CCW for *ahem* fat guys: which holster/position?

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I guess I'll chime in...

I too, like food, and have been losing weight for a while now, but have a ways to go.

I have always carried in a normal holster a full size gun. Go for a gun that is thin though. I carried a HK p7 for a long time with no problem. I always carry in about the 4 pm position. This kept the gun off my hip bone and kept it just behind my side and that worked well for sitting, walking etc.

Currently, I carry a Sig 225 and have no problem with it in the same position.

I admit I have clanked on door frames with my gun.

I use an open topped holster and rely on the FRD system... Fat Retention Device for holding the gun in the holster.
 
I consider myself a fatty, and if I dont the women certainly do. About 5'10 275 but I find my Comp-tac MTAC will a full size M&P just fine at about 3:30-4 o'clock. Pocket carry is another option. My father is also a big guy and is a big fan of Ankle carry, he doesn't carry much anymore but his body size has not changed since he did.
 
There's a thing called 'Hidden Tailor', made by a company called Flex-belt.

It's a rubber belt with knobs on it that you wear between your shirt and your trousers. It keeps your shirt tucked in and your pants up. For those of us with a bit of a 'front porch, it works great with any belt holster.
Google the name, it's not expensive, and it may work for you.

As said above, suspenders are the best but not always the best option...shoulder holsters are great too.
 
I'm portly, and I've been thinking that when I get my permit, I'll pocket carry an LCP.
 
IWB uncle mikes @ around 1 o click fits perfectly under my fat belly. In fact, you can't even see the gun even if i lift my shirt up because my belly totally covers the grip...now that's concealment ;) Concealing larger semi-auto's becomes difficult because they ride higher and have large, bulky grips...but a small J frame is easily concealed under your belly, just find a low riding IWB holster. If you can handle long pants, ankle holsters don't care how big their wearers belly is either ;) Pocket carrying a J frame or using cargo shorts with large square pockets to pocket carry a larger semi auto like the CS9, CS40, Glock 26, can work well too.
 
You COULD hire one of those "Safari Gun Bearers" to travel everywhere with you....
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I went on Safari once but people kept ketting confused and pointing their rifles at me. Guess I shouldn't have worn that "rhino-grey" suit. LOL

Fat Retention Device
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BAAH AHAAAA! :D:D:D
 
As my roll of flab hangs off the front and not the sides, the back of the hip's a good spot. An open front, untucked button-down shirt (with washers sewn into the tails to prevent the wind from blowing it) allows great shoulder-holster carry in the summer and fall.

Also, you might get something bigger into a pocket holster, so long as you endeavor to find the comfy pants like Dockers or their St. John's Bay knockoffs.
 
Believe it or not, a Belly Band holster works well for me, and has the added benefit of making me look thinner.... ;)

I suppose you could always get one of those 5.11 Tactical vests and wear it.
 
I would just like to establish that I am singularly unqualified to comment on this subject and will therefore bow gracefully out of the thread :D
 
I live in a real hot area and have a job that is really gun-intolerant, so I use a special set-up for pocket-carry with my G-27. I use a piece of stiffened material between the bag of my front pocket and the outer shell of the pants leg. Also, I use a snap-in holster in the pocket. Absolutely no print that way.

When you weigh over 300 pounds, your options are pretty limited.
 
6'3, 300.

Full size 1911 or glock 30 at about 4 o'clock. A good belt, for me the wilderness belts and a good holster, Sparks VM2 or Southern Holsters "Memphis" are very comfortable for me.
 
Size Matters

I've been CCW'ing for about five years now. And while that doesn't qualify me as an expert I've played around with numerous carry styles and found a few suggestions for MEN OF GIRTH to think about.

First IWB is the best way to go. For big guys from sitting to standing stretching etc your gun will move in OWB in awkward ways and you won't be CC anymore. 2nd I've found that spending a hundred bucks on a well made holster is so worth it. Buy a couple of pairs of CCW pants with a slightly bigger waist to accomadate it and don't sweat the rest. IWB with a well made holster will completely reinvigorate your desire to be armed at all times.

For the record I usually carry my SigPro or P239 and I IWB both. I actually prefer the Pro as the 239 is so small I sometimes get the feeling like it's moving and that makes me very uncomfortable.

In regards to Where to put the IWB most guys like the 4 0'clock position. Buy a cheap holster first to find what placement works best for you. I found that an FBI cant on my holster in the 50'clock position works best. It's snug against my back and it doesn't move and my clothes hang over it and no one is the wiser.

Last thoughts on the Maxpedition. It's a great way to carry but don't get the GREEN one. Everybody stares. But I've found that by sticking a couple of KODAK and CANON patches on mine that it seems to diffuse interest.

However you will get tired of carrying only that way. You will want to find an on the body because sometimes you just want to travel light. A bag is only good when your ready to carry it.

Don't for whatever reason buy the Maxpedition Colossus. It's too big. You'll want to fill it. In fact right now in mine I have an Ipod, 2 cameras (still and video), diapers and wipes, a small first aid kit, a variety of painkillers and meds, a flashlight and a leatherman, a bottle of water, a notebook and pen, an address book, hand sanitizer. When it's legal/ethical I have a gun and 2-3 extra mags as well. :D
 
Plenty of nice Pocket Holsters available for J-frames, Keltecs, Kahr etc..
..is always better than just sticking a gun in your pocket.
 
I change clothes too many times a day to make IWB practical, even if I liked it which I don't. The snags are way too frequent and the cover shirt can get blown aside by the wind revealing the butt of the firearm. I go with pocket carry. Simple, effective and cheap.
 
1KPerDay,

The SS has two closely-spaced belt loops attached to the body of the holster and is made with the leather rough-side out. The VM-2 has widely-spaced belt loops attached to holster extensions fore and aft of the holster body and is made with leather smooth-side out. The SS has less leather molding than the VM-2. The VM-2 is slightly thinner because the belt loops are not attached to the holster body (I don't think that extra 1/8" is really an issue, however).

In my usage, I find the VM-2 to be more comfortable and stable than the SS due to the widely spaced belt loops. My perception is that the VM-2 affords greater retention due to the molding. The VM-2 also allows for the use of the Kydex clips to create a "tuckable" holster.

Here's the link to the MS site for these holsters: http://www.miltsparks.com/IWB_holsters.htm
 
5'8", 265, 44 belt size, but my pants do not feel secure with a belt only, so I also use suspenders - the kind that attach to the belt and not to the pants. I carry OWB primary at 4 o'clock and pocket BUG. It's the best I have come up with so far.
 
The best thing you could do to protect your life is loose the weight
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Mom?

I am probably one of the biggest guys on THR, and I carry a Taurus 605 IWB in an Uncle Mikes pouch, and it's very comfortable for me. I occasionally carry my P3AT in my pocket, but I personally don't care for pocket carry a whole lot. Why, you ask? Mostly because I don't like a whole lot of anything in my pants because it drags my pants down.

In my opinion, when your a great big guy, you have to sort of consider that when you choose a gun. For whatever reason, people assume that we can carry big guns no problem, but that simply isn't the case. I have carried a pretty big gun on occasion, and it worked out OK, but in my experience, the flatter, the better. My 605 is fairly flat given that it's a revolver, and it also has the advantage of not having slide releases and safetys digging into me. The Uncle Mikes pouch thing (I have no idea what model it is off the top of my head) is considerably more flexible than leather, and for us big dudes, I think it is far superior to leather.

As far as belt carry, the basic problem is that wide, stiff "gun belts" dig into us quite painfully. To be honest, I have never found a particularly good way to carry on my belt that was comfortable. Possibly some of the "instructor" belts that are wide, but made of cloth, would work better, but I haven't seen any around that are made in large man sizes.

Also, small dudes, on a serious tip, we all know that losing weight is the way to go. Despite tough guy thinking that it's as easy as putting down the cake and mixing in a salad, losing weight is an incredibly difficult undertaking. We know we are fat, we know the solution, and all your doing is pointing out the obvious.
 
I'd try a Dakota Defender IWB from K&D. I've got one for my Steyr M40-A1(not a small gun but not huge either) and it conceals rather nicely at about 4:00 and can ride really low making it real comfortable. Being big has it's advantages with carry(as well as some disadvantages). You can conceal most anything anywhere and even if it prints a bit, since you've got lots of other rolls no one will even notice or say a word out of embarrassment. Think about it.
 
5'9"---310 lbs. I just applied for my CCW and should have my permit by June 5th. I have a Beretta 84 Cheetah {Nickel plated} and a Nemesis pocket holster. The gun holds 13+1 rnds of 380 and is a little bulky. However my jeans have very large pockets and it fits in there just fine. I will try this for awhile and see how it goes. I've carried it around inside the house just to see how it felt, and so far all is good.
 
I carry a kahr cw9 , para c6, ruger sp101 all three of these have a clipdraw on them I carry them on the right side just forward of my rear pocket this works well for me on ccw.:cuss::cuss::cuss:
 
OK,I am my ideal weight if I was 11 feet tall..in other words,I'm fat.I tried IWB..sucked...shoulder holster...sucked....what did work....I used a desansits thumb break and put it BETWEEN my belt and pants.It held the gun real close and fought the"love handles".I now pocket carry and love it.I have and do pocket carry these:
1)s/w 642(airweight)most of the time
2)Charter Arms Bulldog(2nd most)
3)Taurus pt111(3rd most)size of a glock 26

I could ankle carry,but I'd never see the gun again...:uhoh:
 
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