trouble with printing

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abrink

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Dec 2, 2007
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Moyock North Carolina but i go to VA a lot also.
I just got my DeSantis thumb bread scabbard holster and it prints but not that bad. Are there any techniques you can use to help stop printing? Like i said it's not that bad. I don't think that any normal citizen would notice it unless the really looked closely at it.

The gun i'm trying to conceal is a ruger p95 if that helps at all.
 
well the ruger p series are a bit big,but a buddy of mine conceals one w/ an IWB holster from Tauris holsters.alot of it has to do w/ how you're built too.I am a fat guy and can't use IWB.I did carry an sp101 in a desantis thumb break for years w/ out issue.One thing I did do that you may try,is w/ the desantis,I put the holster between my belt and pants.This drew the gun in snug to my body.Kind of like IWB.I just ran the belt thru the "loops" and over the holster.You may need a bigger belt though.Also I tend to wear "cover garments"like vests.I like the smith and alexander ones because they don't look "gunnie".You are right that most people wouldn't even notice printing,or even open carry for that matter,they're just in their own worlds.You may have to expeirement w/ different methods.Now I pocket carry most of the time(s/w 642 or Charter arms bulldog.)good luck.
 
Since it's a OWB holster, is your current belt keeping the whole thing close to the body, or is the belt too "soft" and allows the holster to bend away from you? Experiment with a stiff belt that's meant for supporting the weight of the holstered pistol, and maybe with a position where you're carrying. Of course, with any OWB holster, you need a fairly loose cover garment, but also one that won't easily flip up and reveal your gun.
 
Belt and cover!!

Second vote for checking your belt and cover garment. If this is the kind of holster you want to carry, then two things are essential: a stiff, thick belt (preferably designed for concealed carry; just about every manufacturer of holsters offers one style or another) and a cover garment that effectively covers the pistol and holster fully, yet allows accessiblity should you need to get to your pistol.

Many gunbelts are not cheap, but you can find good stiff, quality belts out there for reasonable prices. I recently saw some stiff leather belts made by 5.11 Tactical for $35 at a gun shop. While I've never tried their belts, they seemed well made as most 5.11 gear is. If you're wearing a simple trouser belt or one that's not wide enough, your pistol won't hug up against your body. It'll feel like you're carrying a brick in a sock on your side. Also, I find pancakes are best worn behind my hipbone (around 4 o'clock). Most comfortable and the gun just blends in better back there, rather than sticking out because my pelvis pushes it out.

My experience with cover garments has been to get something patterned. Living in Washington is easy to do with flannel and/or a parka, but for the warm days, get yourself a plaid short sleeve shirt as the pattern tends to break up the lines of the holster and pistol underneath. If you're in a Magnum PI kind of mood, go Hawaiian. I've found the busier the shirt, the better it hides everything.
 
Just something to consider... everybody has a cellphone, ipod or other gadget on their belt these days. A random buldge here or othere doesn't scream gun any more than it screams consumer electronics. If it is printing a clear outline of a gun you probably have something to worry about. If it is just a little buldge then probably not. Heck I always keep my pockets filled with all kinds of tools and useful items, I'm worse than Batman. I print a whole lot. My pistol prints the least of anything I carry.
 
I think it's probably difficult for anyone to give you any useful tips, without knowing your size/build. If they had that , then people of a similar build may be able to assist with their own finding. Handgun concealment has so much to do with your body type and personal style of dress that individual's answers simply aren't likely to give you any useful information. The Belt and Holster you are using can make a pretty big difference too.
 
I notice that the Desantis Thumbbreak Scabbard that you mention has a VERY forward cant to it. Would I be wrong if I said that I bet the 'printing' you are getting is sort of a bulge in the front ? I personally like my holsters as vertical as possible.
 
Some good advice so far. If your belt and cover garment is in order, you may have to experiment with holster placement - a little forward or back to find your sweet spot. Try it canted or not and go with what works best for you.
 
I carry both a S&W 5946 and Glock 26 in very similar holsters from Galco. I am about 5'10 and only 135-140 and have no trouble concealing. I use a Wilderness instructor belt, which is nice and stiff and keeps the guns from flopping around, evne the monster S&W.

The glock 26 I can usually conceal under just a T-shirt, though I am sure sometimes it might print a tiny bit, but nobody has said a thing, even my friend who knows I carry doesn't seem to know when I carry either gun.

If I throw a button down short sleeve shirt over that pretty much eliminates printing. Wintertime is great since everything conceals easily.

It probably feels like everything is printing like a beacon saying "GUN GUN GUN!" to you when most people are oblivious as mentioned above, probably even if you were open carrying.

As an LEO, even on duty sometimes foreign tourists don't realize that I am carrying a gun, go figure
 
Myself, well I have never worried about printing. As long as its covered up, I don't think anyone has ever noticed. I've open carried and I'd bet over 90% of the people I've come in contact with never noticed or didn't care.
 
Eagle':all my leather holsters are Desantis....they work good...of course I buy my clothes at the army navy store too.....I'm not impressed w/ the "big names" in holsters when a $50 one will work as good as a$100 one.YMMV
 
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