for me. Th gun causes my arm on that side to "hang" farther away from my body on that side - kind of gives me a one-sided "gorilla" stance.

I've ankle carried with a holster inside my cowboy boot, but most ankle holsters are uncomfortable IMO.

..so I like shoulder holsters. I have a Remora, but the one I want to tell you about is 'different'. It's the 'Kangaroo' Air Marshal type. It's made of elastic, not good for jogging or active movement and it's not pretty, but for sitting it's as comfortable as can be. If you wear some sort of a jacket to cover the band, it's a good concealer and it will adjust for many guns.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

OP noted he is in CA..........so a "not exactly pro gun State" therefore I think that super concealed carry is a must unless you want people shouting out "OMG......guys' got a GUN!", every time you're in Wally World.

Sometimes however diversion can equal the best of concealment schemes, so I say your solution could be to carry your handgun in whatever you like, and wear whatever you like, but be sure it is located on your strong side. On the weak side, simply carry an M1 Garand at sling arms and I could probably guarantee you that no one will ever notice your handgun.

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

to each his own , so whatever works for you.
I use to fret over printing , and as the others have stated, most don't / wont notice.

for myself:
- have a great belt 1.5 to 1.75
- stop fidgeting , double checking that it is still there ect
- carry that gun every single day
- don't buy a **** holster. IE: don't use a $20 holster to carry a $500 gun.
- buy multiple holsters , just as the wives buying multiple pairs of shoes!

Lots of good advice so far.......I've been concealed carrying in a suit since about 1980. It's all about the gun,holster,belt and covering garment taken as a whole; one wrong component can screw it up. You need to dress around the gun. And realize 99.99999% of the folks you meet don't even think about someone concealed carrying...... today a smart phones print more than my gun ever has.

Since about 1990 I've been carrying a S&W 3913 in a Milt Sparks Summer special IWB at 4 o'clock...... 90 % of the time.... spare mag in a horizonal Safariland 123 mag pouch that lays flat along my belt.

I've also regularly carry a 3" 66 with the same holster on weekends and at the cabin.

I've carried guns as big as a Sig 220 .45 and a Beretta 92 Centurion. again using Sparks holsters ..... mostly Summer Specials.


Sitting a lot with your suit coat on ..... consider a 2" J-frame in a good cross-draw holster worn/ tucked back at about 8-9 o'clock....butt forward the grip won't be between you and the chair or car seat.

Another option if you can find one is a "hip grip" allows you to carry IWB w/out a holster with only the grip above the belt line.

One last piece of advice.... any holster/belt you try... you need to "test drive" it for at least a week or ten days...... every holster feels 'strange" at first. I have bought at least 10 used, expensive ($100) holsters, for pennies on the dollar, at LGSs that have been only worn once!!!!!!!

I would definitely dress around what you plan on carrying just make sure a reasonable sized gun (shield, g19/26, jframeetc) you can shoot well since the liscence is generally tied to the specific gun there. Definitely focus on reasonable guns if the serial numbers are tied to the carry permit still. You can always change holsters as most people take time to find their preferred method or holster. You will probably eventually want multiple options but in general a 3-4 o’clock with a shield/pps should be doable but a shoulder holster is useful for long drives or when sitting for long periods. I generally prefer owb but if paranoid iwb conceals a bit better. I personally like stealth gear for either owb or iwb and n82 tactical could work for iwb though I don’t like the twisting motion on small guns for the polymer version.

I have tried just about every way a person can carry and have spent large sums of money to figure out OWB in a pancake style holster is it for me at the 3- 3:30 position. From my J frames to my 4" 19, 1911(s) and Glock 17.