Most people find that they have to dress around their choice of gun. Most people will buy pants a size larger or wear a slightly larger shirt. It is a compromise a lot of us are willing to make.dfws4 wrote:Thanks to all replies. I won't be carrying during the week because my office prohibits it. So, my carrying will be restricted to weekends where I wear nothing but jeans. I tried to put an IWB holster in my favorite pair of jeans yesterday but it just didn't work - the jeans were too fitted and it wouldn't allow. So, I had tentatively thought OWB would be best for me and my weekend attire. Does a full-size pistol hang down too low OWB where I'd have to wear extra long shirts?
This is so confusing. I want a gun with good stopping power but not one that can't be concealed with my attire or that is NO fun to shoot - snub .357 for example.
That said, it sounds like you are wanting to go the other way, to find a gun to fit into your normal dress. That's fine, but there are limitations. A 1911 is a great concealed weapon because it is so thin. Most revolvers will be wider, thus making them more difficult to conceal. As far as the 1911, a good belt, a quality holster, and a cover garment(even an untucked shirt) can conceal just about anything. If you get a holster with adjustable cant, you can control the angle that your firearm sits, therefore controlling how far down it will be. From there, you would just have to wear shirts that would accomodate it. The tip of your barrel would probably be about 3 inches below your belt line. You would probably need your shirt to hang at least another 2-3 inches past that to allow you to bend, twist, etc. I had very good luck with http://www.highnoonholsters.com/Product ... _line.html They have a lot of items in stock, the holsters are good quality, and they are very affordable. I normally use a SmartCarry or a HighNoon Split Decision.
Whatever you choose, just make sure that your holster slots match your belt width. Most people who have problems with printing have a poor belt, or a quality belt that is not wide enough. YMMV.
If you do not believe you can conceal a full size 1911 with your attire, a S&W Model 340 might be the best for you. http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... sFirearm=Y or a model 640 http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... y_rn=15704
It would be very small and easy to conceal. You could carry .357 therefore satisfying your 'power' requirement, but could shoot .38 for practice. In most accounts of actual self defense shootings, people don't remember how many shots they fired or the noise, or how the recoil felt, so a .357 should be fine for self defense. Adrenaline takes over, and a lot of your 'non-essential' senses will shutdown, and you will only be concentrating on the threat. Again, YMMV.
That being said, I think the .38 is an adequate self defense round. My personal line for power of a round stops at 9mm, so for me the .380 would be out.
Like you said in your first post, shot placement is going to be paramount for any time of handgun. There is no magic caliber, and no magic bullet. A BG is not going to fly back 10 feet regardless of what you hit him with(unless you are using a car).
Wound channel and what the bullet destroys in it's path through the body are by far more important than what number your caliber started with.