How do you conceal your large handgun?

[ISCS Yoda]

Since I have plenty of problems concealing a large handgun because I am seldom dressed in a manner that I think will keep the handgun thoroughly concealed (seldom; not never) I am curious - lessons learned, I guess - so I'd like to just read comments from folks who conceal guns like these:

Glock 17

SIG P226

S&W M&P (full sized)

1911

Hi-Power

S&W 3rd Gen full sized pistol, e.g. 5903

This is for teaching, please, not debating - I have little to add to this in re concealment so I am just going to read and learn.

Much obliged.

***GRJ***

 

[getoff]

1911, hi-power or g17... can and do carry these iwb all the time. it's not easy but its doable. i use Milt Sparks VMII for 1911, and hi-power. comp-tac minotaur for the g17. the VMII is the best holster for iwb i have ever used. comfy, concealable, and leather goodness. the comp-tac is a hy-brid type that works super well. draw is great, rides well as the loops/hooks are far apart. the shells are inexpensive and interchangeable. not sure if this helps but look into both.

 

[Doug M.]

Quality IWB holster, quality belt. You can't skimp.

 

[MTKTM]

I have used a belt holster under a jacket, a fanny-pack, a small backpack, and a small book carrier like a Daytimer, to conceal good sized handguns. It depends a lot on the situation and the attire. You could conceal a 500 S&W Magnum under a winter parka, and might have trouble concealing a LCP under a swimming suit.

 

[jinx]

Years ago when Mitch Rosen started building holsters, I ordered his ARG{Ayoob Rear Guard}, an inside the waistband holster. Took 6 months and was very expensive, still are. Took a long time to break it in. Great quality and a T shirt concealed it well. This is not an advertisement for Rosen products.
I think that members Lobo or Eaglestroker can fix you up just fine. Please look at their offerings. They makes some quality stuff at reasonable prices.

 

[Engineer1911]

Right next to my large belly. I'm 'working' on the large belly problem.

 

[Grayfox]

Concealment and comfort are products of the belt and holster you use. Not the gun you carry. I routinely carry a Colt Commander and lately I've been carrying a 3" L-frame revolver. Both of which are carried OWB. Thanks to my belt and holster choices, they are easily concealed under a slightly oversized T-shirt.
You just have to find the right combination that works for you.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I forgot to add that belts and holsters are half the equation - what's the covering garment? I know belts and holsters pretty well - it's HIDING the gun that eludes me.

***GRJ***

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Step number one is to start thinking about dressing around the gun. Loose-fitting clothing is better than closely tailored garments. Cover garments with some "body" to them (woven cotton, poplin, canvas, leather, etc) are better than soft clinging fabrics. Cover garment must be long enough to cover the holstered handgun during all normal activities (bending over, climbing into or out of a vehicle, etc).

Next step is to consider holster designs that tend to obscure or camouflage the handgun's shape and allow the cover garment to move over the holstered handgun without snagging or "printing". Pancake-style holsters provide this benefit better than other designs.

Don't underestimate the value of a good sturdy belt that will keep your holstered handgun firmly anchored in the intended carry position. Cheaply made flimsy belts are more likely to be the problem with the larger and heavier handguns than any holster selection. Belts that are not matched to the holster's attachment points allow the holstered handgun to slide around and shift during regular activities.

I carry a full-size 1911 pistol daily using my Enhanced Pancake Model holster, usually with nothing more than a loose-fitting shirt for cover.

Occasionally I will carry a large-frame revolver (S&W N-frame or Colt SAA). These beasts have a cylinder about 1.75" in diameter and about 1.75" in length. This requires a holster that will minimize the profile of the holstered revolver. Pancake-style holsters do this better than any others. The pancake's smooth outer shell allows the cover garment to move over the holstered handgun during our regular bodily motions.

Regardless of holster style selected, the holster design must take into consideration the overall size, weight, and weight distribution of the intended handgun (including ammunition load). The balance point of the loaded pistol cannot be carried any higher than the upper belt-line without gravity taking over and tipping the holstered handgun out away from the body, compromising both concealment and security.

Thus ends this lecture on "holster design 101".

Best regards.

 

[Maze 686]

IWB, my 4inch S&W 686 conceals better then my Glock 23 wearing just a T-shirt.

A good IWB holster and belt designed for carry makes a big difference.

 

[TexasArmed]

Step number one is to start thinking about dressing around the gun. Loose-fitting clothing is better than closely tailored garments. Cover garments with some "body" to them (woven cotton, poplin, canvas, leather, etc) are better than soft clinging fabrics. Cover garment must be long enough to cover the holstered handgun during all normal activities (bending over, climbing into or out of a vehicle, etc).

Next step is to consider holster designs that tend to obscure or camouflage the handgun's shape and allow the cover garment to move over the holstered handgun without snagging or "printing". Pancake-style holsters provide this benefit better than other designs.

Don't underestimate the value of a good sturdy belt that will keep your holstered handgun firmly anchored in the intended carry position. Cheaply made flimsy belts are more likely to be the problem with the larger and heavier handguns than any holster selection. Belts that are not matched to the holster's attachment points allow the holstered handgun to slide around and shift during regular activities.

I carry a full-size 1911 pistol daily using my Enhanced Pancake Model holster, usually with nothing more than a loose-fitting shirt for cover.

Occasionally I will carry a large-frame revolver (S&W N-frame or Colt SAA). These beasts have a cylinder about 1.75" in diameter and about 1.75" in length. This requires a holster that will minimize the profile of the holstered revolver. Pancake-style holsters do this better than any others. The pancake's smooth outer shell allows the cover garment to move over the holstered handgun during our regular bodily motions.

Regardless of holster style selected, the holster design must take into consideration the overall size, weight, and weight distribution of the intended handgun (including ammunition load). The balance point of the loaded pistol cannot be carried any higher than the upper belt-line without gravity taking over and tipping the holstered handgun out away from the body, compromising both concealment and security.

Thus ends this lecture on "holster design 101".

Best regards.

I have a S&W 25-5 six shot revolver, and I gave up trying to carry it concealed, because 1) its very heavy 2) it would not
fit even in a huge coat I bought for winter, 3) the only way
I could carry it concealed was with one fanny pack I owned.
Instead I concluded that its best to carry say a 44 caliber like
my Charter Arms Bulldog, and a second gun like a 38 special.
Part of my problem in trying to conceal a big frame gun is
that it stays pretty hot in Texas in the summer, and I hardly
ever wear a coat. So with light weight clothes it seems to me
that a J frame 38 special or the same size like the CA 44 Spl makes more sense. I save the Colt 45 for home defense.
JMO

 

[Rick_A]

My 5" 1911 goes IWB under a couple shirts (a tank top and tee if it's hot).

The 4" N frame is OWB under a dark untucked button up shirt.

They are equally comfortable and easily carried. The revolver is actually a several ounces lighter.

 

[twobit601]

Pancake Holsters. One of my favorite brands is Simply Rugged. With the add-on straps it will convert from a OWB to IWB.

 

[Iggy]

Nobody gives an old fart in a cowboy hat and vest a second thought in Wyoming.

That vest covers a lot of "sins". Chronic Dunlop's Syndrome, hidden guns, S'penders and I don't know whut all!!!

I carry N frame revolvers in belt holsters all the time.


If you ain't familiar with Dunlop's Syndrome, that's when your belly dun lopped over your belt buckle.

 

[chief38]

I conceal my large frame guns in the boxes they came in and carry a 2" J Frame........

 

[Smoke]

I just wear shirts that are a size or so bigger. Hawaiians are good because the pattern of the shirt breaks up the outline of the gun. Dark shirts conceal better than light colored ones and heavy material better than light.

I conceal my 4006 and 2 magazines under an unbuttoned flannel this weekend and no one but my wife knew it was there

 

[Mediumbore]

Nobody give an old fart in a cowboy hat and vest a second thought.

I carry N frame revolvers in belt holsters all the time.

A great deal of "concealing" is misdirection. Dressing around the gun is a key part. Being comfortable with your chosen method so that you don't move in a manner that screams "I have something to hide" is equally as important. I have actually open carried in places with a black gun in black holster against a dark outfit and had few people notice. I'm not scared of discovery so I act natural and relaxed. Most folks tend toward looking you in the face and upper torso, and folks pay less attention to you than you think. When hiding a gun, don't adjust it constantly or reach back to make sure it is there. Wear garments or accessories that draw the eye elsewhere. The clichéd guyaberra or Hawaiian shirts work so well not because they are tent-like, but because the patterns and designs hide or mask the shadow created by a bulge.

 

[LimaCharlie]

I routinely carry a 5" 1911 @ 3:00 on my belt in a leather pancake style holster with a spare magazine in a belt carrier @ 9:00 on my belt. I carry this way year around with an un-tucked oversized shirt over them. Today, I am wearing shorts, an un-tucked polo shirt, and sandals.

When I spend time in remote rural areas, I switch the 1911 for either a Glock G20 SF 10mm or a FNH FNX-45 Tactical with two spare fifteen round magazines. If I spend time in wooded areas with potential black bear encounter, I switch the 1911 for a 4" S&W 29-2 .44 magnum with two speed loaders.

Before I retired, I told a law enforcement friend over beers on evening that I had bought a 6" Desert Eagle 50 AE. He bet me that nobody could carry it concealed. I carried it all day working around senior law enforcement and nobody noticed until I showed them after work to win the bet.

Hawaiian or Charlie Sheen style shirts are the new urban camouflage. Polo shirts, t-shirts, and hoody sweat shirts also work. People tend to over-think printing issues. Most people won't see an open carried gun.

 

[Bartman3562]

A size bigger than normal shirt, and in a tall size if possible. As stated, dark or with a print design.

 

[CatSnipah]

Right next to my large belly. I'm 'working' on the large belly problem.

I just tuck my P229 right up under one of my fat rolls. Disappears like a fart in the wind.



Actually - I don't carry a full size pistol currently. Either my Shield or G19, and those are pretty easy IWB. So, I'd also be interested in reading more in this thread and included responses.