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View Full Version : Carry techniques -- adapting to winter clothes?



peterb
11-08-2012, 09:31 AM
I was out on the morning dog walk in the first snow of the year, and started wondering what other northern folks do about the extra layers required when outside in the winter. Concealment gets a lot easier, but there's a lot more stuff in the way of an efficient draw.

I'm not a fan of waist-length jackets in this climate, and walking around with your coat unzipped all the time is not practical.

I know some folks have mentioned a J-frame in an outside coat pocket, but I was wondering what other techniques/gear/clothing/ folks have found to be practical.

ToddG
11-08-2012, 09:44 AM
I do opt for waist-length jackets. At least for aiwb carry, the most important thing is to make sure the bottom concealment layer (the one touching the gun) is the longest garment. That way when you grab it and pull it away, everything else should go with it. Of course, if your sweater, jacket, etc is too heavy or too tight that may not work. It becomes a matter of selecting concealment clothing properly, as always.

Another option is to tuck lower layers into your pants so that there's really only one concealment garment between you and the gun. So if you're wearing a polo, sweater, and winter jacket you tuck the polo in, tuck the sweater in (at least around the gun), and use the jacket as your concealment garment. If you then go inside and want to take off the winter jacket, you simply untuck the sweater first and then it becomes your outermost concealment garment.

At a certain point (or so I've heard :cool: ) the weather becomes severe enough that you need to think about warmth first and a gun second. Under those circumstances you're probably not terribly likely to be running into a gaggle of Brady Bunch haters so some kind of external carry method such as a Hill People Gear kit bag (http://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Products/InDetail/KitBags/tabid/922/Default.aspx) is the best option. (disclaimer: I don't have a HPG bag, but plenty of people I know and trust recommend them highly)

JDM
11-08-2012, 10:25 AM
Also, many jackets have two zippers that allow you to unzip the jacket from the bottom. I usually unzip my jacket halfway (from the bottom), and use snaps or Velcro to keep the lapels closed. This works really well for me.

Chuck Haggard
11-08-2012, 10:57 AM
A 642 wearing a set of CT 305s in my left hand parka pocket, balanced by a couple of speedloaders in the right hand pocket, makes me very happy.


I believe that so many people go for the snub in the pocket because it works, and really well. All of the normal access issues in pocket carry go away in cold weather when you can have your hand naturally on the gun and draw from a large pocket. I and some of my friends have recorded first shot times as low as the .60s from a coat pocket with the hand already on the gun.

I often wish they had made something in the Centennial style between the 642 and the 242, the 642 is great for what it does, but I found the 242 just a wee bit too big. Just right would have been in between these two guns for the coat pocket role. Although I used a Cobra for my BUG back in the revolver days at work I never did warm up to that gun as much as the S&Ws due to the feel of the trigger. I'd track down a model 12 and bob the hammer but those are sorta collector's items now, getting to be the same for the Cobras as well.

NEPAKevin
11-08-2012, 01:53 PM
Another consideration is gloves. Some are easier to shoot with while others are better to remove.

TGS
11-08-2012, 02:11 PM
Another consideration is gloves. Some are easier to shoot with while others are better to remove.

Great point. Another consideration:

If a shooter wears gloves, the shooter should practice with gloves. If a shooter does not want to practice with the gloves that they wear daily because it drops their score too much on the FAST or some other pet drill, then said shooter needs to service their brain housing group.

Chuck Haggard
11-08-2012, 02:41 PM
Great point. Another consideration:

If a shooter wears gloves, the shooter should practice with gloves. If a shooter does not want to practice with the gloves that they wear daily because it drops their score too much on the FAST or some other pet drill, then said shooter needs to service their brain housing group.

At least run some drills live fire. I have seen people wearing gloves that they later find out don't work with their pistol. Issues such as the glove getting caught up in the trigger while trying to reset after the first shot, etc.

I know guys who wear oversized gloves on the gun hand just so they can slip out of them really fast if they need to.

Nephrology
11-10-2012, 06:52 AM
I am actually considering switching over to carrying my G17 (my match/"workhorse" pistol) for winter time because I think I can get a better purchase on it with gloves than I can my 19.

Usually it depends on how cold it gets - anywhere down to about 30 degrees I can carry OWB with some good under layers and just keep my outer cover garment open. At 30 degrees I need to be more insulated and I will probably have to work out a parka pocket gun.

CCT125US
11-10-2012, 08:32 AM
Might be a good idea to run a winterized DotW series. Additional criteria could be: "weather 30 degrees" I think the 99 drill would be full of suck and fail for everyone.

YVK
11-11-2012, 02:08 AM
Some are easier to shoot with while others are better to remove.

If it isn't too cold, I use dress leather gloves; warm enough, easy to shoot in.
In truly cold weather I prefer relatively loose mittens; very warm, impossible to shoot in but, with some practice, I can remove them with flick of my wrists.

ACP230
11-11-2012, 08:32 AM
I sometimes carry two revolvers in the winter. One S&W Bodyguard in a pants pocket and a J-frame, or a K-frame snub in my jacket.
My winter jacket has an inside pocket that works well for carrying the second gun.
I figure I should be able to get to one or the other of them if needed.

JRas
11-11-2012, 12:59 PM
Another consideration is gloves. Some are easier to shoot with while others are better to remove.

Just another reason to buy an Hk ;-)