Can't carry Model 66 without printing

[PALADIN85020]

There are three components to carrying a concealed K-frame snubby comfortably and effectively. First the holster, second, the stocks, and third, the gun belt.

I bought this FIST inside-the-pants holster. It features a very thin molded and sewn Kydex body and leather belt loops. When my guns are equipped with Ahrends concealment finger-groove stocks, they don't print at all with this holster when concealed under a tail-out shirt at the 4 o'clock position. I use a fairly thick Dillon gun belt that doesn't sag or deform.

John

 

[stang68]

John:
The Fist holster in your pic is very similar to the one I have except mine has a plastic clip that slides over the belt. I'm going to re-evaluate, stick with the Ahrends Cocobolos and the holster I have for now and as most everyone who responded has said I need a wardrobe change. I have the holster right now in front on the left side at a slant with the stock right under my pot belly and it's not printing much even though I don't have a wide enough belt or the right shirt.
Thanks again everyone, I'll keep referring back to this thread.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I can't imagine expecting a T-shirt to conceal a gun, unless it's pretty baggy. It's nice if your shoulders are farther from centerline (axis) of your body than your waist, but, regardless, you need a shirt with a little distance from your body. Otherwise, get a *** bag or a fanny pack or whatever will pass in your surroundings.

 

[Iggy]

Take a look at banded bottom polo shirts. They bulge just right to conceal a gun on your hip.

 

[DevilDog72]

printing

I don't see how, with my 5' 10" frame, 158lbs with a slight beer belly, can carry my 2.5" Model 66 without it printing. I live in AZ and wear t-shirts and shorts most of the time, t-shirts and jeans when it's cooler. I started with a cheapie IWB kydex? holster just to see if I could carry it concealed and no matter where I put it, including the small of the back, my wife said she could see a bulge with both the Uncle Mike's grips and with Ahrends grips. I checked out online some of the holsters I've seen mentioned on this forum like the Don Hume JIT Slide and I especially like the Gould & Goodrich 3 slot pancake on Optics Planet but I'm concerned that they'll print also with my body and choice of clothes and then I'm likely stuck with another holster that I can't use and money is tight for me. Any comments/suggestions as to type?

I carry a Mdl 19-4 2 1/2 brl in a Don Hume iwb or a Sig 229 in a Comtac IWB with t-shirt, however, camp shirts or buttonup shirts with the tails out are the best. Most people are too busy with their own lives to care about studying your wardrobe or if you "print" or not. Buy the way, I am 5'10" 170. I was very selfconscious when I started to carry in 1994... I don't give it a second thought anymore.
Semper Fi

 

[speedingbullet]

I carry a Mdl 19-4 2 1/2 brl in a Don Hume iwb or a Sig 229 in a Comtac IWB with t-shirt, however, camp shirts or buttonup shirts with the tails out are the best. Most people are too busy with their own lives to care about studying your wardrobe or if you "print" or not. Buy the way, I am 5'10" 170. I was very selfconscious when I started to carry in 1994... I don't give it a second thought anymore.
Semper Fi

...isn't that the truth. 99.999% of the time unless one were suddenly to burst into flames, no one gives you a second glance. It's part of human nature to be self-absorbed.

- regards

 

[stevieboy]

Wow, talk about a timely thread and an eerie coincidence or two. I'm 5'9" and weigh less than 150, and I'm about to move to Arizona. I recently acquired a 19 2 1/2, expressly for the purpose of carrying. I ordered a Sourdough Pancake holster from Simply Rugged, which arrived this afternoon. I'm totally delighted with it. This is an OWB pancake holster (it's convertible to IWB) that holds the gun well above the beltline and absolutely flat against one's side. Wearing a size large t-shirt over the gun and holster conceals about 99% of the shape. I played a game with my wife this evening, at times wearing the gun/holster and at times not, and asking her to tell me whether I was wearing it. She was incapable of doing so. Looking at myself in the mirror I can see the slightest bit of printing, but I doubt if 99% of humanity would be able to deduce what was underneath from the shape projected on the shirt. Indeed, I doubt whether 99% of humanity would even notice I was wearing a gun. Slightly bulkier clothes produced even better results. The gun is absolutely undetectable under a cotton pullover, a sweater, a light outdoor jacket, or a sports jacket.

Btw, the holster cost only $65 and it arrived just two weeks after I ordered it. It has no retention strap or adjustable retention screw, it's just a formed leather pouch with a pancake back. But, it holds the gun so snugly that no additional retention is needed.

 

[oldman45]

I have carried a 4" model 66 while wearing untucked shirts, business suits and tucked shirts with jeans. Not once did I print.

My BIL could not carry a derringer without printing since his shirts has to be so tight that his six pack shows and his pants are so tight, a quarter in his pocket is visible.

People that carry in their line of work learn to buy clothes that allow for carry. People that carry out of desire to do so will choose a sidearm that meets their concealed carry needs. Either way, carrying a sidearm is going to be rough on the clothes and car upholstery.

I love one of the gun ads in magazines. "Carrying is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable." Carrying has caused me some temporary hip and back discomfort but no printing can be seen.

 

[ISOM]

AZ printing

I'm in Virginia
I put on my rig and over it put a button sportshirt use one button. My gun doesn't print.

 

[Cheyenne WYO]

I recently acquired a 19 2 1/2, expressly for the purpose of carrying. I ordered a Sourdough Pancake holster from Simply Rugged, which arrived this afternoon. I'm totally delighted with it. This is an OWB pancake holster (it's convertible to IWB) that holds the gun well above the beltline and absolutely flat against one's side.

Can you raise your arms up to grab something from the highest rack in a grocery store, or to close a car trunk, without exposing holster? I have 3 of those, 2 Silver Dollars for a 3" and one Sourdough for a 2-1/2", and I can't do it. I'm not saying I don't love the holsters, but they don't work for me for concealment with a polo shirt.

 

[DevilDog72]

hummmm

Can you raise your arms up to grab something from the highest rack in a grocery store, or to close a car trunk, without exposing holster? I have 3 of those, 2 Silver Dollars for a 3" and one Sourdough for a 2-1/2", and I can't do it. I'm not saying I don't love the holsters, but they don't work for me for concealment with a polo shirt.

Change the style of shirt or go to an IWB type of rig. I have no problems or concerns for that matter with my mdl 19. I have found that even if you "flash" people still will not notice,I even stepped out of my truck one day at ..Home Depot with the gun exposed,accident, neither my wife or I noticed till we were inside the store when she informed me of said. I had no "looks" form the public at large that I was aware of. If you don't look "guilty " as they say, no one pays attention...

 

[Moondancer]

My take on concealment is that there are three elements, but I'll change one of them from what a poster above states.
The three main components are:

1. The holster
2. The belt
3. The cover garment.

Let's look at each in turn.
1. The holster. This can be either Inside WaistBand (IWB) or Outside WaistBand (OWB). For the purpose of the this discussion we will not delve into specialty holsters, e.g. shoulder or Small-of-Back.
Buy quality, whether IWB or OWB, from a holster maker that offers concealment holsters. You can buy quality, but if the holster comes from a maker that specializes in hunting or competition, your ability to conceal adequately will be compromised. There are some board members who come highly recommended. My personal experience is almost exclusively Milt Sparks, but I recognize there are many, many other makers that fit the bill as well as Sparks does.
IWB generally speaking will print less than OWB in my experience. Some people report that they wear the same waist size when carrying IWB as they do without, others report that they buy pants and inch or two bigger to accommodate the IWB holster. I buy pants that are an inch larger than I need if not carrying IWB. Obviously if carrying OWB, then pant waist size is immaterial.
2. The belt. I cannot stress this enough... a quality GUN belt will help immeasurably. If you decide to carry IWB, you can scrimp or compromise slightly insofar as the concealment factor is concerned but make no mistake, the comfort factor will not be as satisfactory without using a dedicated gun belt. A&G is my recommendation as well. I have a Don Hume and a Milt Sparks but the A&G is superior to either.
If you elect to carry OWB, the belt is even more important than the holster. It must be rigid enough in the vertical plane to support the weight of the holster and the gun and keep it snugged in against your body. A less rigid belt will allow the butt to sag or be pushed outward, making a larger bulge. Comfort will also be affected.
Lastly on the belt, make sure the belt size matches the loops on the holster. Do NOT use a 1 1/4" belt for a holster that has 1 1/2" loops.
3. Cover garment. Must be loose enough to drape around the gun. I wear 1X without a gun, 2X with. It must be long enough to hang below the visible portions of the holster. Again fairly obviously, you can get by with a shorter length shirt when carrying IWB than you can when carrying OWB. Be aware of how high it will ride up when you reach up for something. You don't want the bottom 2 or 3 inches of the holster being exposed when you grab that can of beans off the top shelf. Dark colors are better than light colors. Patterns are better than solids. Heavier material won't drape or snag on the butt as easily as lighter materials. Square cut looks neater than shirt tails meant to be tucked.

The laws in your state will tell you how much you have to worry about an inadvertent flash of your weapon. As I understand it, in Texas, for example, ANY view of ANY part of your concealed weapon can lead to legal repercussions. Here in Indiana, the LCH is good for both open and concealed carry so even if your gun were to be fully exposed, there is no law against it. After 10 years of carrying, I don't worry too much about a quick flash that may show my gun anymore. I was paranoid about it for the first six months or so.

Oh, fwiw, I'm 5'7" and 240. I carry a full-size 1911, a compact 1911, or a S&W 442 as the mood strikes me. The 1911s get carried both IWB and OWB. I almost always have a single or double mag carrier on the off-side as well. The Smith is either pocket carry or IWB in a FIST clip-on.
My favorite cover garments are chamois shirts in the cooler months and cheap Sam's Club washable silk "camp"/"Hawaiian" shirts in the warmer months.

Last comment: people don't notice you as mentioned above. I dropped my compact 1911 out of shoulder holster onto the floor in the middle of a crowded video store one Friday night years ago. There were probably 20 to 25 people around me. So far as I could tell, not ONE of them noticed what I dropped and bent down to retrieve. A little bulge in your shirt at 3:00 will NOT be noticed by 99.5% of the people you meet.

 

[Cheyenne WYO]

Change the style of shirt or go to an IWB type of rig.

I'm a VMII guy unless I'm out in the woods.

 

[stang68]

Try a Remora. If that doesn't work, throw in the towel and get a 642/442 or an LCR and carry in your pocket in a good pocket holster.

I just ordered a Remora yesterday after reading Erich's post and all the others in that thread that praised it, will see how that works for me.

 

[guitarded]

I'm 5'9, 185 lbs. I've found that my 66-5 pretty much disappears iwb with a Don Hume 715 at about 2:30. This was in jeans -t-shirt and a lightweight, plaid button up shirt. One of my friends, who works at a gun shop, knew that I was carrying and what I was carrying couldn't spot it on me. YMMV.

 

[mtgianni]

Try a holster and no gun then ask your wife if she spots it. Next try neither holster or gun.

 

[stang68]

Got my Remora yesterday for the 2.5" 66 and so far I really like it, trying various positions to see what's best for me. It's comfortable and holds its position well, even during a short walk. The concealability is good with the one size over t-shirt that I'm wearing. I think I'm going to really like this holster. The only problem I'm having is the target hammer is uncomfortable in some positions Thanks again to all.