On the Waist or Under the Arm

[rwsmith]

I have a weird body shape.....

..so I like shoulder holsters. I have a Remora, but the one I want to tell you about is 'different'. It's the 'Kangaroo' Air Marshal type. It's made of elastic, not good for jogging or active movement and it's not pretty, but for sitting it's as comfortable as can be. If you wear some sort of a jacket to cover the band, it's a good concealer and it will adjust for many guns.

 

[cmansguns]

OP noted he is in CA..........so a "not exactly pro gun State" therefore I think that super concealed carry is a must unless you want people shouting out "OMG......guys' got a GUN!", every time you're in Wally World.

Sometimes however diversion can equal the best of concealment schemes, so I say your solution could be to carry your handgun in whatever you like, and wear whatever you like, but be sure it is located on your strong side. On the weak side, simply carry an M1 Garand at sling arms and I could probably guarantee you that no one will ever notice your handgun.

 

[Chief Wiggums]

to each his own , so whatever works for you.
I use to fret over printing , and as the others have stated, most don't / wont notice.

for myself:
- have a great belt 1.5 to 1.75
- stop fidgeting , double checking that it is still there ect
- carry that gun every single day
- don't buy a **** holster. IE: don't use a $20 holster to carry a $500 gun.
- buy multiple holsters , just as the wives buying multiple pairs of shoes!

 

[BAM-BAM]

Lots of good advice so far.......I've been concealed carrying in a suit since about 1980. It's all about the gun,holster,belt and covering garment taken as a whole; one wrong component can screw it up. You need to dress around the gun. And realize 99.99999% of the folks you meet don't even think about someone concealed carrying...... today a smart phones print more than my gun ever has.

Since about 1990 I've been carrying a S&W 3913 in a Milt Sparks Summer special IWB at 4 o'clock...... 90 % of the time.... spare mag in a horizonal Safariland 123 mag pouch that lays flat along my belt.

I've also regularly carry a 3" 66 with the same holster on weekends and at the cabin.

I've carried guns as big as a Sig 220 .45 and a Beretta 92 Centurion. again using Sparks holsters ..... mostly Summer Specials.


Sitting a lot with your suit coat on ..... consider a 2" J-frame in a good cross-draw holster worn/ tucked back at about 8-9 o'clock....butt forward the grip won't be between you and the chair or car seat.

Another option if you can find one is a "hip grip" allows you to carry IWB w/out a holster with only the grip above the belt line.

One last piece of advice.... any holster/belt you try... you need to "test drive" it for at least a week or ten days...... every holster feels 'strange" at first. I have bought at least 10 used, expensive ($100) holsters, for pennies on the dollar, at LGSs that have been only worn once!!!!!!!

 

[Birdland70]

I would definitely dress around what you plan on carrying just make sure a reasonable sized gun (shield, g19/26, jframeetc) you can shoot well since the liscence is generally tied to the specific gun there. Definitely focus on reasonable guns if the serial numbers are tied to the carry permit still. You can always change holsters as most people take time to find their preferred method or holster. You will probably eventually want multiple options but in general a 3-4 o’clock with a shield/pps should be doable but a shoulder holster is useful for long drives or when sitting for long periods. I generally prefer owb but if paranoid iwb conceals a bit better. I personally like stealth gear for either owb or iwb and n82 tactical could work for iwb though I don’t like the twisting motion on small guns for the polymer version.

 

[DevilDog72]

I have tried just about every way a person can carry and have spent large sums of money to figure out OWB in a pancake style holster is it for me at the 3- 3:30 position. From my J frames to my 4" 19, 1911(s) and Glock 17.