| Author | Message | ||
     P_squared |
Anything is better than nothing. Having said that, my recommendations are as follows: • Take a look at your body shape/frame and the type of clothes you regularly wear to help determine what & how to best carry for YOU. • Unless you practice, a lot, I recommend sticking with a single firearm/holster combo. • Almost all concealed carry is slow to draw. Practice your draw regularly with an UNLOADED firearm. • Perform daily/weekly/monthly maintenance. Nothing worse than a dust bunny from hell in your trigger pack when you need it. Or a retention clip that’s welded shut due to extended exposure from your sweat. • Find a load that works. There’s a LOT of Self Defense/Home Defense/Tactical type loads available. They’re typically a little pricey. But you need to find & settle on one that works for your firearm, 100% feeding, firing & ejecting. Once you have that settled, buy the cheap stuff to practice regularly with. • Some “obvious” (and maybe not so obvious) ways to carry concealed: o OWB – Outside the Waist Band – good for under suit coats/in cold weather o IWB – Inside the Waist Band – various “flavors” between where on the waist & if the holster is “tuckable” or not. Research accordingly. o Shoulder holster – Requires an over garment, but can be relatively comfortable. o Ankle holster – great for a backup gun, but find a good combo before trying it outside the home. o Pocket holster – self explanatory. o Specific garments/accessories – Vests, fanny packs, day planners, belt “cellphone” cases, backpacks, sling bags, undergarments, etc. Once you figure out HOW you want to carry, then you can start narrowing down WHAT you’re going to carry. Myself, I carry IWB, tuckable, at the 4 o’clock, forward cant, steel framed commander sized 1911. 1 reload in a pocket clip on my left side. This requires a sturdy belt. | ||
| Hootowl |
"I was thinking Phillips screws." They say you can drive a nail with some pistols. I guess you can drive screws now.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
No joke. Did you hear the quoted RPM on those rounds? It's insane. It would be really cool to see a super slow mo of a screw being driven with one of those things. | ||
| Aesquire |
Bet you it just strips the screw head like any Phillips screwdriver.  P_squared has it right, & better said than my post. Body shape & clothes. What works for you may not work for me & vice versa. IWB small of back works for me in riding gear but is inaccessible with the armor jacket zipped. Then I'm stuck in the jacket till I get home. Works ok even with mesh jacket because the back armor covers. I only use that carry on day trips. Doesn't work for me in car though. And someone out there has zero problems with holsters that don't conceal a thing for me. | ||
| Mtnmason |
Torquehd - not to play 'spec police' or anything but your X40 is actually 14+1. I know because it is the BEST plastic frame pistol I've ever owned. I got mine right after FN moved from the FNP to the FNS/X series. I paid over 650 OTD. They can now be had for <500 brand new. Feel free to consider anything with a barrel length of 4" or greater to be 'full-size'. The FN compacts have been out for about a year now. I haven't been able to justify a purchase since they're only available in the striker-fire variety. For whatever reasons I've always HAD to have an external hammer on my auto loaders. YMMV . Also, the difference in size was a little less than I'd hoped for. Being tall and lanky, the only way I can fully conceal my X40 in summer clothing is by going appendix carry. It's a tad awkward but I'm trying to condition myself. | ||
| Ourdee |
I've started to prefer a 3:00 OTW retention holster with an unbuttoned untucked shirt for the concealment part. It is how I used to dress with IWB holster when younger. Went back to the Colt 1911 too. | ||
| Zac4mac |
the quoted RPM on those rounds? I have picked up 3 handguns with Barry at the helm. All 3 have such short barrels that there CAN'T be shit for spin. After 25 feet they're "tumblin' dice". | ||
| Torquehd |
Mtnmason you're totally right and that is a very important thing to misremember. shows how long its been since ive taken it to the range. until yesterday, that is. I bought mine (fnx) 3 years ago. I like it, a lot. I'd forgotten how light the trigger is in single. Edit: I don't usually truly "concealed" carry unless I'm wearing a loose button up shirt. I don't care much if my pistol isn't totally "concealed" when I'm running around town in a T-shirt. Most folks don't notice, and I think it's safe to assume that 99% of folks who do notice are also carrying and certainly not a threat. (Message edited by torquehd on July 20, 2016) | ||
| Aesquire |
Local attitudes are important. In N.Y. it has to be well concealed. If someone sees your gun in a restaurant in an urban area the cops get called and you can be arrested and charged with brandishing. A real crime here. Lose your carry permit & freedom & $$$$$. In a rural restaurant no one probably cares. Probably. Or you may get treated like John Rambo in First Blood. You can never tell. So here concealed means hide it well. Not a coincidence the places a slip of a shirt by a Citizen gets hysterical over reaction are the highest crime rate places. However. Overall violent crime & murder are down in America since more states have CCW laws. The anti civil rights folk will flat out lie about that. The long term ruled by the Klan Party urban areas are not following the national trend. | ||
| Swampy |
Dust bunny from hell...I received the nickname "Click" due to a dust bunny that found it's way into the firing mechanism of my pocket rocket... Large, medium or small? Sub all the time, compact when I can... | ||
| Tootal |
I'm really impressed with the phillips screwdriver bullets! I'll have to pick some up for my AMT backup DAO. I had a single action AMT that I carried for a while. I took it out while shooting other toys and it didn't fire. I did some surgery on it and found a broken firing pin. It had been drawn back to a straw color and the radius on the pin was pretty small. I made a new one out of some S7 bearcat with a larger radius and after hardening I drew it back to blue. Been working ever since. So if you have an AMT you might just check the firing pin and see what color it is. It may be just brittle enough to break. | ||
| Gregtonn |
IWB small of back works for me in riding gear... Small of the back (SOB)is one of the worst options ever! Especially when riding a motorcycle. There are innumerable people out there with spinal injuries caused by falls, brawls and accidents when carrying in this position. SOB=Stupid Option Buddy. G | ||
| Aesquire |
The holster is under the back padding, but you make a good point. | ||
| Gregtonn |
Think about it. That back padding is meant to protect your spine in case of a spill. What good is it if you have a pound or two of lethal weapon up against your spine then go for a tumble? SOB=Stupid Option Buddy. G | ||
| Pwnzor |
Small gun. Right front pocket. Done. | ||
| Ourdee |
How small? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Sure you can conceal a large gun there, but it's a lot of weight to carry around. | ||
| Ourdee |
I do sometimes throw the XDs in there though. The Ruger is heavy. Too heavy! I couldn't resist though. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Was that a Vaquero? | ||
| Ourdee |
Yes. | ||
| Rick_a |
That's a myth. Little guns can be as mechanically accurate as full sized guns. The user tends to be the main limitation. As long as a barrel has the proper twist rate for the bullet weight and velocity, the rounds will go where they are aimed. My little guys tend to shoot about as well as the big 'uns. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Nice. | ||
| Aesquire |
Gregtonn, point taken. Access in riding armor is difficult. I certainly don't expect to draw while riding. I don't live in the fantasy Sons of Anarchy world. Not fond of appendix carry either. Don't like to aim at my own junk. I was surprised when I found out how many accidental discharges are from reholstering a side arm. Shouldn't have been, but I was thinking technology not technique. Foolish of me. A gun is an inanimate object. The human makes guns or swords or battle axes deadly. | ||
| Tootal |
My little guys tend to shoot about as well as the big 'uns. Well the North American Arms are surprisingly accurate for what they are. I like the fold out grip because it gives you so much more to hang onto and a lot easier to shoot. I hold a 3" group at 10 feet while standing. Round holes, no tumbling. It's great for hot weather even with tight pants/shorts. When you sit down there's no shape of a gun in your pocket!   The hammer sits in a notch between the bores in the cylinder so it's safe to drop. It is extremely loud and the fire ball will blind you. I know it's only a 22 but at night they can't see what it is, only that it was loud and bright! Using something this small means your tactics might be different. I still like the idea of a pelvic shot. If you hit the pelvic bone they will fold like a jackknife making it hard for them to shoot back. If you can escape at that point then do it otherwise they just gave you a view of the top of their head. I also like the idea of shooting down. If you were to miss the bullet will hit the ground a few feet behind them and not travel down the road hitting some kid on his bike. I just pray I never have to prove any of this! | ||
| Ourdee |
Gregory, I know you are just thinking about a safe backstop. I just don't want anyone thinking you are planning on executing perps. Shooting down? Remember to stop shooting when the threat has been eliminated. Any questions about that statement, Please go talk to your lawyer prior to needing him/her. Those NAA pistols are very nice and hide like a pocket knife. I need a second one in the safe. I seem to be stuck with the 21A. | ||
| Tootal |
I thought the last sentence pretty much summed it up. I've been carrying for many years and never pulled it out, hope I never do but being an old boy scout, I'm just being prepared. How's that go, I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Having met Greg in person, I think he would be shooting downward at most anybody. A .22 will kill you just like any other well-placed bullet will. I just ordered a Galco pocket holster for the LCP because my new shorts I just bought at Costco are showing a print in the front. | ||
| Ourdee |
Something to think about. Uncle Sam let me in on this one. If you fire a pistol into the pavement at a 45 degree angle, the projectile will travel from one to six inches off the ground at a very high clip. We were being taught about fighting on roads and around concrete buildings. | ||
| Ourdee |
I think we are all pretty much on the same page here. I just get antsy anytime I read fire arm talk that could be twisted up before a jury. Doesn't matter what we intended after the lawyers get a hold of it. Be careful out there brothers. | ||
| Tootal |
I used to have a wallet holster for my AMT backup but sold it with the gun because the AMT DAO is shaped different and wouldn't fit properly. Since they are now defunct I doubt anyone makes a wallet holster for it. As much as I would hate to hurt anyone the fact remains not everybody has the same feelings. I think about what I would do if in a bad situation. You can't go out and practice shooting a bad guy but you can go over it in your head and plan for that situation. It's always better to have a plan than to go in blind. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. That can be both mechanically and mentally. |
