Concealed Carry.....a Year in Review.....

[Beretta92guy]

Hey all,

ive been carrying concealed for about a year now and thought i would share my experiences and thoughts for anybody that is just starting out CCW'ing....

first, in the past year i have probably gone through enough $$$$$$ buying different holsters, belts, mag carriers and gizmos i could probably buy another gun.....

I have now what i believe, for ME, is the perfect carry combo......Glock 26, carried in a Fobus evolution paddle holster (yeah, i know all the hate for the fobus, but i LOVE this holster and it works and fits great.........Wilderness tactical belt and a Galco pocket magazine holster..........

the holsters i have tried previously have been numerous: Galco concealable, glock combat holster, serpas, don hume, etc....ALL of those are good holsters, but the fobus just works for me....

the Wilderness tactical is the PERFECT belt because you can micro-adjust it for fit, unlike leather belts that have only so many holes for the buckle to fit into..........

When i first started carrying i was completely paranoid about getting "made"......i was afraid to even go into a store, mall or any other public place........but after a year of carrying, NOT ONCE, to my knowledge at least, has anyone ever seen me carrying....or at least said anything......

i have even tried a little experiment TRYING to get people to notice just to see if they would.......never did to my knowledge.......

i even got brave and started carrying my behemoth Beretta 92 for about a month in a Galco Concealable holster.......never even a second look.....

and please keep in mind the ONLY covering garment i have had on has been an untucked Tshirt and jeans.......im average size, 193 pounds and wear an XL Tshirt.....

the Beretta concealed just fine but VERY uncomfortable.....i LOVE my 92, but just cannot carry it........

then there was the fear of carrying with one in the chamber.....this scared me to death for the first couple months, and i kept waiting to be standing in line at Wal Mart and hearing a loud BANG and looking like a fool while talking to the police about what happened...........never has gone off..LOL....

so two things that i have no worry of anymore is being "made" and the gun going BANG inside the holster.......

its second nature now, and sometimes i even forget that im wearing anything on my belt....it has become second nature........

I have also carried my Glock 23 for a bit, but i can really tell the size difference between the 23 and the 26.......i know a lot of people carry the mid-size comfortably and i could probably get used to it after a while.....

so the past year has been an incredibly boring experience with CCW........

and i HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY:wavey:

Bruce

[greentriple]

Bruce, great post, at least I enjoyed it.

I'm coming up on 2 year, and like u realize the reality is quite less exciting than the forums. Based on the internet I would have expected to "be made", arrested or in a firefight by now, but alas just safe and sound. Like I like it.

So, I use a 5.10 belt, for the most part Blackhawk CQC leather IWB w/clip in appendix or Glock "combat" OWB @ 3pm. Oh, and my EDC is G27 w/Hornady FTP.


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[Beretta92guy]

Bruce, great post, at least I enjoyed it.

I'm coming up on 2 year, and like u realize the reality is quite less exciting than the forums. Based on the internet I would have expected to "be made", arrested or in a firefight by now, but alas just safe and sound. Like I like it.

So, I use a 5.10 belt, for the most part Blackhawk CQC leather IWB w/clip in appendix or Glock "combat" OWB @ 3pm. Oh, and my EDC is G27 w/Hornady FTP.


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greentriple,

i was the same way, i was expecting it to be more "exciting" based on what i read on a lot of fourms.....but i know now a "boring" CCW experience is a GOOD one :)

and i have never tried an IWB holster......i would have to buy new jeans that are bigger...and with Levis going for fifty bucks a pair now, think ill just keep what i got...LOL

[steve581581]

People are oblivious to others around them. I carry a G33 in an iwb holster at 3 o'clock or a 642 in my back pocket in a pocket holster. The only time someone ever noticed me carrying (and I had no idea untill the misses told me) was at meijers a few weeks ago. I don't go out of my way to make sure it's unseen so I'm sure I've "been made" before but never once has anybody mentioned it. I did however pull it once while working but that's where it ended.

I'm coming up on two years pretty soon.

[mgo]

This is near the end of my first year as a CCW also, and I too went thru a bunch of different holsters to learn what works for me. I have settled on the Galco Triton because it is easy on/easy off without having to remove the pistol each time. That keeps the short stroke Glock trigger out of harm's way.
The Glock 17 seems light enough for reasonably good concealment with that holster and a quality belt.

[huggytree]

i have been carrying for 1 week now....G27 OWB black widow holster....im still in the stage where i worry about it being loaded and people noticing

last night i took the wife out for a nice dinner and we talked guns a bit(very romantic) and she asked if i had my gun on me....i told her in a low voice it is always on me.....she never noticed....

when i look in a mirror and move a bit the guns edges clearly show and you can see there's something bulky on my side....but to the average person it doesnt....who looks or notices these things...they look at me w/o really looking at me...i ordered a IWB holster, but may rarely use it....i prefer OWB

ive been warned on GC not to wear a holster that prints, but i think even if people notice most wouldnt say anything.....ill wait until ive been stopped by police and harassed a few times before i go IWB

[Beretta92guy]

Oh, and i forgot to add.....

if i ever am out and about and someones DOES notice and says "what is that bulge under your shirt"......

my reply: "its a medical device" (like a diabetes pump) :)

[TJS]

or a colostomy bag! that will make them turn away quickly!

[cheezit]

Oh, and i forgot to add.....

if i ever am out and about and someones DOES notice and says "what is that bulge under your shirt"......

my reply: "its a medical device" (like a diabetes pump) :)
simple reply "it my lead pump"

[Sippo]

Oh, and i forgot to add.....

if i ever am out and about and someones DOES notice and says "what is that bulge under your shirt"......

my reply: "its a medical device" (like a diabetes pump) :)

I've heard it called an "adrenalin pump"

[poodleplumber]

I've been carrying for nearly 20 years, and my experiences have been the same as yours. At least I think so, when I can remember that far back.

[bear5150]

one question why do you have a 23 and a 26 why not a 23 and a 27 magazines interchangeable and i carry open cuz i can and live in Nevada

[ComeAndGetThem]

For the record...I can't tell you how many people I've made. I just shake my head when it''s a less than stellar job of concealing. And no, I won't say anything since I don't know it's not a felon about to rob the place.

Because no one said anything to you doesn't mean you didn't get made.

[Ticman]

For the record...I can't tell you how many people I've made. I just shake my head when it''s a less than stellar job of concealing. And no, I won't say anything since I don't know it's not a felon about to rob the place.

Because no one said anything to you doesn't mean you didn't get made.

Big difference when you actively look for concealed carriers as opposed to the normal public who could care less about anything but themselves.

[KG1F]

one question why do you have a 23 and a 26 why not a 23 and a 27 magazines interchangeable and i carry open cuz i can and live in Nevada

23 and a 26 are the two I have also.

[Beretta92guy]

one question why do you have a 23 and a 26 why not a 23 and a 27 magazines interchangeable and i carry open cuz i can and live in Nevada

well, i bought the 26 as soon as i got my CCW permit and have been carrying that since day one......i have a Beretta 92fs and wanted something different to round out my "humble" collection of three guns, LOL.......i was just really wanting a .40 and went with the 23.....that is an insanely accurate gun...

[rppnj]

ive been warned on GC not to wear a holster that prints, but i think even if people notice most wouldnt say anything.....ill wait until ive been stopped by police and harassed a few times before i go IWB

With so many guys carrying "smart phones" on their hips in leather cases, most people think that they're just seeing a phone when someone prints.

[Drilled]

Fobus makes a great holster for the intended area...I have had two Fobus holsters break under extreme temps (MI)

The 26 is a great gun. Keep your Fobus clean because it will scratch you slide,

In MI you can't carry in many places so you have to leave gun in car (really stupid)...just leave for some bad guy to steal...right?


I do like their holsters...personally I went to High Noon holsters and IWB.
Also like C-Tac holsters.

Good on you for being a gun toting American...stay in the safe!

[xmanhockey7]

Fobus makes a great holster for the intended area...I have had two Fobus holsters break under extreme temps (MI)

The 26 is a great gun. Keep your Fobus clean because it will scratch you slide,

In MI you can't carry in many places so you have to leave gun in car (really stupid)...just leave for some bad guy to steal...right?


I do like their holsters...personally I went to High Noon holsters and IWB.
Also like C-Tac holsters.

Good on you for being a gun toting American...stay in the safe!

You can open carry in Michigan in most places listed under 28.425o (concealed carry PFZ).