Got a concealed carry question for you experienced

[mountain_man]

I may be getting a cc license coming up if I don't need the funds for something else first. Anyway I was looking at 3 inch j frames but then a CZ 75 compact has caught my eye but I am unsure if I can keep it from printing. I am 6' 0'' and weigh 165. Is this something that I could pull off.

If it is too big for my frame, are there thinner/smaller options that would make for a nice carry/range gun? Pocket carry is not very important for me, I use them too much to put a gun in. Thanks

 

[rj112275]

There are lots of small guns. However, if you learn to dress around your gun... An you will learn to change your habits, then you can carry almost any gun you wish.

Get a good belt made for carrying a gun, not some cheap designer belt. Good holsters do wonders for concealing a handgun.

I'd say a baby glock, xd compact or S&W M&p compact would be a fin place to start. A j-frame or ruger lcp would be very easy to hide on your person.

Good luck and safe shooting

 

[David E]

You can hide that gun, but there are better guns available that finding holsters for won't be an issue.

Think Glock 19 or 26, S&W M&P Compact or stay with your J-Frame pick, presuming you're proficient with one.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I am 5'10" weight about 200lbs and carry a Sig P239R (used to carry a P220r and usually didn't print. Clothing is your friend there. Go with stuff either a little looser fit or made for CCW.

 

[bainter1212]

Buy a couple of quality belts and go up a shirt size. You really can't be one of those guys who like to show off his pecs with tight shirts and conceal carry at the same time - unless it's winter with a jacket. I wear XL shirts to conceal, I really fit into L shirts but you gotta do what you gotta do. Honestly, my wife doesn't even notice the bigger shirts most of the time. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Dlowe167]

Ive carried a CZ P-06 its an alloy frame.Im a 6X sized guy.They are correct about the belt though.I got a Crossbreed Holsters belt,its thick and strong.Springfield Armory's XDs might be the way to go.I live in Oh which is an open carry state,so i never worry about it showing.Maybe a shoulder rig is best for u then.If u go the shoulder rig route make sure the straps are wide,or it will be uncomfortable for daily wear.I know that from experience.Happy carry too u

 

[Deer_Freak]

I am tall and lanky. There are very few guns I can't conceal with a belly band holster. I use my belly band all summer. I carry a Ruger P95. The P95 has a reputation for being hard to conceal. I have no problems concealing the P95 with nothing but shorts and a t shirt on. My friend who introduced me to the belly band carries a full size 1911.

 

[Tomac]

A good belt is essential for comfort and to reduce printing.
Doublestacks in general print more than singlestacks. I don't sweat the printing much as people just don't pay that much attention to bulges under the shirt (could be cell phone, smart phone, knife, etc).
The Kahr CW9 (7+1) & CM9 (6+1) are probably as thin/flat as you're going to get w/o sacrificing price, accuracy, shooting comfort or reliability (wife carries a Kahr P380 and I carry a CM9 when I can't carry my preferred SIG P250).
Holster selection is a *very* personal thing, you can expect to go through several holsters finding the one you prefer w/regards to price, carry location, features, etc.
I prefer a shoulder rig for winter months and appendix IWB at all other times (except the Kahr CM9 has a Covert Carrier combo grip clip for holsterless carry if needbe).
Tomac

Size comparisons: SIG P250 compact, SIG P250 subcompact, Kahr P380, Kahr CM9:

Kahr CW9, Kahr CM9, Kahr P380:

Kahr CM9 w/Covert Carrier combo grip/clip:

 

[MedWheeler]

With the right setup (belt, holster, and cover garment), you can carry pretty much any "service-class" pistol. Printing may be an issue in your locale; check your laws first (it's not here in Florida.)

One possibility is using an IWB-holster worn between the belt and pants; this is known as "inside-the-belt" carry (ITB.) The belt smoothes over the gun's profile more than with many OWB rigs, but you don't need to go up in pant size. You still need as long a cover garment, though. My Ruger P95 rides quite comfortably this way, when I choose to carry it (my EDC is a PF9 in an OWB slide holster.)

 

[Sam1911]

As others have said, printing just isn't an issue. Get a good belt. No, a REALLY good belt. (At least as good as the CCW Amish belts from Hank's, or a Beltman, Wilderness Tactical, 5.11, etc. if you can afford it.)

If you're going with an IWB, get your pants a size larger. Get hip to camp shirts, Hawaiian shirts, guayaberas and other square-tailed button-down shirts meant to be worn untucked. Bolt prints and darker colors will make your gun disappear even more than you need it to.

Or look to "tuckable" IWB holster designs. Then you can tuck your shirt into your pants, OVER the gun, and blouse it a little. Even a large gun goes out of sight.

 

[bainter1212]

Bullhide belts make a really good belt....also plaid patterned shirts are your friend. The pattern is confusing to the eyes and will mask any bulges. It does kind of work like magic....

 

[VetPsychWars]

All good advice here. I carry a full-size 1911 just fine.

Tom

 

[italianbreadman]

At 6'0" 165 I imagine you're very thin. I'm 5'8" and 160 and being thin makes concealed carry challenging in warm weather for me.

The advice here seems generally good, but depending on your dress, I would call that CZ 75 Compact the upper limit of comfortable concealability with what I consider normal attire. I think the j frame would be more suitable.

You definitely don't want to buy a gun and then feel uncomfortable carrying it due to size, and then leave it home every day. I've never tried a belly band, but I still feel that every time I wear my gun, it's part of a long acclimatization process. I'm carrying a Ruger SP101 or an M&P9c


Perhaps it's more a matter of ones carry philosophy. I don't think I should dress around my gun. I think I should use a gun that suits my style of dress. Many others, obviously, feel just the opposite. If I did that I could quite literally dress around a laptop or tennis shoe for ccw. Depends how you feel about clothing.

 

[mountain_man]

italianbreadman: You are right, I am pretty thin. The more I think about it, the more I think that I may need to go with a j frame or sp101 sized revolver. I have heard that a revolver's curves help to break up the outline even more. Have you found this to be true?

 

[David E]

Proper holster, belt and clothing selection breaks up the outline.

I wouldn't carry something as big and heavy as an SP-101 if I only got 5 shots out of it. If you can/want to carry that size and weight, then you can easily pack the thinner Glock 26/27/19/23, which is easier to shoot, easier/faster to reload and carries more ammo.

 

[Sam1911]

I think I should use a gun that suits my style of dress. Many others, obviously, feel just the opposite. ... Depends how you feel about clothing.

I understand what you're saying here, but you are also talking about a deadly weapon which you might have to use, in a public place with innocent bystanders around, in a life-or-death moment.

Perhaps it makes some sense to decide that IF you're going to carry a firearm in public, you're choosing the firearm that you'd be able to use most effectively and with the least danger to others. And that might just mean a few concessions with your fashion sense. At some level, there are things that are very important and there are things that are less important.

 

[Mike J]

When I carry it is either an XD-40 or a Kel Tec P11. The P11 is for when I can't manage anything bigger but if I ever do find myself in a situation I would much rather have the XD. It does depend on how much trouble one is willing to go to to dress around the gun though. Also as others have stated a quality holster & belt makes a huge difference.

 

[italianbreadman]

italianbreadman: You are right, I am pretty thin. The more I think about it, the more I think that I may need to go with a j frame or sp101 sized revolver. I have heard that a revolver's curves help to break up the outline even more. Have you found this to be true?

My SP101 seems to fit the contours of my body in the 5 o'clock IWB position better than my M&P9c. I do wear them in different holsters, though, and the SP101 is pretty heavy, and as David noted, the practicality of more rounds and faster reloads - if you're carrying more than what's just in the gun - is a benefit of a semi-auto.

 

[italianbreadman]

I understand what you're saying here, but you are also talking about a deadly weapon which you might have to use, in a public place with innocent bystanders around, in a life-or-death moment.

Perhaps it makes some sense to decide that IF you're going to carry a firearm in public, you're choosing the firearm that you'd be able to use most effectively and with the least danger to others. And that might just mean a few concessions with your fashion sense. At some level, there are things that are very important and there are things that are less important.

I don't know that I get what you're saying here. Any weapon I carry I will be proficient with, or I wouldn't be carrying it.

 

[David E]

Any weapon I carry I will be proficient with. Period.

Would there be one or two that, perhaps, you'd be more proficient with?

(Maybe we need a realistic definition of "proficient.")

 

[Sam1911]

I don't know that I get what you're saying here. Any weapon I carry I will be proficient with. Period.

Ok, what I mean is that most shooters with some experience find that certain guns are easier to shoot well than others. It is generally accepted that compact guns, and especially subcompact guns, are more difficult to shoot accurately, especially at speed and under stress.

Therefore, a trade-off is usually at least tacitly accepted between a shooter's maximum proficiency with his/her "range" guns and their much reduced proficiecny with their "carry" guns. That sounds acceptable to most folks because it is widely believed that full-sized or "duty" sized guns are more difficult and bothersome to carry concealed every day.

The problem with this thinking is made apparent when a shooter is put through a dynamic shooting test with their small "carry" gun and turns out a distressing performance. The usual reply is something like, "Well, this is just my carry gun. I'm better with the full-sized range guns." As if our proficiency with the gun we might use in public, to defend our (or someone else's) LIFE isn't FAR MORE critical than our skill with a paper-punching weapon.

Now, I'll even be so bold as to say, if your proficiency with a very compact gun is just as good as with a larger gun, you're either practicing quite a lot with that compact weapon (which is GREAT!) or your level of mastery of practical shooting must not be terribly advanced. (It is possible to be unskilled enough with guns that you can't shoot any well. I assume that's not the case here at all!)

So that's where I'm coming from when I say worrying about fashion over mastery of the deadly weapon on your hip might be a case of misplaced priorities.

Taken to an extreme, you seem to have been saying, "I shouldn't have to dress around the gun. My clothes are more important than how well I can shoot my defensive weapon."

 

[italianbreadman]

Ok, what I mean is that most shooters with some experience find that certain guns are easier to shoot well than others. It is generally accepted that compact guns, and especially subcompact guns, are more difficult to shoot accurately, especially at speed and under stress.

Therefore, a trade-off is usually at least tacitly accepted between a shooter's maximum proficiency with his/her "range" guns and their much reduced proficiecny with their "carry" guns. That sounds acceptable to most folks because it is widely believed that full-sized or "duty" sized guns are more difficult and bothersome to carry concealed every day.

The problem with this thinking is made apparent when a shooter is put through a dynamic shooting test with their small "carry" gun and turns out a distressing performance. The usual reply is something like, "Well, this is just my carry gun. I'm better with the full-sized range guns." As if our proficiency with the gun we might use in public, to defend our (or someone else's) LIFE isn't FAR MORE critical than our skill with a paper-punching weapon.

Now, I'll even be so bold as to say, if your proficiency with a very compact gun is just as good as with a larger gun, you're either practicing quite a lot with that compact weapon (which is GREAT!) or your level of mastery of practical shooting must not be terribly advanced. (It is possible to be unskilled enough with guns that you can't shoot any well. I assume that's not the case here at all!)

So that's where I'm coming from when I say worrying about fashion over mastery of the deadly weapon on your hip might be a case of misplaced priorities.

Taken to an extreme, you seem to have been saying, "I shouldn't have to dress around the gun. My clothes are more important than how well I can shoot my defensive weapon."

That last bit isn't really the case. It's not about fashion (you haven't seen what I generally wear, so I couldn't expect you to know, but "fashion" doesn't always describe it), but about comfort.

As for practice, I don't have or shoot range-exclusive guns aside from a .22. Honestly, I don't see the point. I use my carry guns, the largest of which being the M&P compact. I don't even cock the hammer on a DA/SA revolver because it seems like a waste of one shot's worth of defensive training when a defensive situation would only ever see DA pulls.

My point is that if a gun is too big to fit into my daily attire (which is generally jeans and a t-shirt or button-down that fit me well) and makes me not want to carry it, I'm better off not owning it, training with something smaller, and actually carrying that smaller gun to make one more armed good guy out there, and not become a victim myself.


All that having been said, if open carry were legal here, I'd probably pack something larger, with greater capacity.

 

[Sam1911]

Ok, then that does make things more clear. Your practice guns are your carry guns. You're carrying what you're most proficient with, not practicing with an "easy" gun and then dropping a pocket mouse-gun into your pants for daily carry.

That seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I'm 6'3" and 195 pounds. I carry a Springfield XDs .45 in a hybrid IWB holster, and wear form fitting athletic shirts in summer. It only prints a tad if I bend over a lot.

It'd probably work pretty well for you too. I also carry a ruger SP101 IWB at times too, but mostly in winter time.

 

[gym]

What Sam said, it's not like cars, where you have your clunker for work and your Porsche for weekends. You better be able to shoot what you carry. You may want to look at those Kahrs again that Tomac put up, it's not a fashion accessory, it's a gun, not meat to suit your mood, meant to save your butt.