A Brief Overview of Conceal Carrying for Anyone New

As most people miss the FAQ and sidebar links the purpose of this guide is to serve as a quick, general overview for newbies looking to conceal carry. Most of this can be found in the FAQ but this guide covers multiple topics at one time ranging from carry methods, gear, and firearms recommendations.SafetyLearn the four rules of firearm safety and live it. As a firearm owner you are a steward of firearm safety. Hickok45’s video on firearm safety is one the best.If safety is not your number one priority when it comes to firearms, pick a new hobby. Carrying a gun does not make you a tough guy or a cop. Every encounter you have you must de-escalate the situation.Legal StuffVisit handgunlaw.us to read about your state and states you visit. If you have any questions contact your local sheriff’s department and or a lawyer.Other legal stuff is CCW “insurance.” The idea behind it is to pay legal costs of the aftermath if you ever have to defend yourself. Three popular ones are: Second Call Defense, USCCA, and Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network. If you live in Texas you are very lucky as you have access to Texas Law Shield. More can be found here.Carry MethodsThere are five common methods to concealing a firearm. Each method will vary in conceal-ability and comfort depending on the size of the firearm.OWB: On the waistband. This carry method is for lax concealing as the gun is on the outside of your pants that will be covered by a shirt or jacket. When moving about it is possible the cover garment will ride up and possibility get stuck on the firearm turning conceal carry into open carry. If open carry is not legal in your state, do not carry OWB.IWB: Inside the waistband. This is the most common carry method. The gun will literally be inside your pants around the hip of your dominant hand’s side. Imagine looking down at yourself with an analog clock overlapped on you, directly in front is 12 o’clock. As most people are right-handed the gun will be between your 3 and 5 o’clock, this varies depending on where you find it to be most comfortable.AIWB: Appendix IWB. This is the newest, popular carry method gaining new people everyday. It has the quickest draw of all the conceal carry methods. As before, using the clock method, the firearm will be anywhere from your 12 to 3 o’clock. The exact spot will be personal for where it is most comfortable for you.Pocket: Classic carry method that will change what you can carry by the size of your pocket.Alternative: This is deep concealing when you want no one to know you have a gun or how you’re dressing is not conducive to carry on the belt or in the pocket. Special video for the women.BeltsCarrying is three parts: gun, holster, and belt. You have two styles of gun belts, operator and leather. There are benefits to both. You want to test your belt by doing this. Whatever belt you buy, make sure it has an internal stiffener regardless of your firearm’s weight.Holster Recommendations Personal opinion here from experienceOWB: I don’t carry OWB concealed. If my gun is on my waistband I’m opening carrying, which is another topic. Anyone that OWB carries could make a reply I will copy paste your reply in.If you do ever decide to open carry do not use a Blackhawk Serpa. When open carrying you want a holster with active retention. The Serpa uses a button on the side of the holster which requires your trigger finger to press it. The issue with the Serpa is pressing the button down and dragging the finger along the holster as you draw and eventually into the trigger guard and onto the trigger. Another name for the Serpa release switch is the suicide switch. I like Safariland’s SLS as it is a physical strap over the back of the slide which may stop anyone with a dumb idea of going for your gun in the first place.IWB and AIWB: Stealthgear is the most recommended holster on this sub and I'm a believer in their product. It is a hybrid holster so it has a kydex shell and a material back. The material Stealthgear uses is great for summer weather as it is very breathable. Leather holsters can be sweaty and uncomfortable. Many people here like their Alien Gear holsters, I’ve never had one. From what I’ve gathered from threads is that they are a good temporary holsters, as they ship within a few day of ordering, until you get a custom made holster like a Stealthgear or any of the other custom holster companies.Pocket: DeSantis is the most popular here but I use a Vedder as it is kydex. It has a hook and the option for a thumb break tab. As before, depending on your pocket size will determine the gun and the holster you use. Some people like the leather ones, there are sticky holster that use friction like Remoras. Just like the gun, this is very personal.Alternative: You have shoulder holsters, ankle holsters, bellybands, underwear holsters, bra holsters, thigh holsters. The list goes on and on. The two alternative carry methods I use are Kangaroo Carry and SmartCarry.The Kangaroo Carry is a cross between shoulder holsters (which are very expensive as the good ones are custom made) and a bellyband. With button-down shirts I can comfortably, conceal a full-size Glock 17 with it. The draw is awkward and slow so I carry this method the least.SmartCarry is cool for single stacks; I don’t recommend it for anything larger/heavier for men because of discomfort on your junk. The draw is a little slower than belt carry but it works with gym shorts and it is my deep conceal go-to.However you carry make sure your trigger guard is coveredBelt Recommendations Personal opinion from experienceOperator Belts: I am not a fan of these belts but those that are, speak highly of Ares Ranger and 5.11 belts.Leather Belts: The Beltman is the most regarded here but I do not have one, yet. I have a 1.25” Beltman on the way for my slacks; 1.5” won’t fit but everyone that has one loves them. I have not heard one bad review about them except their wait times. If you’re looking for something more urgent try Bigfoot Gun Belts. Do not get the one without the steel core nor the 14oz one. The 18oz is not as strong as a custom made belt but it is an acceptable belt until you get one.Caliber ChoiceAs the purpose of the guide is new to conceal carry, and maybe firearms in general, 9mm. Unless you absolutely need the smallest gun possible; 9mms come so small they are even pocketable.With modern hollow points the difference between 9, 40, and 45 is non-existent. 380 lags behind 9 a little but a fair number of 380 HPs meets FBI standards; just make sure they cycle 100% before carrying with them. **It is a viable caliber* but given the size of 9mms now, the cost of 380 ammo was a huge factor why I went with a Glock 43 (9) over the Glock 42 (380) for pocket carry for how often I shoot.*Hollow PointsFederal HSTs; this is the top dog right now. There are many (quality hollow points](http://ift.tt/1RtJqQs) like Speer Gold Dots and Hornady but Federal did an excellent job with the HSTs.Gun RecommendationsAs this is a guide for those new to conceal carry and also likely new to shooting as well, a small gun is not the most shooter friendly for a first gun. I recommend getting a large gun then a small gun, one for learning/training/home defense/range fun and one for carrying. If two guns is not possible I will also recommend single gun for all purposes. I am a firm believer of platform consistency for training and mechanics and natural movement. I say this because you want the magazine release switch to be in the same spot, you want the slide stop in the same spot, you want the sights to be the same so it is natural to focus on the same front sight. That way, if you ever do have to use it, you will be natural with your gun even if the other gun is what you primarily train on.There are many quality guns out there. What works for one person may not work for others. But what works everyone carrying is less weight therefore this list will consistent mostly of polymer guns but a few other small steel guns too. This list comes from this nifty tool. The list below is not everything; I used “Semi”, “Striker”, and “9mm” as the search parameters. Feel free to add to this in the comments. Along with the gun recommendations I’ll include common carry methods for the size of gun except alternative carry as you can do that with any gun.Pairs:-FN FNS-9 & FN FNS-9c / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Glock 17 & Glock 26 / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Glock 19 & Glock 43 / OWB+IWB+AIWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket-Kahr CW9 & Kahr CM9 / IWB+AIWB & Pocket-Ruger SR9 & Ruger SR9c / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Ruger SR9 & Ruger LC9s / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket-Sig Sauer P320 / OWB+IWB+AIWB - Modular, 4 in 1-Smith&Wesson M&P9 & Smith&Wesson M&P9c / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Smith&Wesson M&P9 & Smith&Wesson M&P9 Shield / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket*-Springfield XD 4” & Springfield XD 3” / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Springfield XD 4” & Springfield XDS 3.3” / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket*-Springfield XDM 4.5” & Springfield XDM 3.8”sc / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Springfield XDM 4.5” & Springfield XDS 3.3” / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket*-Springfield XDM2 4” & Springfield XDM2 3” / OWB & IWB+AIWB-Springfield XDM2 4” & Springfield XDS 3.3” / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket*-Walther PPQ & Walther PPS / OWB & IWB+AIWB+Pocket**Designates pocketable size but heavySingle:-FN FNS-9c / IWB+AIWB-Glock 19 / OWB+IWB+AIWB-Glock 26 / IWB+AIWB-Kahr CW9 / IWB+AIWB-Ruger SR9c / IWB +AIWB-Sig Sauer P320 / OWB+IWB+AIWB - Modular, 4 in 1-Smith&Wesson M&P9c / IWB + AIWB-Springfield XD 3” / IWB+AIWB-Springfield XDM 3.8”sc/ IWB+AIWB-Springfield XDM2 3” IWB+AIWBFind a rental range, shoot all of the guns you’re thinking about. Also, think about how you want to carry.With regard to CCW what noobs often overlook is the goals of being able to comfortably CONCEAL the firearm. Hence the number of "I just bought a G19 and can't find a way not to print" posts here.I find the best way to teach is from a comparison baseline. With respect to someone looking for their first pistol for concealed carry I would suggest going to a local gun store (LGS) and evaluating a Glock 26 on those criteria: can it be comfortable concealed under their normal clothing style.The last point as well as body proportions are important for the noob to understand when selecting the gun. The G19 is by all measures easier to shoot and more capable that a G43, but if the guy is 6'0 and weighs 145 lbs. he'll probably be able to conceal the G43 much easier in many different holster positions.Next the noob needs to understand the practical trade-offs between carrying a G19, G26, or G43. I'm only using Glocks because every LGS carries them making it easy for a noob to compare side-by-side.Practically speaking once one learns to shoot, from a distance of 21 ft. or less the only difference between the three GoldiGlocks: Papa Bear19, MamaBear26, and BabyBear43 is needing to reload more often. That brings us to the question of how often does a self-defense shooter actually need to reload during an attack?Studies have shown that about 70% of potential attacks are prevented simply by drawing and displaying the pistol with intent to use it with no shots fired. The caveat with that stat is that it includes robberies of stores and home invasions where there is sufficient reaction time and a "safety buffer" of distance that enables the victim to react.In the 30% of cases where shots are fired stats show that 95% of the shooting occur within 21 ft. and 55% within 10 ft. This is likely the result of victims lacking the situational awareness (or common sense to avoid danger) or a crazed / intoxicated attacker who isn't deterred by the display of the weapon.It is because most DGU occurs at close range that the average number of shots fired is 3-4 in the space of 3-5 seconds. So in light of that statistic where is the advantage of carrying around a gun with 15+ rounds vs, a lighter, easier to conceal 6+1 sub-compact?Starting from the G26 10+1 capacity baseline I think it will be easier for a noob to make this decision. If the person can easily conceal the G26 then it is a good compromise between concealment and capacity. But if they can't conceal the G26 the aren't going to be able to conceal the G19. The selection then gets narrowed to the choice of G26 double-stack size weapon vs G43 single stack weapon and whether or not giving up 4 rounds of capacity (10 vs 6) in the gun is worth the added comfort and convenience of carrying the smaller. lighter gun and spare mags all day.via u/VA_CHPI hope anyone looking to conceal carry found this guide helpful. The FAQ is full of links that goes into each topic with more detail; this is just a brief overview.If you have any critiques or thoughts about how I can make this guide better, leave a comment.Keep Calm and Carry On. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/22KJOBS