The Lost Art of the Full Size Carry

[Chris642]

I carried a CZ-83 IWB for about a year. Although not full size, it was still an all steel gun with hi-cap mag and some weight to it, and it never gave me any issues at all. It was comfortable even while seated.

Other then for age or medically related reasons, I just don't understand those who feel they cannot ever carry anything bigger then a J-Frame (and sometimes not even that), and I'm no big tough guy.

 

[cyphertext]

Other then for age or medical related reasons, I don't understand those who feel they cannot carry anything bigger then a J-Frame (and sometimes not even that).

The pics above are all fine and dandy for those of you who wear a tuxedo day in and day out. I don't.

Here, it was 102 degrees with 43% humidity today. The humidity was actually low. Normal dress for me is a t-shirt and shorts. It isn't can't as much as just don't want to. Much more convenient for me to grab my Sig P290rs, or my Kel Tec PF9 and throw it in my pocket. Much more comfortable too... no need for the thick, stiff belt, or an additional layer of clothing.

 

[Rpg]

I carry a Colt Commander in a Del Fatti iwb holster most of the time for CC.

When it's too hot, or my dress has to be much less helpful, I carry a M38, 40, 42 or. 49 in a pocket ( no holster).

When I'm in the country, I carry a Colt Government model in a custom Milt Sparks holster.

The leather (holster and belt) makes all the difference. You need top quality leather to comfortably carry a 1911.

Most of the inexpensive holster systems won't work for real handguns.

Plan on spending $300+ on good leather: it ain't cheap, but it lasts for many, many years and never needs to be replaced if you have top quality to begin with.

And, of course, if you aren't a member of the 'flavor of the week' CC practitioner.

Pick your handgun and stick with it.

We all want lots of handguns.

Hard to get good with more than a couple.

Pick one or two handguns, learn to handle them well.

Get superior leather.

Carry the one or two.

Buy as many as you want: carry one or two only.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Rick_A]

My J frame is a backup most of the time in a pocket or on the ankle. I'm out in the heat every day. Adding a tank top under a tee won't kill me.

It's not the heat that stops me from carrying the full size guns, it's the activity. If I know I'm performing physical tasks in public view the big guns stay home. If I'm going to the beach a stainless folder is the only thing accompanying me. On the motorcycle the only carry piece is a Benchmade folder. I had fallen in a low speed accident onto a thin plastic earplug case. Months later I still have the bruise.

 

[Kilibreaux]

A 1911 tucks in quite nicely in the rear waistband of a pair of jeans....so too does a Glock G19 or G17 or even G29.

The right approach is to try what YOU OWN and see how it carries...period.

 

[chief38]

With todays Buffalo Bore & Speer Gold Dot 38 Special +P defense ammo I see no real reason to carry an N frame or a 1911 or even a Glock type pistol AS A CIVILIAN. Yes, if you are a LEO facing multiple threats or are an Armored Car Guard, then I fully agree that a 15 - 17 shot capacity gun is what you want, but to lug around an N frame with a 4" - 6" barrel when there is little advantage is just not for me.

YES, I know it can be done, but see no reason to do so when there are better choices in most situations. When I go out I can wear ANYTHING I want and don't have to "dress around the gun" as some suggest. I slip my 2" Model 60-7 into my pocket inside a DeSantis Nemesis and feel that I am well armed. It is rapidly deployed, has serious firepower with BB 158 grain HEAVY +P LSWCHP-GC bullets, comfortable (all day long) enough to always carry, and is 100% CONCEALED without having to worry about not taking off my jacket, bending over, shirt riding up, going to the mens room, etc.

Most guys I know (again, NON LEO's) who are new into this and started off with a full size 1911, Glock, HK, M586 etc. soon wind up with either a Smith J frame, Colt Dick Special or small frame .380 Auto.

When I go out I never worry about being "spotted" unless Superman with X-ray vision sees me. I still feel that I can do what I need to if the need ever arises.

I realize my opinion is not necessarily the same as others, but it is what I have settled on after 36 years of CCW.

 

[LVSteve]

I'm skinny and live in a hot city. Concealment without printing is an issue especially as we want to wear light coloured clothing as much as possible.

 

[jojodogfaceboy]

With all due respect, it looks to me as if it's easy to say "the weight is not obtrusive" if you don't have degenerative disk disease and spinal arthritis. At 76 those conditions make it a painful problem for me. So does the inability to afford all new pants in a larger size.

A pound and a half of steel J-frame holstered in a pocket is about the most I can handle.

I have the same issues at 51. had the cadaver bone/steel plates done to my neck about 3 years ago.

some days a 642 feels like a full size.

 

[Alpha Sierra]

I live where it's hot and humid in the summer (like dripping in sweat humid) and still manage to conceal full size handguns (4" K frame, Glock 17) with ease. I wear a tucked in t shirt and over that a loose fitting button shirt. IWB or OWB, makes no difference. And I always have at least one extra magazine or speedloader pouch on the belt as well. No one can tell I am armed unless I want them to know.

In addition dressing around the guns, I only buy holsters that work for my body type and top shelf gun belts.

 

[rwsmith]

I admire...

I admire anyone that can carry full size, but it's just not for me. I have enough trouble getting myself and my stuff around as it is.

Even if i could carry full size without undue trouble, I wouldn't because there are more suitable and concealable guns. There isn't any special confidence that I would get from a big gun that I can't get with something smaller. I don't consider carrying a gun for defense around town to be an enjoyable thing at all. If I were tromping in the woods I may want a big gun.

 

[andyo5]

I am no longer a slim young man with a small waist. I have tried a variety of IWB and OWB holsters with guns in the 30 to 40 ounce range. Its OK for awhile, until my pants start to fall down. I have determined that waist carry is not for me and have sold off most of my holsters. I have a chest holster for 5" N frames, and a Bianchi fanny pack to carry a Commander sized pistol. My pants stay up, and I still have a real gun with me.
On a recent trip to Washington DC, I was talking to a security guard at the Smithsonian. He was wearing a thick utility belt with a 4" N frame, some speed loaders, mace, etc. He hiked his belt up several times during our conversation. This is OK for overt carry, but is a deal breaker for concealment. That why its a fanny pack for me.

 

[Rick_A]

Weighing guns out of curiosity, while a bit bulkier, the N frame is a full 1/2 lb lighter than the 1911. It sure doesn't feel it on the waist.

Just a few years ago my clothes started growing. My chin was no longer one piece. My belts that once accommodated a large gun with room to spare barely fit myself and my britches. I sweat like a pig in the heat. Running a couple blocks wore me out worse than a few miles used to. The balls and heels of my feet swoll if afoot all day. I thought hard about the fittest I had ever been. It wasn't being muscle bound...it was fresh out of high school as a wiry teen. The only thing stopping me from that physique was will power. In a few months I was that guy again and have stayed that way for the past couple of years. I hope to never be there again. I've found that a lack of excuses for poor choices and behaviors keeps me honest.

That's just me. While I'd sure love to eat like a glutton and blame it on my age I'd rather be the best I can be for myself and my kid. It'll be a long time before he gives his old man a whoopin.'

Sorry for the off topic rant.

 

[hardscrabble]

I was never comfortable carrying until I started to think about the "system" I was going to work with instead of just the handgun I wanted to carry. There's a combination of convenience, accessibility, magazine size, power factor, shoot-ability and concealment that I had to work out, and it took me several years to figure out that it wasn't all about balancing a cool gun with heavy caliber and magazine capacity. All that thought and expense was a waste when I left it all at home because it was a PIA.

I carry a combo today that I never thought I would ever use. I don't carry my favorite expensive custom shop 1911 in my favorite Del Fatti holster. I don't carry a super-capacity 9mm and I don't carry in my front pocket like I did for a while. I still don't carry every day, because some days I just don't want to fool with it, but I carry more than I did before I figured out what elements of the "system" were most important to me. Notice I listed "convenience" first (those attributes are pretty much in order of what I consider important). In MY world, if it ain't convenient, it ain't going along. When I thought it through, I figured out that there isn't much personal protection provided by a handgun left at home in the sock drawer. (Inside the house protection is provided by an extended mag 12ga loaded with Fed Flite Control buckshot.)

 

[Ross3914]

Suspenders will help out with the extra weight of any gun, large or small, if you have a bad back (like many of us) or other pain. They go a long way to relieving the pressure that you eventually get when the belt is the only thing supporting the weight.

Since you are going to be wearing some sort of garment that conceals your gun, the suspenders are hidden as well. So it's not a big fashion mistake because anyone that sees you have suspenders on, will see the gun as well.

It also helps out with the weight on the belt pulling your pants down.

Lastly, it makes taking a piss at a urinal easy.

 

[Grayfox]

My usual carry gun is a Colt Commander. Sometimes I go with my 3" Model 13 and I have been know to carry a N-frame when the mood strikes me.
I'm an average sized guy. 5'10", 180lbs. And yes, around here summers do get very hot and humid. But I have learned to dress quite comfortably around my gun.
For me it isn't so much a question of size or weight. Its about accuracy. I never have been able to shoot a small gun well. Now that I'm getting older and have a touch of arthritis in my hands, that makes it even worse.
Mind you that at average self defense distances, I can make proper use of a J-frame snubby if need be. I do own some and actually do carry one from time to time. Its just that I don't shoot them as well as I can a larger gun.
Should the worst ever happen, the hands start shaking, the heart starts pounding and the adrenaline pumping, I want every possible advantage I can get to make sure that bullet goes where it needs to.

 

[Rick_A]

I'd call most any K frame (especially a magnum) plenty of gun.

 

[feralmerril]

Havent read all of what has been posted but I see the published example pictures are of skinny guys, Not us normal 280 to 320 pounders. I already am so wide that if I try concealing one of my bigger guns it looks like I am trying to steal a stovepipe. As OC is legal here and I have a cc permit anyway I dont stress the few times I attempt to pack one of my bigger guns, and when I do its usually on the trail anyway and if we come out near a village resturant I either wear my shirt on the outside or put on a jacket. A couple years and pounds apart.

 

[nechaev]

With mouse guns and thin framed subcompacts being all the rage these days, most have abandoned carrying anything in a full framed gun.

Share your tricks and tips, if you got 'em.

While I prefer a 5" 1911 IWB, I'll sometimes carry a 4" N frame. While the 1911 is fine under a tee, for the big N I prefer to carry OWB which requires a button up shirt to avoid printing.

The shirt should not be snug fitting, and should not be of a thin or flimsy material. It is preferable that it extends a couple inches past the holster, for obvious reasons.

Why carry a large gun? It's easy to conceal with some small concessions made to dress and movement. The weight is not obtrusive with a proper belt supporting it. Mainly, they are the easiest to shoot well, and while I am capable of shooting most any gun well I like to carry what I shoot best. It also allows the use of more serious calibers in barrel lengths that make better use of it.

In my case the only downside in this method of carry is some noise created between belt and holster when walking or moving about. Sitting on a bench style seat is a little problematic as the gun/holster will essentially be resting on it.

The other thing is that anyone moving in for a big hug is likely to get a bit of a shock.


20131111_020945_LLS by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

20131111_021647_LLS by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Apologies for the dirty mirror. Darn kids...

How many (if any) reloads do you carry and it what form -- for example speed strips or speed loaders?

 

[Rick_A]

None. My reload is a J frame back up in 38 spl.

 

[Grayfox]

The other thing is that anyone moving in for a big hug is likely to get a bit of a shock.

There's an old trick for that. If someone tries to hug you, move first and hug them around the waist. Then they have no choice but to hug you around the arms and chest. Nobody's the wiser.