Yes...you do.Originally Posted by Mitchell, Esq.
Yes...you do.
25 plus years ago when I wore a suit 5 days a week.
1911 at 3:00 Milt Sparks Executive (elbow covered gun while standing). 2 mags at 7:00-8:00 Milt sparks IWB carrier. Alloy J frame in left front pocket. For a while I added a Maringer 10" blade Vorpal in a Kydex upside break front under the left arm. Vorpal got to be a bit much.
I was getting tailored suits but they were not tightly fitted.
Now with AIWB I would have to go bellyband, vest, or back to my old positioning.
Whatever you do get an disposable suit/sport jacket and train like you carry.
Damn I haven't thought about Tom Maringer in years!
At the moment I've got a CM9 in a smart carry... I can't make it print if I try.
Owner of Aridus Industries. Creator of the Q-DC, CROM, and other fun shotgun stuff.
WRT belts, look into the tapered designs like Mitch Rosen offers. The thin part is what's visible through the suit opening but the rest is thick enough to support the needed gear.
http://www.mitchrosen.com/products/belts/
How thick are they, though? Just because they're finished like a dress belt doesn't mean they look like a dress belt. I have a ~28" waist, so my Beltman horsehide belt looks out of place even for business casual, just from the sheer thickness of it in relation to my waist, let alone any attempt at informal or semi-formal dress. The very few times I've carried while wearing a button down shirt, I've simply cranked down my regular dress belt with my RCS at my ~0300, and it seems to work okay, but not optimally.
I haven't used Rosen's belts (have a few other pieces of his). It's designed to be a gun belt so I imagine it's got the meat to support it. I've used Galco's dress gun belts for years with suits and they do exactly what they are advertised to do. And that is with a G21/x300 in a Raven, cuffs, badge, spare mag and light (in a Rosen SOS), and fixed blade. My next dress belt will be one that tapers like the ones I linked just to maintain the illusion that I'm a regulator citizen. Not that the Galco belts are tells, but the taper will be more discreet in my opinion.
And regarding tailors my experience has been the same as others here - they don't bat an eye when you tell them to fit you for a gun. I usually wear the gun for the fitting since I refuse to leave it in the car or the dressing room.
Your PPS and a spare mag in a Smart Carry is probably the easiest immediate solution. I've used this setup a good bit and it works well. The biggest downside is the draw can be difficult and slow, especially when seated. My favorite formal wear setup is a belly band. It's the most discreet in my experience, but it has a few drawbacks. First, the draw is slower than a traditional IWB, but that's the price you pay to be able to take your jacket off. Second, it requires a darker and looser shirt than you could wear with something like an ankle rig or Smart Carry. With a well-fitted and/or light-colored shirt the gun is still visible when you take the jacket off. Third, you'll still need some extra room in your pants just like a traditional IWB. On the upside, the draw is more consistent from a variety of positions and there are no belt loops to see. You can believe that no one "made" you the last time you had belt loops visible, but I bet hard cash most of the ladies noticed them. Even if they didn't realize what it was, they noticed the extra loops on your belt. If it's a business environment with semi-fashion conscious men, they'll notice as well.
I'd think a large footprint kydex holster like RCS Phantom (it is the Phantom you are referring to, correct?) would be more of a problem than a gun belt for somebody with such a small waist as you. The Phantom is a great holster, but you've got to have a pretty large flat spot on your body to put that holster. Come to think of it, how does it work at 3:00? Even on a larger guy I'd think aft of the hip would work much better and it just seems as if it wouldn't work properly at 3:00 on such a thin person.
If I may be so bold?
About 20 years ago I was a suit salesmen for a very large retailer clothier. I was quite happy to have armed customers, since they tended to need more clothes.
A discreet question to the salesperson will likely uncover a complete absence of hoplophobia. I just asked my clients to bring their tools of the trade in a briefcase they could secure. Most stores these days have a fitting room designed to help customers in wheelchairs, due to the Americans with Disabilities Act. A big dressing room equals space for you, the tailor and the salesperson. And an advantage of the briefcase is that you can tote several rigs and belts, and see what works - or doesn't.
Have the salesperson bring you the suits, whilst the tailor examines the fit and marks any needed alterations. If they do not have an on-site tailor, then I believe police refer to that as a "clue".
Some of the things we did included removing the Bemberg acetate liner, and sewing in a very thin layer of non-waterproofed canvas, then replacing the liner. (I do prefer a silk-lined suit, but it's quite difficult to find a durable, quality silk liner these days.) You had the same elegant drape, but it broke the outline of a pistol or cuffs. We'd also sew in a thin line of loop Velcro in the left or right jacket pocket. You could then Velcro some dimes in to the pocket. They would not jingle, but would have enough weight to keep a jacket from blowing in a soft breeze. They also helped give weight when you flipped the garment back during the drawstroke. Some of the Federales liked a divided canvas pocket sewn into one of the inside breast pockets, to hold a pair of magazines. We even made a reinforced leather inner belt for a senior Deputy who liked speedloaders.
I had a lot of Armed Good Folks in my customer book - US Bureau of Prisons, Texas Rangers, USSS, Dallas PD, DEA, Dallas County DA's Office, USMS. Sadly, Raylan was not a client.
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