First full day of CCW and observations

[Gtimothy]

Thursday was my first FULL day of carrying concealed. I finally found a holster that was comfortable enough to wear all day and not feel like it was sitting funny. It is an "Old Faithful Holsters" IWB kydex holster for my SIG P229R and I finally have it all adjusted so it fits comfortably at the 4 o'clock position.

One thing I have noticed is that while the holster does a reasonable job keeping the gun against my body, unless I wear my shirt out, there is a "print" of the grip through my shirt. This holster is supposed to be "tuckable" but I don't understand how that is possible. Is there a trick that I just don't know?

Another thing I noticed, patterned shirts seem to do a better job of hiding the presence of a gun bulge than solid colors. Am I imagining this or am I just looking too hard?

Anyway, as I said, Thursday was my first full day of CCW and of course I HAD to do the WalMart walk! At first, I felt like everyone was going to KNOW I was carrying and I was doing my best to ignore the weight on my hip. Then I noticed that NOBODY was giving me a second glance. The WalMart walk helped me over the worry about sticking out while carrying.

I wore the gun from about 9AM til about 10 o'clock that night and most of that time I was out in public. I really like this holster and I'm sure it will be even more comfortable when the leather gets broken in and forms to my body.

 

[buck460XVR]

Good for you. Your confidence will grow everyday you carry. Hardest part of carrying concealed is finding the method of carrying that works best for YOU.

 

[bikerdoc]

Good for you, welcome to the fold. Know your law, act resonsible and live a safe life.

 

[Dnaltrop]

Patterned shirts break the bulge up nicely.

Depending on the pattern, the shirt can be a defensive tool too!

I have.... lets just say "a good number" of XXL Hawaiian shirts, and I rely on their patterns and semi-nude hula girls to sear the retinas of anyone who looks directly at me without a Solar Eclipse Viewer.

Hilo Hatties and Aloha Republic make GREAT shirts.

 

[smalls]

Congrats. Just remember, 99.9% of people won't recognize that lump as a gun. And yes, patterned shirts help conceal a little better.

You'll eventually get the the point where none of your pants even fit without a gun, and you feel "off" without it.

 

[EmbarkChief]

So true, I'm out of town right now for a Graduation and had to leave my sidearm at home. I feel like a gang banger trying to keep my jeans up because my belt isn't tight enough.

 

[coalman]

No one notices like you think they do, or like you do. Nothing special about you, or most of us, to take notice in the first place. Your hyperfocus will pass.

The P229R is a big gun. Owned one. It will print more than something smaller. Gear and clothing choice will only help to a point. Pattern shirts help break up visual contours. Bigger shirts with heavier fabric will print less. The less form fitting the shirt/top/cover the better. To print even less regardless choose a smaller gun.

 

[beatledog7]

This chart describes the average distribution of awareness that you are carrying a concealed firearm:

 

[jeepnik]

Do it long enough, and you won't even realize it's there. The only problem with that is you might scare yourself one day.

I got home from a quick trip to the store one afternoon, reached for my AMT Backup, and found it not there. Panic ensued. I looked everywhere. Everywhere but the safe where I had left it. Walked around with an empty holster for over an hour and didn't realize it.

Yes, I now check before I leave the house. Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[Gtimothy]

The P229R is a big gun.

I know.... it was that or my 1911A1! The SIG weighed less and had more rounds so I went with it.

I'm buttering up my wife so she'll let me buy a new smaller gun for concealed carry...Wish me luck!!!

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I think that I could walk into my Walmart with an M4 strapped to my back and the majority of people would not notice. I have been "made" a couple of times, but they were by "trained observers".

 

[Lex Luthier]

I switch between a P229 and a Taurus P709. While being two entirely different sidearms, I got used to the waist heft, tried different combos of pants and belts, and can get away with only an XL t-shirt, without looking like a gangbanger. Good luck.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You may wish to go one size larger on the shirts

 

[The_Shootist]

With all the electronic stuff people have hanging onto their belts these days I'd guess Joe Average giving you a passing glance is not going detect anything threatening.

 

[loneviking]

Id say the shootist is right IF the leather or kydex is black. Black is a color that blends in and the eyes generally ignore any pouches or leather of that color.

 

[Gtimothy]

Id say the shootist is right IF the leather or kydex is black. Black is a color that blends in and the eyes generally ignore any pouches or leather of that color.

Is there any other color than black? Holster is black leather with black kydex and black belt clips to go with my black belt, black motorcycle t-shirts and black harness boots. I wear bluejeans cause I don't want to be monochromatic!

 

[AethelstanAegen]

I know.... it was that or my 1911A1!

FWIW, I started carrying my 1911 instead of my Springfield XD Compact, because the 1911 stayed closer to my in it's IWB holster and left a far less noticable bulge than my XD. I suspect this had something to with the slimmer design of the 1911 (the XD is great but rather chunky in the grip).

Congrats on your first successful day! As others have said, you'll get more confident each day you carry and patterns do seem to break up any tells. I also am always happy to find a shirt with a longer torso just to help when moving, bending over, etc.

 

[x_wrench]

welcome to the club! yes, at first, you will think everyone is going to notice. the only time i even wonder anymore is if it happens to get revealed when i do something unnatural. i cover up as quickly as possible, and have never been noticed by anyone that i know of. the worst thing that ever happened to me while carrying, was it actually fell to the floor in a public restroom with several people in it. obviously, i picked it up immediately. either no one really saw what it was, or no one said anything. fortunately, it was in a large retail sporting goods store that sold guns. if it had been J.C. Penny's or Sears, it may have been a different story. most of the general public would not have any idea that a slight bump is a gun, unless it prints pretty hard. and you do not want that. one size larger on the shirt is a very good idea. and if you can get away with untucked, that is even better. you did not mention it, so i will tell you that a good thick (aka, gun belt) leather belt will help a lot. it will not only distribute the load over a larger area, but it will last a lot longer as well. thin leather belts will begin to sag where the gun is in a short time.

 

[bearcreek]

Hopefully one day Florida will legalize open carry as all the states should and you won't have to worry about printing as much. I've been carrying for about 7 years now and as far as I know I've never been "made" when I was carrying concealed. These days I open carry most of the time and it's rare that people notice. I was asked to cover it up once at a Wal Mart and I was told to leave a Dairy Queen. Other than that I've never had a problem.

 

[beatledog7]

Remember the day we all bought a Starbucks coffee? I OC'd a 5 1/2" .44 Magnum, and I don't think anyone looked twice.

I was very aware of it, since I was not accustomed to OC and had never carried such a big firearm on my hip before. But in terms of what other people thought about it--I'd say they simply didn't.

 

[justice06rr]

Awesome. You will quickly learn that most people (not just at Walmart) are not paying attention to you so no worries. Most people are too wrapped up in their own world to even notice others, let alone your CCW.

 

[Ryanxia]

Gratz. I too did the "tradition" of the Walmart walk when I first got mine.
IMO the hardest part when you get used to it is remembering you have it on you, I forget it's there and sometimes that can not be good if you have to drop by the post office or somewhere not allowed to carry.

 

[CountryUgly]

Glad to hear it wasn't one of those OMG everyone knows I'm packing and now I'm going to jail experencies. As far as the patterned shirts it's not you imagination they help. My favorite patterns are of the outdoors design. I've got several with trout, bream, or bass all over and one or two of the islands variety. The big things is to just make sure you're comfortable in general so you don't fidgit and mess with it all day. Nothing like like giving yourself up by adjusting your gun constantly. The slight print is no big deal no one is really looking except maybe fellow newbs to the carry scene. WE all try to find the other guy that's carrying in the beginning but after you get used to walking around armed you even quit doing that.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I was nervous the first couple of times I carried. Then I realized that where I live, a lot of people carry, and no one is looking for it. Now, I forget I'm carrying half the time. My gun have just become another apendage. Plus, I have a permit, so even if someone sees it, I'm only looking at an inconvienience, not a fine or loosing my gun.

 

[kb58]

...and of course I HAD to do the WalMart walk! At first, I felt like everyone was going to KNOW I was carrying and I was doing my best to ignore the weight on my hip. Then I noticed that NOBODY was giving me a second glance. The

Oh get over yourself. You're thinking that people might notice your little 'ol gun, while you're mixing with the people of Walmart? http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/photos/ Ugh.