Good Evening, Gentlemen,

First and foremost, MANY thanks for all the outstanding replies to this question!! Much appreciate and very much enjoyed! Lots of great info and suggestions to consider.

Terry, I think you must be a rather large person in order to wear a 657 in an ANKLE holster, Sir!!! Goodness gracious, and holy moly!!! The weight on my ankle, alone, would give me pause to reconsider this form of carry! But, hey, that's just me, and if that works well for you, and is comfortable, that's all that counts. I'd LOVE to see a photo of your setup, being worn, pant leg pulled up to show it, if you don't mind sharing with us.

Thanks, again, to every one, and I'll let you know how all this turns out. I've been playing around with other combinations, and other firearms, as this undertaking is worthy of serious consideration, and wise decisions being made! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

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Honor God, above all.

4" 329PD daily in a Tucker HF-3 holster, on a thick Tucker belt.

Holster holds the grip nice and snug to my body, easily concealed under an untucked button up print shirt, or a large dark colored Tshirt.

That thick Tucker belt is OVERKILL for a 26oz. revolver, but I like it.

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matt

Morning, Jim,

I'm intrigued by your having done this, and would very much appreciate your sharing a bit more about it. For me, my carry weapons must be 24/7 tools, and it would be hard to choose one that could only be worn underneath a garment, be it shirt, jacket, or sweater. Back when I was a RSO at our shooting range, I sometimes wore a Bianchi Belly Band underneath a tucked-in, bloused (as you so rightly said) shirt, and found it comfortable, easy to access, and undetectable, if I did it correctly. I carried several firearms in it, during those days, sometimes a Colt Lightweight Officer's .45 ACP, sometimes a Sig P230SL, or a Walther PPK/S, or sometimes a Ruger Speed Six, or a Smith Model 60. All of them worked very well in that carry method, but I never gave thought to trying an N-frame Smith. Which belly band did you use, and did you have to modify it to make it work for you, comfortably? If you have any photos of that setup, I'd love to see them, please. Thanks for any additional info you can send my way on this. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

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Honor God, above all.

I have a Simply Rugged pancake for my 3" 629. My 3-1/2" 27 fits as well. I carry either piece from time to time under an un-tucked shirt. Heavier on the belt than my 2.5" 66's, but totally do-able. After picking up a 624 4" I'm on the prowl for a 3" 624 or 24 to save a little weight off of the 629......

Carry my 24-3 3 incher in one of Dave Keith's rigs quite often. He does mighty fine work. Having him make one for my 19 2.5 incher now.

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KSCowboy

I have noticed Rob SR Holsters has about 1/2 inch of extra on his pancakes.
So my thought is a 3 1/2" for my 27 will fit my 28-2 also.
So I should get off here and order it.
I don't like packing a heavy gun in any other holster but the sourdough. It lessens the bounce. Helping keep the britches up.

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Have a blessed day ,
Bull

Zombie thread!

This same thread has been posted more recently in the Concealed Carry forum...look there for more info.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

Carry a 627 UDR occasionally and most of the time a 327 2", both in a Lobo IWB.

That's a beautiful rig. And what kind of spurs are those? Wouldn't happen to be a pair of Crocketts would they?

Yup, Crocketts from back in the 40s.
Those were my Dad's, in addition, both Itchy and I have pairs of our own.

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Eccentric old coot

I've carried a 4 inch n frame for ccw. Another vote for the simply rugged pancake. It works just fine with an aloha shirt over it.

Packing one now.
329Boom.jpg

A model 27-2 3.5" in a Kramer OWB works for me with a jacket/coat/shirt of appropriate length. And I'm not a big guy. A few extra pounds maybe.
Spend some $ on the right belt.

No problem, just buy a pair of these and do pocket carry.

Beautiful and Matching rig you have there sir! I have a very good friend who's a retired FBI agent like yourself. His name is Herman Groman and he retired out of the Vegas office as the Agent in Charge. He's my older brothers age, a Vietnam vet and one of the best shooters I have ever shot with. He also Packs a Colt Combat Commander and can make that baby run! Learned a lot from him and I truly thank you for your service.

Up to six months ago I carried my Colt Combat Commander in an HBE IWB holster, a mag pouch from a local leather smith and a BeltMan 1.5" belt.

I lucked out on the 1911 Forum and bought a Tucker rig, all matching. Tan Askins style holster, HEAVY duty belt and a mag/Surefire light pouch. This is my first complete custom made set. I have a 30" waist so I was able to purchase the whole shindig for a mere $75.00. I used it the entire summer and was never made. Its way more comfortable than my IWB and I would HIGHLY recommend a Tucker for packing a large N frame as it oozes quality and with the thick gunbelt supports my 3" 657 in its Lobo OWB holster so well I have carried it on many a hikes and over and down the hills of SE Ohio and it never once bothered me. I will use the same rig when its freezing outside and I need a 210 gr. Speer Gold Dot to penetrate through multiple layers of clothing.

Go with Tucker, Lobo or an HBE holster and pay the extra money for a belt from the Belt Man. If I need another holster I'm going with a tan Tucker as it matches my belt and is one heck of a great holster! Your N frame will thank you for it, plus you won't even know you're packing a heavy weapon.

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V/R
Roger / SG

In thinking about the unlikely concept of my seriously concealing an N-frame, I believe most of it would depend on the holster and in the context of 4 inch barrel or less.

Strong side would require a pronounced forward cant to keep that big grip from wagging around. Even a minimized type of grip could present a concealment challenge.

I have also learned that the big guns require a lower carry, especially for crossdraw. The DeSantis dual mode that S&W sells is an outstanding holster for either mode but is hands down the best crossdraw I have except for the CMEs for single actions.

I have the Alaska shoulder rig for the N-frames, but have not tried it under a coat.

That is as clean and neat a rig as I have seen in a long time.

As to the "flippers" I don't think they would work well in the cactus out here on the high lonesome...

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Eccentric old coot

[QUOTE=Sportsterguy;135961896]I'm 5' 7" and weigh a whopping 167lbs. and can easily conceal the 657, full size Springer

Whats a Springer

I have two pair of vintage Crockett spurs. The pair in this photo date from the mid- to late-thirties. The straps have long since disappeared, but I love them anyway.

Attached Images

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Those definitely are some old timers. Worth quite a bit of money, but priceless to you and yours.

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Eccentric old coot

I can get away with a 44 4" in an IWB but only when I'm dressed for yard work. I can't pull it off with anything but loose shirts with the tail out.

I have more options during the 3 1/2 weeks of Texas winter when I can wear a jacket.

The 296 L frame is just the next size down, and a 5-rd, that I can do dress clothes with.

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>>ARMED LIBERAL>>

My holsters from LOBO too! An OWB in conjunction with a Beltmans 1.5" belt. Ray is a great guy and will custom tailor your holster. All are top quality and won't bust your bank or make you wait months on! Beltman lives only 2.5 hours away. Have 4 of his belts. One I have on right now is 7 years old and I don't know my Commander is there.

Great choice in revolver, caliber and holster Mr. Stainz!

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V/R
Roger / SG

Back in the late 70s just for the heck of it I decided to try it.

I had a 29 4'' nickel and a concealable safariland belt holster and for about a month I carried it on a heavy duty gun belt.

My normal carry gun then was a 60 and let me say there is more than a slight difference in size between those two guns.

Now I’m a big guy 5' 11'' weight at that time about 230 and I found it just to be too big and heavy/ clumsy for a comfortable carry piece.

It was loaded at that time with sort of heavy 44 special loads and I have no doubt it would do the job if a SHTF situation occurred.

After that one month I only carried that iron out hunting and many times it would sit concealed in a shoulder rig under my hunting coat. Carried it that way as it was well protected and not in the way when going through typical NYS mountainous areas. It was definitely more comfortable in the shoulder holster.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

This set up works pretty well when I'm wantin' to be sneaky.

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Eccentric old coot

I have a Galco Silhouette High Ride Holster that fits my 4" S&W 29-2, 8 3/8" S&W 29-2, 8" Colt Anaconda, and my 7 1/2" Ruger Super Redhawk. I carry the 4" 29-2 concealed in the woods or open carry the others.

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret