What are your winter carry practices?

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I have various pairs of "tactical" (hate that name) gloves that were issued before retirement. Though not the absolute warmest of gloves, they help and do not interfere with shooting.

As for firearms, I still carry the same type, but may carry in a different holster. I have always liked carrying a 4" N-frame, and can do that more readily in winter with a coat on:

49864008261_559e42b7e0_k.jpg
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Since getting carry permit in 2010, I have carried the same gun in the same manner. Have lived the bulk of the time in North Central Minnesota with some time in south Florida. No gloves worn. I hate wearing them and they do not keep my hands warm regardless of brand or style so I skip them.
You will find what works best for you and that will be the norm. Also what works for you, might not be what works best for others. Find your norm, continually work to improve it for you and be safe.
 
Winter? :rofl:

I carry the same handgun(s) all year in the FL heat; Glock 34/35 or 22 AIWB on belt under a loose untucked shirt with print/pattern.

When I read posts about how cool weather is coming and so are jackets, vest, (whatever) and that allows carrying a larger gun; without them saying they don't want to go about with a untucked shirt in warm weather, it is implied. My assumption is likely right more than wrong, IMO. I don't suffer from that restriction.
 
chaim said:
That would not be comfortable in MD winters
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My goodness, no!

My step daughter lives in Asheville so we spend a good bit of time in the mountains. In fact, when we retire (again) we are also thinking of the NC hills. (Anyone else considering this, it's a nasty, horrible locale. Stay away!!!) We moved our daughter recently and I loaded a moving van wearing sandals, tee shirt and shorts... in a snow storm.
I'm so very hot natured.
 
Here in North Central Texas we usually have a few super cold days, quite a regular cold days, and warm ones mixed in between.

I don't like to cover my handgun with a coat, so I use my coats for pocket carry. My most common is an LCPII in the breast pocket of a padded flannel shirt. The side pockets of most coats are good for snubbies. If the coat can be left unzipped or unbuttoned, some of them have handy inside breast pockets. All of these are easy to get to sitting as well as standing.

We don't need gloves very often. I can walk the dog with the leash in a gloved hand and a bare hand in my pocket. If I have to wear gloves while driving, they're fingerless. I'd forgotten how easy it is to throw off a mitten. I'll have to look for those in the depths of my gear closet. :)

This is my favorite coat pocket carry. I'm still fine with a 38, but kind of lean towards 44's or 45's when people are wearing heavy coats.

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

 
I'm definitely going to put in more gloved range practice. I also plan to add gloves to my regular dry fire practice. While the DA of a DA/SA trigger leaves less room for a gloved finger, I may not count them out for winter/gloved carry. Sure, I have to partially engage the trigger to fit my gloved finger in there, but I have very much ingrained the practice that I don't put my finger on the trigger until I'm ready to pull the trigger. I probably just need to get used to using the controls when gloved, and I need to get used to how it feels when gloved.

Like many of you, I do only wear gloves when it is really cold or I'll be outside for a long time (walks or shoveling snow mostly). So, I think it may not be as big a problem as I was thinking. Hopefully, with more gloved practice, it will be fine.

Tallball said:
This is my favorite coat pocket carry. I'm still fine with a 38, but kind of lean towards 44's or 45's when people are wearing heavy coats.

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

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I've gone back and forth over the years about going with a larger caliber in the winter since 9mm and .38 rely on quality JHPs opening for their effectiveness. A .40, .44 or .45 makes a larger hole already should clothing clog the HP and the round fails to expand. I find I do it less than I used to, but it used to be part of my reason for .40S&W and when I carried .45ACP (now, I don't have a .45ACP carry gun, and I carry .40 when I feel like it, not for any particular reason). I normally prefer a 6-shot revolver, but I have been eyeing the Bulldog again now that a MD carry permit is in my near future, and I've also been on the lookout for used Taurus 431s, 445s, 450s and Rossi 720s. If I don't find one at a reasonable price, I may go with a new Taurus Tracker in .44mag or S&W 69 and use it as a .44spl for carry (OWB and IWB, a 4" barrel wouldn't pocket carry well in most coat pockets).
 
If I'm carrying in public in cool weather, the only gloves I'll ever wear are thin, and carefully fitted. Think racquetball or golf gloves. I also use these gloves to protect my hands during multiday training courses. They work well with my carry gun.

When I'm working on the ranch or playing in really cold conditions (skiing, etc.), I wear gloves that are appropriate for those activities. The threat profile is much lower. If someone approaches who might be a threat, I casually remove and stow the work/winter gloves.

I wear the same gun in the same spot year-round. I train to clear concealment according to the cover garments I'm wearing. These techniques are shown here:

https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2014/12/massad-ayoobs-quick-draw/

These techniques all work with regular summer and winter clothing. I see no need for special concealment or cold-weather carry gear.
 
Well, I went to the range again today and did most of my shooting and gun handling with the shooting glove on (just on my shooting hand), I even forced myself to load rounds into many of the mags while gloved. I'm seeing a big difference with practice, and by the end of today's session, it really wasn't too bad. Even guns with a small trigger guard (LCP) weren't too bad with practice. So, I don't think I need to make any gun adjustments, though I may want to go with more form fitting gloves (I think most of mine will work with most of my guns, I'll have to do a lot of dry fire practice to be sure).

What I do have to say about how bad it was at first vs. now, if you ever wear gloves in the winter, at least buy some shooting gloves (or better, buy a second pair of your regular gloves) and practice with them at the range. They will effect your performance, but nothing some practice time can't help.

As for the CCW jackets, I do well enough pulling up my cover garment on the draw, even one handed, I don't think I need it. Its just an excuse to spend more money. Though, I usually only wear waist length winter coats, nothing more than an inch or two longer, so YMMV depending upon what kind of coats you usually wear. Maybe when it is time to replace a current coat or jacket I'll look at one meant for CCW, but that won't be a deciding factor. As someone else mentioned, most coats and jackets have inner pockets whether they are CCW coats or not (and at least one of mine has a quick to access snap instead of a more time consuming zipper).
 
Blue Jays said:
Many dismiss pocket carry yet I feel there is nothing wrong with adding a potent spurless J-frame or similar into an easily-accessed coat handwarmer pocket. Great option for "non-telegraph" walking in cold conditions.
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I am not a fan of pocket carry as a primary form of carry, too slow. However, as an occasional for specific occasions it is great. IMO, a J-frame or similar, like you say, in the hand warmer pocket of a winter coat is discrete and quite fast on the draw. Definitely a good application for pocket carry. For me though, that's just for walks and other outdoor activities where I can have my hands in my pocket most of the time. I'd be concerned that it may fall out with normal activity while at the store.
 
Outerwear: There are only two conditions that matter; zipped or unzipped. Unzipped is no big deal. It's just a matter of scooping my regular garment up from the front and sweeping my hand back to access the gun. Zipped means the weather is terrible and access to my waistband is compromised. If the coat fits well enough for cold conditions, I will not have easy access to my regular carry holsters. I have two other options. First is a safepacker holster (either via a shoulder strap, or if the coat is short, on the belt). Second is pocket carry. Potentially both because I often carry two guns.

Gloves: Tight fitting low profile gloves can keep the hands from getting immediately cold from contact on cold surfaces. But they can still allow for enough dexterity to shoot well. Otherwise, it's bulky loose fitting gloves that I can either pull off quickly or shake off. I don't like the middle ground much. I won't hesitate in pulling a bulky glove off, if I even suspect the potential for trouble. I often prefer to keep a hand ungloved and in a pocket when possible. If it's resting on a gun in that pocket, so much the better.

Gun choice: Glock. I don't pretend to carry wheelguns as an EDC in winter, though I have in the past. I've also carried Sig DA/SA guns. Glocks have less places for snow to enter and freeze without realizing, and therefore make more sense to me. Another striker design would work just as well I think.
 
I always wear the biggest gun that I can comfortably carry... and in the winter time that's my 4" M&P 9 Compact. Plus a spare mag, and a backup gun 'Ruger LCP'. Sometimes, a backup to my backup! I love winter, it's so easy to conceal all of that stuff!

I have some tight fitting leather gloves in both black and brown that I will occasionally wear, they are slim fit and I shoot with them easily. That's the only reason I bought them, I never wear gloves that would get in the way.
 
I live in Colorado. The last winter I worked it started snowing in early October and the snow continued until mid June.

I worked outside at night and even though i didn't have to conceal it, I had to dress around my gun.

At work I wore a full set of long johns (Army waffle tops) and a Sweatshirt under my uniform and a light outer layer (coat). The idea was to only have one layer over the gun (my uniform jacket had a zipper on the side so I could have my gun outside the coat but the principle is the same.) The last year I worked I decided to put it to the test. Lightweight under layer, waffle tops, uniform pants and shirt, a sweater and a thinsulate beanie. It got down to minus twelve degrees fahrenheit before I had to put on a coat.

In retirement I keep the same principle. I use a light cover layer so I don't look odd keeping my jacket (usually a pull over fleece or a fleece vest) on indoors and wear the winter clothes under my clothes.

I hate gloves, I don't wear them.

Edit: I carry one of three Glocks (43,26, 19) depending on my concealment needs. That doesn't change in the winter
 
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Blue Jays said:
Many dismiss pocket carry yet I feel there is nothing wrong with adding a potent spurless J-frame or similar into an easily-accessed coat handwarmer pocket. Great option for "non-telegraph" walking in cold conditions.
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I agree with this. Coat pocket carry is a good way to add options.

Drawing, or even shooting, from a coat (or pants) pocket, if practiced, can be both fast and accurate. Especially when firing a hammerless revolver.

Claude Werner is a great teacher of the snubbie. Shooting the Wizard drill adapted for the snubby carried in the pocket is a good tool to help learn the needed skills.

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2018/01/31/the-wizard-drill-and-the-j-frame/

I sure learned a lot from it

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...y-gun-and-holster.898250/page-3#post-12135767
 
I use the same gun generally. I only have 3 guns I'll carry regularly, vast majority of the time it's a g30, if I'm going to be dressed lightly or need absolute concealment I'll carry a g42 and if I'm going to be out in the woods or think I could actually need a gun it's a g20. Same manual of arms, same squishy glock trigger. That's worked for me for years but every once in a while I'll carry the g20 for a few months just because I know I'll be heavily dressed and concealment won't be an issue - Chicago winters last forever.
 
I'm a newbie concealed carrier, but I think I will probably carry my 3" SP-101 a lot more often in an OWB holster instead of the LCR or P365 in an IWB one.

I guess the barrel of the 3" SP-101 may still peek out below my shirts if I'm not careful.

I guess I just need to start buying shirts in the Tall size, even though I'm not tall...

I may do more (coat) pocket carry, too.
 
bond arms derringers minus the removable trigger guard. after some experimentation i switched from a 9mm to a 45lc/410 barrel because the latter two rounds are larger and easier to manipulate with gloved hands.

upload_2022-10-13_11-10-49.jpeg upload_2022-10-13_11-5-34.jpeg
 
I don’t tend to change guns for winter, I like the same gun year round where feasible.

Gloves… I rarely wear thick gloves even in the upper Midwest and prefer either very thin wool gloves or thin work gloves, so either doesn’t give me any issues with trigger regardless of trigger action.

I guess if you need bigger gloves, consider loose fitting gloves easy to drop (I used to use seal skin overmitts in Alaska hunting that dropped off in an instant and thin gloves underneath) and practice dropping the glove on your drawstroke.
 
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