Just tore my pectoral muscle (chest) is a pocket gun my only option?

[JLStorm]

I tore my pectoral muscle yesterday and just got out of the hospital. I may or may not need surgery, I wont know until next week. I cannot move my arm at all, However I will have to leave the house and go to philadelphia for drs appointments and physical therapy as well as simple tasks regularly in a week or two. Obviously I will not be able to run or even walk quickly because I am not supposed to move or jar my shoulder at all, so being armed is a must. I can draw a weapon, but I can not reload with only one hand. I also cant put on a belt holster by myself or adjust one at all. I want to carry my usp 45 with 12 round mags or p2000sk for the capacity, but I have concealment issues as described below. I might be able to convince my wife to put a holster on my pants once...but she certainly wont be talked into changing one every day due to concealment or wordrobe issues. Keep in mind, I will only be able to shoot one handed so weight, gun balance, and clothing choice do come into play.

Here are my options:

1. S&W 340PD 38/357 in a pocket holster
2. HK P2000SK IWB or OWB very easy to conceal as long as I can get a cover garment
2. HK USP 45 OWB - fairly easy to conceal again as long as I can find something to wear as a cover garment that is big enough

My main concern with any gun once I am able to get the holster on my pants and the gun in the holster is finding something to use as a cover garment in 85+ degree heat. I cant put my arm through a sleeve yet, but hopefully soon I will be able to. I cant pull a buttoned shirt up and draw quickly, and I cant hold an unbuttoned shirt closed in the wind since I only have one arm. I can reholster with one hand as long as my cover garment is out of the way. I dont want to look strange wearing a big heavy cover garment in the dead of summer, but a lightweight short sleeve shirt shift much with only one arm through, etc...

A pocket gun is certainly the easiest...but not many shots.... what would you do?

what do you think my best option is?

 

[BOONER]

pocket gun yes.....

if you havent ever trained or recived training in one handed reloads this should be a good wake up........

maybe even a small pocket semi auto khar or the likes

 

[walking arsenal]

Which arm did you wreck? Your drawing arm or your week side.

Vests are good. I usually put somthing heavy in my vest pocket like my cell phone or wallet. That keeps it (the vest) from flapping in the breeze and should be easy enough for you to work around your bum arm.

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

How about getting a Maxpedition Versipack?

Sure, it's a man-purse, but it is an easy, versatile solution.

 

[pax]

JLStorm ~

You have just become a poster child for practicing one-handed loads, unloads, malfunction clearances, and drawing ... before folks get hurt. It's just a heck of a lot harder to learn this stuff once there's an issue. Goodonya for knowing how to shoot one-handed.

About holstering one-handed with a cover garment in place, it is not terribly difficult to move a cover garment out of the way with either the thumb or the pinkie of your gun hand, while holding the gun firmly with your other fingers. Just stick the digit out stiffly and run it along the edge of the garment to move it out of the way while you reholster. Watch muzzle direction carefully of course!

Re choosing a cover garment, the list of things you cannot yet do is a little discouraging.

Obviously, a super-oversized tee shirt or polo shirt is out of the question (can't put your arm through a sleeve yet).

A loose button down might be easier for the draw than you think, and possibly more comfortable with the injury too?

A Bullfrog Skin Vest might be cool enough to solve the issue for you ...?

Hate to say it, but this is one situation in which a fanny pack would be a reasonable solution, and would not look too out of place. A guy with his arm in a sling has a lot of good reasons to want his wallet in the front rather than in a rear pocket, after all.

Hope you are feeling better soon, & that surgery is not necessary.

pax

 

[JLStorm]

I dont know if I could conceal both a gun and mag on the same side during the summer months...its honestly not anything I had ever thought of. I am left handed though so buying a strong side mag pouch would be easy since they are stock items for right handed shooters...however grabbing a mag from a mag pouch while holding a gun in the same hand....I cant figure that one out without laying the gun down on a hard surface. Any ideas?

I have seen some one handed reloading techniques, but not any that start from grabbing the mag from a mag pouch or holster while the gun is already in the shooters hand.

Like Pax said...I should have been practicing this one...but honest to god it just never crossed my mind that I would be in this sort of situation...I had shoulder surgery on this shoulder not long ago, but I had enough mobility with my weak side arm to grab a mag and reload, right now its as if I am a one armed man and its a completely different situation.

 

[BOONER]

with the gun in your right hand and mags on right side, or however you choose to do so!( back pocket front pocket) etc. for your mags

if gun is at slide lock either insert gun between legs magwell up muzzle facing down range grab magazine & insert. grab gun (reach between legs) rotate gun up ward either hit slide stop or chamber the round by racking the rear sight off your belt, holster , pants pocket or other object that will give leverage.

another option is to place slide locked gun in holster insert mag and rack in same manor's as above.

or inset gun in front of waist band, load and rack as above.

watch muzzle control.

also same thing works for gun with slide in battery you may tac load and emergency load as well using the same as well as malfunction drills.

for the ftf. slam magazine against leg,thigh, car, wall whatever you may have. use rear sight to rack the slide while holding gun with chamber to side to help with the roll part.

 

[pax]

JLStorm ~

You need someone to show you, in person, how to do that stuff safely. It isn't difficult, but it must be taught, carefully, by someone who knows how to do it. ... and it is my opinion that it can't be learned safely from the written word.

pax

 

[Outlaws]

Sorry about the torn muscle. I pulled a rib muscle a couple years back and it hurt to just breath. I can't imagine what a torn peck muscle is like.

 

[BOONER]

pax is correct I though I added that part as teach it in my classes and it requires a watchfull trainer.

 

[JLStorm]

I can't imagine what a torn peck muscle is like.

Here is a shot of where the muscle attaches (or used to attach) to the bicep, its on a cell phone so the quality isnt great...its pretty cool looking in person, but the color is really washed out in the photo....

 

[pax]

BOONER ~

Didn't mean that to be a slam on you at all. Your post wasn't up yet when I started typing. I actually set out to describe the techniques, then realized that it simply wasn't anything I wanted to post, for the reasons given. So I erased everything that took all that time to compose, and just hit 'send' on the reason I wasn't posting how to do it.

JLStorm ~

Since you're going to be slung up for awhile, it might be a good idea to call a local trainer to walk you through a lot of these issues. Safer and possibly easier in the long run, since there really isn't any substitute for hands-on, eyes-on from someone knowledgeable.

pax

 

[sm]

JLStorm,
I am sorry to hear of this news, I will be sending best.

BOONER and pax shared great information.

If I may share MY personal experiences and observations.
I'll probably get yelled at, still here goes...
Granted some of this is "after the fact"...

1. Paddle Holster.
While I prefer IWB with loops or OWB, The Paddle does allow one to more easily get a holstered gun on and off .

2. pax is correct on using a cover garment.
One tip is take a piece of lead, and insert into hem , this additional weight "throws back" the garment on the draw from holster.
At this point, adding weight can be as simple as safety pin something or getting a button and having it pinned down low, and button on inside of garment.
By "button" I mean round button that pins onto clothing.
"I like Ike"
"Smile face"
"I'm with Stupid"
etc *grin*

3. Gun choices.
I use bone stock 1911s without FLGR.
These are easy to use one handed, and change mags in.

Tip up Beretta, again, no racking of slide needed, and easy to make safe.
.380 is really easy to shoot with injury one handed, and accurate.
Jetfire 25ACP is THE semi BUG IMO. Proven, too many LEOs used them for too many years.
Kel-Tec 3AT , though I have not actually fired one, does not have the slide stop.
P-32, so this feature to me, doing one hand drills makes more sense.
Just me, I have not fired the small KTs, then again I am an old fuddy-duddy on some of this stuff.

4. Pain Pump
*wink*
Fanny Packs scream gun where I am .
Various medical "pouches" and "containers" do not.
My old "pain pump" set up is currently in use with a Beretta .380 for someone recovering from surgery.

5. My old "undershirt" , a homemade "belly band" if you will contains the Jetfire 25ACP same person is using.

We did not have bellybands, thunderwear and such in the old days...
We did have methods, proven then, and still work today.

6. J frames and K frames work, just takes a bit of practice to run one handed is all.
D frame Colts, such as Detective Specials, take note of thumb latch.
It was designed to be caught on a boot heel , whatever to open cylinder.



Sending best

 

[Richmond]

ouch!

Looks like it hurt!

I tore my weak side rotator cuff two years ago, arm was immobile for six weeks, rehab took 6 months. I used my keltec P3AT exclusively during this time. Did not learn any reload techniques, just draw from a pocket or IWB w clip I could tuck in w 1 hand.

On the bright side, I learned that a sling can be a good place to conceal a mouse gun!

 

[texas bulldog]

as someone who has been a one-armed man due to injury...twice...i gotta tell you that there is a long list of tasks that i'm sure you're beginning to realize are a complete PITA. i didn't carry at the time, so i'm not sure how much i can help there. the fannypack and man-purse options seem reasonable under the circumstances.

another idea to toss around is that pennsylvania does not prohibit open carry, even in philadelphia, though the philly folks will require you to have a CCW license for open carry. of course, there may be any number of reasons why you wouldn't want to consider this, and i'd totally understand. and while the cops might harass you anyway with "disturbing the peace" or some such, technically you would be within pennsylvania law.

there is a lot of rumor that this law is different in philly than in the rest of the state, but my internet research convinces me it is just that...rumor. google it for yourself to see. packing.org did not address open carry [that i found], but a google search of "open carry pennsylvania" turned up plenty of reading material.


as a side note: i live in texas and have for many years, but i did spend my childhood in PA and still have family there. so i'm not totally talking out the wrong end.

good luck, sir. i certainly sympathize with your plight.

 

[bogie]

1) How the heck did you accomplish this feat? We gotta know.

If it was a stupid human trick, you get double-points. If it involved the words "hold my beer, and watch me do this" it's double-double...



2) Are you wearing a sling? I'm seeing an obvious location, easily accessible to the other arm. Just sew something inside it.

Now, 'fess up. Howdja do it?

 

[JLStorm]

I was bench pressing...I wasnt going for a max lift, and I didnt even have time to fight with the weight...I just lifted it off rack and started to bring it down and my arm just collapsed before I knew what had happened.

I am in a sling. It is one of the cheap E.R. ones, but I am assuming I will get a better one when I see my orthopedic surgeon on tuesday.

I asked my wife to stop by walmart which usually has button down shirts in 3x and 4x sizes which might work for me for now.

I really like the idea of weighing down an open shirt for when I can put my arm through the sleeve but still have to use a sling....I dont know where I would find anything heavy enough to use that would fit into the bottom seam of a shirt though?

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I was bench pressing...I wasnt going for a max lift, and I didnt even have time to fight with the weight...I just lifted it off rack and started to bring it down and my arm just collapsed before I knew what had happened.

Somehow I figured as much. I always used a smith machine for just that possibility. I never had the muscle torn, but I used to lift heavy. Never went for that one ultimate rep, because I thought that was for kids as you probably do. I did have a max set of 8 reps @ 405 lbs at the apex of a pyramid routine. Even during those days I was just lucky in the muscle dept, if not smart.

Where I lacked luck was in the nerve dept. During a set of flies with 115 lb dumbells, I noticed a distinct clicking in my right shoulder. I worked through it stupidly, and finished my workout. During the Thanksgiving holiday I noticed what could only be called a buzzing in my shoulder. I could even feel it with my left hand. Something was definitely wrong. Checked the deltoid muscle by swinging a light weight outward with the left, fine, then right; nothing. The muscle simply didn't work. I'll stay away from all the specifics, but bottom line was 6 long years for the nerve to repair itself, this despite the neurosurgeon saying it could possibly take A WHOLE YEAR!

During this time I learned that shooting with my weak hand, I was actually more accurate, it was just less comfortable and felt clumsy. There never was any pain, but it was scary that I couldn't get to work what usually worked. And a simple fact was I had more use of the bad arm than you. I was fortunate in that I wasn't doing near as much shooting during those years, but I remember having trouble the few times I did.

I think I would now rely on a pocket auto like the P32 I already have or better yet a P3AT in a pocket holster and left back pocket. Possibly one of the KelTec 9s or a Kahr 9 would be small enough for this purpose.

Good luck, man. My cousin blew out a biceps once and he ended up having emergency surgery. I saw his arm; it was black all around it. He recovered nicely, though.

 

[pax]

I dont know where I would find anything heavy enough to use that would fit into the bottom seam of a shirt though?

A quarter.

pax

 

[JLStorm]

A quarter.

Is that really all it takes? I was thinking it would require quite a bit more weight?

 

[sm]

Two bits

While a whole quarter works fine, back in "my day" we used a two bit piece.

Dang Whippersnappers...


No you may not have that chocolate bar in my pocket, that is mom's garment weight.
-Anon.

'cause if I said who said it, she would slap me.

 

[glassman]

I Bet That Hurt!!

I agree with sm about the beretta tomcat. Put one in the pipe and you get seven in the mag. No racking of slide needed. The mag is spring loaded so it will drop free easily for a second mag if needed. I'm sure you'll be wearing a sling and maybe even a swath which would be a natural for concealment right up to the point where you have to see the doc or therapist. Tomcat goes in the pocket real easy. The beretta website states that 60gr hydroshock JHP is equal to a .380. I have about a thousand rounds through mine without a single problem.
Sorry to hear about the injury. Get well soon. Who's your doc in Philly?

 

[JLStorm]

My doc is is Matt Ramsey, he is the head of shoulder reconstruction at Penn, great dr and very nice guy.

 

[pax]

JLStorm ~

Got a quarter sewn into the seam of the vest I'm wearing right now. Works fine.

pax

 

[BOONER]

No issue here Pax, Never took it that way.

Good to go in my world...