I like carrying a full size firearm for one simple reason- American exceptionalism!

An IWB holster offers the best concealment, under an untucked shirt, sweater or any waist-length garment. Both the grip and barrel are held close to your side. I find a revolver is easier to conceal than a pistol, but manage well enough with either.

An N frame cylinder is only about 1/8" larger than that of an L-frame, and L-frame about the same compared to a K frame. A round butt is less likely to print. The big issue is barrel length. IMO, a 4" barrel is about the limit, and 3" is more comfortable when sitting or walking, and easier to draw quickly. A 6" or longer barrel in any frame size is probably best concealed in a shoulder holster. I'm most comfortable with a 4" or shorter pistol, but not averse to a 5" 1911.

Another question is where on the belt? I suppose anywhere between 2:00 and 5:00 is okay. It works best for me with the mouth at 3:00, a compromise between comfort and accessibility. That places a pistol about 0:30 rearward of a revolver.

I got lucky today and won an auction on a new Kramer Thomas perfectionist for my 686 4inch! It’s black, would have perfered mahogany but I saved about 60 bucks over new and don’t have to wait 4 months. I do have one being made for a Ruger but this is pretty cool. 4 kramers in the house and I’ll be able to conceal 4 and 5 inch guns

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I liked the looks of this holster enough to go order one!
Thanks!

I got my Thomas perfectionist for 686 Although I won’t have the gun for another month. I kinda stuffed my match champion in there just to see what it feels like. Very nice. Tucks tight. I’m very pleased

Well I’m out and about with my 686 no dash in a Kramer Thomas perfectionist holster at about 2:00. I like how concealed it is

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A 4 in 29 carries easily behind the bib of semi tight overalls.

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S&W Accumulator

I consider a 1911 Colt .45 a fairly big gun and I like to carry it in a Milt
Sparks Summer Special.

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In Omnia Paratus

Bell Charter Oak IWB Grizzly Bear works great for my 629 PC.

It all depends on your physical size, shape, and how you dress.

We had a young woman in the LGS looking for concealed carry. She was very petite and wore low-cut tank tops, skin-tight jeans and high heels. She would not change what she wore. She ended up with an NAA Mini-Mag 22 revolver.

We had a young guy wearing an oversized zip up hoodie in the LGS. He was around 5'6" and 130 pounds. He asked the owner if he was interested in buying an S&W 500 Magnum. The owner asked if he had it with him. He said yes. The owner asked him to bring it in. He opened the hoodie and pulled an 8 3/8 inch S&W X-frame out of a shoulder holster. The LGS owner and I were shocked.

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

Like others have said start with a good stiff belt. After that I use Simply Rugged pancakes. Get them with the in-out loops and you can go from OWB to IWB . I have concealed N frame Smiths and even Ruger Blackhawks. Both under a Carhartt Henly shirt.

Correct. Easy to do for the few minutes you're shooting a scene for TV.


All true.

I'm a chubby ,short guy and large, heavy guns on my belt (a top notch, purpose made gunbelt) are, literally, a drag!

But I like the responses, and I might try one of the examples above one of these days.

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Come and take it!!

I carry a 1911 or 92FS in a Kramer belt scabbard with nothing more than an untucked dress shirt. Very easy to conceal. The holster keeps the gun tight behind the strong side hip, and a good belt and 34" or less waist line helps.

From another point of view, I've spent the last fifty years learning to shoot a J frame to the point that I'm very comfortable in the choice, a 442. If I want a big boomer I'll buy a 340 PD. Might anyway just to lose another 3oz. Big guns are a pain in the,hip.

IME the easiest way to conceal big guns is with a holster with 20-30 degrees of cant. I know it depends on the person but I cant do the normal straight or 10 degree cant.

I carried my 6.5 inch 29 in a shoulder rig. My 4 inch Nframes work well in a pancake holster. I use a good belt and suspenders so I don't embarrass myself in public!

My 1911s are good to go with an IWB. Of course, I'm an old fat guy so hiding stuff ain't much of a problem....

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Even older, even crankier....

Attache case, strong one....and a knife or three.

As others have said IWB with a good quality gun belt. This is a John Linebaugh .500 Bisley Vaquero in a Barranti Summer Classic. It is definitely what you would call a “big gun”

I’d say “your covered” for any game in North America !

I carried full size handguns because I wear a sportcoat and I prefer OWB holsters. Windbreakers are a option too.

I am 6'3" and 300# and regularly carry a N frame 2 1/2" 325 45acp in a pancake holster between 2 and 3 o'clock. I often just wear a 4X extra long T shirts use a heavy belt, but a big part of it is the gun is really light so it don't move around or try to lay out at all.

The vast majority of people flat are not looking at you that hard. Those that are and know what to look for may well see more than you think. Those people are NOT who I worry about, because they some of the least likely to cause me an actual problem. But, then I live in a state that has permitless carry and if a LEO notices anything he would have ZERO reason to act on it in anyway.

The very first rule of carry should be don't look like a any kind of a problem in the first place. In the second, do not attract attention. If you look "normal" and "harmless"eyes slide ride over and off you.


Then there is the fact a good share of the population wouldn't notice a M60 sit up on a tripod on isle 5 unless it started firing.

Everyone’s face is in their phone anyway. The big loud Hawaiian shirt might “feel” like attn getter but I don’t think it is. I LOOK for gun guys and don’t see them. In texas nonetheless

I carry a 4" 29 fairly often, in an old Simply Rugged cross draw cattleman. It's well concealed if I'm wearing a jacket or something similarly bulky. The 29 stays at home in the summer, but if it was the only gun I had I'd wear a tucked-in wifebeater to keep it from digging into my belly when I'm in the car, the holster over that, and a big short sleeved Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned, to hide the revolver.

Depending on clothing, but I often use the "Bandito Shoulder Belt, with interchangeable holsters from Piston Packaging.

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SWCA 3749 SWHF 867

Pistol Packaging

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SWCA 3749 SWHF 867

As some mentioned, a slight forward cant of 15-20 degrees will help hide the grip better. Especially if you carry a gun with a square butt and thick wood stocks like my 686.

The big question is how you want to carry, inside or outside the waistband. I prefer larger guns to be outside the waistband for comfort reasons. Carrying a large revolver is already uncomfortable, but the idea of carrying one IWB sounds unbearable unless you have a holster designed for comfort. I found a Kramer IWB holster with sheep skin that looks very comfortable which I may give a try, I found a video of a guy with one who carries a 686 (albeit snub, not 4" as I carry) which I will link below.

If you choose OWB like me, there is no way around it you will need to wear baggy shirts that are tall. I prefer Hawaiian shirts or island/Miami style linen button-ups during the hotter months which is really where it is more of a challenge. During fall or winter a nice puffy coat, sweater, or even hoodie do just fine if they are long enough to keep concealment regardless of your movement or body positioning.

The biggest thing for OWB concealed carry is to test the clothes you intend to carry with. Find a mirror and check different movements to see if they compromise you. Mine have to pass the arms raised fully vertically and crouch test because these are the worst-case scenarios for not being fully covered. If you are still good doing this, I would venture to guess most movements won't expose it. Even better yet, ask a trusted person if they can tell. If they cannot, then you are probably good.

Best winter carry Smith Wesson 686 performance center in Kramer sheep skin holster - YouTube

Here is the video of the sheepskin Kramer IWB Clip Holster I might get, maybe this helps.

Bigger holsters!

I’ve been conceal carrying since my 1968 rookie year, beginning w/my issued 4” Colt service weapon. As I’ve gotten older (mid 70s now) the EDC has gotten smaller & lighter. In retirement it’s either a 340PD or LCP, depending on how I’m dressed.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I carried a S&W Model 29 with the 8 3/8ths inch barrel under a suit or sport jacket during the 1980's and mid to late '90's. It rode in a Bianchi X15 shoulder holster. With my job nobody cared that I was always had on a jacket. If you watch the Dirty Harry movie series, you never notice Eastwood carrying the gun until he brings it out. I sometimes was tempted to get a 6.5" barrel version like his but never did. I completely concur with another commenter on this thread who mentioned what we call "tells". After you have had it on for weeks you just go on with your life, forgetting it is even there. It caused quite a stir at the Firearms Training Center whenever I brought it out.

There were two key principles which made this possible. One was that I wore it around the house constantly until it became second nature following someone's advice about tells. Second was the construction and fit of the holster. The X15 has a very strong belt loop snap and the weight of the rig rested upon the belt mostly though shared somewhat with the shoulder. It took some patient adjustment over some weeks until I got it perfect. Carrying a service sized or larger pistol requires a proper belt and a proper holster. Concealing it requires a properly sized sport coat. Unbuttoned.

I also had a Model 28 Highway Patrolman 4" which rode on my right side in a Bianchi pancake holster sometimes. It never made any difference to me which one I wore. You can get used to anything. Muscles get stronger if you make them. Muscles get weaker if you let them.

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696-6906-457-38-3913-CS40-411

A GOOD BELT is a must. I wear a flex waist Wrangler jeans and a Kore ratchet belt. This combo allows me to conceal carry firearms that I never would have considered in the past. I’ve sold/traded good firearms that I should have/would have kept had I learned this earlier. It’s important to give belt/holster/dress as much consideration as we give to our firearms. I’ve got a holster on order from Garrity Gunleather for my Browning Hi Power. I plan on using it for my concealed carry weapon.

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otis

Well my wait since March 3 is over. My thomas perfectionist finally came in with no notice. No tracking number or email. Surprise I’m here!! Lol. It was worth the wait

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It only works well for people who are not overweight, and are shaped more like a tent peg instead of a pear. I happen to fall in the pear category. I have several large sized handguns, but don’t even attempt to daily carry any of them concealed.
People with wider shoulders and narrower hips tend to wear shirts that “ drape “ differently than those of us with wider hips and waistlines.
Cold weather doesn’t change things much because it’s almost always warm inside houses, places of businesses, and public buildings, and who wants to wear a lot of clothes that make you sweat in those kinds of places?
My attitude is that if it won’t fit in my right-front pants pocket, I ain’t carryin’ it.

In the winter time I can drop my 4 in 29 behind the bib on my overalls and my belly will keep it there.........Totally unnoticed!!!!

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S&W Accumulator

I agree with all of that.

One of the "best" ways for most people to concealed carry a big-bore is in a shoulder holster (ala Dirty Harry).

FWIW, I've never been one of those "wedge" shaped guys. You know the type - shoulders wider than their hips. Chest twice as wide as it is deep. The Adonis build.

Even as a high school water polo player, even though I probably didn't have 10 pounds of fat on my whole body, I still never had that kind of wedge-shaped build.

I'm barrel-chested. My chest is almost as deep as it is wide. This means that a shoulder holster is and always has been a non-starter for me. As I get older and as my waistline has expanded, the under-arm shoulder holster has become an even less viable option.

The only option that really works for me to carry a larger firearm - be it a revolver OR something like a 1911 - is to carry it on my belt, with a cover garment to hide it. Personally I prefer IWB carry rigs over OWB options. But IWB requires that you have to wear a size larger pants to accommodate having a BIG gun tucked into your waistband.

So it all really boils down to figuring out what will work for YOU taking your build and preferred wardrobe into consideration.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Since Red Nichols has retired we all have to settle for slightly less than the best. Recommend Doc Barranti, Mernickle, Kramer, El Paso Saddlery or Sparks. An N-frame is not too tough to conceal well, particularly with a barrel as short as 4". Bianchi can be an option, too.

Ditto. 4 1/4” model 69. Pancake under a loose jacket works well.

I ain’t skinny (6’1 225 lbs) but haven’t had a problem with the bigger guns. I did carry a 5” S&W 625 in a Simply Rugged Sourdough holster under a light shirt when running around in the Great Smokies several years ago

Did a cross draw under a sport coat back when I worked investigations. Commander or 4” Model 66 Smith. Later backed off to J frame. Once, just for kicks, I packed a 4 5/8” Super Blackhawk concealed in a Mernicle holster just to see if I could. I did it, but was never comfy doing so😏

A shoulder holster. I've carried M65 4" and a M58 4" without discovery for duty weapons.

For belt holsters a Wilderness Instructors 1.5" 3 stitch. For holsters I prefer zero cant for strong side, and a 5 degree cant for cross draw. No pancake holsters or Kydex. A Yaqui or paddle holster for me or a holster that's belt level. Even a good heavy nylon holster with a top snap.

I'm 5'10, 185 lbs, no beer belly.

I am a tall fella, standing 5 foot five inches. So inside the waistband holsters are the only way I can carry a larger firearm. For decades it was a Colt 1911 in a Milt Sparks holster. And don't try and skimp on the belt! Galco also makes good belts and holsters. I prefer a Versa Max from Milt Sparks. Look where the belt loops are...much better than say a Summer Special which has loops at the thickest part of the firearm.

I think we need lots of belt loops too. More the better!