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KBCraig wrote:Alternatively, you could keep the tight jeans and wear OWB with a blazer.

In my experience, that doesn't work for a man who is a stringbean and wears a tailored jacket. I would have to wear a jacket two sizes too large.

There's a reason James Bond carried a .32-caliber Walther.

- Jim

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.

For IWB, you have to compromise a little. I buy nearly all my clothes at second-hand stores. If you do that, you can experiment without spending a lot of money.

You can bring a paperback book that is roughly the size of your pistol and see how the pants fit with the book tucked into the waistband.

dfws4 wrote: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?

It depends. If your pants have a low-slung waist, an OWB holster will hang down below the bottom of a typical polo-style shirt.

You can find combinations of shirts and pants that will cover an OWB holster, but that setup has more chance of printing and accidental concealment failure. I have done it with no problem, but I don't do it regularly.

You can get an Uncle Mike's holster that converts from IWB to OWB for less than $20. That is a cheap way to experiment.

I would not use one of those long-term as an OWB holster. It has a single metal belt clip, which is less stable than an OWB holster with two slots for the belt, and retention is not as good as with a custom-made holster.

- Jim

Given your choices, .38 Special is demonstrably more powerful than .380; and it's difficult or impossible to find .380 hollowpoints.

You might want to spend a little more time investigating concealed carry of larger handguns. I am thin -- size 32 slacks are loose on me. I can carry a full-size service pistol IWB with an untucked shirt. No one has ever indicated that they "made" me, including cops.

- Jim