I carry a Glock 26 with 12 round mag and a 15 or 17 round reload. Pistol is equipped with Trijicon night sights, and stocked with 124 gr Federal HST. Holster is an AIWB made by T Rex Arms. Called the sidecar.
Ruger LCP ll with underwood penetrators. Waiting for some time off to break in and see what my new Ruger LC9 likes. Also have to find a iwb holster for it. To big for pocket carry.
Thank you. I’m getting fair at it. I’m quite sure I’ve spent more on leather for ideas that didn’t work out than if I’d just bought the holsters. But, I enjoy it and, get to make it exactly what I think I want.
Current Carry — My personal situation: - Well, small is nice, but small grips hurt, if firing service/duty cartridges. (5’11+”, 175-ish#, humid SE Texas, so, not unlike Florida panhandle.) - Yes, two of them are nice to have. - Yes, ultra-concealed is nice, some of the time. - Yes, must be fast on the draw. - Yes, must hit with authority - Well, I do not concern myself with an intimidating appearance. The smallest revolver that has a square-ish butt grip, that reaches all the way to the heel bone of my arthritic right hand, is the Ruger SP101. The SP101 is the smallest handgun I will still fire, right-handed, with a service/duty-type cartridge. “Compact Nines/Forties/+” are no longer part of my life. Full-length grips are now necessary, for right-handed shooting. Two handguns are nice to have. I am a natural left-hander, who chose to carry “primary” at 0300, for several practical/tactical* reasons, while attending the Houston PD (TX) academy, 1983-1984. As an LEO, carrying a second weapon, positioned for lefty access, made sense, on and off the clock. I reckon it still does. From the time I bought the second of my current pair of SP101 snubbies, in 2002, it has not been unusual for me to carry both of them at the same time. Getting the second SP101 relegated my one remaining J-Frame .38 to occasional/niche status. Being retired from policin’, now, I have become more conscientious about concealment, because I no longer have an official reason to be packing a pistol, so cannot “badge” my way out of an awkward moment. “Fast on the draw” means, for me, a gripping area that fits my hand well, a well-positioned holster, and nothing that will snag during the draw. “Hits with authority” is important. A .380 ACP bullet can, document-ably, break a human femur, so, I reckon that is a place to start, though I feel more comfortable with something a bit more powerful. My healthier left hand can still shoot full-pressure .357 Mags, from an SP101, or a larger revolver. Milder stuff is better for my right hand, regadless of weapon size. The pandemic has limited my opportunities to train, relegating my auto-pistols to collectible status, for now, as long-stroke DA is my least-perishable trigger skill set. A person, who is thinking clearly, should be very concerned by the sight of any handgun being pointed at their person. For those not intimidated by the presentation of a firearm’s muzzle, the “hits with authority” part is what counts. So, for me, Ruger GP100, Speed Six, or SP101, or S&W K-Frame, is the usual current carry. I like the Milt Sparks PMK, and the Kramer Vertical Scabbard. Notably, the SP101 is about the same size envelope as the OP’s Charters, though the SP101 may have a longer factory grip, IIRC. *I throw with my right arm, so drawing a big, heavy revolver, from the then-mandated low-slung duty rig, not being unlike an under-handed toss, seemed natural enough. I knew that I would be patrolling alone, so my right hip would be more accessible, while seated in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. While not easy to learn, long-stroke double-action was, in principle, caveman-simple, so, ambidextrous enough to learn with both hands. So, it made sense to carry on the right hip.
Strongside is pretty simple: Either a Milt Sparks Criterion or a Versa Max 2 and one or two mag holders. Appendix: I use a variety of holsters from various makers. Some have kydex formed wedges, others use foam. Pocket: Either a Remora, DeSantis Nemesis, or a thin formed kydex pocket holster.
Dan Wesson 1911 CCO .45ACP, Speer Gold Dot 230gr, Milt Sparks Axiom OWB and Nexus IWB, Milt Sparks belt or Wilderness 5 Stitch Belt, spare mag in Milt Sparks Sincle carrier. That does it.
Kimber custom classic (the basic model in 1995) in a Simply Rugged pancake holster. Usually worn under an untucked shirt, but converted for "tuckable" carry by adding two Reverse-J hooks made of Kydex.
My winter concealed carry is a Ruger LCR in .357 Mag with a leather IWB holster and for summer a S&W Body Guard .380 with a Techna clip and I carry it IWB, no holster.
Walther PPS M2 9mm in an Aliengear modular holster OWB somewhere between 2 to 3 o'clock. 7rd or 8rd mag in winter, 6rd mag in summer to reduce printing. Tried IWB from appendix all the way to mid back, and none worked for me, especially sitting, uncomfortable and difficult to draw. Saw someone mentioned difficulty carrying on the belt when wearing a backpack. When hiking/dirt biking I open carry with the gun on my chest attached to a backpack strap with a positive retention nylon holster, has a velcro strap across the back of the slide. Been thinking of adding my OKC RAT 3 to my EDC, but haven't got around to trying it.
Pretty simple most days. Glock 19 in an IWB Amberide clip-on holster behind the hip on either a Bulman Gunleather belt or a Kore Trak Line belt. Sometimes I carry a spare magazine in an Amberide mag carrier, sometimes it’s in a pocket, depending on what I’m wearing and what kinds of pockets it has. Along with that I’ll always have a folding knife of some sort and a cell phone.
Currently only using a 686+ with 3" barrel and a speed strip, mounted on the KORS essentials gun belt.
S&W 640 in a Bianchi 152 pocket holster conceals well in front trouser or coat pocket 1911 in Wilson Combat Hi-profile on a Hank's Belt disappears under an untucked shirt, sweater, sweatshirt or jacket
G26 w/night sights (now w/ +3 Pearce Ext.) in a CBST when I leave the house along with the Spyderco C07 knife is always on me . At home I keep a P3AT in my front pocket and it stays there when I add the G26.
I carry a Kahr CM9 or a S&W Model 638 in a DeSantis SOF-TUCK IWB holster along with a KelTec P3AT (also in a holster), in my right front pocket. A knife (usually a Kershaw Leek), clipped on to my right front pocket. My cell phone and a couple of Bianchi Speed Strips are in my left front pocket. Single magazine IWB carrier on my far left side.
Smith MP40c in a sneaky pete, complete with phony hose coming out the side so it looks like a medical device. Smith MP40, an LE model in a shoulder holster in the winter
I am not averse to carrying a revolver, but find a semi-automatic pistol to be thinner and easier to conceal. My normal sidearm is a Colt Commander. It has a rather limited magazine capacity (only eight) so I can't fire as many rounds into the air as some. I do have a .38 Special load much like your WC bullets. The bullets are solid lead at 157 grains. Muzzle velocity is much the same as a standard .38 Special. I do approve of those rounds, save I prefer the 250 grain bullets I use for .44 Special.
DeSantis "sticky" holster is working out for the Rm380. When broken in it should be perfect for my needs. I have seen the pocket holster with the finger hole for trigger but seems odd. Lots of used ones about so maybe not so great?
I personally carry use a single clip IWB kydex holster on my right hip. Inside of said holster I have a Sig Sauer P229 M11-A1 and a spare 15-rounder in my pocket. The ammo I run are Federal HST's 147 grain.
I thought exactly the same thing about Baramis popping up. But somehow they just shift out of the way of whatever they need to shift out of the way of, and stay grabbing tight. The main downsides with Baramis are they’re a little slow on the draw, it’s easy to flub the draw, and the grips offer all the shock absorption that their gumball-machine polymers can provide. Which is zilch. Upsides are: near-total undetectability (to the casual eye), and total freedom of motion for yard work, driving, etc.
That finger hole thing looks like a failure waiting to happen to me, but there was a gun-in-holster thing that one of the majors made ..... what was that darn thing???? It’s a collectors item now and it’s nothing less than bad-ass.
Interesting on SP101 being same ish size as the Charters. The Charters are a half pound lighter, each, and are definitely not nice guns to shoot. They are the kind of guns that a man shoots dutifully: yes I must practice x rounds per week even if it sux. With Rugers, it’s fun all day long!
