M&P 9 full sized as CCW

A.J. Stoner

A.J. Stoner

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I have a full size M&P 9 and am planning to get a CCW permit here in Florida. Ideally a smaller weapon would be better for this duty but I don’t have a lot of cash to spend on a second handgun and want to hear what people think on the viability of concealed carry with this weapon as well as any advice on placement.
 
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Whatever replies come forward...will surely come from both sides of the fence.
Bottom line is to carry what you feel comfortable with...
And...
What your body type can conceal without printing.

Also keep in mind lots of folks CCW 1911's
 
It's entirely up to you....

If you can make it work, by all means. You may have to dress a little differently. One day I'm going to try a shoulder rig. I have a tough time with pants whether I'm wearing a gun or not. It's just the way I'm built.
 
I don't carry anything with a barrel length of less than 4". My rotation includes SD9VE, M&P 9, M&P 45 FS and 5" 1911. I carry OWB and have no issues. I'm 5'10"/190 lbs. I wear jeans & t-shirt and have no issues.

You'll have to find out for yourself how you prefer to carry. I don't like IWB. OWB or shoulder holster works for me.
 
Despite what people say, and what misleading perfectly posed pictures you may see, something that size carried under a shirt WILL at multiple points of your day produce an awkward bulge under your shirt. Even loose fitting button up shirts. I know some people don't care, but I'm just pointing that out.

If you carry OWB with a loose shirt, you can conceal it. It would be comfortable and accessible. However, once you start moving and going about your daily life, you'll be bending, twisting etc. and the weird shapes will appear. And again, that isn't an issue for everyone, or every place.

My son in law has carried a full size M&P IWB appendix with no printing or bulges, but he says it gets uncomfortable after a while. I would imagine so.
 
It's all about finding comfortable position to carry in and appropriate clothing. I carry IWB right behind my hip. It would be about 4 o'clock position. I don't own any compact guns. My smallest gun is a Glock 19. Wearing a form fitting t-shirt I would have to do some major contortionist work to have my gun print. A lot depends on your body shape.
 
AJ,

As mentioned, it will work, depending on your size and style of dress. I appreciate that money is tight, but try not to go cheap on a good quality belt and holster.

Personally I carry like sized pistols IWB, but whatever works for you.

Enjoy, good luck, stay safe
 
As everyone has pretty much been saying, it all depends on your body type, you clothing style, how your clothing hangs on your frame, etc. It also depends on the way you feel comfortable as far has the weight, length, and width of something you're going to be hauling around everyday.

Personally, I used to carry a Shield everyday, and it was comfortable as all get out. Then I got to thinking about wanting more capacity and transitioned to my Beretta 92 full size. Surprisingly found that to be just as comfortable, and the way my shirts fall, it's invisible. Now about to get an M&P 9 full size for EDC just because I like the platform better for carry and can get the same basic gun across all three main calibers.
 
Doable, though you have to dress around it, watch how you move, and use a decent holster. IWB makes it easier to hide. OWB increases comfort at the expense of concealment. Thick, dark shirts with a long tail are usually required...or you could go full urban commando with Hawaiian shirts or sportsman's vests.

These days I save the big guns for winter carry and use the little guys in the summer...for the most part.
 
Lots of people carry full size guns. What you carry is really up to you. Lots of good advice above.
I will also add something to the advice above.. Different holsters print differently. Also some pants (if you carry IWB) print more than others. One of my carry guns is a Sig P938 (a small and light weight 9mm) I carry it in a Remora when I am wearing yoga pants. I noticed that some pants keep the gun tight against my body, other pants, it leans out more.
You can ask people about holsters that print more than others, but it would be a waste of time in my opinion. What prints for Jo bob might not print at all for Mandy Sue. Each person is different and is built different. Good luck.
 
I carry a FS 9. I'm 6-1 190, medium to slim build. I carry iwb. 3 o'clock gives me the best concealment under a long shirt, but 5 o'clock is bit more comfortable for me. If I'm wearing a jacket or sport coat, I wear it at 5 o'clock.
 
A proper belt is the foundation for successful carry of a decent size handgun. If money is an issue, don't scrimp on the belt. A cheap holster on a good belt is much more workable than a custom holster on a cheap flaccid department store belt. I carry full size and compact Glocks under a one size larger polo shirt daily almost all the time using both OWB and IWB leather holsters and a double thickness 1.5 inch wide leather belt. BTW, I am 5'10" and 210 pounds, so no "athletic build" body here...
 
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It can be done but seeing as you're in sunny Florida, I think something more compact would be much more practical as well as offering more carry options. From a pure tactical standpoint, I actually prefer shorter barrels guns for concealed carry since they are quicker to clear the holster and offer better weapon retention capability which are often ignored advantages in reactive civilian armed self-defense scenarios which tend to occur very suddenly at close ranges. For these reasons, the often stated longer sight radius advantage of a full size really is no advantage. The full size grip is a plus from a pure functionality standpoint, but the grip is usually the most difficult part of the gun to conceal. A compact for carry and reserving the full size for home defense would be the ideal solution, but if that's simply not an option in foreseeable future, I would sell the full size and pick up a smaller gun.
 
I carried a fs M&P this winter but since I'm in Colorado and wear some kind of covering garment it's much easier. For those reasons I have a Shield and a 640 for t-shirt/shorts wear in warmer weather. I can conceal my 5" 1911 easier than my fs M&P year round with it's thinner grip in a proper holster which makes it hide much easier. For me the limiting factor is the width of the fs grip.
 
A.J. Stoner said:
I have a full size M&P 9 and am planning to get a CCW permit here in Florida. Ideally a smaller weapon would be better for this duty but I don’t have a lot of cash to spend on a second handgun and want to hear what people think on the viability of concealed carry with this weapon as well as any advice on placement.
Click to expand...

If you follow rule one, it can be quite manageable. Rule one is... dress around the holster.

Of course Florida is going to be warm and humid... so you might want to look at those oversized shirts (assuming you're not fashion conscious of course...)

4 o'clock with forward cant is what I see most for most guns and pretty much always for full size.

Rule 2 is a solid gun belt. It's as important as the holster. You can find really good "trainers" belts for around $20 or less and they are not as nice looking as a leather belt, but perform just as well for a lot less of a price tag...
 
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My son carries one off duty

I gave my son an M&P 9 with a 4.25" barrel for IDPA and for daily carry. With the gun he got a Bladetech OWB holster and a custom IWB Kydex holster as well. Neither really worked out for concealed carry in terms of concealment and comfort so I went to eBay and bought a variety of Kydex holsters, about 6 in all. None were very expensive and all seemed pretty well made. He tried all of them and selected the one that fit him best and was the most comfortable over the course of the day. This little experiment demonstrated to me that it's more the holster than it is the gun when looking for the right balance of concealment and comfort.

Keith
 
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