Originally Posted by BobLoblaw
I hear what you're saying. I stop counting elk in my yard at 30 because I get bored. That's my daily reality. As an office worker I would definitely go with the specialty holster to limit the visible clip. For my body shape (6'1"/185) I can AIWB fairly well. When I dress up I go cowboy casual, meaning I tuck in my shirt.
Where I disagree with you is for me and others, pocket carry is a non-starter as it prints far more than AIWB tucked.
What you do right before you know you're going to be in a use of force incident, often determines the outcome of that use of force.
I carried a gov't 1911 in a SmartCarry in an NPE for several years. Nobody said anything. Even if someone notices a bulge "down there" they aren't saying anything about it.
Bell band with Fricke Zack sewn into it works great in this situation.
I hear what you're saying. I stop counting elk in my yard at 30 because I get bored. That's my daily reality. As an office worker I would definitely go with the specialty holster to limit the visible clip. For my body shape (6'1"/185) I can AIWB fairly well. When I dress up I go cowboy casual, meaning I tuck in my shirt. Where I disagree with you is for me and others, pocket carry is a non-starter as it prints far more than AIWB tucked.
What you do right before you know you're going to be in a use of force incident, often determines the outcome of that use of force.
I'm 5'7" 200lb (I don't look that heavy though) and AIWB is my carry method 99% of the time. I have big enough legs (heavy runner) that you can see the outline of my iPhone through my jeans so I can't pull off pocket carry either. For me it's AIWB untucked, smartcarry with tucked polo/dress shirt, or strong side with a jacket or blazer. Aside from the obvious NPE concerns, the brandishing laws in my state are all inclusive so taking chances with printing is a very, very poor decision.
Bob Loblaw lobs law bombs
Mikey There is some good advice here already so I'll just add my thoughts on what I have experienced in relation to your choice. I carry at 3-330 position with a hybrid Whitehat holster with closed front but mostly untucked cover garment. I have used the same set up with a tucked polo or button front dress type shirt. It can work but as others pointed out it is a bit more cumbersome and slower to draw but I never worked on it enough as tucked was pretty rare for me. The sloppiness is a real issue with the blousing. I use Ulticlips with this and other similar holsters and I am 100% happy with them. They are as close to invisible as I think is possible with any design that attaches to the belt or pants. I tried some velcro,J clips and other low profile clip designs and these are the most secure,easy to use and invisible behind a proper belt. I also like how they allow easy belt adjustment and movement unlike the regular metal clips that drag on the belt if you try and rotate it around your waist.
That said the smart carry does seem like a better choice for what you carry and the environment if you can get it to work for your body shape and get comfortable wearing and drawing from it. I have a smart carry but rarely use it except NPE where the consequences would be prohibitive. Since you have permission from your employer (I assume 100% legal carry status as well i.e not a school, post office etc) it seems you wish to keep as low a profile as possible for other employees and visitors. True?
I have also pocket carried (in uniform on duty and off duty) and carried ankle on duty. I prefer pocket over ankle for reasons already mentioned(risk of exposure and speed of draw) I seriously doubt even an observant person would be able to tell you had a firearm in a pocket holster pocketed and as someone else said they likely wouldn't mention it to anyone just like smartcarry bulge.
You have options and some are cheap enough to try out. Do a lot of dry practice with the draws or each set up and walk around for awhile wearing each to see what changes with movement,sitting etc and then without adjusting anything look in the mirror and have a friend or family member look from different angles to see what may print. You can do it blind or tell them where it is before asking what they see.
The 43 or a J frame S&W or LCR would be the largest I would consider for pocket,ankle or smartcarry and for pocket or smartcarry I prefer and use most often a small 380 (Kahr P380 or Cw380)
As a 6' tal 32" waist guy I tried a SmartCarry and it was a total non-starter. Unless you like the diaper-in-the-front look. Give the MIC approach a try.
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Doodie Project?
I've tried tucked AIWB and 3:00-4:00 IWB and never got anywhere with it. On my slim 5'7", 135-145lb frame, the pistol would be covered, but the huge bulge and clothing laying unnaturally made it very obvious that something was going on down there, and all the onlooker's curious speculation while trying to be discreet about looking would probably be more disruptive than just open carrying.
I tried tucked AIWB with a Glock 43 once and literally the first thing my 9 year old daughter said when she saw me was 'Why do have your gun like that??'
It goes in my boot if the shirt gets tucked in.
I dress business casual with a tucked in shirt and I carry AIWB with a Gcode Incog holster for a S&W Shield 9mm. The clip is definitely a dead giveaway, so I swapped it out for an Ulticlip. Now I have no doubt that someone would have a pretty hard time spotting my carry. The shirt can be a little hard to get looking right, but with a little practice it gets easier. Adjusting the shirt tails through your pant's fly after getting everything else set is usually the final touch. I also don't drop my pants to piss anymore, but use the fly instead (leaving the belt, holster, and shirt all untouched).
Definitely check out Ulticlip as a potential swap for your holster's OEM clip if you are looking for something more concealable with a tucked in shirt. They run about $10 on Amazon.
I have a couple of posts on my Instagram that show the concealability of my setup. https://www.instagram.com/sc.concealed/. The reflection shot is exactly how my shirt looked getting out of the car after driving to work. The draw video was done prior to my getting a real gun belt.
Last edited by ImNobody; 04-13-2017 at 08:44 PM.
Here's a link to the review I did of the prototype. I'm currently using the same set up for a G43.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....le-AIWB-review
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