Do you run multiple errands and always carry?

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Ignition Override

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My problem with a first holster, Remora OWB (apparently concealed), is the inconvenience of stuffing the gun into the OWB before stepping out, returning back to the car, pulling it out before sitting down. It is such a nuisance as a brand-new novice.

Four times tonight, via Wolfchase Mall jewelry store, Barnes & Noble, PetSmart, Academy. I primarily went into Academy to solicit the young staffer's advice about this.
That OWB holster is never semi-comfy when bending over, unless empty. Should this be in the Holster forum?
 
Wow, I unholster my handgun once every 24 hours; when I walk in my bedroom at the end of the day. And I might run a half-dozen errands in a day, or none at all.

I think you have the wrong holster or the wrong gun, because you are just fiddling with your gun way more than you ever should be.

BTW, G19 in a KingTuk
 
Sorry, need to clarify a few things that I'm not 100% following. When you say 'before stepping out,' do you mean before you leave the house, or do you mean the car? And are you pulling it out before you sit down because it's uncomfortable when you get into the car?
 
Wow, I unholster my handgun once every 24 hours; when I walk in my bedroom at the end of the day.
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Similar for me. Chamber check in the morning and reholster, otherwise it lives in there. I also often end up taking the entire rig on or off with the gun in it if I have to disarm. My taco shell AIWB is low cut, and extremely uncomfortable at 1 o'clock without the pistol.

OP, if this is something you'll have to live with due to signage with the force of law or some other circumstance, you might consider switching to something easier to take on and off while keeping it in the holster.
 
Leave it in the holster until you go to bed at night.
Put it back in in the morning, and don't touch it again until the following night.

The more times you pull it out and put it back in the holster?

The higher the chance you will have an ND and shoot yourself, or something else.

Plus, the more you wear it, the more broken in to your body, and the more comfortable it will get.

rc
 
It can take many many variations of holster and gun to feel 100% Comfortable 100% of the time.

I personally went through about 20 holsters and several firearms. till I found the combo that justs works.
 
Sounds like you need a different holster or gun or both. The only gun I OWB carry is a S&W 469 in a Bianchi 19L, and once it's belted on and the gun is snapped in, I don't touch it until my belt comes off. Mostly I pocket carry a Taurus 709 or Kel Tec P-11 in an uncle Mikes pocket holster.

If your holster has an adjustable cant, try that first. Having the holster and gun ride at a different angle may help.

Welcome to the somewhat tedious world of newbie concealed carry.
 
Stepping out of/into the car.
I now remember topics where people were warned not to do what was done tonight. The chamber was empty with only the mag loaded, but anyway...

There's no way I can wear anything like this Remora OWB at 10 or 11 o'clock while sitting down. What really Is nice is that I jogged with it for 30 min. the other night and the Makarov didn't budge one bit.

Maybe another type of OWB has a protruding leather or plastic flap to go between the exposed part of the gun and my hip/gut, but it's hard to imagine that it would be half comfy with the Russian Mak. or Sig 232. And these are fairly compact guns (as most of you realize).
 
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I run IWB whenever I'm staying in the free state of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I work in the People's Republic of New Jersey, so after a day of work, if I'm heading back out, I'll holster up. If not, I've got one locked in the table next to me.

But if its not comfortable, sounds like you might want to check out a different holster.
 
Should have said, I carry at 4 to 5 o'clock. Never could come close to anything 3 o'clock or forward. Haven't tried it, not interested. This is working well for me.
 
Have you considered leaving the gun in the car while running in the store leaves you unarmed in the most likely place you will need the gun??

Either carry it all the time, or don't carry it at all.

But don't leave it in the car when you just 'run in a jewelry store'.

If it hasn't been robbed yet, it will be!!

rc
 
Part of what affects comfort while seated in a car is how the seat fits you. Bucket or bench seat. Are you large or small? I'm small and carry IWB using a Comp-tac Minatour holster. I'm more comfortable in my bucket seat than I am in my wife's Suburban with bench seats.

You need to try variations of cant and position before you try another holster or gun. The holster I mentioned does have a "tongue" that sticks up between the gun and my body. It's leather on the inside against my body and kydex on the outside so that the pocket doesn't collapse. I've found that there's a sweet spot under my ribs where it's most comfortable. If you're carrying at 10 or 11 then you must be left handed. I wouldn't think that appendix carry would be comfortable when sitting.

Now, we should also talk about not having a round chambered, if that's what you are doing. If you are doing it while getting used to carrying, that's one thing, but it's a very bad policy going forward. If you ever have to draw your gun you will be under tremendous stress and may fumble it. At the least it will slow you down.
 
I am a trim and tucked in style person so I carry my 4" S&W M66 revolver in a tucked holster at 1 o'clock (appendix) most of the time.

In the cold or wet where I am wearing a long wind breaker or rain jacket, I use a DeSantis thumb break scabbard at about 4 o'clock.

Works for me.

I have an Alien gear holster, but have not figured out how to carry it comfortably.
 
OP, I take it you're a lefty wearing your gun at 10-11 o'clock. Why are you wearing it so far forward? That way it's harder to get to and creates rentention problems. That's most of your comfort issue. Move it to 9 o'clock and see how much more comfortable it is.
 
OP, I take it you're a lefty wearing your gun at 10-11 o'clock. Why are you wearing it so far forward? That way it's harder to get to and creates rentention problems.
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I know the comfort of appendix carry is highly subjective, but I've never heard it criticized for being a hard draw or a retention risk. Quite the opposite in fact: for those who find it comfortable, weapon retention is easier because it'll always be in your peripheral vision. That means it's easier to prevent a snatch attempt because you'll see it coming; and should one occur, the fight to retain it will be happening in a place where it's easier to both see and control the gun, versus if it were worn behind the hip. The draw is similar for me to carrying strong side IWB, and much easier in many cases than carrying IWB behind the hip. For example, I can quickly draw while seated and belted in a car, or if a fight goes to ground I can draw while flat on my back.

So those are my experiences, but I'm curious to hear more about yours if it identifies or improves on potential weaknesses in a carry method I've admittedly become a fan of. Can you elaborate?
 
OP, It sounds like you need a good belt and a good holster.

I have been running a Tucker Gun Leather IWB (Tuckable) on a Beltman Belt or a Grey Ghost Belt and wear all day, doesn't matter what I am up to, that rig is fine.
The gun is a Sig P239.

If the Mak works, why not just carry it all the time?
 
I can appreciate the OP's predicament, as I'm also relatively new to carry. It just takes some trial and error until you find the right combination that's comfortable for you in most situations.

As for the suggestions of "put it on and leave it on," that's not always possible. In some states (my own is one), violation of signage carries a stiff penalty under the law, not just a mere request to leave. That's one of the reasons I went with the DeSantis SOF-TUCK for my 637. It allows easy removal when that is necessary, without having to unholster the weapon. My gun comes out of the holster every morning to check it before I leave the house, then stays in the holster the rest of the day. If I have to remove it, I remove the entire holster. Handling an unholstered gun several times a day is definitely increasing the risk of an unintentional discharge.
 
Good belt, good holster, move the gun to a position where it is most comfortable when you're doing most of whatever it is you do. If that's sitting, move the gun to where it is comfortable when sitting.

For most of us that's at the 3:30-5:00 position at/behind the strong-side hip.

Put it on in the morning, take it off when you go to bed. Otherwise, hands OFF! No fooling with it, no unholstering/reholstering ?ty-seven times a day.

Carry with one in the chamber. If you need it, chances are you need it NOW ... maybe a little sooner than that. Don't want to have to ask for a second to get a round ready to go.
 
I frequently run errands, and I carry everywhere it is legal. Sam1911 hit the nail on the head:
Sam1911 said:
Good belt, good holster, move the gun to a position where it is most comfortable when you're doing most of whatever it is you do. If that's sitting, move the gun to where it is comfortable when sitting.

For most of us that's at the 3:30-5:00 position at/behind the strong-side hip.
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Ignition Override said:
. . . .There's no way I can wear anything like this Remora OWB at 10 or 11 o'clock while sitting down. What really Is nice is that I jogged with it for 30 min. the other night and the Makarov didn't budge one bit.
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I've got a bit of "Dunlap's Disease," (where my belly done lapped over my belt . . . ), so I can't imagine carrying at 10 or 11 o'clock. I carry at about 4 o'clock. That means that when I'm in the car, I'm leaning back on my pistol, rather than having it poke me in the gut. My most frequently-carried gun is my G19. Most of the time, I carry it in a CBST, which is ridiculously comfortable. However, I do have a variety of other holsters, and I use the one that meets my needs best at the time (CBST or leather OWB for suit-and-tie occasions, Kydex for the woods, etc.). I've amassed 4-5 holsters for my G19 over about 2.5 years, picking them up here and there. I've definitely gone through some trial and error in holster selection.

I recognize that handling an unholstered firearm carries some increased risk of an ND. Nonetheless, I am one of those folks that actually does unholster the pistol when I remove it to go in to some gun-unfriendly location, like a courthouse. However, most of my holsters have belt loops that make it difficult to take off in the car. And I'm not interested in standing outside of my car, fiddling to get my belt back on in broad daylight. The gun comes out of the holster and goes into a small safe while I'm away.

I'm going to suggest that you try moving the gun around back. Somewhere between 3 and 5 o'clock if you're right handed, 7-9 if left. If shifting to a new carry spot doesn't solve the problem, you might have to go with a different holster. (None of your complaints seem to revolve around the belt, so I'm guessing that you have a decent gunbelt. Yes?) I have to admit, as well, that the Remora really doesn't look that comfortable.
 
Thanks very much for the evaluations and comparisons.

5'11", 180 lbs. with a modest chocolate candy gut (modest for my age 60).
East edge of n.e. Memphis suburbs. Driving a Toyota Camry.
 
You are my same height.
I'm about 10 pounds lighter.

Get new jeans with large watch pocket.
http://www.allamericanclothing.com/made-in-usa/AA202.html

Get compact .380 with "performance ammo."
(good example is S&W Bodyguard)

Carry compact .380 completely concealed in watch pocket.
Here's a vid with the Keltec P32.
https://youtu.be/je2hxahDK2A
But, the Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380 conceals equally well.

Leave large gun at home.

That is all.
 
If you have the right holster and belt combo, you can carry pretty much any gun fairly comfortably. I carry a 1911, an XD subcompact, or a Redhawk 5.5 inch. I vary them as to weather and what clothes I am wearing, but all are worn OWB at 3-4 o'clock. I prefer a pancake holster as I feel it carries best. Once you carry a while, you get used to it and can almost forget it is there.
 
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