Concealed Means Concealed...

It's never more important to heed the advice in the title than in a GFW state like the Volksrepublik of MA. If one's "cover" is blown while carrying a concealed weapon in MA, one runs the risk of being on the wrong end of a "man with a gun" call, but even losing one's license to own firearms entirely. Legalities aside, here's my brief primer on three popular methods of carrying a firearm concealed...

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First option: Inside the WaistBand, abbreviated IWB. One of the most popular methods of carrying a concealed firearm, in my experience it's the best way to carry a large(r), more powerful firearm.


First off, the equipment:

Sidearm: Smith & Wesson Model SW99C (compact) 9mm. 10+1 rounds of 9mm +P+ JHP goodness. 13 rounds in the back-up magazine. (Side note: S&W took a page out of Glock's book and made it so the full-size mags will fit & function in the compact guns). 24 rounds of 9mm total.

(One of these days I'm going to get the magazine grip extender that goes over the magazine.)

Holster: Crossbreed "tuckable" holster - it's similar to the more recognizable Comp-Tac in that you can tuck a shirt in over the holster and still have it mostly concealed. Yes, the two belt clips are visible, but I can vouch that it goes unnoticed even in sheep-land.

Here it is in place:

(Camera strap and all. Oops)

And, finally, hidden from view:

(Side note: It is freakin' hard to get a good shot of yourself in a mirror. I hadn't factored this into the equation...)

In any case, the gun is well-hidden using a vest, sweater, sports coat, or, in this case, oversized flannel. One big thing to be mindful of is reaching over one's head - as your arms raise, so does your cover garment. Here's where being "average" size comes in real handy - buy a size larger than you normally need, or get a "tall" sized shirt to help alleviate this problem. You also run the risk of printing (showing the outline of your gun or part of your gun) when sitting down and leaning forward (like in a booth at McDonald's).

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Next option: The ankle holster.

Ankle-carry is best for a back-up weapon. It's the method of carry that puts the gun the furthest from your hands and requires the most contortion to reach, as well as the most practice to perfect your draw. That said, it still beats the hell out of a gun left at home... I used to carry my 360PD in an ankle holster in the spring & fall when it was too warm for a cover garment but not warm enough to bust out the cargo shorts (larger pockets = less printing).

Again, equipment first:

Sidearm: Smith & Wesson 360 PD .357 Magnum. 5 rounds of 125 grain JHP Magnum goodness. Six rounds back-up in a Bianchi speed strip. 11 rounds total. Less than half the ammo of the SW99, but at half the weight.

Holster: Ankle holster by GunGear (picked up on eBay before they went all PSH). Very comfortable, even for longer periods of time (6+ hours). The 12 ounce weight of the 360PD really comes in handy carrying in this method.

Here it is in place:

And, finally, hidden away:

Pretty well hidden, I'd say. One of the advantages to this method of carry is that the holster holds the gun very securely. Now, I wouldn't recommend jogging with it in place, but then again, I wouldn't recommend jogging in general... *g*

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Last method: Pocket carry.

The most obvious disadvantage of this method is that you're limited to small guns - small size, small caliber, and small capacity. Less obvious is that weight is a factor - the 21 ounce lightweight polymer-framed gun that fits comfortably on your belt will feel like a friggin' boulder in your pocket. If it will fit at all...

The equipment:

Sidearm: Kel-Tec P3AT in .380 ACP caliber. 6+1 rounds of marginal 95 grain JHP .380 ACP. Back-up magazine with another 6 rounds. 13 rounds total. Only two rounds more than the j-frame, and that's 13 rounds of .380 ACP versus 11 rounds of .357 Magnum...

Holster: In this case, cheap works just fine. This holster is a nylon Uncle Mike's #1 that I got from MidwayUSA for $8. Works fine.

In place:

And hidden:

Unless the pants are extremely tight, printing is a minimum. Given that folks carry a lot of stuff in their front pockets, it's not unusual to see stuff making shapes there, either. Could be a gun. Could be a cell phone. Here's where living in GFW-land has its advantages: Even if someone did see a shape in my pocket, chances are overwhelming that they would NEVER think it to be a firearm...

Drawing from a pocket holster takes a lot of practice. Make sure you're in an area with no breakables the first few times you practice, because if you're anything like me you're going to launch the holster a time or two before you get the hang of it... *g*

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Well, that's enough for now. Hope this was (remotely) interesting and/or informative!