Smart Carry and One In The Pipe Poll Thread

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

See Poll. Read Poll. Vote in Poll. Discuss Poll and Your Vote In Poll.

 

[Mags]

Where's the poll?

 

[Mags]

There it is!

 

[VA27]

What is smart carry, some kind of new holster?

If it's not, and your question is, 'Should you carry a defensive sidarm chamber loaded', then the answer is yes, unless you've recently taken one of those Israeli handgun courses, then the answer is no, unless you expect the handgun you are carrying to be of some use in a sudden defensive situation, then the answer is yes.

My final answer is Yes, Regis.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

http://www.smartcarry.com/

 

[DeepSouth]

Smart carry, cautious carry, daily carry, pocket carry, IWB carry, whatever else carry
I always carry fully loaded, because I've never heard of anyone saying "Well I sure wish I had carried less ammo!" after a gun fight.

 

[Mainsail]

I cannot answer the question because I would never have need for such a ridiculous holster. If I need to conceal, and I rarely do, I'd be fine with a Milt Sparks VersaMax.

 

[AK103K]

I've been carrying a loaded Seecamp in one daily now for three years, and never had even a hint of an issue. Im not sedentary or desk bound either, but just the opposite. I climb all over stuff, in and out of trenches and holes, in and out of all sorts of equipment, etc, and constantly exposed to all sorts of dust, dirt, and wet, both rain and sweat, and of all the holsters I've used over the years, the one that has let the least amount of dirt, crap and moisture in, has been the Smart Carry.

The only thing I've had to deal with, has been wear spots through my pants where the rear of the slide rubs through. An iron on patch on the inside of my pants at that point solves that problem.

Of all the holsters I've owned, its probably the most versatile I've owned, and I wont be without one.

 

[Oyeboten]

Colt 1911 wise..."Yes"...of course...

Any Autoloaders I have ever had,"Yes", of course...


Revolvers, Cylinders 'Charged', of course.

 

[CorpITGuy]

Mainsail:

Some of us require deep concealment for many, many reasons.
Also, some of us live in states with no open carry.

My SmartCarry, while not my FAVORITE method of carry, is necessary all the time, and I'm very grateful for it.

 

[Mainsail]

Some of us require deep concealment for many, many reasons.
Also, some of us live in states with no open carry.

I didn't mean to sound snarky in my reply. I understand the need for deeper concealment but I find the IWB holster works just fine. The crotch-carry holsters seem like they would be difficult if you were doing a lot of bending at the middle. I'd be interested to hear how that works out form people who use them.

Of course, we're kinda off topic because the OP is asking about how you feel having a loaded gun pointed at your junk all day.

 

[MCgunner]

A caveat....I don't consider a Glock safe with smart carry. My revolver has all six in it when I carry, though, and my DAO Kel Tec P11 (very safe trigger) has one up the pipe, too.

Not with a Glock. My name ain't Plaxico........

 

[Norinco982lover]

I think I have to agree with MCgunner--I wouldn't feel safe with the Glock but I WOULD feel fine if it was my XD. The additional 1911 style grip safety just settles that in my mind.

~Norinco

p.s. I voted--yes, always.

 

[eJack]

Smart carry isn't a speed draw holster. Since you already have a delay compared to strong side hip carry, and you draw from front and center, I doubt Israeli carry would slow you down enough to make a difference. I'll bet the .1" of skin down the side of my leg on even a gun with no safeties at all, but no way no how will I bet my jewels on any safety.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Or e-jack, good point, but you could use that same fact to make the opposite argument: You're *already* slowed on the draw, so it's absolutely imperative that you don't waste any more time racking, as compared to other methods; so therefore, if anything, you MUST carry one in the pipe with SmartCarry in the event you really, really need your gun quickly. I can draw fairly fast with SmartCarry - only lose maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a second as compared to other methods. But with each passing year, as my gut grows, it slows down another few milliseconds.

Mainsail, why is it ridiculous? You may not have meant to sound snarky, but you certainly did!

Some of us require deep concealment for many, many reasons.
Also, some of us live in states with no open carry.

My SmartCarry, while not my FAVORITE method of carry, is necessary all the time, and I'm very grateful for it.

+1,000 to that!

I guess the answer is gonna depend on the gun, too - as someone said, XD yes, Glock no. So I voted YES - but that's with the loooooong trigger pull (albeit "pre-cocked") of the Kahr MK9. I also don't think I would with a Glock. There's an awful lot at stake down there, not to mention the femoral artery.

 

[eJack]

Or e-jack, good point, but you could use that same fact to make the opposite argument: You're *already* slowed on the draw, so it's absolutely imperative that you don't waste any more time racking, as compared to other methods; so therefore, if anything, you MUST carry one in the pipe with SmartCarry in the event you really, really need your gun quickly. I can draw fairly fast with SmartCarry - only lose maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a second as compared to other methods. But with each passing year, as my gut grows, it slows down another few milliseconds.

Racing against the clock that makes sense. It's when defending your life that I fail to see the logic. I just put smart carry in the same category (for draw speed) as fanny pack carry. Since you can't out draw somebody your only option is to have yours out before that critical moment when you should already be firing. I would still say the risk to valuables outweighs the risk of that .1 seconds to rack on the draw making a difference.

 

[AK103K]

The crotch-carry holsters seem like they would be difficult if you were doing a lot of bending at the middle.

When worn properly, they are very comfortable, so much so, you forget your wearing it. The gun is flat against you, below the waist/belt line, so its not in a place that would get in the way of you bending over.

With that said, a lot may hinge (no pun intended ) on your build, as well as your dress. I'm in pretty good shape and have a 30/32" waist, and can stand with my feet flat on the floor, bend at the waist, and easily touch my plams on the floor. If your bigger with a "Dunlop", you may have another point of view.

The type of pants you wear will also tend to have an effect on what you can carry. I also mostly wear Carhartt type work pants, which sit fairly flat across the front. This tends to make the size of the gun comfortably carried smaller. If I switch to a pair of Dockers or something similar, the size of the gun isnt as much of an issue. The biggest I've carried in a Smart Carry is a SIG P239, and its probably about as big as I'd want to go, comfort wise anyway.

As far as access speed, its not as slow as you might think, and it can easily be done with one hand. If you have a Dunlop, you may need two.

 

[FAS1]

I have had my Smart Carry for several years. Although I don't use it all the time, the thing I like about it better than pocket carry (Kel-Tec) is that you also have a place for the spare mag. Also leaves your pocket avail. for other junk. I don'y carry anything larger than a G26 and comfort has never been an issue for me. I''ll use an IWB for a larger gun or if clothing allows.

And we think women always need too many accessories when dressing!

 

[CorpITGuy]

Smart Carry doesn't bother me one bit to bend over, sit, etc. WAY more comfortable than IWB for those things. Still, I'm not as comfortable about my speed of draw. If I can pocket carry or IWB, I'll do that instead.

 

[DinoCrayon]

I love the Smartcarry. People suggest that it makes a gun point at your manhood but I wear mine low enough that if it went off it would just put a hole in the ground between my legs.

'Safer' than when I carry appendix and the gun is pointing at my femoral artery in my thigh...

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Update: If anyone is interested, despite my previous practice consistent with most of you guys here, I recently changed to NOT keeping one in the chamber. Theory being, I'm getting older & more forgetful and sometimes not as careful. And, I take this thing off at the GF's house and lay it by the door on a table - in the unlikely scenario one of her friends, while visiting with us there, suddenly pulls the pistol out of the smartcarry pouch for some reason and pulls the trigger, nothing will happen. I feel safer this way; I dunno.

I practiced a few "Isreali-style" draw drills, trying to draw and rack in one smooth motion. Well, pulling something out of your pants can't really BE *smooth*, but as smooth as possible anyway.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

SmartCarry with Kahr MK9 as well. Been doing so since March and have kept the chamber empty just "to get used to it." I haven't had ANY problems with anything catching on the trigger, so I might switch to carrying one in the pipe. I just gotta practice drawing and holstering though 'cause that's where the danger is.

 

[AK103K]

Drawing isnt really a problem. Holstering is something I would only do if I took it off and placed the gun in it, then put it back on. I wouldnt try to reholster while the holster is still on. That I think isnt a real good idea.

 

[okespe04]

I think I learned this from my time here at THR but "leave one in the pipe or leave it at home" rings a bell.

 

[Balrog]

"leave one in the pipe or leave it at home"

That is some bad advice.

I guess if you would rather fight unarmed than rack a slide and shoot, it makes sense though.