Concealing big guns - how?

[ISCS Yoda]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/concea...689000-change-edc.html?posted=1#post141596241

This might be a dead horse question but I simply do not know the actual answer. I put it on another thread (see above) but it's really a stand alone issue and I want to omit discussions about gunfights - just this one question:

How do you CONCEAL a large handgun?

Please, no open carry responses - legal concealment is the issue here not legal open carry.

Anyone can carry an N frame, even an L frame, or a "service sized" pistol, but concealment is paramount.

I own any number of large frame pistols and revolvers and can shoot all of them but at no time would I consider attempting to conceal carry one. J frames, snubby K frames, compact 9mms and .45s. and even some mouse guns are the stock in trade for the average citizen who carries a gun concealed. I want to know how you aficionados of N frames and service sized pistols go about your day carrying one of those hand cannons concealed.

Gracias in advance!

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

One of the larger considerations is where your shoulders are in relation to your waist. If they are outboard of your waist, a sport jacket or maybe a vest will usually conceal a decent belt holster, a pancake often being the best, although others may work well, also. The length of the jacket will limit the barrel length, but certainly a 4" revolver or a 5" slabside should be usable.

If your shoulders are inboard from your waist, I'm not sure that a belt holster will work, but others may chime in and clarify this. I have also been told that tailors know a thing or two about such issues, if you know a good one and tell him your situation. Also, a shoulder holster may work well with some jackets, particularly a looser less formal one. A shoulder holster requires practice at a safe draw, perhaps including raising the weak-side arm out of harm's way when drawing the pistol.

IWB carry may work with some body types. I find it particularly comfortable with a 1911 in a Summer Special, acceptable with a 2.5 M19 in a Bianchi Pistol Pocket, and unacceptable with all other K and larger revolvers.

This is just a start. I am sure that others will add.

 

[SmithNut]

IWB is the best mode that I've tried, and I've tried lots of styles.
From the older (good) makers like Milt Sparks and Kramer, they work good but the past few years I've settled on Crossbreed holsters (MiniTuck and SuperTuck models) as they have more material that helps distribute the weight over a wider area, making carry very comfortable with a large gun. Steel, alloy and/or polymer guns (with polymer being the lighter and preferred overall) all carry very comfortably..

Added info - to be clear I only carry autos these days, no revolvers.... except for my trusty M38 Bodyguard in a Kramer pocket holster, which is in my pocket as I type this...

 

[Buford57]

I regularly carried a 4" M28 in a Roy Baker pancake when my shoulders were farther "outboard" of my waist. I typically either wore a sport coat or a flannel shirt tails out. Sometimes a down vest. It required a stiff belt, cinched tight and oversized cover garments. I used a vertical shoulder holster when I expected to be sitting for long periods. A big gun is not easily added to an existing wardrobe, but can be "dressed around".

My habits changed as a result of back and knee issues and the fact that I no longer go looking for trouble. If it finds me I'll deal it with avoidance and failing that a J frame or Shield.

 

[John Patrick]

I can comfortably carry a 2 1/2” L frame AIWB.

I can comfortably carry my largest 15, 17 and 19 round 9mm service size pistols or L frame revolvers in a shoulder holster. I don’t have any N frames to try.

The service size autos also work in a belt holster with an un-tucked shirt or jacket.

 

[oddshooter]

Have you seen Dirty Harry carrying that big hoss 44 mag?

 

[310Pilot]

I carried a 6.5" 29 in a Bianchi X15 shoulder holster for many years without any problems. I have also carried 5" 1911s iwb and owb without difficulty, as well as a variety of 4" K and N frames. Proper selection of the cover garment is critical, and becoming comfortable with carrying it and NOT telegraphing that you are carrying with various "tells" (like touching it to see if the gun is still there) is paramount. In fact, the latter is extremely important - there have been many times I have even been open carrying an N frame and people I was talking with didn't realize I had it for quite a whilr, simply because I didn't subconsciously call attention to its presence.

 

[rednichols]

Easier than you think, using answers you won't get anywhere else. The barrel length is the least difficult part of a DA revolver to conceal unless wearing only a very short jacket; that grip is the most difficult.



With a carry angle of about 25 degrees muzzle to the rear, and the cylinder at the waist line, and grips in the Farrant theme, one can readily conceal a .44 Mag at the waist line.



Holster brand makes NO difference, nor the mass of your belt; get that grip up against your rib cage comfortably but without the bulk of the cylinder above the belt itself (top heavy).

Wearing the right jacket one can be equally effective with a crossdraw; different rules apply for the design of one but the grip situation is unchanged.

 

[Rpg]

I’m 5’10 and weigh 180. I’ve never found a good way to conceal a N frame: too bulky side to side. Even shoulder holsters are too bulky.

The best way I’ve found to carry an N frame is the cross draw Bianci Cyclone model 111 I think. This doesn’t conceal well so it’s relegated to field carry.

1911’s are so much better for concealed carry than an N frame if you want to carry a large bore handgun.

 

[Laketime]

Shoulder holsters were made for this type of carry.

 

[Heinz]

I carry my 645 in a shoulder holster. I carry the M66 with 4 inch barrel in a belt holster with the FBI can't at 4 o"clock. Due to a recent weight loss I have lots of oversize shirts and jackets. In the summer in SC, I carry something smaller (everybody should own a couple of 3rd gen 9mm, right?)

 

[max503]

1911 Mexican Carry, cross draw.

 

[bigwheelzip]

N-frame is too big for my hands, but a 3"686+ in a Galco Combat Master, carried at 4:00 is the biggest of my carries. A loose untucked patterned top is all that's needed for concealment.

Maybe it's easier for me, since my activities are limited and slow.
My EDC, a CZ PCR is almost the same size and weight, and been at my 4:00 for years, in an Alien Gear Cloak Tuck.

Not saying they carry effortlessly, but for me the added capabilities they enable are worth the work.

 

[Chubbs103]

When I carry an 4" N-frame (and I will be this week-end), I do so in a Simply Rugged pancake with a good Milt Sparks leather belt. Like any other carry, the belt is probably just as important if not more so than the holster. Like what was said before, where the cylinder is oriented in relation to the belt and how tight the grip is pulled in are the secrets.

I can cover this with an untucked flannel shirt.

BTW, I'm 5'10" and 180lbs. Before I retired my weight was below 170. So far, this little bit of extra weight hasn't changed OWB for me, but it has wrecked IWB for larger frame pistols. I never carry an N-frame IWB, so I can't comment.

 

[M29since14]

Back when I didn’t mind wearing a pretty sturdy and tight belt, I had no difficulties with the 1911 inside waistband in a summer special. Pretty big and heavy gun. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t care to have anything tight around me - belt, pants, shirt, jacket, nothing! That left me with the option of either carrying something very lightweight, or going without. Recently I ordered a new belt from Don Hume, which I can wear comfortably (holes in just the right spot and the right width and stiffness for my taste), and I can wear a Commander in a JIT belt slide easily enough, but I prefer a P365.

An N-Frame revolver is totally out of the question, for me. It can be done, sure. I did a little of that when I was younger, but now, I’m not willing to put up with it. Carrying the gun is tough enough. Add carrying extra ammo and… it’s even worse. N-Frames are strictly field guns, in my opinion, where concealment is not a big issue. My .02, FWIW.

 

[31FordA]

I’ve had no issues carrying 4” K and N frame revolvers or 5” Gov’t Models concealed over the last 25 years. Wearing a sport coat makes concealment relatively easy. I use a sturdy belt and wear the gun in a OWB holster at 4 o’clock. When I started carrying a gun concealed all I had were 4” K frames and a 5” Gov’t Model, so that’s what I learned to carry. Smaller guns are certainly easier to carry, but bigger guns are very manageable too.

 

[jimmyj]

I use a pancake holster worn at 4 o'clock

 

[StrawHat]

I have been carrying 4” N frames for about 4 decades. When I started, I was 6’0” and maybe 210 pounds, 34” waist. I used a Safariland Model 25 or a Bianchi 5BH just behind my hip point.

Today, I am 5’ 11”, 195 pounds, 36” waist, so shorter and fatter. I use a custom made copy of the Sunday Scabbard or Brill holster. My belt is one of the Ranger belts I wear daily. Same location, 3:30-4:00 O’clock under a sport coat or suit coat. I do NOT wear an untucked shirt, although I have been seen in a sweet shirt.

If anyone has noticed, they have not commented.

Kevin

 

[RoiVin]

The Kramer IWB holster works very well.
They use horse leather which is thinner than cow leather.

I have gone on a few safaris to Africa. I used the Kramer to carry my 4" 629 in the city and when traveling. It worked fine with baggy untucked shirt.
With the weight of a steel frame gun, you really need a belt designed for carrying guns. I really like and recommend the Kore ratcheting belts, but any legit gun belt will do the job.

 

[RoiVin]

Another option...

A friend of mine uses a Haley Strategic chest pack. It has a compartment that carries up to a 5" N-frame. Works like a fanny pack holster, but on your chest. There are a ton of add-ons available for this check pack to configure it for all kinds of uses.