Thursday, September 8, 2016

Struggling with a carry method, help!


Lurker here, at the end of my proverbial rope. I am really struggling with finding a method of carry that best suits my particular needs. For background, I am 6'6" or 6'7", depending on how my back feels on any given day. I'm fairly lean (I'd guess 185-195) after loosing right around 100 lbs since last year, I dropped to 175 and have been bulking up for the past two months (controlled, with weight lifting, I haven't fallen off the bandwagon!). I'm fairly broad shouldered, with a narrow waist / hips, wearing a 30x34 pant (depending on cut, may go with a 32 waist). Very much the inverted pyramid build. So far that doesn't sound too bad in my own ears, shirts should hang away from my body and reduce printing to essentially zero, right?Here's where it gets tricky.I am a HVAC Service Technician. I'm the guy stumbling around your attic, wandering across the high-rise rooftop, or duck walking (if I'm lucky)/ belly crawling (more times than not) through your disgusting, dirty, damp crawl space. Let's top this off with the fact that I live in Atlanta. It's hot, it's humid, it's nasty.So that's my dilemma. How on earth do I exercise my right to defend myself and my family with the crazy range of motion required of me plus a hostile environment?I've done research. An obscene amount. I'm still undecided as to what I want to carry (in terms of firearms) simply because it feels like I'll have to choose based on method, not preference.Now on to carry methods: OWB- out of the question, for reasons that should be obvious, the least of which is that my employer isn't fond of us carry at all, and who cares how much time I spend in College Park, it's all exaggerated, right? (It's not, by the way. Worked for a security firm with clients on that side of town, have been shot at more than once).IWB- uniform consists of LAPG pants and a tucked in polo-style shirt. Currently they're black, which is nice, but the genius in charge is switching us to white- don't even get me started on that fiasco. With what I do, anything past 3 o'clock is going to print like the New York Times every time I lean over, so that's out.AIWB- This WOULD be my ideal position, simply because I like the rapid deployment it offers, plus the defensive capabilities this posture offers. The big issue here is, once again, the movement. Not many options allow for leaning over completely at the waist. A couple of the carry "pouches" may, but that goes out the window when I'm scrambling through Georgia clay on my stomach, or spending 25% of my day driving around downtown.Ankle- aside from being a sub-optimal draw location, I wear 5.11 shield boots, which are high.Pocket- may be a viable option, although it severely limits may carry options. I wear these http://ift.tt/2cdWuzb every day for work (told my boss I wasn't spending my hard earned cash on Cintas garbage, he let's me where what I like now). They're not terribly thick, so things may print more than with denim, but they're black and have two large cargo pockets (usually occupied with tools). The upper front pockets are very thin, just tossed in my wife's shield and even with the pocket holster, printed strongly. So I'd be drawing from roughly knee- height from an unsecured holster.Can you see now why I'm stressed?!There's a few products on the market that look like they might work, but reviews are few and far between from unheard of sources.The BWB carry holster from Cherries, but climbing and crawling may be out with that http://ift.tt/2c3qCjK Additionally looks like two handed draw is almost mandatory unless you wear loose pants (which my Raptor belt is there to prevent).The tactipac (http://ift.tt/1JXzD2S) Seems like a VERY viable carry option, and one reviewer went so far as to say he too works in the HVAC field. Problem here is searching for reviews has turned up very little, and they're a mixed bag of potentially poor customer service and unknown wait times. Someone in another forum said they submitted a negative review that was blocked or censored as well, which, if true, is never a good sign.Urban carry (http://ift.tt/2c3pZGP). Again, mixed reviews, especially concerning potential issues with the draw. This seems to be largely dependent on the firearm used.So far these seem the most likely choices, and none of them particularly good.As far as the firearm itself is concerned:No Glocks. Yuk. My sister and brother in law are both LEO with issued Glocks. I've shot them. I hate them. I can't even fathom how someone can carry them. Just personal preference.My wife carries a shield, as stated above, which works for her. It's a bit small in my hands, which is to be expected. I shoot okay with it, but the comfort level isn't there. On a side note, why on earth is it so damned hard to seat a mag in that thing with one in the chamber?!I was very interested in the P320sc but some stress tests didn't give it particularly good reviews, which may have spoiled it for me. Also, I can see the tactipac being the only holster mentioned that would allow a double stack to be carried.Best I can think of is a single stack DAO with a longer trigger pull, since I can't afford to have a safety that may or may not stay engaged during the course of my day.Good grief, sorry for the wall of text. I'm just running out of ideas, so any insight you guys can offer would be a great help.Thanks in advance everyone.TL;DR: Slenderman can't figure out how to carry while crawling and needs your help.Edited for grammatical errors. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2cdY5oH

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