Of course you can't conceal a full sized...

Rastoff

Rastoff

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The subject of concealed carry came up while talking with a neighbor the other day. He had considered getting a license, but has shied away for one reason or another. He mentioned that is favorite gun was a 5" 1911. It was then he said, "Of course, you can't conceal a full sized 1911. So, I'd probably carry something different."

I chuckled inside a little and said, "I'm pretty sure it could be concealed." "I don't know" he replied, "it's a pretty big gun. It would print and be really obvious." I didn't tell him that I was carrying one at that moment; neither did he notice.

I can also conceal an M&P 45 pretty easily.

I just thought it was funny how he was telling me it couldn't be done while I was doing it. :D
 
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Actually because of the long relatively thin barrel/slide the 1911 full size is fairly easy to conceal as is the Browning HP which even has a thinner barrel/slide. I have carried both over the years with no problem but now my concealed carry pistol is a Sig P228 9mm with 16 rounds.
 
I believe most people who use excuses to not do something are looking for excuses to not do anything. My brother said he couldn't carry a full size 1911 (of which he owns 4), because he has to wear pants with no belt do to medical condition. I have a kydex paddle holster for 1911's he liked it, so on the next outing to a well stocked gun store we found a leather holster with a paddle. He bought it and has never worn it in the 2 years he has owned it. In times past, I've carried 1911's in military flap holsters concealed under a flannel shirt. If you want to do something, you will find a way to make it happen.

The hardest way to conceal any gun is in a $5 padded nylon holster! Even a LCP is almost lunch box size! Ivan
 
Your neighbor speaks from "lack of education". Perhaps, if he ever decided to get licensed, he will be "educated". Much to his surprise he will realize he has been surrounded by people doing what he here-to-fore had thought impossible.
 
Consider the source.....a know-nothing.

I've concealed 3" RB N frames with ease and I am not a big man. The right holster and the right belt make it easy without having to wear a bed sheet for a shirt.
 
I have on occasion carried a full sized Sig 220 which has similar dimensions to a 1911. It does require forethought and appropriate dress but can be done.
 
I think that most people who do NOT carry, don't typically notice those of us who do.

I would compare it to owning a particular car. When you buy a new (or used) car, you start noticing your model car, more and more often than you ever did before.

Carrying a firearm is a lot like that. People who start carrying get totally flummuxed about it, because they think everyone is looking at them, now. They get smaller and smaller pistols, until they are comfortable that it is really "concealed" and no one is the wiser.

After a while, they start noticing that other people are also carrying guns. It's sort of like recognizing your car model. "Hey I never noticed that before!"

After a while longer, they start to notice people really carrying "well" and people carrying "not so well" (Meaning that it's easier to tell with some people).

Then after years of carrying, they notice that people who don't carry, don't notice people carrying, whether they do it well or not. Then they realize that probably no one was really looking at them in the first place (when they started carrying) and they start carrying what they feel like carrying.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

People on the average, notice very little about their surroundings. You can ask a friend where they had lunch today, and if they can tell you the type and color of the floor or ceiling. 90% of the people you ask - won't remember - and it was just hours ago!
 
2ndAmendmentNut said:
I have on occasion carried a full sized Sig 220 which has similar dimensions to a 1911. It does require forethought and appropriate dress but can be done.
Click to expand...

Bianchi Carry Lok: Leather level 1 retention pancake holster. Makes 220's disappear. At 4:30 it is gone under a light t-shirt. Something about the cant and ride height is magical for me.

Most single stack 1911's are nearly invisible AIWB. Pretty good at 4:30 as well. The flush fitting magazines are best at 4:30.
 
gm272gs said:
I think that most people who do NOT carry, don't typically notice those of us who do.

I would compare it to owning a particular car. When you buy a new (or used) car, you start noticing your model car, more and more often than you ever did before.

Carrying a firearm is a lot like that. People who start carrying get totally flummuxed about it, because they think everyone is looking at them, now. They get smaller and smaller pistols, until they are comfortable that it is really "concealed" and no one is the wiser.

After a while, they start noticing that other people are also carrying guns. It's sort of like recognizing your car model. "Hey I never noticed that before!"

After a while longer, they start to notice people really carrying "well" and people carrying "not so well" (Meaning that it's easier to tell with some people).

Then after years of carrying, they notice that people who don't carry, don't notice people carrying, whether they do it well or not. Then they realize that probably no one was really looking at them in the first place (when they started carrying) and they start carrying what they feel like carrying.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

People on the average, notice very little about their surroundings. You can ask a friend where they had lunch today, and if they can tell you the type and color of the floor or ceiling. 90% of the people you ask - won't remember - and it was just hours ago!
Click to expand...

Also with today's "smart" phones nobody gives a large bulge a second glance. In fact most people seem so glued to their phones they won't even give you one glance.

I saw a video a while back of a crazy guy with a gun in hand on a subway. Not a single person noticed until he shot a guy in the back of the head. Even then nobody could give a good ID on the crazy.
 
Most people who have never carried are a little freaked out by the thought of doing it.
Think back if you can to when you first got your permit. If you're like me, you carried a J-Frame. You were just SURE everybody was going to know.:eek:
Of course, nobody did. It takes a while to get over that mindset.
A 1911? Heck, that would be easy to conceal. I carry 4" or 5" N-Frames regularly in the cooler months, in complete comfort and with complete concealment.
Jim
 
My routine urban concealed carry is a 5" 1911 @ 3:00 and a spare magazine @ 9:00 on my belt with an un-tucked shirt over them. My remote rural/woods concealed carry guns are an FNH FNX-45 Tactical, a Glock G20 SF, or a 4" S&W 29-2 .44 magnum with two spare magazines or speed loaders.

Before I retired, a LEO friend bet me over beers one evening that there was no way anyone could carry my new Desert Eagle 50 AE concealed. After I got my Ross Leather holster and double magazine carrier, I wore it all day at work around senior LEO and no one noticed until I showed them at the end of the day. Ya gotta wanna.
 
I have concealed a full size sig 1911 and a g21 under just a T Shirt with no problem.
 
Hopefully if this guy does decide to get licensed, he'll take his CC Class from someone who incorporates 'Dressing to Conceal' into the class. ;)
 
That looks good, but what is it? Can you wear it with a tucked shirt. I'm looking for something similar for either a Sig TacOps .45 or S&W mod. 39
 
My normal mode of dress in retirement is cargo shorts and an un-tucked tee shirt so I could conceal almost anything (I'm tall & thin). Physical problems limit me to a J frame in my pocket w/a speed strip in a small pouch on the belt.
 
As along time Military Police Investigator, a CID Agent, and as a supplemental fill in on the US Secret Service Military Augmentation Team I'll throw the " I don't know what I'm talking about[ BS]" flag on the OP' s friend. The old "slabsides "is more concealable than any major caliber revolver and will serve you better when the SHTF. No need to pull my leg ,they are both the same length, and I've been there ,done that. Nick
 
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