concealment options for 4" auto or ??

[mr.72]

OK, I have researched this to death and apart from buying myself a whole box of holsters that won't work, I figured I'd get some advice from the collective.

I have a S&W Sigma 9mm, very similar in size and shape to a Glock G19 and will fit most G19 holsters. I would like to find a way to carry this gun, but maybe it's not possible or reasonable...

Here's my situation. I live in Austin, TX. It's hot here all summer, and not really that cold in the fall, spring, or winter. So 90% of the time I am wearing a either a fitting button-down short sleeve tail out, or t-shirt, and blue jeans. Wearing an undershirt in the summer gets hot and annoying. In the summer half the time I am wearing cargo shorts. I don't do oversize clothing. I rarely wear a belt. I'm not going to change my wardrobe in order to carry. I'm not going to carry a fanny pack.

Options I have considered:

IWB - about the only way I can figure that won't show readily is a LH IWB holster in the small of the back. Of course this becomes quite an annoyance as you get into the car. So I'd have to move the gun when I get in and out of the car.

Belly band - offers much greater flexibility and compatibility with different clothing, can be moved to small of the back or appendix carry easily, LH/RH switchup, worn high to conceal when the shirt tail won't do it, etc...

Off-body carry: I carry a messenger bag much of the time. I guess I could make that "all of the time" and fit it with a holster. I'm not a huge fan of tihs but it may be the only option for a high-cap auto.

Get a smaller gun: not sure this will even really improve my situation. I really like the Kahr CW9 and PM9 but the CW9 is not all that much smaller than my Sigma and the PM9 is a lot of money for an experiment. But a PM9 would allow pocket carry which is an option that may work nearly all of the time for me.

Does this about cover my options? Any other suggestions? I wish I could see some photos or demonstrations of concealment of a G19-size auto

 

[RichardInFlorida]

I live in Florida, where it is also hot more often than not. In a t-shirt and jeans, what works for me is a Glock 19 in an IWB holster on the strong side, just beyond my hip, and a S&W 642 in a pocket holster. An extra speed strip of .38 slides into a back pocket, as does a clip knife. If I am wearing cargo shorts, I also am able to tuck an additional Glock mag into a cargo pocket.

I don't know how fitted those button down shirts are, so this may not work for you.

The only thing I would suggest you consider your reasons for carrying a firearm. Not wanting to consider any wardrobe changes (to include a belt) suggest that fashion sense outweighs your sense of survival. There are plenty of ways to dress fashionably AND carry a firearm or two.

I would suggest taking a reverse view on the problem: find a solid method of carrying the firearm, and then considering what styles of dress would allow you to conceal the gun AND meet your dress style. You may still wind up at the same spot, but it might give you a different perspective and a different solution to the problem.

Good luck!

 

[strat81]

CCW is a compromise. It involves a compromise in guns, wardrobe, and holsters.

FWIW, I carry a Glock 26 usually in a Milt Sparks VMII IWB or a DeSantis Mini-Slide OWB.

For most folks, barrel length is not the issue since the barrel is parallel to your legs and is often easily covered by a shirt or by your pants.

That leaves the width of the gun and the height/butt length of the gun. I'm a relatively small guy and most long butt guns print wildly on me. Same for wide guns.

Clothes are another issue. Wild-print shirts (such as hawaiian shirts) tend to conceal very well because the print breaks up the outline of the gun. I found that normal or near-tight T-shirts on me print like crazy. Solution? Slightly bigger shirts. In warm weather, you can go with a tank-top style under shirt with an open button down shirt over that.

Carrying in the pocket of cargo pants or cargo shorts is another choice but it will bang into all kinds of stuff and will be slow to draw from.

IWB prints a lot less. Why? One, more of the gun is below/in the waistband of my pants. Two, it's much tighter to my body. Tightness of your gun belt is important (You do have a gun belt, right?) since it keeps your pistol from flopping all over the place. Mess around with holster placement. Depending on 2, 3, or 4 o'clock carry, you may find one spot where the gun just disappears. For waistband carry, gun belts are a must unless you have a featherweight gun. You can go with a nylon Wilderness Instrcutor's belt or go with a leather belt. Leather belts come in plain black, dress black, cowboy brown, and everything in between. Don't be surprised if you have to pay $50-$100 for a quality belt. I love my Rafter S Gun Leather belt, but there are a ton of food companies out there like Milt Sparks and The Beltman.

So, how you compromise is YOUR choice. Some folks choose looser-fitting clothes while others choose smaller guns. Some people cannot stand to have a pistol IWB, others love it. Other folks have guns for certain modes of attire. A pocket pistol (P3AT, LCP) for suit and tie, snubbie for ankle carry with khakis, Glock 17 for heavy sweatshirts, Colt Commander for t-shirt, Walther PPS for shorts...

Try to organize a range day with like-minded folks and act like a bunch of teenage girls, trying each others stuff on (um, holsters and guns, that is). IMHO, a Sigma or G19 isn't the best choice for a hot-weather gun. Plenty of folks make it work though. Do you need a double-stack 9mm for carry? Will a 5 (642) or 6 (SP100, Colt Agent) shot snubbie work? What about a single stack 9mm (Sig P239)or a single stack 45 (1911, Taurus PT745)?

If you refuse to change your wardrobe, I'd get a S&W 340 or Ruger LCP and call it a day.

 

[-v-]

You will have to make compromises to carry. At the very least you will need to start wearing a belt. After all, you suddenly have 2lbs or more of metal hanging off of your shorts, think about what that's going to do to your pants without any extra reinforcement to keep them up.

Your idea of messenger-bag carry (I prefer to call them man-purses , and yes I do carry one myself, regularly) is not the best, in my opinion. The reason is you loose effective retention of your weapon. Some BG can come by and yank your bag from you, or cut through it, or a number of other nasty things. The result is now the BG is running/speeding off with your bag and your firearm. Further, it can make drawing your firearm slower, depending on how its placed in the bag, but I would generally advise against bag-carry mainly for the weapon retention issue.

I have tried cargo pocket carry, and didn't like it in the least. The gun always tended to flatten out, bang into everything like crazy, and it looked very conspicuous. Not in the "that's a gun" but in the "there's something really big in his pocket" way. Mainly because they pocket was not able to offer any vertical support for the firearm, thus it flopped over on its side.

As far as carry, I live in Georgia/Tennessee, and we get some thermally inclined weather here as well. What works for me is FBI cant IWB carry. Mind you I'm a skinny guy, 5'8" 120lbs, and at about 3-4 o'clock at a 30 degree angle, the grip of the gun naturally follows the contour of my body and disappears even if I am wearing a small T-shirt. As for the barrel, it disappears nicely into my pants, and becomes no issue at all. Only downside of it is that the gun is up against your side, so it does get rather sweaty after a while, but, its all a game of compromises that you're willing to settle with.

 

[mr.72]

Well a change in wardrobe is just not going to happen for a number of reasons.

The only thing I would suggest you consider your reasons for carrying a firearm. Not wanting to consider any wardrobe changes (to include a belt) suggest that fashion sense outweighs your sense of survival.

Wow. Well my reasons for carrying a firearm are not the issue here. But it's not just my fashion sense or some arbitrary choice. I am not realigning my entire life around carrying a firearm. I need to integrate carrying a firearm into my lifestyle as is otherwise it just won't work at all. So the question is, can I find a way to carry with my existing wardrobe, or will I not be able to find a way to carry. It is the minority of the time when I will be able to carry (not allowed at my "day job").

No comments on the belly band? I figure this is the most compatible method with my limitations, since it does not rely on a belt or certain oversize clothing for retention, and I can carry with virtually any kind of shorts, pants, etc.

 

[hill billy]

I'm right handed and carry a g36 in a lh straight drop iwb holster at about 7 o'clock in the small of back. It's the most comfortable for me, I can get it with either hand and sit for hours at a time without it bothering me. It either needs to come off when I get in the car or I just deal with it being a tad uncomfortable if it's a short drive.

 

[Tribal]

I think that without a belt, almost anything is going to cause your pants to pretty much fall off, especially for a pistol of that size. You don't have to change your whole wardrobe, but a belt is almost a necessity. With it, a wide variety of IWB and OWB carries become available.

The only other way that even might work, and that's assuming your pants fit pretty tight to your waist even without a belt and your waist is narrower than your hips, is a paddle holster. Your shirt tail should hide the muzzle (and they sell Tall sizes if you don't want the baggy look).

Lastly, what about Thunderwear?

 

[mr.72]

well almost anything, except a belly band. guess I'll just have to buy one and try it. Give this thread a couple of days to see if anyone chimes in with experience with a belly band.