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Hey guys and gals,

I'm in outside sales so I have a few questions I'd like to get some good feedback on with regards to options for carry. I am planning on getting my CHL within the next month and I'm trying to do some planning ahead.

The parameters than should be taken into consideration are:

1) 8 intermitent hours of driving and sales calls in customer's offices ( general industrial/distibutors/shops)
2) Clothing Mon-Thurs Golf shirt/LS shirt and summer weight slacks, Fridays Polo shirt,jeans and boots

My carry weapons will be a Glock 23 / 19 , Ruger SR9c and a Sig 239. I like the idea of the Ruger in an ankle holster for when I drive as it's nice and compact , but my G23 is what I prefer for carry. I've been practicing at home in different clothes but It's just hard to conceal that big block of polymer wonderment with a golf shirt and dress slacks. Untucked is not an option, nor or sport coats as I live in Houston.

The territory I cover is basically from Livingston to Laredo and south, so carrying will be a major component of my daily work life. As far as holsters go, I"m looking at the Crossbreed Super Tuck Deluxe and the Comp-Tac Minotaur (feedback on those is appreciated as well!)

I appreciate any and all constructive feedback.

Thanks!
cajun2340

Your manner of dress is similar to my own. I do have the luxury of wearing jeans when I want. I would recommend a smaller carry weapon. Try a weapon such as the PM9 or PM40. Look into a tucking type holster such as a crossbreed supertuck. I use this holster for carrying my PM9, I have one for my 4" 1911 style, I also have one that I use for my Glocks... a 19 and a 26. I have noticed thickness of the pistol is more of a factor than length. Weight seems to be a factor when I am wearing lightweight summer slacks. A couple well made belts help also. think beltman for quality... 5.11 for low quality but cheap price.

Agree with LR above, if you don't think you'll be able to carry Glock or Ruger tucked, then next step is a thinner gun. You have three similar sized guns. Something thinner might solve your problem.

I dress very much same as you and take clients around all day, in and out of car, viewing houses. I can carry Glock 23 in Crossbreed tucked, but sometimes if shirt is a bit tighter fitting it doesnt work as well. For this a Walther PPS in a Crossbreed works perfectly. I did swap out the big obvious metal CB belt clips for a pair of smaller Comp Tac clips.

You could also try a snubbie revolver either tucked or in pocket holster.

...though a bit warm, you may benefit from Thunderwear or Smart Carry...a bit slow but I wouldn't sub-size my primary...

speedsix wrote:...though a bit warm, you may benefit from Thunderwear or Smart Carry...a bit slow but I wouldn't sub-size my primary...

Just to be clear, when you say sub size, your talking about .380 or smaller? I am not of the mind set that 9mm and .40 are sub sized calibers. They are not even considered as marginal. If your talking about the weapon itself, smaller is not a disadvantage in self defense situations.

The reason I ask is that all the calibers mentioned so far are 9mm or larger and I would hate for someone to get the idea that these are sub-sized calibers for self defense.

On a second note, I will never figure out how folks use those "down in my pants" type holsters. It seems like it would be uncomfortable.

i know a couple of sales guys who used to normally carry something similar to a glock and then moved down to a "pocket gun" like a ruger lcp, keltec p3at, etc and carry it on the ankle. Have you tried the g23 in an ankle holster? What about a belly band?

03Lightningrocks wrote:

speedsix wrote:...though a bit warm, you may benefit from Thunderwear or Smart Carry...a bit slow but I wouldn't sub-size my primary...

Just to be clear, when you say sub size, your talking about .380 or smaller? I am not of the mind set that 9mm and .40 are sub sized calibers. They are not even considered as marginal. If your talking about the weapon itself, smaller is not a disadvantage in self defense situations.

The reason I ask is that all the calibers mentioned so far are 9mm or larger and I would hate for someone to get the idea that these are sub-sized calibers for self defense.

On a second note, I will never figure out how folks use those "down in my pants" type holsters. It seems like it would be uncomfortable.

...I said sub-size my primary...wouldn't drop to a smaller gun and give up power, capacity, or ease of shooting/handling by going to a subcompact platform...wasn't referring to caliber...in your opinion, smaller is not a disadvantage...I disagree...more to hold onto, bigger sights, more to soak up recoil...DO make for better weapon control...in my experience...if you haven't tried the systems I mentioned...maybe you see them as more uncomfortable than do the thousands who wear them comfortably daily...and are able to carry a full-sized weapon where their dress style would limit them to sub-sized weapons otherwise...

As others have said, a slimmer gun is going to really help if you have to be tucked in and servicing clients at their business locations. The crossbreed works great. I have carried my colt commander tucked many times and I have never been outed, but it does distort my belt line due to the size of the pistol, and a keen eye could catch it. By "keen eye" I mean CHL holder or police officer, not your average citizen.
If you need deep concealment, a crossbreed with a walther pps, ruger lcp, or similar should be virtually undetectable. They will also be more comfortable than your Glock, and while comfort is not your primary concern, you will be surprised how important it becomes when carrying day in and day out.
I am fortunate enough that I can "carry with a bulge" in my workplace and it is not an issue. An OWB with an untucked shirt or vest, makes carrying a full-sized weapon a whole lot easier, but that does not sound like it will be possible in your situation. Good luck.

What's the difference between a golf shirt and a polo shirt? Do you mean those think knit collared shirts for a golf shirt and the thicker cotton for the polo? Those thin knit shirts are not very forgiving and tend to cling.

How much of your driving time is solid driving? Are you driving for 1+ hours, getting out at one place, getting back in and driving for 1+ hours again? If your driving is more in and out, drive 15 minutes out 20, drive 20 out 5, kind of stuff, you'll need something that can stay on your body through all your ins and outs. If you have long solid periods of driving, you might want to consider different set-ups such as a car holster that you can place your carry gun in when you're in the car.

Hoi Polloi wrote:What's the difference between a golf shirt and a polo shirt? Do you mean those think knit collared shirts for a golf shirt and the thicker cotton for the polo? Those thin knit shirts are not very forgiving and tend to cling.

How much of your driving time is solid driving? Are you driving for 1+ hours, getting out at one place, getting back in and driving for 1+ hours again? If your driving is more in and out, drive 15 minutes out 20, drive 20 out 5, kind of stuff, you'll need something that can stay on your body through all your ins and outs. If you have long solid periods of driving, you might want to consider different set-ups such as a car holster that you can place your carry gun in when you're in the car.

To add another question along these same lines. Will there be clients with 30.06 postings?

I have carried at work IWB using my 239 and a Comp Tac Spartan. Works well. Now I've switched to a briefcase with a hidden pocket and a .38 revolver. I'm at my desk almost all the time so on the body is not as important.

I have shot plenty of other 9mm handguns and I think my 239 is the best shooting of them. Though I've got a date with a Wilson soon. The thickness of the 239 is fantastic for a 9 you could shoot all day. If I wanted another option though I would seriously consider the 238.

AustinMRH wrote:I have carried at work IWB using my 239 and a Comp Tac Spartan. Works well. Now I've switched to a briefcase with a hidden pocket and a .38 revolver. I'm at my desk almost all the time so on the body is not as important.

I have shot plenty of other 9mm handguns and I think my 239 is the best shooting of them. Though I've got a date with a Wilson soon. The thickness of the 239 is fantastic for a 9 you could shoot all day. If I wanted another option though I would seriously consider the 238.

I was thinking the same thing, to me the 239 is a good bit smaller then the glocks in thickness, which is what made me choose it.

zero4o3 wrote:

AustinMRH wrote:I have carried at work IWB using my 239 and a Comp Tac Spartan. Works well. Now I've switched to a briefcase with a hidden pocket and a .38 revolver. I'm at my desk almost all the time so on the body is not as important.

I have shot plenty of other 9mm handguns and I think my 239 is the best shooting of them. Though I've got a date with a Wilson soon. The thickness of the 239 is fantastic for a 9 you could shoot all day. If I wanted another option though I would seriously consider the 238.

I was thinking the same thing, to me the 239 is a good bit smaller then the glocks in thickness, which is what made me choose it.

I thought the same thing and looked up the widths of a G19 and a P239. The G19 shows to be 1.18 and the P239 is 1.2... . I would have sworn the Glock was wider.

I have an MTAC coming for my G19 today. I'll let you know how it works.

03Lightningrocks wrote:

zero4o3 wrote:

AustinMRH wrote:I have carried at work IWB using my 239 and a Comp Tac Spartan. Works well. Now I've switched to a briefcase with a hidden pocket and a .38 revolver. I'm at my desk almost all the time so on the body is not as important.

I have shot plenty of other 9mm handguns and I think my 239 is the best shooting of them. Though I've got a date with a Wilson soon. The thickness of the 239 is fantastic for a 9 you could shoot all day. If I wanted another option though I would seriously consider the 238.

I was thinking the same thing, to me the 239 is a good bit smaller then the glocks in thickness, which is what made me choose it.

I thought the same thing and looked up the widths of a G19 and a P239. The G19 shows to be 1.18 and the P239 is 1.2... . I would have sworn the Glock was wider.

The Glock is also slimmer than a 1911 (1911 is 1.28 inches). That said, the 1911 feels a heck of alot slimmer than my Glocks. Something about the design of the Glock makes them feel fatter than they actually are.