Concealed carry comfort

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Sgt. Buzzard

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I use two different EDC weapons, one a S&W 442 and a Glock 42. The G 42 is both lighter and narrower. Yet I find the Smith is more comfortable to carry. Weighting both with ammo and holster it comes to G 42, 18.2 Oz. S&W 442, 20.2 Oz. So how is it I feel the Glock but not the Smith when the 442 is 2 Oz. heavier?

It comes down to the gun/holster balance. The center mass of the revolver is carried pretty evenly by the belt. The center mass of the auto loader is above the belt with the grip, mag and ammo all leaning out. Without a long barrel to distribute or lever the weight you feel the torque on your belt, not just the weight.

This observation has given me the opportunity to increase my comfort level by shedding another 3 Oz. and buy a 340 PD. I'm always happy to help enable the Smith & Wesson family here. Plus I really don't like striker fired guns pointed to my bodily parts.
 
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I had an M&P340 for several years. I didn't shoot it nearly as much as my larger heavier semi's and revolvers because it was just not all that pleasant to shoot. I can shoot almost anything pretty darn well but never felt that I could shoot it as well as many of my other choices. I recently traded it away and picked up a 649-2. It is much more pleasant to shoot and I hit better with it as well. Weight can be your friend in this case. Many members here are so concerned with light weight, that they for go shoot ability. I find that I also shoot all of my semi autos better than any of the small J frame types not to mention having more rounds on tap.
 
My 2 EDC are a 9mm shield and a CZ 75 CPR they are both carried in Milt Sparks VMII. the shield is more comfortable and the CZ more comforting.
I shoot the heavier CZ better and it has more rounds, the shield is more comfortable and is worn when it will be a long day.
 
Before buying a new gun for CCW, I would find a way to shoot that exact model with the ammo you intend to carry in it. Not just one round, but a few dozen if you can work that out. If it still suits you then go for it.

Many times the way a gun feels and carries does not help out much when shot. 5 years ago I would only carry a 5 shot M60 and owned no "plastic guns". After I shot one of my friends Sig P365's with 11 rounds on board I could not deny it was far superior. So much easier and faster to shoot better rounds out of. That was to me and your opinion may differ, but at least try and shoot the 340 PD with carry ammo first - then be honest with yourself and ask, "is that for me"?
 
I carry my 442 with a DeSantis Clip Grip.
This puts almost the whole revolver below your belt.

I agree. I carry a M67 with a 4" barrel. It carries better than short barrels.
 
I carry my 442 with a DeSantis Clip Grip.
This puts almost the whole revolver below your belt.

I agree. I carry a M67 with a 4" barrel. It carries better than short barrels.
 
I can always carry a lightweight J-Frame in my pocket. My second gun is in my waist. That gun depends on what I’m doing and what kind of shape my back is in. Some days it’s a second lightweight J-Frame. If everything is good it can be my Springfield 20 round XDm .

Update. I forgot to mention, a Bigfoot CCW Belt helps hold a waistband gun. I don’t get as many back problems as I used to.
 
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As I approach my 70th trip around the sun, a 640-1 Pro in a Milt Sparks VMII has become my EDC for a couple of years now. Comfortable (and comforting) for all-day carry. For the BBQ, it’ll ride OWB in a custom “bamabiker” pancake holster.

Very occasionally, a Kimber Ultra Carry I, also in a Milt Sparks VMII.

My other J’s (several 36’s and 60’s) and K’s (19-5 and 66-4) are now relegated to the safe or occasional range duty. The J’s are redundant and the K’s are just too big for EDC.
 

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For a variety of reasons. most of my carry time is a G33 in a Kramer pocket holster. For some limited purposes, I carry my G42 in a Mike pocket holster. I have a belt holster for it but I don't think I have ever used it. Pocket carry requires devotion to a good holster and having nothing else in the relevant pocket.
 
My 2” 36 or P365 ride nicely in my front pocket. As for belt carry I go from one extreme to the other. P365 in DeSantis belt scabbard and 3”629 also in DeSantis belt scabbard. Same quality Amish made belt for both. There’s not as much difference as you’d think in feel. Quality holster and design are the key. I find DeSantis hard to beat at twice the price.
 
Sgt. Buzzard said:
I use two different EDC weapons, one a S&W 442 and a Glock 42. The G 42 is both lighter and narrower. Yet I find the Smith is more comfortable to carry. Weighting both with ammo and holster it comes to G 42, 18.2 Oz. S&W 442, 20.2 Oz. So how is it I feel the Glock but not the Smith when the 442 is 2 Oz. heavier?

It comes down to the gun/holster balance. The center mass of the revolver is carried pretty evenly by the belt. The center mass of the auto loader is above the belt with the grip, mag and ammo all leaning out. Without a long barrel to distribute or lever the weight you feel the torque on your belt, not just the weight.

This observation has given me the opportunity to increase my comfort level by shedding another 3 Oz. and buy a 340 PD. I'm always happy to help enable the Smith & Wesson family here. Plus I really don't like striker fired guns pointed to my bodily parts.
Click to expand...

A 9mmShield in a soft pocket holster in the right front pocket of my blue jeans..........I forget it's there
When I use to wear overalls when hunting or out and about in the woods/fields..........A 4 in 29 slid behind the bib on top my gut........Rode in perfect comfort and safety.
 
I have other larger revolvers and pistols that I can shoot better than the 442. But in fifty years of qualifications the J frames have always gotten me over a 95%. Plus I'm willing to carry it.

A P210 or G34 is a range toy. Old and arthritic I want small, light and comfortable.
 
Sgt. Buzzard said:
I use two different EDC weapons, one a S&W 442 and a Glock 42. The G 42 is both lighter and narrower. Yet I find the Smith is more comfortable to carry. Weighting both with ammo and holster it comes to G 42, 18.2 Oz. S&W 442, 20.2 Oz. So how is it I feel the Glock but not the Smith when the 442 is 2 Oz. heavier?

It comes down to the gun/holster balance. The center mass of the revolver is carried pretty evenly by the belt. The center mass of the auto loader is above the belt with the grip, mag and ammo all leaning out. Without a long barrel to distribute or lever the weight you feel the torque on your belt, not just the weight.

This observation has given me the opportunity to increase my comfort level by shedding another 3 Oz. and buy a 340 PD. I'm always happy to help enable the Smith & Wesson family here. Plus I really don't like striker fired guns pointed to my bodily parts.
Click to expand...

Oh you poor guy dealing with bad holsters and carry set up's . I have carried a lw commander for most of my 37 years of iwb carry at 3:00 in a iwb hybrid holster that keeps my pistol pinned to the side Not all sag like your set up had !! My work belt is an old 1.5" LE brand ed belt know gone that's a reinforced 2layer + ss in-between 1.5" belt that still works well after 27 years . I still find my self doing elbow checks a time or two every day to be sure I still have my handgun on me . I do have thin grip panels on my 1911 but I can also do the same with a m&p 4.25 40 as the thickness of both is about 1.21 & 1.24 wide .
 
Sgt. Buzzard said:
I use two different EDC weapons, one an S&W 442 and a Glock 42. The G 42 is both lighter and narrower. Yet I find the Smith is more comfortable to carry. Weighting both with ammo and holster it comes to G 42, 18.2 Oz. S&W 442, 20.2 Oz. So how is it I feel the Glock but not the Smith when the 442 is 2 Oz. heavier?

It comes down to the gun/holster balance. The center mass of the revolver is carried pretty evenly by the belt. The center mass of the auto loader is above the belt with the grip, mag and ammo all leaning out. Without a long barrel to distribute or lever the weight you feel the torque on your belt, not just the weight.

This observation has given me the opportunity to increase my comfort level by shedding another 3 Oz. and buy a 340 PD. I'm always happy to help enable the Smith & Wesson family here. Plus, I really don't like striker fired guns pointed to my bodily parts.
Click to expand...

I carry 22oz (unloaded weight) Shield 45 to a 35oz (unloaded weight) S&W 686 revolver. I sometimes also carry a 17oz Ruger LCR. Other than that, I've carried 12oz (unloaded) 380auto's in the past. I have never had a problem with comfort. I've even, on 3 occasions over the last decade, have been running late, rushed out of my house, completely forgot to put my EDC into the holster that's was on my hip, and went all day until I got home without realizing it. I can't say I personally notice a big difference between a few onces of weight on my belt, and comfort typically depends on the holster I'm using rather than the whether a handgun is a revolver or semiauto, center mass, torque, etc.. I typically carry all year around conceal OWB In a leather pancake holster with nothing other than a medium pole or t-shirt on.

I do find revolver easier to conceal than semiautos because they do not have standard profile of a handgun and because how the grip is angled. I just never obsessed about the weight of my carry guns unless it was a firearm I planned to carry while at the gym, going for a run, or the like. In which case I'd carry a 380. Size and printing are what concern me. Weight and not ever wanting to feel that I'm carrying a firearm, not so much.
 
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I have the opposite take than Well Armed. I’m 62, and that may be the difference.

I started cutting the weight of my carry guns soon after starting to carry all day, almost everyday, which in the People’s Repulic of Maryland wasn’t until about 5 months after Bruen. I carried in VA before that but before or after crossing the bridge (over the Potomac River) into or out of MD I had to disarm or arm up.

Not including hunting or working at the hunt club, I’ll carry a 28oz (unloaded) or so gun, but prefer lighter.

Typical carry is a Sig P365X for an auto or a S&W Model 386 for a revolver.
 
Sgt. Buzzard said:
I use two different EDC weapons, one a S&W 442 and a Glock 42. The G 42 is both lighter and narrower. Yet I find the Smith is more comfortable to carry. Weighting both with ammo and holster it comes to G 42, 18.2 Oz. S&W 442, 20.2 Oz. So how is it I feel the Glock but not the Smith when the 442 is 2 Oz. heavier?

It comes down to the gun/holster balance. The center mass of the revolver is carried pretty evenly by the belt. The center mass of the auto loader is above the belt with the grip, mag and ammo all leaning out. Without a long barrel to distribute or lever the weight you feel the torque on your belt, not just the weight.

This observation has given me the opportunity to increase my comfort level by shedding another 3 Oz. and buy a 340 PD. I'm always happy to help enable the Smith & Wesson family here. Plus I really don't like striker fired guns pointed to my bodily parts.
Click to expand...

My question would be why use a belt holster for either one of those? Both of those belong in a pocket using a good quality pocket holster that distributes the weight evenly across the bottom of the holster. A pocket holster should never concentrate all the weight on the muzzle of the gun. Desantis Nemesis is an excellent pocket holster and the price is low enough to try that carry method without paying prices charged by custom holster makers.
 
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