What's the dumbest mistake you've ever made while carrying concealed?

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Way back in my younger and dumber days, I bought perhaps one of the worst IWB holsters in the world...mainly because it was dirt cheap. I have long since "lost" that holster, but have recently discovered they are still made. (I threw it away...I wouldn't even give it to someone else.)

They're the Blackhawk "Inside-the-pants holster":

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Inside-The-Pants-Holster,947,137.htm

Unfortunately for consumers, the Blackhawk site does NOT have a clear picture of this holster. Here's a video illustrating it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51wAphUaUz0

The guy in the video seems to love them...but I can't honestly recommend them at all. I never actually dropped a gun from my old one, but trying to carry out in the fieldjust didn't work for me...too much checking and adjusting for a slipping gun.

Fortunately for me, it wasn't a lot of wasted money for the valuable lession I learned. I think it cost me less than $10 at that time.
 
Skribs said:
I'm talking about a leather holster where a strap extends at the top of the holster that snaps together.

I was not aware of a technical difference between retention strap and thumb snap, I thought they were interchangeable.
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I wasn't aware either, just verifying that thumb snap is what you meant.

I like leather holsters but haven't found any good leather holsters that can rival the retention systems of the kydex based duty type holsters...though I'd be interested in checking such a thing out...if it's possible to make one...even though I already have more holsters than I'll never 'need'...including multiple OWB holsters of each of those types
 
Can you link me what you're talking about? The only ones I've seen on kydex are stretchy straps with velcro, and my experience with velcro is that it goes from too "sticky" to not sticky enough pretty quick. I also have dry skin, and find velcro incredibly irritating.

I like my Bianchi Piranha holster. Holds the gun snug and didn't take too long to break in.
 
Skribs said:
Can you link me what you're talking about? The only ones I've seen on kydex are stretchy straps with velcro, and my experience with velcro is that it goes from too "sticky" to not sticky enough pretty quick. I also have dry skin, and find velcro incredibly irritating.

I like my Bianchi Piranha holster. Holds the gun snug and didn't take too long to break in.
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I'm not sure if we have crossed signals or confusion going on here.

Aren't, well, all duty style holsters...seemingly the only ones with retention devices fancier than a common thumb snap/strap...kydex?

Example: One like this is advertised as Level III retention. I'd call it Level II and say the third 'level' is just marketing hype, but still...to me something like this seems more secure (esp from other people) than a thumb snap type

IMG_1167.jpg
 
Now I see what you mean. More levels of retention doesn't seem to me to be any more secure than the basic thumb snap (except in the rare "BG grabbed my gun" scenario). To me, the risk of failing to undo all of those doodads in the proper time would be greater than the risk of having a BG undo the snap and grab my gun.
Aren't, well, all duty style holsters...seemingly the only ones with retention devices fancier than a common thumb snap/strap...kydex?
Click to expand...

I guess ones like that are kydex, but I fail to see the advantage of that over something like mine.
 
To the original poster, "At least you had your pistol" I on the other hand, went all day thinking I was armed, but that was not the case. Before leaving the house that morning I had the sudden need to use the bathroom, where I laid my pistol on the top of the water tank, and thats where it remained all day. Oops!
 
Skribs said:
Now I see what you mean. More levels of retention doesn't seem to me to be any more secure than the basic thumb snap (except in the rare "BG grabbed my gun" scenario). To me, the risk of failing to undo all of those doodads in the proper time would be greater than the risk of having a BG undo the snap and grab my gun.


I guess ones like that are kydex, but I fail to see the advantage of that over something like mine.
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The possibility of a gun grab is the reason I am currently in favor of more retention than a thumb snap on my OWB holsters.

With a little training and practice there is no concern with "failing to undo all of those doodads". Just ask police officers. And as we know, many of them aren't gun guys and don't do any practice or training outside of the (often minimal amount) required to keep their jobs.

Nothing against just using a thumb snap if that's what you prefer...just wondering if more retention could be had with a leather based holster. Probably isn't much of a market for that, even if it could be done
 
A bit embarrassing Had a guy make me a shoulder holster .. No retention snap .. Was picking up a few things at things food store self checkout line .. dropped something and bent to pick it up ... some family lookin guy right behind me sees the 45 drop and his heart stopped .. . I hate when that happens put the gun on the little shelf check out pay with my CC return the 45 to the cheep holster and then I think he started breathing again ... Yup I bought a level 2 shoulder holster....
 
Left my gun on the nightstand in a hotel. Realized it 2 hours north on I75. Fortunately, it was in Tennessee and the nice young lady at the desk obviously had lived around guns. She held it for me in her drawer until I drove back to get it.
 
I love those Safariland holsters. I've climbed small mountains with one holding an FNP45 on my hip. I mean crawling on my stomach over bare rock cuz a mistake means death. It always kept the gun secure, and despite banging into granite, kept the gun free of dings.

Traded the gun in though, so the holster went with it.

Anyway......
 
Out furniture shopping with my wife right after I got my carry permit. Had a cheapo nylon IWB holster and we were looking for a recliner. I forgot I had the gun on me and I was having a bout of second childhood, being goofy and such. Plopped down in a big, camo, Duck Dynasty looking type of recliner. The gun squished out of the holster, bounced off the cushion and hit my butt, then back to the cushion and down to the floor. The sales lady looked at me like I was Forrest Gump. I now have about fifteen of the most secure holsters ever made for that gun! The irony of it though, is that I was so afraid (as I watched it bounce) that it would fire and when I got home and put it away, I realized I had loaded an empty mag into it and left the full mag sitting on the kitchen counter.
Hell, maybe I am Forrest Gump...... Now, I am still not a smart man, but I double, doublecheck my gun every time I put it on.
 
Not my mistake, exactly, but my then 6 year old daughter "made" me one day in front of family and a bunch of other Cabela's shoppers. She was, as usual, being hyperactive, fast, and a bit clumsy. She came flying down a row between some clothes racks and smashed fore-head first into the butt of my 1911! Made a cantaloupe "THUNK" that I swear everyone in the store turned around to figure out "what was THAT?" She burst into tears and fell on the floor holding her head! Left a big white DENT right in the middle of her forehead.
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While not as entertaining as Sam pistol whipping a 6 year old girl :), I had a similar 1911 experience last week. I am the designated lobby security for our local congregation. Last Sunday I noticed a new wooden arm chair next to the front doors, so I flopped down. My OWB open-top pancake hung up on the arm of the chair with a loud thunk, with several looking my way. I was concealing under a blazer so my son was the only one that knew the sound was my weapon. Put a dent in that chair, and a nice ding to my right side.
 
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Once I came home and reached for my handgun to put it away. It wasn't there. I retraced steps looked high and low and could not find it. Then I opened the safe, and it was right where I left it.

Moral of the story, is at some point you completely forget about carrying a handgun (sorta like you wallet) until you want it for something. That's both good, and bad.

Newbies tend to pat themselves down frequently. If you've done it for a long time, you need to pat yourself down before you leave the house.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
Way back in my younger and dumber days, I bought perhaps one of the worst IWB holsters in the world...mainly because it was dirt cheap. I have long since "lost" that holster, but have recently discovered they are still made. (I threw it away...I wouldn't even give it to someone else.)

They're the Blackhawk "Inside-the-pants holster":

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Inside-The-Pants-Holster,947,137.htm

Unfortunately for consumers, the Blackhawk site does NOT have a clear picture of this holster. Here's a video illustrating it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51wAphUaUz0

The guy in the video seems to love them...but I can't honestly recommend them at all. I never actually dropped a gun from my old one, but trying to carry out in the fieldjust didn't work for me...too much checking and adjusting for a slipping gun.

Fortunately for me, it wasn't a lot of wasted money for the valuable lession I learned. I think it cost me less than $10 at that time.
Click to expand...

I bought one of those after taking the CCW class but before getting my license. I only used it on my own private land to practice. Bent over and it dumped my pistol out into the snow.
 
There is a couple of things I can think of off the top of my head. Once I had several things to do in town including a doctor's appointment so I placed my pistol inside my fanny pack that day so I could leave it locked up in the van at the appointment. After paying bills and stuff I went to the doctors office and forgot all about taking off the pack till after I had already stepped on the scales and got inside the examining room and the doc ask me what I was eating that I had gained almost 5 lbs in a week. That is when I remembered I had forgot to leave the pack in the van. Luckily she is an avid shooter and carries too so she was cool with and rd me no need to leave it in the van next time just remember to remove it before they weigh me. It is a small country doctors office and no one but the nurse in the room where they take the vitals and I know she has a HCL too. The other time involved the same pack but I left the gun at home since the two places I had to go to are both no gun zones. I forgot to remove the two spare mags I keep in the pack and while getting out my phone one of the mags fell out while inside one of the gun free zones. I had to do some fast talking to let them know what had happened.
 
Fellows (& ladies), I appreciate reading other's honest confessions. I have to join in, hopefully so somebody can learn what I did from my mistake.

I've only been carrying for about the past year, & carried condition 3 for the first nine months with a dummy, snap cap round in the chamber till I got comfortable with condition 1. Anyway I pocket carry in a pocket holster in dress slacks normally, and was paying for dinner w my wife and parents. My thin wallet rides in the same pocket with my pistol (breaks the outline, and -yes- there is enough room in my pleated dress slacks). Seated though, I had to pull both the wallet and gun/holster to get just my wallet out -- no problem, it's all under the table. I get my credit card out and discretely slide all back into my front pocket.

We're paid up and outside the restaurant when I do my regular pocket check and realize my pistol isn't in there. This fat boy hasn't moved that fast in awhile! Entering the restaurant, ashen & pale I am sure, I am heading towards my table past the front desk as the manager is clearing the snap cap from my gun the waitress had delivered to him. As I apologize and get out my concealed carry permit, he says, "no problem, I just wanted to be sure it was unloaded" and he hands it back to me with the magazine & snap cap. I live in a rural part of the country, so most folks don't panic at the sight of a firearm, although I think the waitress was rattled.

This still isn't the least bit humorous to me, & to this day my wife and parents think I left my wallet inside the restaurant. Concealed MEANS concealed & the gun stays in the pocket ALL THE TIME now.
 
Separate from the wallet now at least? I find pocket carry to generally be inconvenient because nothing else can be in that pocket.
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Me too. I'm fortunate to be realatively thin and have a barrel chest and broad shoulders. This body shape creates a lot of negative space for me to conceal a gun in, and allows me to carry IWB year round with the proper gun and a good hybrid holster, even under summer shirts. Not everyone is as fortunate as I though.

Concealed MEANS concealed & the gun stays in the pocket ALL THE TIME now.
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This is very true. A securely holstered weapon is a safe weapon. The less you handle it in general, again assuming it is secured safely, the better.
 
Traveling armed on I-94 near Port Huron, MI and took the wrong exit which put me directly onto the Blue Water Bridge to Sarnia, Canada entrance. I explained to the toll taker that I did not want to go to Canada and she directed me to a turnaround where I had to go through U.S. Border Patrol. Handed the officer my D/L and carry license (CPL) and told him that I was armed. He said "thanks for telling me" and "have a good day". I figure that I would still be in a Canadian jail if I had had to continue across and go through Canadian customs. :eek:
 
Not long after buying my LCP, was working on base and reached into my M/C jacket that hadn't worn in a few days but day was good to ride considering mid-winter ... you never guess what I discovered in my pocket. Paranoid meter spiked as I suddenly felt "ill" and needed to go home. Adrenalin didn't subside until I saw base gate behind me.
 
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