Who here carries concealed and how?

[CB Jones]

I carry inside the waistband in the 4-5 o'clock position just above my right rear pocket of my jeans.

Really comfortable position that still allows a "fast" draw but also allows you to conceal your draw as well.

 

[Headhunter]

Not me. To me I wouldn't take the risk carry a weapon and you draw it in a situation someone could take it off you and use it on you

 

[CB Jones]

Not me. To me I wouldn't take the risk carry a weapon and you draw it in a situation someone could take it off you and use it on you

Fair enough.

I respect your decision but agree to disagree.

 

[Buka]

I carry it in my pants pocket. It's small, obviously.

 

[MI_martialist]

Never tell...

 

[MI_martialist]

Not me. To me I wouldn't take the risk carry a weapon and you draw it in a situation someone could take it off you and use it on you

If you do not carry and cannot draw, someone can use their weapon on you and have the same end result. Would you rather improve your odds / chances or not?

Always assume the attacker is armed and there are more than 1 of them.

 

[Danny T]

Multiply ways and I dress to the weapon as much as possible. There are times it just plain depends on what I am wearing and why.
Sometimes it depends on what I am doing for most of the day.
I prefer IWB;
I carry appendix 1 o'clock,
I carry 3 o'clock
I carry 5 o'clock
Sometimes ankle.
Every now and then on the left side requiring a cross draw.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I carry it in my pants pocket. It's small, obviously.

It's okay, brother. Some women like it that way.

 

[CB Jones]

Multiply ways and I dress to the weapon as much as possible. There are times it just plain depends on what I am wearing and why.
Sometimes it depends on what I am doing for most of the day.
I prefer IWB;
I carry appendix 1 o'clock,
I carry 3 o'clock
I carry 5 o'clock
Sometimes ankle.
Every now and then on the left side requiring a cross draw.

Just some advice.

Try and carry in the same position.

It will make it more natural to you and when under stress will provide you a better draw.

Also the cross draw is a horrible position.

And the ankle is a good backup position but is impossible to draw from out in the open.

Just some advice. I got numerous years experience undercover and teach undercover survival to agents.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I don't carry anymore - too many places I cannot (air travel, multiple states, and too many places in my home state). When I did, I either carried IWB or (more often) in a snap-on OWB. I actually had a nice holster that could do both. IWB requires a larger waistband, and is more difficult to put on/take off when going someplace you can't carry, so I more often wore OWB. I like blazers and suits, so I often had a jacket to cover the gun.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Just some advice.

Try and carry in the same position.

It will make it more natural to you and when under stress will provide you a better draw.

Also the cross draw is a horrible position.

And the ankle is a good backup position but is impossible to draw from out in the open.

Just some advice. I got numerous years experience undercover and teach undercover survival to agents.

That's interesting. What about carrying in different positions to fit the need? If I'm only wearing a t-shirt and jeans, ankle might be best carry. Cross-draw (or shoulder) seems the best for in-car carry, where a strong-side holster behind the hip is hard to get to.

I always carried the same place (the aforementioned strong side behind the hip), and just didn't carry when that wasn't workable, so I'm not arguing. Just wondering.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Multiply ways and I dress to the weapon as much as possible. There are times it just plain depends on what I am wearing and why.
Sometimes it depends on what I am doing for most of the day.
I prefer IWB;
I carry appendix 1 o'clock,
I carry 3 o'clock
I carry 5 o'clock
Sometimes ankle.
Every now and then on the left side requiring a cross draw.

Are those different positions for different needs, or do you just carry the whole damned gun cabinet with you, Danny?

 

[CB Jones]

That's interesting. What about carrying in different positions to fit the need? If I'm only wearing a t-shirt and jeans, ankle might be best carry. Cross-draw (or shoulder) seems the best for in-car carry, where a strong-side holster behind the hip is hard to get to.

I always carried the same place (the aforementioned strong side behind the hip), and just didn't carry when that wasn't workable, so I'm not arguing. Just wondering.

If your clothes don't let you carry how you normally do you are still better off carrying however you can.

But just remember in an extremely stressful situation you are gonna reach where you normally carry it. If it is in another position it will take you a second to process this and "find" your gun.

Cross draws and shoulder draws are just bad. It's a longer slower draw and with you arm across your body it is easier for the attacker to push your drawing hand or muzzle into your belly during your draw.

 

[Danny T]

Just some advice.

Try and carry in the same position.

It will make it more natural to you and when under stress will provide you a better draw.

Also the cross draw is a horrible position.

And the ankle is a good backup position but is impossible to draw from out in the open.

Just some advice. I got numerous years experience undercover and teach undercover survival to agents.

As I stated, "There are times it just plain depends on what I am wearing and WHY."
Cross draw is excellent in the driver's seat. 5 o'clock is very uncomfortable when seated for extended periods but is great when on the feet for long periods.
Ankle is sometimes the only good position for concealing. Again, what I am wearing. It is hard to conceal with a compression or muscle type shirt

Are those different positions for different needs, or do you just carry the whole damned gun cabinet with you, Danny?

LOL...Situational, situational, situational.
I also practice drawing and presenting from all carries. I do carry 3 o'clock most and 1 o'clock 2nd. Can't always wear a loose fitting shirt, a vest or jacket.

 

[Buka]

I agree with what you are wearing can determine where you want to carry. I also agree with always carrying in the same place.

But guys that train the Arts, train with firearms, especially on a professional level, and frequently carry them, have more tactical options than those that don't.

 

[wingerjim]

Yes at 3 o'clock outside the waste band covered by larger print button down shirts cause I carry a med frame and also carry a spare mag at 9 o'clock except in the heat of summer then pocket carry a small semi auto or in cargo shorts. I always practice drawing an empty weapon for the season/carry method.

 

[lklawson]

Not me. To me I wouldn't take the risk carry a weapon and you draw it in a situation someone could take it off you and use it on you

It's martial. You don't "just know" it by osmotic transmission from the gun. Get training and practice. Then you'll know how and when, and be able to properly, effectively, and ethically deploy and use the tool, mitigating your concerns.

Old episodes of Gunsmoke and Cimarron Strip aren't training on how to properly carry, deploy, and use a firearm any more than Challenge of the Ninja was Kung Fu training. Yet it never fails that people seem to think that they're just going to jam a gun into a conceal holster and be able to execute a set of physical skills properly under high stress.

That aside, statistically speaking, instances of a defender who was attempting to use a firearm for personal defense having the firearm taken away and used against them are really rare. I've looked really hard to find them and only come up with about a dozen cases over several years, equaling no more than 3 per year at most. To put that in perspective, in the U.S. there are between 76,000 and 989,883 Defensive Gun Uses (DGU) per year depending on the study that you choose (the low end number comes from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victim Survey and the high end from David McDowall's "Measuring Civilian Defensive Firearm Use" published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, somewhere in the middle the Centers for Disease Control's study pegged it at 498,000 per year). The low number, 76,000, and is more than double the 33,636 deaths due to "injury by firearms" which includes murders, suicides, and accidents. Further it is now estimated that there are over 11.1 million Concealed Carry Permit holders (not counting those from states which do not require a permit) in the U.S.

So with over 11.1 million carriers, using firearms defensively as much as 990,000 times a year, I'd hazard that the 3 times per year that a defensive firearm is "taken away and used against" the person is what is sometimes called "statistically insignificant."

So, while I understand that you're concerned that if you chose to carry a gun for self defense that someone might take it away and use it against you, frankly, that fear is unfounded and, in any case, easily mitigated with competent training and practice.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[CB Jones]

Excellent response

 

[jks9199]

Cross draws and shoulder draws are just bad. It's a longer slower draw and with you arm across your body it is easier for the attacker to push your drawing hand or muzzle into your belly during your draw.

Nobody has shown me a crossdraw or especially a shoulder rig that doesn't involve poin ting your gun at people behind or beside you. Not exactly something that's gonna endear you to me... There's a place and time for them --- but not routine concealed carry.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

1 I like guns
2 if I carry, I say nothing
3 if I was to carry, it's a left hand holster worn on my right, butt forward. I draw right, palm out, thumb to the rear.
4 when you carry, you have to protect yourself and the weapon
5 every self defense situation is now more likely to become deadly