CC wearing problems

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jmstevens2

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Am I the only one who has problems carrying? I have tried IWB, OWB (works the best) and many different holsters. I got the $100 super special carry belt, even tried a different brand. Doesn't matter. When I carry, my pants want to fall down. If I tighten up the belt tight enough to hold it in place, the belt is way too tight and VERY uncomfortable. I have tried suspenders, but they are not designed to hold the weight of a gun.
I am one of those guys that has no butt or hips.
Am I The only one? I am pretty much thinking shoulder holsters at this point. Any suggestions?
 
When you put a desert eagle in a holster its gonna pull your pants down. Haha just kiddin. What are you carrying? Is it heavy / light? Do you wear pants that are the right size?

Oh and shoulder holsters are fantastic.
 
Have you tried belt and suspenders together? Try some of the carpenter/workman suspenders rather than the ones that you wear with dress pants. Or if all else fails, you might be a candidate for a fanny pack or for some of the concealment underwear. I think that one brand of concealment underwear is called "Thunderwear".

I'm not a fan of fanny packs but you can carry a nice size pistol with them as well as extra ammo etc.
 
Glock 23 mostly, I figure the 1911 is too heavy. I have tried both suspenders and belt, it works for awhile then the suspenders lose their grip. They are Duluth too, not cheap or dress kind.
 
When I carry, my pants want to fall down.
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Sounds like your pants are too loose. There is a happy median of loose fit when it comes to pants used for IWB carry, you just have to find that yourself. Either that you need a lighter gun.

I CC a full sized pistol IWB using moderately loose pants (extra 1-2" in the waistband) and a belt that can adjust comfortably to my waist. I other words the holes in the belt correspond with my waist size. Using my favorite belt I use the 4th hole from the end for IWB carry and the 5th hole from the end for OWB carry.

If you can't get it to work for you there is always pocket carry.
 
The problem with small of the back is if you get knocked down you are likely to recieve a spinal injury that takes you out of the fight. it is however, the only kind of belt holster that has worked for me.
 
jmstevens2, I am a big fan of Galco shoulder rigs. They are very comfortable, form fitting and very secure hold on your firearm. They aren't cheap but they aren't going to break your bank account either. They are well worth the money. http://www.usgalco.com/default.asp

I knew a few guys in Pa that had the same disease you suffer from (noassatall) and I got them to try these rigs out. They both liked them more than anything they had ever tried. I use the Jackass models for mine but I carry full size 1911's and the other 2 rigs are for my .44 SRH and my .500 S&W. Don't carry here in Illinois but when I lived in Pa I ALWAYS did. You would probably be better served with the lite shoulder system. They have several variants to choose from and I am sure you would be more than pleased with the quality.
 
I bought a pair of military surplus wet-weather gear suspenders. The don't have clips on the ends, rather they have wire hooks that you put under your belt to hold your pants up. They are comfortable and work well. I EDC a SW40VE in different manners, either an IWB nylon holster, a belt Don Hume JIT slide,or a nylon shoulder holster, and while I don't use the suspenders with the shoulder holster, I find they work very well with the other two methods, don't cost much, and don't bother my neck like some suspenders are prone to.
 
Oh and shoulder holsters are fantastic.
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That statement is true a million times over. They are the often forgotten about and hated method of carry that is actually extremely comfortable and doesn't kill your lower back.

As far the pants issue....you said you had "no hips or butt" so that is going to be a problem for any type of belt carry. Eventually you should find some combo that works for you, but I'd suggest a good quality shoulder holster.
 
I am 5'10", 175. I carry a full-size, all-steel 1911, year round. I have used expensive belts, but what I use, whenever I can fashionably get away with it, is army-issue, 2" rigger belts, made of wide strap. I can use them, with denim shorts, a Crossbreed Supertuck. Throw on a t-shirt, I can carry it in 100+ degree heat, no problem.

I also use a Galco Miami Classic (wearing it right now,) sometimes a fanny pack, sometimes a Blackhawk Serpa outside the belt.

Comfort is relative. You are never going to convince yourself you aren't wearing one. There is a certain point where you have to accept the lump, and realize that you are sacrificing some comfort for safety. It doesn't matter what gun or what size. You always feel it. You can take a kid who turned 21 six weeks ago and just got his carry permit in the mail yesterday, and hang a Desert Eagle under his left arm, and he will swear he doesn't feel it, because he is still excited to be able to carry. You can take a squeamish anti-gun person, and have them put a P3AT in their pocket, and they will swear it feels like a tumor.

You have to keep carrying even after the cool factor wears off, and it's a lump of lead and steel you have to keep with you all the time. If you can't get over it and learn to live with it, you will get tired of it and stop carrying. (Most new permit holders quit.)
 
I have a nylon blackhawk shoulder holster, never use it, don't like it. (don't like the retaining mech.) I have a friend that has a leather shoulder holster and loves his, so try some, you might like them.

I have seen suspenders that have leather wraps that go around the belt, no clips. Loggers wear them. Never tried them but they should work too; just to hold the belt up.

I just Carry my pistol on my hip. That works best for me. If I have a coat on, it's concealed, if I don't have a coat on, it's OC, both are legal here (in Ohio too)
 
I had the initial signs of this problem. Then i switched to not carrying it in a holster, and the wearing problem vanished. My dad has almost entirely worn the finish off his s&w .38, just by keeping it CC'd in a holster for approximately 2 years. CC'd for 3 years now, no holster, and no wear problems whatsoever. Also before i get some flack for not keeping it in a holster, it has never once come into view or left my pocket due to lack of a holster, and i've done all manner of physical labor with it thus concealed, also as it is a px4 it never orients itself wrong in the pocket, not sure if that's a design feature or a fluke, but it's always in draw ready position even after spending a day in the yard.
 
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I believe the determining factor WB carry is body type. I got a lot of flak from the men here for wearing my SW40VE IWB with NO holster. Somehow my muscle distribution and the size of my jeans allow a perfect friction fit at 4-5:00. Perhaps that method of CC did not work for them and their body type.

My other two carry guns ARE holstered. They are completely different in design and weight from the SW, and they require a holster.

Suspenders are alright if you can get away with them, but if you're not a farmer or wear suits with classy suspenders under your suit jacket, it looks funny.

Shoulder carry is great, but I do not trust horizontal holsters. The good ones are also pretty expensive, so research what you really want. I have a lightweight black nylon SH that is serviceable, but I would prefer a nicer black leather version.
 
I believe there's a holster named Remora? That uses your body to hold the holster in place between your skin and the tension of pants/belt. No belt loops on the holster just a special backing on the holster itself. You may want to look into it.
 
Wow!! Which one Ramone?

I wear a set of black, or brown, or blue, under my shirt, vest, sweater, or jacket. I wear a stiff belt (Safariland) just a hair loose. The Commander does very well and the Colt NM, while you know it is there, rides well.

I got used to wearing suspenders in SASS and I have a number of dress suspenders.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=221538897&sellerid=15693697
 
Am I the only one who has problems carrying?
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I have been carrying for 34 years, I have carried in every way possible under different circumstances of my life (Military, LEO/NonLEO, legal/illegal, OC/CC, Xdraw,strongside, shouldr, ankle, pocket etc etc etc). I have never found carrying a gun of any type to be comfortable but as Clint Smith is quoted as saying something like, "Carrying a weapon should be comforting, not comfortable."
From the problem you describe it sounds like you are in your upper 40's maybe 50's or more. I have found that I have the same problem where I no longer have a butt and my abdomen is wider than my hips and my pelvic bones no longer jut-out enough (like it used too) where my belt would loop around keeping my pants up. Remember all the old timers who used to wear suspenders/braces? Now I do as well, it's the only thing that keeps my pants up. I find that if I want to carry I use a military type shoulder holster View attachment 588918. Either that or I just CC a J frame in my pocket. It sucks getting older/wider.
 
Like others have said, shoulder holsters can be your friend. I carry a full size 1911 in an Alessi Bodyguard shoulder rig under a light sweatshirt, vest, or jacket. Also, look into belly bands.
 
hermannr said:
I just Carry my pistol on my hip. That works best for me. If I have a coat on, it's concealed, if I don't have a coat on, it's OC, both are legal here (in Ohio too)
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This is what I do pretty much all the time. On the rare occasions when I can't for some reason, (dress clothes, naive people I don't want to offend, etc.) I have a mini 9 that I pocket carry. IWB holsters drive me nuts, especially if I'm sweating at all, which is a major consideration because of the work that I do.
 
Have you tried inside-the-belt (ITB) carry? This is when the IWB holster is worn outside the pants, but inside the belt. I find this to be a great compromise between IWB and full-OWB, and is how I carry. Whether or not it works for you depends on your body type to some degree, but the gun/hoslter combo helps tighten the pants, and the belt smoothes out the profile.
 
Ditto #22

http://www.perrysuspenders.com 2 inch Ruff 'n Tuff version. They are relatively inexpensive. Try both the origional 3 point style and the 2 point Outback style to see which works best for you.

Attach to a Simply Rugged "He Man" belt http://www.simply rugged.com Wear the belt slightly snug but not tight. (Note the double thick Beltman belts are too thick to accept the suspenders.)
 
I don't see anyone mentioning bellyband carry yet.

As a woman I don't find the constriction any different than the constriction of other customary female garments. I don't know what guys usually think about the feel of wearing a bellyband though.

I'm completely prepared to believe your self-description of your anatomical challenge but, I wonder, ...

Are you, perhaps, accustomed to wearing all your clothing loose and baggy, as is the fashion for many young men? And as a consequence being totally unused to the feel of any binding on your body at all so that the normal binding of a belt that is actually functioning to support the weight of pants and pocket contents seems "way too tight" by contrast?

Is it only the gun that presents a problem? Or do you have the same problem when your pockets are full of change, tools, odds and ends, etc?
 
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