Deep Concealment of a Handgun

[Old cop]

I agree w/ankle rigs while driving and sometimes use mine that way. I also have a Ruger LCP for those times when my wardrobe has to go more formal, or social situations dictate very deep concealment.

 

[locapitano]

I'll admit that I didn't read all the responses so I apologize if this has been said.

I would go with a Berreta nano or Glock 26. They are small but hold 10 rounds of 9MM which is a little more substancial then a .380ACP.

As for concealment, when I am wearing tighter shirts or dress clothes I use an ankle holster but those are harder to draw from with out giving the suspect a advance warning and putting yourself in a position of vulnerability.

I would purchase a "Belly Band" Holster. They fit under your regular waist band and will hold all different size weapons from the LCP to revolvers to full size Glocks.

 

[OK Hog Shooter]

Just a quick thought. I was looking at the NRA store online yesterday. They have several styles of vests that allow conceal carry to varying degrees. I'm seriously considering one, although I need to look closely at my photographer's vest and see if it might meet my needs for carry while out of the office, so to speak.

 

[Packard]

642 in the pocket and a CW9 in an ankle holster ...

I also favor an ankle and pocket carry. Ankle carry for seated access and pocket carry for standing access.

Try to access you .38 that's in your pocket while you are seated once and you will be convinced that it is only satisfactory for standing access.

Everyone who ankle carries will practice accessing the weapon from a standing position. It is slow and a dead giveaway. Whereas pocket carry allows surreptitious access.

 

[Neumann]

There are a lot of micro-nines on the market, which have twice the energy of a .38 special with less felt recoil, and about half the thickness of a small revolver. These carry nicely in pocket holster, which keeps the weapon upright and conceals the outline. Kahr also makes a .40 SW and .45 ACP in this size, if you want a little more stopping power at the expense of one less round.

You can put your hand on the weapon without attracting undue attention, and it is faster to draw that way than reaching for a belt or shoulder holster. When driving in a jacket or coat, you can transfer it to a vest or shirt pocket.

An ankle holster offers deep concealment (pull your sock over the holster and wear boot-cut pants), but is awkward to draw unless you are sitting. A shoulder holster is hard to conceal and slow on the draw, but may be a good choice when driving.

The bravado of "you gonna' shoot me" is very common. They're just testing you for weakness. The correct response is to tell THEM what to do - stop, show their hands, drop to the ground, or whatever. Never say you're going to call the police - just do it at the first opportunity, even if they run off. BG's frequently report a "man with a gun" when they don't get their way. You want to be the first to call if a weapon is involved.

 

[Chuck1217]

I totally agree with a couple of things posted- don't over-think thhis- no one should know you're carrying anyway, and should something happen you'll be glad you did- and, small 9mm or pocket 38 would be MY choices. But the final thing I agree on is- you're a smart guy, can tell by the question- do what you think is best. A .32 may not be a 12 guage, but most crimainals and i have something in common- neither of us wants to be shot with one

 

[Kavinsky]

could try an old sig 245 or a detonics combat master if your worried about stopping power and the intimidation factor as you noted the .32 just barely kept them at bay, not sure how well they'd carrry though but the sig does have an alloy frame so it would be the lighter of the two.

that or a walther PPS/Kel Tech in .40

 

[blujax01]

I have been a Field Representative for a large company for 30 years. Inner City to Trailer Park to Ridge Runner Holler, I've found myself conducting business somewhere within the whole spectrum.
You haven't said what type of clothing you are required to wear. If it's a sports coat, you have a lot of options for OWB. I cannot stand inside the waistband holsters so I carry a snub nosed M64 in a Gould and Goodrich pancake.
If I'm wearing a leather coat or heavier, I go inside coat pocket where I can fit a little more gun.
Summertime or anytime a cover garment is not appropriate, I go with the J Frame in a Galco Ankle Glove. (Spend the extra $20 for the garter belt, it's worth it.)

My boss never asked if I go armed and I never bothered to offer the information. If they knew, the PC crowd in the home office would no doubt create a rule against it.

 

[cshoff]

There are times in life, when although it is "legal" for a person to be in possession of a gun, that there may be some situations with serious consequences if a handgun is detected. For example, I work for a large nationally recognized company. My work frequently takes me into some of the worst parts of our city, which is one of the most violent in the U.S.

I am personally aware of at least two incidents, involving friends of mine in this same part of our city. Both were approached by multiple assailants with the declared intention of robbery and/or car jacking. One of the fellows was armed with a Kel-Tec P32 and the other was unarmed, but extremely lucky. The armed fellow had to resort to pulling his handgun and threatening to shoot the suspects in order to escape the area. While the suspects did make snide remarks such as "who are you gonna shoot with that little pea shooter?", none of them was willing to step up to the plate and get shot in the face first, thus giving my friend time to exit the situation. The second guy was fortunate enough that a neighbor saw what was about to happen, came out of his house and invited my buddy in and called the cops. The thugs left the area before the cops arrived, twenty minutes later.

Needless to say, the armed person never mentioned his situation, while the other did file an incident report. The company's response to the report was to make sure everyone was being aware of their surroundings, and not to take any unncessary chances while out working alone in the area. I don't fault the company, they certainly can't condone armed people in the field in our line of work, its just too much of a potential for them from a liability perspective.

However, as I find myself in the very same areas of town every day while working, I realize it may only be a matter of time and opportunity until I may have some sort of chance encounter similar to what these fellows experienced. With this in mind, I have given a great deal of thought about and research into deep concealment of a handgun, but I'm yet to find a "comforting" solution. The question I now pose is, if you choose to go armed in this manner, what do you carry and how? Is a small caliber pocket gun like the Ruger LCP, or the Kel-Tec P3AT, P32 a better option than something larger? What do you carry and how do you carry it? If you carry a large handgun, and you do so without anyone ever knowing it is there, how do you conceal it?

I have a very close friend who is in a similar situation. If his employer finds out he is carrying, he will lose his job. Still, he believes being able to go home to his wife and son at the end of day is more important than any job.

He carries a Kahr CW9, which is a much better fighting gun than any LCP or P3AT will ever be, in a Pistol Wear PT-2 holster that he fabricated a Kydex insert for so he can keep a round chambered and not have to worry about anything ever pushing through the fabric of the PT-2 and contacting the trigger:

The PT-2:

The Kydex insert he made:

The gun and Kydex insert in the PT-2:

And finally, him wearing the rig with the gun in the 4:30 position:

And lastly, with his shirt tucked in around the gun:

 

[Silversmok3]

Skillful hiding of a pistol is a good thing to practice so long as its done while preserving the ability to access it fast in an emergency.

In my limited experience, most citizens who are anti gun are far from being experts at detecting firearms. To prove this point Mas Ayoob has open carried in many places and not been made as an armed man by quite a few civilians. I do not know your coworkers or your boss, but odds are you could walk in with an exposed OWB Glock .45 pistol and they wouldn't notice until they took a second look at your waistband.
Most unarmed people simply do not conceive of the idea of an ordinary Joe packing a pistol, such a concept being beyond the mental thought process of the typical American drone. If a co-worker did see a glimpse of your piece he'd probably dismiss it as his or her imagination playing tricks-after all,only cops & robbers carry guns right ?

 

[photoman]

I have a very close friend who is in a similar situation. If his employer finds out he is carrying, he will lose his job. Still, he believes being able to go home to his wife and son at the end of day is more important than any job.

He carries a Kahr CW9, which is a much better fighting gun than any LCP or P3AT will ever be, in a Pistol Wear PT-2 holster that he fabricated a Kydex insert for so he can keep a round chambered and not have to worry about anything ever pushing through the fabric of the PT-2 and contacting the trigger:

Those pictures reminded me of a good point. There's more to hiding a gun than hiding a gun. What's the use of going to all the trouble of hiding that gun and then wearing a leather "gun belt" or "instructors" belt. Now I grant you, most everyday drones will not know the difference or notice, but a lot of people do and will and that defeats the purpose of deep concealment.

 

[NE450No2]

Captain Stuart has provided you with very sound advice. I follow the same philosophy and procedure, the only difference is; I carry TWO 38's. You can find another job; proctect yourself at all costs.

I agree. The Most concealable way to carry a handgun, that you can get to the Quickest, and the most Reliable handgun, is a S&W Bodyguard or Centennial, in your front pants pocket.

If you are going to Bad Areas on a regular basis, then carry one in EACH front pocket.

Get a couple of good inside the pocket holsters.

 

[cshoff]

Those pictures reminded me of a good point. There's more to hiding a gun than hiding a gun. What's the use of going to all the trouble of hiding that gun and then wearing a leather "gun belt" or "instructors" belt. Now I grant you, most everyday drones will not know the difference or notice, but a lot of people do and will and that defeats the purpose of deep concealment.

Kinda funny you mention that. I was shopping with my wife last week and she drug me into several clothing stores at a local mall. It seems that most of the "casual" pants they are selling these days come with a matching belt of some sort, ie: color coordinated to go with the pants. I noticed that the vast majority of these belts look just like your typical "instructor belt", albeit they are made with lighter materials, lighter stitching, and cheaper buckles. I saw the same theme in stores ranging from Walmart, Cabela's, JC Penney, and even the Nike outlet store. It seems that "instructor belts", or at least the knock-off's, are the "in" thing right now, so I kind of doubt that simply wearing a nylon belt in this day and age would be much of a giveaway that a person was also concealing a firearm.

But besides that, I'm not really sure what kind of attire, specifically, my friend wears to work. I'm guessing that when he mocked-up the rig for the pictures, he probably wasn't too concerned with what kind of belt he had on at the time. Since he works in a warehouse environment, I would guess blue jeans, work boots, and "sturdy" belts would be the norm for most of the employees.

ETA - I can't imagine how the rig in the pictures, even with the "instructor belt", could ever be more noticeable than wearing a pair of pants with generous enough front pockets to allow for a pocket holster and a small revolver. You're not going to hide a Bodyguard in a pocket holster in the front pocket of a typical pair of Levi's without wearing a size that is abnormally large for your build.

 

[squidsix]

"You can find another job; proctect yourself at all costs"
This is true on many, many levels.

 

[Goldstar225]

As others have said, the more concealed, the slower the access. For light concealed carry with good access is my 642 in a Mika pocket holster. For more firepower with extremely good concealment, a Crossbreed Supertuck with either a Kahr K40 or a Glock 23.

 

[Electraclyde]

2, J-frames, one in pocket, the other in an ankle holster.

 

[mawguy]

My deep concealment is a Ruger SR9c in a belly band. Think in advance about how you would draw and come to target safely. One more thing about the belly band. You can either tuck a shirt completely over it with a loose tuck, or use it as an IWB cross draw, string side or even small of back.

+1 to those that said you have one life and many jobs, not the other way around.

 

[nearlynormalmike]

I am not allowed to carry at work (hospital) and do not do so. It is a relatively safe environment though. I actually have to go through TWO electronic badge locked doors to get to my work area. Man some mornings I feel like James Bond!

However for other occasions I can use a Remora or similar holster with a M&P 9mm at the 11 o'clock position or the appendix carry (except my appendix is in a jar somewhere) without much discomfort.

It is readily accessable standing or sitting and not visible with loose fitting shirt. It will print a little with shirt tucked in but a smaller gun can disappear. There is no clip over the belt and if you are unfamiliar with that type holster please note it is very stable.

When sitting the barrel is pointed at a very bad place however, like the hip, femoral artery, and vein. Be sure to be double extra safe in these circumstances!

The tried and true j frame in the front pocket is however the easiest and most comfortable. If practical, carry a car gun that is reachable and just leave it in the car. Not good if you go into areas where your car is apt to be robbed though.

Sounds like you might want to compliment your wardrobe with a good pair of running shoes too!

 

[DAdams]

Again not knowing your attire and line of work a couple of items not covered. Belt holsters that look like a smartphone case. There are some smart carry type brief cases designed for carry.
I go into every major city in the SE and in my line of work I carry a Wenger backpack. Plenty of room and it has a couple of handles like a brief case that allows access that is not available when its on the back.
Fortunately I can dress in sports dress, my favorite carry slacks are Columbia brand that doesn't look tactical but has a nice zippered pocket behind the main pocket. It can be zipped or not. Don't need anything falling out on the floor. Many of the people I call on work outdoors or are utility men so it's common to have a 3.5 clip knife which is always handy.
My favorite "deep cover" Seecamp 380 in a DeSantis Nemesis holster in the pocket.

 

[gaucho1]

Kel-Tec PF-9 with the offered grip clip carried appendix.

Very flat, and very lite, inexpensive and 9mm.

Best compromise weapon I have found so far.

If you can shoot them well enough, the plastic .380s disappear
in your pocket holster. Super lite and well placed shots are effective.

I am a revolver fan, 6'1"-215, and my experience is Airweight J frames pocket carried do not conceal to my comfort level.
To much bulge and walking flop. Many others feel good with
that method of carry.

Good luck, and practice a bunch with your choice.

Be aware of unconscious "tells", like touching or adjusting your weapon. It's hard not to.