 Taurus Ultralite .38SP +P |
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 Blackhawk Pocket Holster |
Taurus Ultralite .38SP +P |
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Blackhawk Pocket Holster |
I’m with you. Personally, all my weapons ended up on the bottom of the Allegheny river after a nasty boating accident.
Never could find any of them.
But WHEN I DID carry, I loved that little Colt Mustang in .380.
You go lugging around a big bad piece that keeps pulling your pants down, sooner or later the ladies in the coffee shop are thinking you’re flashing them.
I never looked to “win” a “gunfight”. Only stupid people do that. The FBI has done studies that prove that the mere presence of weapon in the hand of a so called “victim” ended the confrontation immediately.
I have a KelTec 32 as my “get to” gun. It will do until I get to my .357, .44, or 45 LC as the fancy strikes me on any given day. It is my primary bike gun, as it fits in my Wrangler watch pocket after I make a small slit for the barrel.
.45Colt 5 1/2 inch in shoulder holster under unbuttoned & un tucked shirt. .45 1911 in Milt Sparks Inside Waist Band holster under unbuttoned shirt, Colt Government model .380 in front pants pocket, Smith 642 .357 in front pants pocket. People don't notice when you bulge if you are not blatant and self concious.
I have carried a weapon of some sort for over thirty years, generally bigger than may be necessary, certainly bigger than most would expect. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, we’ll put my weapon in the “or greater” category you mentioned.
People condition themselves for all sorts of things - long sleeve dress wear in the southern sun comes to mind - and do what it takes to live within those parameters.
I believe that almost anything (reliable) will do for meeting the needs of most personal self defense situations. However, having been at times in a position where I could only afford one of each type of tool (or less) in the box, I have always opted for the full size service pistol. Good up close, good farther away for those perhaps less “defensive” type situations as well, good when a high cap response is the only one that will do.
Once I got used to the idea and the weight, I feel as though I am wearing less than my best if I opt for a pocket gun.
Generally IWB. Occasionally hip pack, especially if water is involved.
My decision tree may look like this:
What type of weapon are you going to carry?
How or where will you carry it?
How or where, on your person, will you carry it?
How much concealment is necessary?
What clothing and other choices are necessary to do this?
I suppose I never really put the weight of the weapon in the rubric (for a handgun), that just came with the answer to number 1.
You may have to experiment a lot to find a comfortable holster for you. Then you get used to it. I hardly notice it is there most of the time.
Back on the holster thing - that probably has a lot to do with whether you adapt to comfortably carrying a larger weapon. On the hip, I have found that ones that position it vertically tend to dig into my lower ribs, which bugs me more than the weight, so I took one I generally liked and had one made which was angled so the curve of the grip met my ribs instead of the hammer or beaver-tail. That worked a lot better, and made carrying less burdensome.
I am still trying to find just the right adjustment for a shoulder rig, so I can’t speak to that. If anyone has any tips, feel free to pass them on.
Both my wife and I carry/carried the Taurus Millenium Pro line of handguns (3.25" barrels). My wife carries a 40 S&W and I a 45 ACP.
Even in the summer you can carry these compact guns on your hip. Make sure you wear shorts that can use a belt and wear belts that are strong, not those little rope things many like to wear.
Anyway, we use Fobus Roto Holsters that keep the gun up high on the belt and just about any shirt will conceal the pistol as long as it is baggy. Some women want to wear skintight tank tops and those will pose a problem but a standard shirt will hide the gun nicely. My daughter carries a Beretta Px4 Storm Compact (4" barrel) and complained she could not wear all her tank tops but decided the protection was worth more than turning on some random male.
I migrated from the PT145 Millenium Pro to a Beretta Model 96 (40 S&W) 5" barrel and it concealed just fine under any untucked shirt. I have since purchased a Beretta Px4 Storm full size in 45 ACP (4" barrel)and it is shorter than the 96. Works fine all year round.
Once you have carried these for a few weeks they become a part of you and you really do not notice them or their weight. As a matter of fact, if you leave home without them you will notice they are missing and go back to arm up.