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I've been reading several forums, and am always intrigued by the posts from members that lament that they cannot completely conceal their full size Kimber,
Double Stack Sig, or on occasion.....their WWII howitzer won't conceal in their Bermuda shorts....

I learned long ago that different dress styles call for different pistols. Some days it's super light clothing an my NAA .22 mag, other times I'm fortunate enough
to be able to conceal my XDm in .40 in an OWB holster with a blazer.

So, my question is this: Are you like me? In other words, the self defense pistol choice varies greatly, so I have many different pistols for many different
scenarios? It's clear that a "one size fits all" world isn't realistic, so I try to dress/carry/accommodate accordingly.

Would love to year your thoughts.....

Some of us don't have the luxury of rummaging around in the inventory for just the right gun. I carry a Sig P239 all the time and don't have any trouble concealing it; tucked or not, shorts and t-shirt or dress pants and shirt. I'd like to carry my P226, but I need to get a CompTac holster for it, and that has to wait for a little while.

I don't ever dress so casual (unless swimming or something) that my Glock 26 doesn't conceal just fine. In reality, most of what I wear, summer or not, I can carry my Glock 32 or 19 easily. I don't understand what people wear that require the "mouse gun".
I own a little .380, but almost never carry it.

I switch between carry guns based on what I'm wearing. It may be more about the holster than the gun though. My carry of choice is a Kahr P9 (not PM9) in an MTAC. However, I don't have C Clips so it shows (bulge + black clips) when tucked in with a brown belt so sometimes I'll opt for a SW M60 in an ankle holster. I find myself wearing the ankle holster more and more when I wear a tucked shirt.

chuckybrown wrote:I've been reading several forums, and am always intrigued by the posts from members that lament that they cannot completely conceal their full size Kimber,
Double Stack Sig, or on occasion.....their WWII howitzer won't conceal in their Bermuda shorts....

I learned long ago that different dress styles call for different pistols. Some days it's super light clothing an my NAA .22 mag, other times I'm fortunate enough
to be able to conceal my XDm in .40 in an OWB holster with a blazer.

So, my question is this: Are you like me? In other words, the self defense pistol choice varies greatly, so I have many different pistols for many different
scenarios? It's clear that a "one size fits all" world isn't realistic, so I try to dress/carry/accommodate accordingly.

Would love to year your thoughts.....

I carry 1911 .45 ACP pistols in several different sizes and types to fit my mode of dress and planned activity requirements. I select the gun du jour according to what I'll be doing and wearing, but I rarely compromise on the caliber and always carry at least one spare mag - usually more. My thoughts are that if I'll be needing a gun at all, I'll be needing a .45, and one can't have too much ammo, but you can have too little.

My "mouse gun" is a 5 shot .38 and spare speed strip for those rare "drop it in the shorts pocket to walk the dog down the block" occasions when I'm staying within a few blocks of home and am too lazy to put on a gun belt, holster, and magazine pouch to go out for just a few minutes.

At those times I grimace and confess to violating what I just said in the paragraph above. However, I don't leave my "safe" (low frequency of really bad stuff) neighborhood with just that pea shooter. I know it's considered an adequate caliber, but it's on the lower edge of marginal in my book.

That laziness is why I don't own a .380. If I did, I'd sometimes carry it. If I needed to use it, I'd kick myself for not carrying something more capable for the rest of my life, which in that situation might well be measured in seconds.

It's much less complicated to not own one and keep temptation at bay.

No doubt a good shrink could make something out of all that, but it works for me.

I carry my glock 30 everyday with a Mtac holster. I always look like I just left the golf course so I have no problems keeping it concealed. I haven't had my shirt tucked in since I received my plastic a couple years ago. In a bathing suit I'll carry my .38 snub but that only happens about three times a year, so it's no big deal. Basically I'm in the same boat as G192627, his post was spot on.

Here in West Texas I find myself having to dress differently at different times for different reasons. During the winter its usually Pants (Slacks or Jeans), T-Shirt, outer shirt, along with coat/jacket which serves me well with temperatures that fall below freezing. In summer its also pants, a T-Shirt, and an outer shirt but the outer shirt is lighter and has a much looser fit. I almost always carry a mid sized 1911 as my primary gun, but have been known to conceal a full size 1911, an XDm, XD, S&W M&P, Glock (sold), Sig P226, ect. I have even successfully concealed a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag with a 7.5 inch barrel while talking to law enforcement. The trick is use a good holster and belt while dressing around the gun.

Frame size matters (frame of the human). There is no way I could carry my G27 in my pocket. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=44312" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'd need belt and suspenders and even then one pants leg would be lower than the other. My rear-end is too skinny. I downsized to a PM9 this spring so my IWB would be more comfortable. Shopping for that new gun was serious business (for me).

I carry a PM9 IWB (that old G27 feels like a big Irish Potato when I put it there now).

I would not feel comfortable swapping guns for the weather/wardrobe. I've got to think I can shoot the gun the same way everytime and not have to think about which one I'm carrying that day.

...hot Texas...pocket T and bluejeans 7 days a week...Primary is a P90...backup a GP100 3" or 649 Bodyguard or P97 or one of 2 .44 snubs...the key to concealing big lots is a good strong belt...if they don't move around...you can carry them...

I have yet to wear anything I couldnt carry a 4 or 5" 1911 with. Even in shorts and flip flops with a tshirt I still had an OWB with a 1911. Dress pants can be difficult but a tuckable IWB still allowed a Commander to be carried.

chuckybrown wrote:I've been reading several forums, and am always intrigued by the posts from members that lament that they cannot completely conceal their full size Kimber,
Double Stack Sig, or on occasion.....their WWII howitzer won't conceal in their Bermuda shorts....

Bermuda shorts are baggy enough to conceal a full size handgun. Not howitzers or mortars but handguns.

I have several concealable handguns but the 3-/12 " 1911 is the only one I ever carry. Bianchi 82 Carrylok is almost always the only holster I ever carry it in. The only place I ever go that I have to dress up is church and I don't carry there. So summer time it's shirt untucked, not t-shirts, a lot of times Hawaiian shirts. It's never looked noticable to me but if it bulges, it just does.

We need to post picture with carry methods and concealment tip.
If I do carry OWB P30 in Serpa, most likely I need jacket to cover it. If in formal dress, I can use a OWB pancake leather holdster but still I need a jacket for cover.
with smart carry, you can dress with anything and the SC pistol is just hidden from view, like under your front left pocket.

I carry a full size (15+1) .40 S&W M&P everyday. I adapted my dress so that I could carry it all the time. I am a firm believer in "Dress around the weapon"

With a proper belt and holster, it is no problem to conceal a full size 1911 for me. I'm even a little generous in the waist dept. If I was in the shape I should be, it would be even easier. If your shoulders are bigger than your gut, the shirt hangs right to conceal just about anything. For now, I'm stuck just wearing big shirts.