Interesting topic
What sort of compromises do you make for concealed carry?
I very rarely carry a spare magazine. This is because I spend a lot of time driving and I find that the magazines ride up a little too high to make carrying one all day comfortable. I do keep a spare in a carrier in the truck that I could strap on in very little time. I’ve also gotten interested in AIWB carry. But, again due to driving, it’s not comfortable all day when you’re tooling down the back 40.
March 8th, 2017 at 7:22 pm
I carry a spare mag in my coat pocket in winter. There is a degree of preparing for something that statistically will likely never happen. It’s like this:
Chances are, you will never draw your gun on another person.
If you do have to draw your gun, chances are you won’t have to fire.
If you do have to fire, chances are you’ll shoot one or two shots and won’t exhaust your magazine.
The last item I think is very very unlikely. Granted, consequences are severe if you’re wrong, but I don’t carry four fire extinguishers in my car either. One reason I hate mag capacity limits is because it prevents people from carrying more rounds at zero cost in comfort. But the fact is, the odds of emptying a magazine in a deadly force encounter are vanishingly small. I don’t see why people can’t made trade offs for comfort without being labeled unserious.
March 8th, 2017 at 7:28 pm
I make the same compromise, often forgoing a spare mag, unless I’m traveling somewhere with a higher danger potential. Twice during vigorous activity I’ve had spare mags end up on the ground. Which makes carrying them risky when going places concealed carry is prohibited.
The biggest compromise is in my clothing, though, not my pistol. I’ve switched 95% to Tru-Spec pants and shorts for the deep pockets for pocket-carry of a subcompact Glock, which works surprisingly well. No compromises there.
March 8th, 2017 at 9:32 pm
I rarely carry a spare mag . My XD is 13+1 on my .45 . My two 9mm are both 10+1 and I may carry a second mag for either in a pocket . If I need more ammo than what is in the mag , maybe it is my choice in area to visit
March 8th, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Hmm. I don’t quite get the “riding too high” thing. You’re not carrying Sten magazines I bet. I carry spares on the left side of the belt, sort of in front (if your zipper is at 12 O’clock and your right hip point is at 3:00, then I have my spare mag carrier at about 9:30 and the gun at 4:30), and it’s not a problem. It does mean that the Leatherman is farther around back though, and it sometimes jabs me in the back left side a little bit while I’m in the driver’s seat.
The gun and spare mags are never a problem. My only compromises are that I now always wear a shirt over my T-shirt, never tuck in the over-shirt, and I sometimes put up with a Leatherman in the back while driving (but I can always shove it over enough to stop the discomfort). In hot weather I skip the T-shirt and just wear the un-tucked over-shirt to cover the OWB pistol.
Maybe you only need to reposition the mag carrier, or try a different one. There’s no reason why it should be uncomfortable.
IMO, the default should be OWB, covered by a long shirt or sport coat. That should get you through just about anywhere, any time, including the beach while wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. It’s worked for me for years and years and I carry a full sized pistol.
Do people sometimes “make” my gun by its print? Dunno. So what if they do? No one ever says anything. Anyway I carried this way at work for weeks before I asked people if they’d noticed. No one had, and we work in close proximity.
My only problem would be when actually swimming. I’d have to take off my shirt (or not?), and anyway the gun would be submerged. If I wanted to carry a gun in my swimming trunks, wearing nothing else, then I’d go for a pocket gun. There’s really no other compelling reason for one except as a backup to the hip gun.
March 8th, 2017 at 9:49 pm
I got used to ankle carry when I worked in an office environment. Had to tuck my shirt. I still like ankle if I am going to be sitting a lot. If I am going to be upright, then usually IWB at 4 o’clock and untucked shirt. I like the N82 holsters, though the only retention you are getting is from your belt.
March 8th, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Stopped caring. I feel much better now. I carry outside on my hip under a shirt and don’t care who sees or where or when or why or how. It’s such a relief. I carry 2 spare mags and anybody who knows what to look for can plainly see that I have a big fat gun and I DON’T CARE because fuck them.
I have even started to carry open, oh gasp, sometimes as well. Guess how many people have cared, exactly zero.
March 8th, 2017 at 10:26 pm
The “spare” mag is not only for more ammo capacity, but for fixing problems. You may lose some of your primary mag ammo while attending to feeding/extraction difficulties. With a single stack mag, this could be a big problem in trying to respond to an attack.
If your mag release is tripped while in your holster, will you lose the mag when drawing? Add in running while trying to draw. Still there? (Left handed carry is more likely to have that button hit, as it is outboard for them)
No spare mag means you now have a single shot gun. Well, unless it has a mag safety, which means you have a club. (Forget stopping to retrieve that dropped mag, you were running for a reason.)
March 8th, 2017 at 10:35 pm
I went to a horizontal mag carrier on my belt. No discomfort at all. Even if I still used a vertical carrier, I’d just as soon leave the house without pants as without a spare mag.
March 9th, 2017 at 7:07 am
Started using a shoulder holster when I worked for (someone) because getting in and out of the vehicle 20 times a day was a hassle with a hip holster and seat belts, and it turned out the shoulder rig also worked well on the motorcycle on weekends, just needed one size larger jacket. For those very few instances requiring it, it’s easy to shrug out of or put on, which keeps the gun contained in the holster. Galco makes a bunch of options for the off side, so I’ve got 2 spare mags and a light on that side. It does require some sort of gun burka, though, which I don’t find much of a problem, and I find having the weight on the shoulders instead of the hips more comfortable..
March 9th, 2017 at 5:35 pm
I usually have a couple speed strips in my jacket pocket but I’m more likely to need to draw my LCR for wolf or bear then any two legged problem.
March 9th, 2017 at 7:29 pm
“Started using a shoulder holster…”
I’ve rolled around on the ground fixing my jeep with a Sig P228 and a spare 18 rounder on the strong side. No sweat.
Shoulder holsters really are nice. I guess provided you live somewhere north of hell.
March 9th, 2017 at 8:54 pm
my solution is a cloth 1911 two mag pouch (has two cloth straps on back instead of those metal impalments) or a m1 carbine mag pouch (again two cloth straps) my cell phone tucks behind it and it gives the single stack 9mm 16 spare rations and that is I hope enough to stop any fights I wander into
March 10th, 2017 at 9:21 am
You’re a grown-ass adult and can make your own decisions. With that understood, I strongly encourage everyone who carries a semiautomatic pistol to carry at least one spare magazine, both for round-count and for malfunction clearance in case you have a double-feed.
It is in my best interests for you to continue to post here, so please find a comfortable way to carry a spare mag.
March 10th, 2017 at 11:39 am
I often carry a spare gun rather than spare mags. Main pistol carried AIWB, Beretta Jetfire in front strong side pocket.
If I’m going somewhere like, say, philadelphia, I’ll throw an extra mag or two in my right pocket
March 12th, 2017 at 1:54 pm
Living out in the sticks I just mainly carry the gun, a 9mm Shield – I try to remember a spare-mag but I’m a skinny old fart. A shoulder holster works well under a motorcycle jacket.
March 12th, 2017 at 7:37 pm
I like having a job far too much to bother with it.