Who uses SmartCarry or similar holster?

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Northslope Nimrod

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CCW is no problem except when I am at work. I wear dress pants or dockers, a button-up shirt (tucked in) and tie.

I've been using the pocket carry method, but I'm wondering if SmartCarry or something similar would be better. My guns are a little heavy for ankle rigs.

Does a tucked-in shirt create any issues with the SmartCarry?

Does it look like your wearing a diaper....or have a sock down your pants?

Is it comfortable sitting? I sit more than I stand at work.

Finally, where is the cheapest place to buy one, if I am convinced?
 
I've been using the pocket carry method, but I'm wondering if SmartCarry or something similar would be better. My guns are a little heavy for ankle rigs.
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Yeah... bend down with a BG that knows people carry CCWs in their pant leg and you will probably get kicked in the face doing it..... which I personally am not going to risk hehe. For dress up occasions I have to carry my Kel-Tec P3AT in my pocket w/ a Don Hume or Desantis holster.

Belly Band, Pager Pal, and the like work but you still need a pretty small firearm to pull it off successfully other wise it will look like you have a raging hard-on or some growth on your leg :D

Good Luck!
 
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I hide my Seecamp LWS32 in my GURU wallet holster most of the time.. The IPS (In Plain Sight) is an option..

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
 
I have a Smartcarry and a Thunderwear holster, they are basically the same. Both work fine, I prefer using pants with an elastic waist and no belt as it is easier and faster to draw that way as you pull out the pants with your weak hand and reach in and draw with your strong hand. This is faster than it sounds. On my Walther PPK and larger handguns the butt of the handgun prints at the end of the butt and that is no problem, as most people do not look there and even if they did would not know what it was. I have no problem with it but some guys are very leery about carrying a handgun in this position.
 
I like mine

I carry a Taurus PT 24/7 in my smartcarry most days at the office. I wear pleated slacks and It doesn't print at all. I took me a week or two to find the right place to carry it comfortably. Now I don't notice the pistol at all. My biggest problem is I'm tall and need to make sure my shirts have plenty of length to stay tucked UNDER the smartcarry. It will never be as fast as waistband carry. It is far more comfortable that waistband carry and doesn't pull down on your pants. For days when I wear something a little tighter I carry a Kel-Tec P3AT in a pocket holster. I would rather have the 24/7 so I make a point of bringing it along when I buy new pants just to make sure it's comfortable.

I've never been made. (as far as I know).
 
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A picture is worth a thousand words... and this is what I was talking about as you can obviously see that a full sized framed pistol is very large to attempt to hide. Obviously when it is tucked away it gives the impression that its not a pistol but maybe viagra side effects. So maybe you were never "Made" but personally I don't like the other suspicions either haha! Good Luck :D
 
I've owned a Thunderwear for quite a while... in fact, it's worn out, and I just bought a new one on e-bay. It works well for me. I don't carry a primary weapon in it all the time, but when I do, I carry a Glock 27, and I find that it works pretty well.

If you're looking, keep an eye on e-bay. I just picked up a new Thunderwear at a fairly decent price.
 
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I wear one in the summertime sometimes.

Major upsides are that you can wear your pants or shorts a size large and the weight of the pistol is not trying to de-pants you.

Downside is that (for me) anything heavier than 20-24 oz is a bit much. This disqualifies most of my revolvers (although I have been wearing it this week with a Taurus 441 44 Spl 3" steel revolver that weighs 34 oz or so, and have used it with a Glock 23).

It works best (IMHO) with a 3" 1911, a j-frame, a Kahr, etc.
 
I use mine a lot when deep concealment is necessary. It works best with pleated pants or with loose fitting pants. Anything flat front and not generously cut does give the "unseemly bulge" effect for me. I also prefer to wear a stiff gunbelt using this mode of carry. It gives something for the offhand to grasp when pulling the pants away from the body and make the opening a bit larger when you do this.

With longer dress shirts, I can tuck the front part of the shirt under the smart carry, while keeping the rear part of the smart carry under the shirt tail. With shorter shirts, the shirt has to go over the smart carry for me. Otherwise, the rear band will rise over the belt like, an occurrence that is rather difficult to explain.

It can also be used to keep a gun in the strong side IWB position under a tucked shirt. Not really great at retention in that position, but a snugged belt works wonders. The big advantage here is that it doesn't leave random snaps, loops, or clips laying around like most tuckable IWBs.

As for access speed, it isn't that fast. It's a three motion action for me, first the strong hand rips the shirt out of the pants, then the offhand grips the belt, pulling it away from the body. Finally, the strong hand draws the gun. When the shirt is tucked in from the front, the shirt pull is removed from the sequence. Still, much slower than traditional IWB, and I prefer to use the smart carry as a tuckable hip holster whenever possible.

Using a slim gun with a stubby grip is preferable. I haven't found much downsides to using longer barreled guns, as long as they're within reason. (Read: don't poke out when you sit down.)
 
I occasionally use a smartcarry and find it a good alternative when deep concealment is required. I think a single stack gun is best, because it conceals better than a fat doublestack, at least on me. The draw is slightly slower than IWB and much slower than pulling my PM9 from my pocket, but it's not too bad and practice will help a lot.
 
I use one. I've timed the draw and it's on the order of 1.7 seconds from beep to the first round from retention.

Sitting, it is more comfortable than an IWB.

It is virtually invisible with a CZ P01 sitting or standing.
 
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I have a belly band that works. I have mostly used it to carry the pistol around at the small of my back above the belt line. It can print sitting down if your chair doesn't have a back.

I have seen people selling undershirts that have built in shoulder holster for reasonable sized firearms. That might work well under a dress shirt. At least it would be out of the way and less likely to print in most office situations. Hell, a white shoulder holster rig worn under the dress shirt might work too. I haven't tried either myself.
 
I use the 511 Tactical Holster Shirt when in similar situations:
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With my build, I can easily carry anything the size of my CZ-82 or smaller without it showing. A J-Frame revolver would fit nicely also. The shirt is very tight and securely holds the pistol without having to worry about in the restroom...although, I did have a pistol slide out once while leaning over (my fault for not reattaching the velcro).

On the downside, the shirt can get really hot on warm days because of the extra material/padding on the sides.
 
I have one, the security version with a cash pocket, and it's been good, but was probably the most uncomfortable thing I've ever worn when driving one time. Other times it's been OK, it's a challenge to adjust it just right.

I got so used to it that I was in a convenience store, out in the booneys, buying corn and I needed an extra buck. I was reaching in my pants for money without thinking and the guy behind the counter was staring hard before I realized. Heh.

Do as Charlie says and measure yourself properly before ordering, I guessed and mine's a little shorter in the straps than I'd like.
 
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Does a tucked-in shirt create any issues with the SmartCarry?
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No it dos not. You put the holster on over top of the shirt. You then pull the shirt out from under the holster band in the back only. This will prevent the holster band from being seen in the back. Pull on your pants or shorts and you are ready to go.

I have carried a XD .45 and a Taurus PT11 in that holster. The smaller gun is more comfortable for sure. I find it more comfortable with shorts than with jeans. Sitting takes some getting used to with a larger gun.

And no it does not look like you just swallowed a whole bottle of viagara, even with a larger gun.
Hope that helps.
 
A picture is worth a thousand words... and this is what I was talking about as you can obviously see that a full sized framed pistol is very large to attempt to hide. Obviously when it is tucked away it gives the impression that its not a pistol but maybe viagra side effects. So maybe you were never "Made" but personally I don't like the other suspicions either haha! Good Luck
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You need to loosen the velcro and let it hang lower and to you left 3 or 4 inches. That way it doesn't stab you in gut when you sit down and barrel goes down your pant leg. As you show it in the picture it's just one big nut cruncher.

It's very comfortable when properly positioned.
 
Original Poster

A few have said it is uncomfortable when driving. What about sitting in a chair at work?

I would carry a CZ P-01, BHP (maybe), Makarov or Colt .380.

Where is the best place to buy them? (always looking to save a buck)

Thanks for the input
 
Where is the best place to buy them? (always looking to save a buck)
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Only place I have ever seen them for sale (other than the annoying folks at gunshows that re-sell them for $5 over list price) is on their website:

www.thunderwear.com

Its a small company and is also known as Defense Security Products... they distribute for Ebay and have distribution centers in Brooklyn and Florida. Ok yeah I have spoken to these folks a few times.

Good Luck!
 
I own a smartcarry.

I wear it once every 6 months, since I rarely wear elastic waistband pants.

The owner is a good fellow and very helpful.
 
I'm Wearing It Right Now...

I've got a SmartCarry holster that I've had for a few years. I used to carry a Glock 19 in it, and less often, a Kimber Ultra Carry. Neither of those was very comfortable , and the butt of the gun would push against the front of my pants, making it look like I was pitching a very small tent.

Lately, I've started wearing it again, this time carrying a S&W 340PD, which is a little J-frame .357. It doesn't print as much as the autos, and is comfortable underneath my hospital scrubs.
 
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