Joined
·
313 Posts
Well, I've finally found a couple of carry systems that work great for specific, limited purposes in my life.
First, I've tried for quite awhile to find a carry system that works well for the limited purpose of just having a decent-power gun on me all day without having to constantly take it on and off. I'm talking about a deep-concealment, BUG. As an analogy, I wanted a way to carry that was as constant, and unnoticeable by me as carrying my wallet, which meant I'd put it on at the beginning of the day, keep it there all day, not feel it there all day, and not have my pocket capacity diminished by it all day. For this system (not generally), reasonably quick access was desired but not a premium concern, since my purpose was to just have it on me, and since I'm usually carrying a primary weapon in an IWB anyway. Also, it had to carry enough gun, and I won't argue what that is, but my primary carry guns are various forms of 1911s in .45 ACP, so I want my BUG to be a form of 1911 .45 ACP too.
I have carried concealed handguns for many years, and I suppose I've tried as many different options and configurations as the next guy. My most common carry methods are pocket holster and IWB, tuckable and not. Thankfully, I'm large enough to have carried a holstered P220, and currently can carry a Lightweight Commander that way, as long as the pockets are deep enough, without it being obvious. Carrying in my pocket is great, except it leaves me with one less pocket to carry my other, non-defensive-junk in. Also, I suffered from that malady common to many and which some refer to as "The Gone Ass", meaning that on a sunny day, and with the sun in front of me, an observer can likely see my belt buckle from the back, and even a little weight can tend to drag my trou downward.
Now, of course, there's the ankle holster. In Central Alabama, it is warm enough to wear shorts almost all year, and so that's not a constant option. Frankly, I have yet to find one that doesn't get visible when I sit or slop around anyway, so frankly, the only use I still have for one is when I'm asleep in a hotel room.
So, then you have the belly bands. Personally, they either print, or they are uncomfortable - If I put them anywhere but at appendix, they print. If I put them at appendix, they are uncomfortable. No, I'm not fat, but I just continue to raise my eyebrow when even the most svelte, hard-bodied operator type tells me that he can stuff even an officer's model in at appendix and not have it mash something somewhere! Bottom line is that I can do it if I gotta, but I am always aware of its presence because it is, to me, uncomfortable.
So, then you have the Thunderwear type stuff, and that has never been even reasonably comfortable for me - at the very least, I have had to "adjust" myself like some jock football player every time I sat down, and in the end, I moved the Thunderwear up so that it went around the top of my abdomen to make it more comfortable, but then had to keep pulling it back up all day.
Well, I have found something that works - for me at least - I can carry a small-framed 1911 in .45 ACP with two extra mags in a manner that is completely concealed, very positive (no slop), and unnoticeable to me - even without an undershirt under it. The rig is shown in the first attached photo.
This is basically an elastic, Velcro-closure, belly band but with suspender straps so that the belt is worn up under the armpits instead of at waist level. The weapon is in muzzle-down orientation, and there are slots for two mags under the other armpit. I have found that carrying a decent-sized pistol that way is almost like having a wallet - I put it on in the morning, it stays there all day, I don't feel it there all day, it doesn't take up room in my pockets I need for other things, it doesn't print, and it doesn't move, and so my daily activities don't have to be altered in any way. In fact, like my wallet, it give me no reason to even notice that it's there.
The system has a couple of drawbacks that I've found, but these are in once case fixable and in another something I can live with.
The fixable problem is that the straps which hold the belt up are crossed in the back and then attach to the belt in the front so that the straps connect to the belt only an inch or two on either side of one's sternum. As a result, the straps cross over the shoulder fairly close to one's neck, and if he's wearing an open-collar shirt with the top button unbuttoned, the straps can be seen. I cured this very simply by sewing the receiver-half of Velcro strips on the belt much farther out - if one is facing to 12 o'clock, my straps now attach at about 10 and 2 o'clock. This brings the straps out just far enough to be hidden under the shoulder of my shirts, but the new attachment points are not far enough around to interfere with my access to the weapon.
The second problem is one that I can live with, and that is that there is no way to draw quickly from this rig. For best concealment, the pistol should be WAY back - completely under the underarm, and the pistol is in muzzle-down orientation instead of butt-forward. But again, for me, that's okay because speed of draw is not my primary concern. My main goal with this deep concealment system is simply to make sure that I have a reasonably powerful gun ON MY BODY. I'll have another, primary carry weapon IWB as often as possible for quick access.
Currently, I am carrying a long-time friend, an old blued-steel K9 Kahr in the holster. It is doing interim duty between the Springfield Micro I recently sold and the new Combat Master which is en-route.
The second thing I wanted was something that would allow me to carry a powerful handgun, backup mags, wallet, flashlight, cell phone and an I-Pod when I go running or walking. Before, the only thing that had worked was a fanny pack, and the darn thing used to whack up and down as I ran. The second photo shows a until I have been using that carries all this just as well, and in the same way (quick-rip pistol access), as a fanny pack, but without the up and down movement inherent with a fanny pack.
So, for these limited uses, these work great for me, so I thought I'd pass 'em along.
Best,
Jon
First, I've tried for quite awhile to find a carry system that works well for the limited purpose of just having a decent-power gun on me all day without having to constantly take it on and off. I'm talking about a deep-concealment, BUG. As an analogy, I wanted a way to carry that was as constant, and unnoticeable by me as carrying my wallet, which meant I'd put it on at the beginning of the day, keep it there all day, not feel it there all day, and not have my pocket capacity diminished by it all day. For this system (not generally), reasonably quick access was desired but not a premium concern, since my purpose was to just have it on me, and since I'm usually carrying a primary weapon in an IWB anyway. Also, it had to carry enough gun, and I won't argue what that is, but my primary carry guns are various forms of 1911s in .45 ACP, so I want my BUG to be a form of 1911 .45 ACP too.
I have carried concealed handguns for many years, and I suppose I've tried as many different options and configurations as the next guy. My most common carry methods are pocket holster and IWB, tuckable and not. Thankfully, I'm large enough to have carried a holstered P220, and currently can carry a Lightweight Commander that way, as long as the pockets are deep enough, without it being obvious. Carrying in my pocket is great, except it leaves me with one less pocket to carry my other, non-defensive-junk in. Also, I suffered from that malady common to many and which some refer to as "The Gone Ass", meaning that on a sunny day, and with the sun in front of me, an observer can likely see my belt buckle from the back, and even a little weight can tend to drag my trou downward.
Now, of course, there's the ankle holster. In Central Alabama, it is warm enough to wear shorts almost all year, and so that's not a constant option. Frankly, I have yet to find one that doesn't get visible when I sit or slop around anyway, so frankly, the only use I still have for one is when I'm asleep in a hotel room.
So, then you have the belly bands. Personally, they either print, or they are uncomfortable - If I put them anywhere but at appendix, they print. If I put them at appendix, they are uncomfortable. No, I'm not fat, but I just continue to raise my eyebrow when even the most svelte, hard-bodied operator type tells me that he can stuff even an officer's model in at appendix and not have it mash something somewhere! Bottom line is that I can do it if I gotta, but I am always aware of its presence because it is, to me, uncomfortable.
So, then you have the Thunderwear type stuff, and that has never been even reasonably comfortable for me - at the very least, I have had to "adjust" myself like some jock football player every time I sat down, and in the end, I moved the Thunderwear up so that it went around the top of my abdomen to make it more comfortable, but then had to keep pulling it back up all day.
Well, I have found something that works - for me at least - I can carry a small-framed 1911 in .45 ACP with two extra mags in a manner that is completely concealed, very positive (no slop), and unnoticeable to me - even without an undershirt under it. The rig is shown in the first attached photo.
This is basically an elastic, Velcro-closure, belly band but with suspender straps so that the belt is worn up under the armpits instead of at waist level. The weapon is in muzzle-down orientation, and there are slots for two mags under the other armpit. I have found that carrying a decent-sized pistol that way is almost like having a wallet - I put it on in the morning, it stays there all day, I don't feel it there all day, it doesn't take up room in my pockets I need for other things, it doesn't print, and it doesn't move, and so my daily activities don't have to be altered in any way. In fact, like my wallet, it give me no reason to even notice that it's there.
The system has a couple of drawbacks that I've found, but these are in once case fixable and in another something I can live with.
The fixable problem is that the straps which hold the belt up are crossed in the back and then attach to the belt in the front so that the straps connect to the belt only an inch or two on either side of one's sternum. As a result, the straps cross over the shoulder fairly close to one's neck, and if he's wearing an open-collar shirt with the top button unbuttoned, the straps can be seen. I cured this very simply by sewing the receiver-half of Velcro strips on the belt much farther out - if one is facing to 12 o'clock, my straps now attach at about 10 and 2 o'clock. This brings the straps out just far enough to be hidden under the shoulder of my shirts, but the new attachment points are not far enough around to interfere with my access to the weapon.
The second problem is one that I can live with, and that is that there is no way to draw quickly from this rig. For best concealment, the pistol should be WAY back - completely under the underarm, and the pistol is in muzzle-down orientation instead of butt-forward. But again, for me, that's okay because speed of draw is not my primary concern. My main goal with this deep concealment system is simply to make sure that I have a reasonably powerful gun ON MY BODY. I'll have another, primary carry weapon IWB as often as possible for quick access.
Currently, I am carrying a long-time friend, an old blued-steel K9 Kahr in the holster. It is doing interim duty between the Springfield Micro I recently sold and the new Combat Master which is en-route.
The second thing I wanted was something that would allow me to carry a powerful handgun, backup mags, wallet, flashlight, cell phone and an I-Pod when I go running or walking. Before, the only thing that had worked was a fanny pack, and the darn thing used to whack up and down as I ran. The second photo shows a until I have been using that carries all this just as well, and in the same way (quick-rip pistol access), as a fanny pack, but without the up and down movement inherent with a fanny pack.
So, for these limited uses, these work great for me, so I thought I'd pass 'em along.
Best,
Jon
