Derek33

I posted this on my local board. I figured I would share it here, too.


I recently ordered and received a SmartCarry. Just some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

SmartCarry:

With a bathing suit, carrying at 12 O'clock.



You can see a little bulge right below the waste band, but its very minor and a t-shirt covers it. Even Just wearing a (for lack of better words) wife beater would cover the bulge.



But still, practically invisible.



Carrying at 12 O'clock in some jeans.



Similar to the bathing suit, there is a small bulge blow the waste line and the front of the jeans are very flat. The belt helps cover the bulge. Again, a t-shirt would cover this easily.



Again, practically invisible.



The only issue I have is sitting down. The muzzle of the gun is pushed towards the crotch of the jeans causing it to print. Maybe jeans that are baggy-er around the crotch area would help with this. Do your best to hold any wise comments [laugh]



In the same jeans, carrying at 1 O'clock



This puts the pistol behind the pocket. I had nothing in my pockets, but i can imagine having anything in them would cause them to stick out farther then usual. You can see the small bulge when looking at an angle.



Same thing, other angle.



Makes sitting down more comfortable and less obvious.





Since then, I have bought a pair of jeans that are not "low cut" which gives me more room in the crotch area. This allows me to carry at 12 o'clock and not print when I sit down.

I've been using this for a week or so and I've worn it everywhere. I've worked in it, including climbing latters, digging, landscaping. I've also played sports with this on.

I'm happy with this so far. A couple of times I've worn the smart carry more around my waste and held the pistol at 3 o'clock and used it as an IWB holster. Worked great that way, too. The only issue would be re-holstering.

Any questions, just ask.

Derek

stuckInNy

cool man, I just ordered one for my 3 inch 1911. Should be in the mail when I get home.

Thanks for posting the review... I'm psyched to try mine

my2cents

I ordered one yesterday, too.

__________________
Walk steathly - and carry a big Springfield.

Derek33

give it a couple of days to find out where you like yours to sit on your body. High, low, 12 oclock, 3 oclock, etc. It does work well as an IWB holster worn at 3 oclock.

I started off by wearing the firearm low, and have the strap come up diagonally to my lower back. Now I wear the strap horizontal and both the firearm and the back strap low.

The other day I wore my firearm under my bathing suit with a shirt off while I washed my jeep. Comfortable and concealable.

highoctane

Nice review. Im thinking of getting one of these.

stuckInNy

mine was sitting in my mail box when I got home... I have to say you cannot see this thing at all when you have it on.

I have a 3 inch 1911 and the thing dissapears. I wore it as low as I could without the bottom of the holster hitting my thighs. Totally comfortable while standing.

Sitting down will take some getting used to since the beaver tail grip safety pokes my gut a little. I wore it through dinner and I actually forgot I was wearing it while sitting down... so it's not bad.

I love the fact that it doesn't print at all. I also love the fact that I don't have to wear a tight belt... I hate wearing tight belts... especially when you go out to eat. :)

I'll have to work on my draw as well as trying different positions of carry... the 3 o'clock iwb position sounds cool.

I'll give it a good run this weekend and report back.

stuckInNy

I just tried it out at the 3:00 position.. that's even better. The gun sits low in the pants with just the beaver tail and tip of the grip pocking out. I have it on with a fitted shirt and you can't see it at all.. even when I bend over you can't see it.

It feels totally comfortable while sitting down since the safety isn't poking me in the gut anymore.

The fact that the grip sticks out of the pants a tad makes for a smoother draw.

I just ran around with my dogs outside and the holster and gun didn't budge at all

Thanks for the suggestion Derek33.

So far I'm really happy.. well worth the $56. We'll see how it does over the weekend

Slabsides45

What's the speed of draw when wearing it, versus traditional IWB (tucked)? Smallest thing I have is a G19, and usually stick with my Commander sized 1911s...

Derek33

The best part, is that 56 bucks covers any similar firearm you want to buy. It's not firearm specific like my M-tac. Another benefit over an M-tac or similar type holster.... No holster wear on the slide!

I can draw from my M-tac faster than my smartcarry. Also, I can draw from my M-tac single handed. Unfortunately, I cannot wear an M-tac without a button down shirt due to printing issues. I will still wear my smartcarry even with more clothing, just to maintain redundancy so I don't have to think where my firearm is when seconds matter.

The more I practice, the better I'm getting at drawing from the smartcarry. I recommend finding a pattern you like, practicing it slow to achieve muscle memory, and then work on speed.

Try different jeans, different belts, etc. I found while wearing my stiff Wilderness Instructors belt I cannot draw as fast as my American Eagle leather belt. The stiffness of the Instructors belt makes it hard to get my hand down my pants.

Issues I have found drawing is sometimes the holster wants to come with the firearm. I foresee this disappearing when the holster has been broken in. The new denim isn't smooth yet. Right now I try my hardest to focus on drawing straight up out of the holster. Any lateral movement of the pistol while still in the holster can cause binding and slow down draw time.

The pattern I try to practice uses my right right hand's thumb to pick my shirt up (untucked) and putting my palm against my stomach while my wrist is holding up my shirt. I take my left hand to stretch my pants forward while sliding my right hand straight down and straight back up.

I wear a (for lack of better words) wife beater as an undershirt all the time. As you can see in the pictures. Its imperative that anything tucked under the holster remains tight to the body. After practicing my draw for a while I accidentally untucked some of my wife beater and later found that the shirt was covering the handle of my firearm.

I'm sure with practice I can get my draw time very close to the draw time of my M-tac.

Derek

Derek33

Another topic I thought of the other day.

Sometime every holster may need adjusting while in public...

Adjusting an M-tac or other IWB -- maybe a cell phone, maybe a gun. Seems semi obvious.

Adjusting an Ankle holster -- Gee, what could that be?

Adjusting a smartcarry -- Its just guy things. bad case of IBS...