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by NcongruNt
Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:18 pm
Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
Topic: Running/jogging with CHL
Replies: 15
Views: 2443

Re: Running/jogging with CHL

I suppose it depends on the weather you're going out in as well.

I've been quite happy with my LCP in a 5.11 Holster shirt. There are some caveats to this setup, as I've noted in other posts.

The holster shirt holds a small gun quite well, though it prints some, and I definitely wouldn't jog with it alone - you need some sort of cover garment. It is made of nice breathable material, so it is considerably cooler than an ordinary shirt. The other problem you run into (as with most carry options while doing physical work) is sweat. While the holster shirt has padding between the pistol and you to mitigate this somewhat, if you're in a situation where you're sweating profusely, your gun will get exposed to sweat. This is my experience with my LCP while carrying it for several days while doing physical outdoor work without cleaning and oiling between days. The end result was rust on the slide and exposed external area of the barrel/chamber where the ejection port is. The original post is here: http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... hilit=rust" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . I have since removed the rust and treated the barrel and slide with Microlon Gun Juice to deal with this better, and make sure to clean and oil regularly to prevent the return of rust. If I'm doing something particularly sweaty for more than a few hours on a given day, I opt for pocket carry in a pocket holster instead of the holster shirt. I've only had rust return at the crevice along the side of the front sight, and that was likely because I didn't completely get all of it there in the first round of rust removal.

If you're going to be jogging in cold weather with a sweatshirt of some sort, this would probably be a good setup, as long as you make sure to clean and oil your gun between jogging sessions. Some sort of stainless gun (like a light snubby) would make this a non-issue, thought you should still take care to clean the gun regularly - stainless can still rust, given enough exposure to sweat. A zip-up sweatshirt (for quick access) or light jogging jacket (or something similar for cover), lightweight gun and a holster shirt underneath would make a fairly ideal setup for this kind of situation, IMO. It keeps the pistol tight to your body and immediately accessible for draw. On sizing, I've found that ordering a size down from what they recommend gives the shirt a good fit (acting like a compression shirt) and gives the gun a more snug fit. Then again, I think most men in their target market with 52" chests are... proportioned differently. I have a large frame with considerable muscle mass, and I'd venture to say that the sizing for 52" chests (actually, 51" is their biggest) makes considerable allocation for midsection mass. The 43-47 1/2" sizing fits my 52" chest and large frame beautifully.

I can't vouch personally for the Smartcarry, but some folks have given good reviews in exercise situations, so it may be something to look into. I guess it depends on what kind of shorts/pants you're going to be wearing. I personally wouldn't want to deal with a fanny pack when running, and would much prefer some sort of on-body carry. A high-riding belly band and loose-fitting breathable shirt over the top would seem like a good solution, but you still run into the sweat issue.

A small pocket pistol pocket carried in shorts is also a possible solution, as long as your pockets are secure enough to keep it in there reliably. I've carried my LCP in cargo shorts before, but too much motion tends to jostle the orientation of the gun making a more difficult draw, unless the cargo pockets are narrow enough to keep it oriented properly.

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