learning experiences on 1st day ccw

OP- I also no longer carry my wallet in my back pocket for that reason. And as has been said in a little while you won't even notice the weapon

And this is the first I've heard of the Walmart walk! Very funny.

That and figuring out that no particular style of carry is best for everyone...

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Yup. When I first started carrying, it was IWB all the way. That way, I knew the gun was as concealed as possible. After a while, I realized that I don't particularly like IWB holsters. I use good quality OWB holsters and have not had a stick of trouble with them.

Scoot your holster forward just a bit? I carry my wallet in my right pocket and don't have much trouble with my gun interfering, but I do carry a Kahr most days when I'm carrying IWB.

In the winter when I sometimes carry a full-sized 10mm S&W I use a holster with less forward cant so the barrel more or less parallels my inseam.

You can get obsessive about this stuff...did I happen to mention that all of the holsters I use are handmade by me? You would be surprised how easy it is to make a holster that works perfectly just for you, and how little trial and error it takes to get it right.

Never really thought about the wallet, since I've carried it in my left rear pocket since I started carrying it. However, I haven't noticed anything particularly difficult in getting my cell phone out of my right rear pocket. Of course I'm not carrying a 2 lb gun either, so I'm sure my holsters are smaller.

My wallet's always been in my left back pocket, but what really threw me off when I first started carrying was putting my keys on the opposite side belt loop, so that they wouldn't get in the way of a draw. Took me months to get used to it!

Early in my CCW days I took my family to Denny's late one night, and the hostess took us to a booth right across from a table full of the local constabulary. When I sat down, there was a rather loud "thunk" as the butt of my Model 13-3 whacked the back of the bench through my photographer's vest. I ignored it despite the snickers from the LEOs and my grandson's "What was that? When the officers finished up, one of the hung back to say, "It happens to all of us. Might want to move it forward a touch," before following his compatriots. Ever since, I've carried my primary at 3:00. My secondary is in my left front pocket or cross-draw at 9:30.

ECS

I'm an office dwelling city slicker. Six days a week I am in a button up, long sleeve shirt with a pocket and spend a good part of that time at work in my office. I don't carry a wallet and keep four cards in my front shirt pocket (DL, CHP, AmEx, MC). I rarely carry cash and if I do it's in a money clip which stays in my front right trouser pocket. I absolutely hate carrying items in my trouser pockets and avoid doing so whenever I can.

My Kahr MK40 Elite rides under my left arm in an Ultra Concealment Shoulder Holster. I wear the holster over my undershirt and under my dress shirt (naturally).

For me this presents the best option for concealed carry with the least chance of being found out. I can sit, stand, walk, run, reach, bend over, carry things, etc with pretty much a zero chance of the firearm being affected or noticed by anyone. As I stated before, I am an office dweller and although my company (Fortune 100) is OK with concealed carry (right in the handbook - they won't ask about it and don't want to know about it) being "outed" would not be acceptable for me.

My smartphone rides in a belt holster most of the time and my Kershaw is clipped to my wasteband and rides inside my trousers but outside my dress shirt - you never see it.

And that folks is all the "gear" I can bring myself to carry day to day. I don't know how some of you do it, two, three knives, maybe more, light, full size gun, bucket of ammo, George Costanza size wallet, etc, etc. I just can't do it.

And to address people "looking". It's all in your head and will go away. I have never, to my knowledge, been discovered or been remotely close to being discovered.

If you're banging your gun into things or flashing it to get your wallet, in my opinion, you don't understand what concealed means.

How often has anyone here been able to tell that someone else is CC'ing? I've seen a lot of guys dressed like they would be carrying, but I haven't seen any proof so far.

Carne Frio said:

Map for the Walmart Walk:

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/4476/wallyworldmap.gif

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That is hilarious x-D


I vaguely remember when I first started carrying, THR definitely helped! I felt like it must be obvious at first, but even my girlfriend couldn't tell without touching the spot where the handle would be. It's true, at this point I feel weird when not carrying. I stopped worrying about people noticing long ago, and no one ever has, even close friends who have no idea A good belt and holster take just about all of the weight out of the equation, and I'm fortunate in that my body type allows me to IWB a full 1911 even while driving with no discomfort and it just vanishes in my clothes.

Now I just play the "I wonder who else is carrying" game. I don't make it obvious, but when in public areas, I scan for who i think would be most likely to carry. Purely to pass the time for amusement/entertainment Many folks are obviously not! Saggy pants and t-shirt scream "I'm not armed".

Almost forgot: It's pretty bad for your sciatic nerve (all up and down your back/spine) to sit on your wallet constantly, especially while driving. I stopped carrying my wallet in my back pocket some time in my teens, also for the pick-pocket reason. I prefer cargo pants and overalls for the extra pockets. my wallet's in my left cargo pocket with pants, and front chest pocket next to cigs when wearing overalls, either way I will immediately feel it if the weight of my wallet shifts or suddenly disappears.... and it's comfy and doesn't show my carry

This deserves re-posting:

Paris said:

I'm an office dwelling city slicker. Six days a week I am in a button up, long sleeve shirt with a pocket and spend a good part of that time at work in my office.
My Kahr MK40 Elite rides under my left arm in an Ultra Concealment Shoulder Holster. I wear the holster over my undershirt and under my dress shirt (naturally).

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So you have to unbutton the front of your dress shirt to access the gun? That seems like an awfully slow draw, almost like not having a gun at all in a situation where you have no warning.

So you have to unbutton the front of your dress shirt to access the gun? That seems like an awfully slow draw, almost like not having a gun at all in a situation where you have no warning.

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So you're drawing a conclusion based on an assumption which you can't very? Got it. I'm willing to bet you're a flying spaghetti monster worshiper, too.

Paris said:

So you're drawing a conclusion based on an assumption which you can't very? Got it. I'm willing to bet you're a flying spaghetti monster worshiper, too.

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Wow--relax dude! That's why I asked the question, but perhaps I should rephrase it so as not to somehow offend you. Here, I will try again:

How do you access the weapon? Do you have to unbutton your shirt to access it? How long does it take to draw?

Better?

Wow--relax dude! That's why I asked the question, but perhaps I should rephrase it so as not to somehow offend you. Here, I will try again:

How do you access the weapon? Do you have to unbutton your shirt to access it? How long does it take to draw?

Better?

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Actually you didn't ask a question, you made a statement in the guise of the question to support your next statement which was the actual point of your post, and condescending at that, which is why you received a condescending reply.

Don't kid yourself, I'm relaxed.

Paris said:

Actually you didn't ask a question, you made a statement in the guise of the question to support your next statement which was the actual point of your post, and condescending at that, which is why you received a condescending reply.

Don't kid yourself, I'm relaxed.

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You're reading a confrontational tone into my post that wasn't intended. Why would someone be condescending about a topic like holster selection? I assure you there's nothing highbrow or at all elite about how I carry mine.

I asked a question the second time. I would be appreciative if you would answer it because I genuinely am curious how quickly the gun can be accessed through a buttoned dress shirt. It seems to me that it would be very slow to access, but I thought that perhaps there is a special technique or something I didn't see on the product webpage.

I'm perfectly happy to be wrong in this assumption but I have no additional information to go on.

That seems like an awfully slow draw, almost like not having a gun at all in a situation where you have no warning.

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That is your statement. You had no interest in learning anything until you were confronted and now you're backpedaling under the guise of genuine interest.

Some time ago I started carrying my DL, CHL, and insurance card which has my SSN on it in my shirt pocket in a very small folder. I also have a list of the credit card 800 numbers there.

Wearing two-pocket western shirts is a big help; glasses one side and licenses the other.

My wallet is still carried in my back pocket but contains no personal ID or memorabilia and the credit cards can be cancelled in minutes if picked.

I have keys, phone, and an LCR in front pockets so the wallet has nowhere to go but a back pocket.

I actually did the Wally Walk and learned no one notices or cares. However, around here even the soccer moms are likely carrying.
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Paris said:

That is your statement. You had no interest in learning anything until you were confronted and now you're backpedaling under the guise of genuine interest.

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I actually do want to know how you can draw quickly from under a fully buttoned shirt, but it is clear you do not wish to answer. There is nothing further to be gained from this exchange, so I will remove myself from the conversation.

Feel free to declare yourself the winner.