# Carry Options



## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I am curious to see how everyone carries. I am currently carrying a Springfield XD .40 Sub Compact. A very small gun yet I have trouble concealing. I am currently using a Stoner Holsters leather paddle which is very cofortable, easy to draw from and easy to conceal in winter clothes but in the summer time I'm a t-shirt guy and the gun prints easily under just a t-shirt. I also bought a Stoner Holsters leather IWB which could possibly be the most uncomfortable thing I have ever felt. I'm not bashing Stoner Holsters, it is a very high quality holster. The whole IWB carry idea, regardless of manufactuer of holster is just too uncomfortable for me. Another thing is I tend to use my right side for everything. Keys in right front pocket, wallet in right rear pocket, cell phone clipped to right front pocket, gun on right hip. I feel like everytime I reach for my wallet, I'm picking my shirt or jacket up just enouch to expose the bottom of my holster. I guess my real question is, do you guys worry about printing or anyone else seeing your weapon? I am yet to have anyone question me but I know its coming eventually. I know I'm not doing anything illegal if someone see's it. My wife says if anyone see's it they would just think I was some kind of law enforcment and not question it.


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## FatRap007 (Jul 23, 2009)

If anybody asks tell them i would rather be with it than with out it .... I trust my bullets over your prayers i carry mine in a shoulder holster always one or 2 buttons undone lol i am young guy so poeple tend not to ask me why i have it ......... They just stare.....


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I'm not worried about anyone asking "why" I have a gun. Its my right and thats all that matters. I'm more concerned with standing at the check out at the gas station and some one freaking out when I reach for my wallet. "HE'S GOT A GUN!!" That can cause trouble even when I'm doing nothing wrong. Just looking to avoid that situation.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

I carry a 1911 bobtail inside waistband and have no problem concealing and is very comfortable.
A good heavy gun belt is just as important as a good quality holster. You can have a top of the line holster but if you have a cheap flimsy belt it will not distribute the weight properly.
A good quality holster can start around $90.00 and up and a good belt $50.00 and up
I'm sure there are others who will say I bought a cheap rinky such and such holster and it works fine.
If so I happy for you but that is more the exception than the rule.
I can carry all day long, sit in a car for hours in complete comfort.
Sometimes you will have a drawer full of holsters until you find the right one for you.
I use a Milt Sparks Summer Special II. It doesnt look like much but is comfortable and does the job.
Good luck on your search


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## monsterKAT11 (Jun 20, 2004)

i carry my glock 27 (similar to the xd subcompact) in a in the waistband holster if i'm just out and about (i agree don't even feel like dealing with someone freaking out but like to have it on me) but in the summertime when i'm out fishing i have a black hawk paddle holster. not trying to sound macho, but i do like people knowing i have it on me when i'm out fishing. so they know i'm packing if they were thinking of trying anything. the down side to that is...well, they know i'm packing if they were thinking about trying anything. it's a give and take thing i guess, it's just my preference when i'm fishing. i thought about getting an over the shoulder holster, they're comfortable and you can throw a nice shirt over it, and it will always be concealed.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

You also need to learn to dress for carrying. Not as tight shirts to keep from printing and slightly looser jeans for IWB carry

You say IWB is uncomfortable, where are you positioning the holster?
I find at about 3:30 position is best for me. This is just slightly behind the hip bone on your side


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

I carry a Taurus PT-111 with a Galco IWB : http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterPT3.asp?ProductID=2101&CatalogID=7 all year, shorts and a t-shirt to winter coats. No problem with printing. I also carry a Kimber 3" 45 on a leather paddle, tucks high and tight, so printing isn't too bad either. If i carry my Glock 22, I have a Galco FLETCH belt holster, that 1 rides a little lower, so longer shirts are in order. 

Like mentioned above, a good belt is in order, I use a 5.11 belt: http://www.lapolicegear.com/511-tactical-leather-casual-belt-plain.html

Personally I prefer to have no one know I have my gun, and my wife and friends that do know I carry can never tell when I am armed. They don't know till I take the gun off to lock up if we go somewhere I can't carry or they ask. So just dress appropriately, look at longer shirts and holsters that tuck a little higher if you don't want to go with the IWB route.


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## FatRap007 (Jul 23, 2009)

I dont want to highjack the thread but why doesnt anybody carry a shoulder holster i found it to be alot more easy to carry a wheelgun with ... could someone inform me why nobody uses them >? > ?


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Kinda hard to conceal unless you wear a coat 24/7


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

FatRap007 said:


> I dont want to highjack the thread but why doesnt anybody carry a shoulder holster i found it to be alot more easy to carry a wheelgun with ... could someone inform me why nobody uses them >? > ?


Like Orlando said, harder to conceal, plus I don't like cross draw holsters. Think about practical application too. If you need your gun in a hurry, you risk a bad draw possibly sweeping your body, and it telegraphs what your doing to the criminal. I can draw strong sided covertly if needed, or within less than a second (last time I timed it) and have rounds on target.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Sharp Charge
Personally I prefer to have no one know I have my gun said:


> Ditto. I cannot think of any reason to let someone know I am armed.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

Orlando said:


> I carry a 1911 bobtail inside waistband and have no problem concealing and is very comfortable.
> A good heavy gun belt is just as important as a good quality holster. You can have a top of the line holster but if you have a cheap flimsy belt it will not distribute the weight properly.
> A good quality holster can start around $90.00 and up and a good belt $50.00 and up
> I'm sure there are others who will say I bought a cheap rinky such and such holster and it works fine.
> ...


The holsters I bought are very high quality in my opinion. I'm no expert though. They are both Stoner Holsters brand. I ordered a Gunners Alley leather gun belt but its a custom deal so I'm still waiting. I did a lot of research before ordering the belt. This one seems to be top notch. I'm sure it will make a huge difference over the flimsy belt I'm using now.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

Orlando said:


> You also need to learn to dress for carrying. Not as tight shirts to keep from printing and slightly looser jeans for IWB carry
> 
> You say IWB is uncomfortable, where are you positioning the holster?
> I find at about 3:30 position is best for me. This is just slightly behind the hip bone on your side


I tried about every position posible with the IWB holster. The position you mention was the most comfartable but when I sit it would jam into my back. I drive a truck for a living so I couldnt sit on it all day. That was the biggest issue. When standing I could hardly tell it was there.


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## Coonhound (May 12, 2008)

I carry a Kimber Ultra Covert II. This time of year i carry it in a Blackhawk SERPA holster that i've cut down. It carries high in my belt, and being that it's short it hides well under a sweatshirt or coat.

In warm weather i carry it in a cheap IWB holster, and i've stepped up the size of the T-shirts i wear. Generally a large shows off my masculine tightness. But an XL is also more comfortable and screens the pistol. I've been asked a few times what's up with it. I always answer something dumb like...i'm undercover.

No one ever asks undercover what. If they did, i'd tell them i'm an undercover twatagent. I'm sure that'd shut 'em up.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

BassBlaster said:


> I tried about every position posible with the IWB holster. The position you mention was the most comfartable but when I sit it would jam into my back. I drive a truck for a living so I couldnt sit on it all day. That was the biggest issue. When standing I could hardly tell it was there.


Thats the thing with the Milt Sparks Summer Special II. When sitting you can adjust the way it is canted so the handle of the pistol doesnt hit the seat and make the pistol dig into your side


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

I never leave home without it!!! and conceals good for me...sig sauer p230sl in 380...and shoots great.....till I find something else compairable this is it
.


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## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

I have a glock 27 that when in plain clothes in the fall-spring I wear on my ankle, after a couple days you don't even notice it anymore. I have an H&K USP 40 that I sometimes wear in the summer time in a SOB Small of back holster. It inverts the weapon so it is essentially upside down so the grip faces up. I just recently aquired a S&W airweight 38sp. that I plan to carry alot once I get comfortable with it.


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## PITCHNIT (Nov 2, 2004)

I carry a full sized S & W 4506 45acp, its a solid 3 #'s loaded but its all I have and cant afford the xd 45compact yet. Good belt and holster is a must, You need to dress around it. The Crossbreed supertuck holster is definately the most comfortable IWB holster I have come across. I highly recommend it, lifetime warrenty and 2 week free trial you can return it no questions asked. The owner is a christian and a good all around guy to deal with. It will help you with concealability. I can almost get away with this under a loose T. It will disappear under a untucked Hawaiian shirt. Dont worry to much about being "made" most people are just blindly going about their daily business. The people that might notice will be those that carry. Go to the XDTALK forum for good info on the crossbreed holsters.


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## bunkeru2k (Aug 26, 2005)

Paddle holsters are extremely tough to conceal except with winter coats. If you do want a good IWB, pretty much everyone on the planet swears by the Crossbreed Supertuck. Ugliest holster ever, but can't find anyoen say anything bad about them other than that.

http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/I...efault.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName

For OWB and versatility, I have had the best luck with the Blackhawk Detachable slide. In the car, I have it on my left side to crossdraw without interference from the seatbelt. When I exit the car I unsnap it and just move it behind my right hip. It is by far my favorite holster.

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Detachable-Slide-Leather-Concealment,1149,1418.htm


As to a belt, I have a couple nice leather belts, but I have a couple of Wilderness tactical Instructors belts. Tjose are around $30 and are spectacularly rigid.

http://www.thewilderness.com/


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