Being Made when CC'ing

I saw a guy wearing a 511 concealment shirt and was able to identify which side his weapon was on. But that was only because i'm familiar with the shirt as i have them myelf. Had it not be for the shirt i never would have known for sure what the slight bulge on his rear hip was nor thought to look. LGS has them on clearance right now so i wasn't surprised to see someone else with one on in public.

I have carried every single day for over a decade and have only been made once that I am aware. I was sliding out of a restaruant booth and my shirt slid up, uncovering the butt of my pistol. A very portly woman in the booth behind me looked as if she had seen Casper and all his brethren. Since then, despite living in an open carry friendly state, I have been exceedingly careful about assuring concealment.

I think I've printed or exposed a little bit maybe a few times, but nobody has ever approached me and asked or told me about it. I think it's because I live in a state where many people own guns. It's not uncommon.

I carry almost all the time, print most of the time, and care none of the time!

A gentleman I regularly do business with made me the other day. He simply asked "You got a CCW, Steve?" I was rather surprised and said, "Yeah, for a lot of years, why is it showing?" and glanced down at my 1911 under my t-shirt. He said, "No I just thought that might have been a gun under there; it's just that I notice things like that." I sort of took it to mean he's a carrier himself. Not really a problem as Michigan is also an open-carry state, but it's the first time I've been "outed" to my face.

I was at a friend's wedding a few years ago. I was wearing a suit and had my S&W 642 in a IWB holster. I was in a conversation with the groom's father (a police officer) at the reception when a guy standing next to me said, "you might want to wear that rig a little more forward on your belt". Turns out he was my friend's uncle (also a police officer) and we wound up talking guns, crime and sports for the rest of the night. At first, it bothered me a little that I had been made but then I figured he knew what to look for. I have worn that rig a little more forward on my belt ever since.

Once that I know of, I was wearing my Blackhawk OWB on my hip , under the usual long hawaiian shirt, but before acquiring my shoulder rig.

At a pancake restaurant, on the way out I bent down to pick up my 2 year old, and looked over to see 2 fellows with their eyes as wide as dinner plates and their jaws on the table.... My shirt had ridden completely over the top and put me into full OC mode.

I smiled, re-covered myself casually, picked the baby up, finished packing the kids' toys, and headed out like nothing happened, because nothing did!

A friend is a part time LEO and he carries all the time. I can say that I have literally watched him put his 1911 in a OWB serpa holster and when he covered it with his shirt it disappeared!

I don't think I've ever been "made." If I have, I'm sure it was by others that carry. Now I have noticed others carrying.

Recent anecdote:
I was at a Target (wife dragged me there), not too long ago, and was walking behind a fella with a black leather jacket, the tail of which was hung up over the butt of his G19 that he was carrying SOB. At first I wasn't going to say anything, but there are too many yuppies/sheeple/etc. in Target stores (at least that's the way it is around here), and I didn't feel right letting him be oblivious that his pistol was not concealed. I figured someone would go get a manager, and there'd be an unnecessary scene, and I didn't have any "alarms" going off about the guy. I outpaced him so as to be in his sight, and got his attention as discreetly as I could, and said "hey man, you might wanna fix your coat tail." He thanked me, we exchanged a laugh, and both went on about our business.

I always wonder what others' reactions would be if it were me in a similar situation.

Jason

Back somewhere in the early 80s, I rode along with a friend and his wife from Montgomery, AL to Ft. Benning, GA. My friend, who was then an Army recruiter, was off to jump school, hoping to make it to Special Forces school after that, and we dropped him off at Benning. I was along so his wife didn't have to drive home alone.

Sure enough, on the way back to Montgomery on I-85, still in Georgia, late, she had a flat tire. I had the car up on the jack, safely off on the shoulder, the flat off and the spare on, and was letting the jack down to tighten up the lug nuts when headlights appeared behind us.

It was a Georgia state trooper. He made sure everything was OK, chatted a bit, and took off as soon as he saw we were ready to get back on the road. I was tossing the jack and lug wrench back in the trunk when she told me, "You ought to pull your jacket down." It was hung up over the butt of the satin nickel Combat Commander I had tucked inside my belt when I got out to check on the tire.

I said, "Did he see it too?" She said, "He couldn't have missed it."

I had an AL CCW permit, but there was no reciprocity in those days. Far as I could tell, the trooper never even batted an eyelash.

Jason G made me want to ask this question, which I hope isn't drifting to far off topic. As a fellow CCW, are there times when you should tell someone -- as discreetly as possible -- that they've been made? I probably would've done the same thing Jason did, but I'm also curious who would've let that person be.

As a fellow CCW, are there times when you should tell someone -- as discreetly as possible -- that they've been made?

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Yeah. Every time you see it.

I don't think I will ever understand this desire to not talk to my fellow man that I see an awful lot on this forum. What is wrong with telling someone "Hey, your gun is showing?" I mean, it's just a common courtesy. Or well, uncommon I guess.

Nushif said:

Yeah. Every time you see it.

I don't think I will ever understand this desire to not talk to my fellow man that I see an awful lot on this forum. What is wrong with telling someone "Hey, your gun is showing?" I mean, it's just a common courtesy. Or well, uncommon I guess.

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Using the gun word may be unwise depending on the environment. If I were letting someone know, "Your Sig" or "your Springfield" may get less unwanted attention.


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Jason G made me want to ask this question, which I hope isn't drifting to far off topic. As a fellow CCW, are there times when you should tell someone -- as discreetly as possible -- that they've been made?

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Only if the gun is actually showing. If just printing i would say no unless it's terribly apparent.

A few here have hit on something to remember. Watch how you advertise yourself. I remember one specific instance where I hadn't seen any printing on a guy in Utah, but then I saw his "Samson Tactical Training" (or something like that) t-shirt, and a kershaw clip-on knife on his pocket. That was when I assumed he was packing. It was when I saw him chatting on his cell phone with a noticeable bulge still on his waistline as he leaned against a rock that I had him made (with his phone in his hand, what could be printing on his beltline?). Without the tacticool t-shirt and "operator" style knife plainly visible, I wouldn't have given him a second look. Not saying the practice is a flagrant "CCW sin," but don't be surprised if someone like me spots someone like you carrying as a result of your favorite Sturm Ruger shirt having caught my eye.

I regularly carry with nothing more than a T-shirt. You have to be aware of how you bend, etc., but it's hardly difficult to have it disappear. This a full-size 1911.

Here's some food for thought on the subject:

When I was younger, about 13 years ago now, I bought myself a gigantic red, green, and blue parrot. 36 inches from head to tailfeather. Y'know, because I always wanted a big, colorful, talking parrot, and now I have one (still do, fun pet). Early on, I thought it would be fun to have her riding on my shoulder as I walked through town, just to see the reactions I would get.

You know what I got? Something like 9 out of 10 people didn't even see it. I was watching for reactions, since that was the whole point, and there were people who noticed and didn't say anthing, but most people just didn't even see.

My takeaway from this was that other people just aren't that in to you. If they didn't notice a gigantic multicolored parrot on my shoulder, what do you think the chances of them making your carry piece? Pretty slim.

Rmeju said:

I regularly carry with nothing more than a T-shirt. You have to be aware of how you bend, etc., but it's hardly difficult to have it disappear. This a full-size 1911.

Here's some food for thought on the subject:

When I was younger, about 13 years ago now, I bought myself a gigantic red, green, and blue parrot. 36 inches from head to tailfeather. Y'know, because I always wanted a big, colorful, talking parrot, and now I have one (still do, fun pet). Early on, I thought it would be fun to have her riding on my shoulder as I walked through town, just to see the reactions I would get.

You know what I got? Something like 9 out of 10 people didn't even see it. I was watching for reactions, since that was the whole point, and there were people who noticed and didn't say anthing, but most people just didn't even see.

My takeaway from this was that other people just aren't that in to you. If they didn't notice a gigantic multicolored parrot on my shoulder, what do you think the chances of them making your carry piece? Pretty slim.

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Dress like a pirate AND have the bird on your shoulder.



Don't forget the manliner.

I've worked a retail job in recent times.

Since my state is open carry and my workplace had a Starbucks-style policy, we'd get people open carrying all the time. Hi-Points were actually the most popular open carry piece, but that might have just been a reflection of the area and local pawn shop. Concealed carry, while just as legal, is fairly hard to spot.

One guy had a very fancy cellphone case that very poorly carried a pistol magazine.

Another portly customer would always wear a hunting vest with suspiciously bulgy pockets.

Most people don't care.

I am yet to be told.

The best setup I have seen was bib overalls, wife beater t shirt, 8" revolver and 20 rounds of .44 in an old west tie down gunfighter rig strapped on over the bibs.

I had hard time getting away without laughing.

When I carry it is a well concealed Walther inside the waistband.

I seem to barely recall a couple of times, over nearly three decades, smiling and saying, "It is legal." I may have shown my police ID one of those times. FWIW, as a Texas peace officer, I have no legal requirement to conceal, though my employer mandates concealment under most circumstances when not wearing a uniform. (Texas is NOT generally open-carry-legal for private citizen's handguns.)

One advantage of a fairly squared-off auto pistol, plus the proliferation of electronic gadgets being worn on the belt, is that a bulge, especially with straight lines and corners, under a shirt is now normal.

As for the vest, well, I often have obvious photo equipment with me, anyway, and can definitely look like a photo geek. (I only occasionally actually wear a vest, a non-5.11 Royal Robbins.) I will sometimes wear a small lens pouch visibly on the front of my belt to complete the look.

Only one time in Reno at the El Dorado casino. Some in-laws were staying there and we went to meet up with them, we were on the casino floor shooting dice at a crap table and my jacket rode up and hooked over the butt of my 1911. One of the pit bosses came around and slid up next to me and told me my gun was showing.

I pulled my jacket back down and all was good. I did notice that as we moved around the casino there were a couple gentlemen in suits that were keeping an eye on our party from a short distance until we left.

Funny..... when working on my property, I wear bibs (so I have a chest pocket for my iPod) with a green cheap Dickies belt outside the overalls. The belt carries an OWB-style holster with either my Sig P229, or more often, my S&W 380. Looks funny, but works great.

Being made while CCing

I don`t worry about it, as long as it is not seen you are fine!! If it is imprinted is OK also just as long as you have it covered and your permit on you there is absolutely nothing can be said!!! I have carried a Ruger SR 40 inside my waist band and a loose shirt and nobody has ever acted like they have seen anything!!

I try to avoid 'printing' while carrying, even though I live in Washington (State) and our state respects the Second Amendment moreso than some others, i.e., being less restrictive CC-wise and at least not OC-hostile for the most part.

However, last year around September I'm pretty sure I was 'made' just after church. I inadvertently left my headlights on, requiring a jump start. I had the hood up and was leaning over in front of the car checking things out (that's when I'm pretty sure I exposed my CCW), when the driver of the vehicle parked immediately in front of me showed up. I asked him for a jump start since I carry cables, and he said OK; his passenger then assisted me in getting started. The strangest thing was, the driver *never once* made eye contact with me- he just kept looking straight ahead while sitting in his vehicle, even though he was certainly agreeable to jump start my car. Baffling.