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Posted: 9/5/2014 9:47:23 AM EDT
I find myself carrying my Bulgarian Makarov daily in the winter compared to the summer. In the summer I always have it with me, just not on my side which makes me a bit nervous.
How do you deal with carrying in the summer? The two main problems I seem to be facing are: 1: Printing in a T-shirt 2: No cloth "buffer zone" between sidearm and skin FWIW I carry 3oclock IWB right side, slight fwd cant. |
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[#1]
As long as printing isn't considered brandishing in your state, don't worry about it. 87% of people don't spend even a second each day wondering if anyone is carrying a gun. Nobody will notice. As far as cloth buffer, I always wear white undershirts under everything, including t-shirts. This partly to make the t-shirts stay cleaner and last longer, but I also tuck in the white one so it's between the horse hide and the spare tire.
ETA: M&P9c in summer, M&P9 in winter, same Crossbreed Supertuck around 3:30. |
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[#4]
Depending on your state laws, I wouldn't worry about printing. Most people are to self absorbed to notice. To help put your mind at ease, see if you can spot some one printing in public. As part of that exercise, see if you can discern the difference between all the various things people wear on their belts and covered in some way.
In TX, nothing in the law says you can't print. It just says you can't intentionally expose and printing doesn't count. Suggestions for comfort. Holster design continues to evolve and there are good choices that eliminate the skin to gun contact completely. IE: The Crossbreed Super Tuck. Wear a thin tank top undershirt inside you gun. Hawaiian shirts and "camp shirts" that are straight cut along the bottom might work well since they tend to have a baggy fit. I found that some T-shirts have different side cuts which makes printing worse. I usually don't wear them as much in the summer. What ever you do, take it to the range and practice with it. Learn to clear your clothing quickly and cleanly. It should become second nature. YMMV |
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[#6]
All good tips, thanks guys.
I've been carrying for a few years now and have tried a few different holsters, however money is obviously a factor here. I was wearing undershirts with my t-shirt every day but found that I was obviously hotter with them on during the summer, something I think I'll just have to get over. Have practiced clearing clothes away on a few occasions and feel confident I could do this in a "shit just got real" situation. Reloads are a different story and need to be practiced. |
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[#7]
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[#8]
I wear fairly snug shirts, im 5'7 175lbs w/ a muscular build, I carry a Govt. 1911 IWB in a Milt sparks VMII or Nexus w/ most of my wardrobe. If the shirt is to tight and printing or if its a light color (dark colors conceal better) I switch to either a G30 IWB in a MTAC or a kahr CM9 IWB w/ a Kydex holster.
normal summer clothes are cargo shorts w/ T-shirts (under armour or Rogue) and Button ups (western like Wrangler, Cinch, etc.) I normally do not wear a undershirt bc its too hot in TX, I just wipe the gun down before I go to bed with a light coat of CLP or a Silicone Rag. |
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[#9]
I appendix carry with a leather/kydex hybrid with zero cant, belt slots, and a loopbelt. Worn over the underwear.
Then put on whatever pants/shorts/sweats I want to wear. No clips or loops showing. No belly, so the M&P 9c disappears with or without a tucked shirt. No sagging, flopping, or needing multiple 'gun belts' for different situations. Same set up all year round. Formal and casual situations alike. When wearing a fitted suit, I use a custom 3Speed holster with either the Shield or J-Frame. All three guns (M&P9c,Shield, J-Frame) fit just fine in the same holster. The gun does ride lower with this set up compared to my leather/kydex set up. |
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[#10]
Kahr pm9 pocket carry. Or g26 in a hybrid.
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[#11]
I carry a G19 year round in Eastern NC. Crossbreed holster works well year round. Shorts and a T shirt are usually not a problem, just need to find a longer shirt.
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[#13]
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[#14]
My carry style stays the same year around. Glock 19 in a AIWB with a reload. T-shirts shorts, no problem, all conceals the same.
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[#15]
IWB like the others have said
everything from full sized 1911's and M&P's to shields I like the Milt sparks summer special II, the blade-tech nano, and the hybrid like "Storz" posted. Makarov is a clunky heavy gun with a small cartridge Have you ever looked at the tiny 380's ? Like the P3AT or Ruger Sometime I carry a 380 or S&W 642 in a front pocket nemesis holster PS- Don't fuck around with a cheap walmart belt. Spend some money on a SOLID belt designed for CCW. I like the Blade-Tech looper |
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[#16]
Wife beater undershirt
JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster Glock 19 Above all of those was losing 30 lbs. |
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[#17]
G26 AIWB with a vanguard 2. Winter time I'll still carry the 26 but probably go back to my Mtac, but who knows. I really dig my current set up.
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[#18]
M&P9C IWB year round, barely prints. Printing is not an issue here anyways.
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[#19]
glock 19. works fine for me. i just dont wear anything skin tight.
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[#20]
Pocket carry is the way to go for me.
Every "summertime" carry piece I've ever owned had to pass the "test": fit comfortably inside my right front short's pocket without a belt to hold it up. If it didn't fit in my pocket or was heavy enough to drag my shorts down, it didn't get considered. I've had several Bersa .380's as well as a Ruger LCP before I lost what little faith I had in the .380 round. They all passed the test, though. Now I go with a snubbie .38+p and am very happy. It's alloy and SS, of course, to guard against rust. I wear khaki short and various t-shirts and sleeveless t-shirts all summer long (unless I'm in church, of course) and I'll make that "firepower" compromise all day long to insure I'm toting. I am confidant of my ability to prevail with my five-shot wheel gun. |
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[#21]
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[#22]
LCR in a hybrid Foxx holster, leather on skin doesn't bother me, in the NC heat it gets soaked though so it might be hard on a plain steel gun, only problem I have is the tackiness of the grip doesn't let the shirt fall back down after being seated, easily averted by tucking an undershirt over the gun if I need to concern myself. Pocket carry is also a viable option if I'm wearing loose enough pants/shorts.
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[#25]
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[#26]
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[#27]
Quoted:
I find myself carrying my Bulgarian Makarov daily in the winter compared to the summer. In the summer I always have it with me, just not on my side which makes me a bit nervous. How do you deal with carrying in the summer? The two main problems I seem to be facing are: 1: Printing in a T-shirt 2: No cloth "buffer zone" between sidearm and skin FWIW I carry 3oclock IWB right side, slight fwd cant. View Quote I moved to SWF and wear cargo shorts and Tshirts 98% of the time Wrangler Cargo Shorts have lots of pockets and lite colored Tshirts are cooler. I carry a HK P30S with TLR-1 light I carry IWB at 3PM using a JM custom made holster. 1 spare mag using wilderness horizontal mag holder and wilderness 5 stitch belt. I also carry a S&W M642 in my left front . also carry a speed strip and sometimes a HKS loader both filled with ranger bonded 130gr 2 lights= Nitecore SRT 5 & P2X Defender Fury 2 knives Kiss & Socom Elite wallet/cell phone Its real s easy to do. I even go bowling carrying all the above stuff. My P30 is slightly higher in height than my P229 . So I have to wear 1 size larger. Large to XL Plus 3PM is hard to pull off using a Straight Drop IWB and a tall pistol |
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[#28]
I had a Desantis hybrid for my Shield but didn't care for it. I did not care for the leather against my skin and it's too hot to wear a T-shirt under another shirt. Bought an El Paso Saddlery C-Force holster I like much better. The offset belt loop makes it very comfortable even for appendix carry. Lately I've been carrying the C-force/Shield in my jeans pocket. It works out quite well and don't need a larger T-shirt.
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[#30]
Kahr PM9 on the waist or in a pocket or M&P 340 same way.
If need be I will go to a G23 IWB |
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[#31]
I can carry my Shield IWB appendix in a minimal Kydex holster under just a t-shirt, including a spare mag on the other side, and you'd have a difficult time telling that I'm carrying (I've tested this with people who know I carry).
It can be done, just depends on the holster and/or the pistol. ETA: I carry next to bare skin. Doesn't bother me. |
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[#32]
I carry a shield in a cheap small of back clip-on holster. Slightly larger than normal shirt, un tucked.
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[#34]
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[#35]
My usual method is a S&W 640, in a Glaco leather front pocket holster.
Not at all visible with cargo style shorts, or in dress jeans. Easy to get to. Doesn't dig into your back like a IWB does when you sit down. And in very dodgy situations, you can have your hand on the grip without looking like you're set to draw. |
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[#36]
Quoted: I find myself carrying my Bulgarian Makarov daily in the winter compared to the summer. In the summer I always have it with me, just not on my side which makes me a bit nervous. How do you deal with carrying in the summer? The two main problems I seem to be facing are: 1: Printing in a T-shirt 2: No cloth "buffer zone" between sidearm and skin FWIW I carry 3oclock IWB right side, slight fwd cant. View Quote looks like allot of people carry bigger shit and have already posted. good material here
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[#37]
I carry a Sig Pro 2022 all year round. Jeans, shorts, polo shirts, t-shirts, jackets. Never had an issue. I use a hybrid holster which puts a good piece of leather in contact with my skin. The grip can rub a little bit if I move around a lot (squirm in the seat of my car or on the couch). But I'm not so bothered with it. A good holster and belt (just switched to a Wilderness 5 stitch kydex lined) will solve the majority of your problems. I've also noticed that the majority of people around aren't actively trying to find the gun on someone. They see a bump under your shirt and they think it's a phone (or pager, or colostomy bag, or insulin pump). Anything but a gun. Even the hardcore anti-gun people don't know*. So basically, don't over think it. Do a quick check in the mirror and if nothing glaring sticks out, you'll be fine.
*I was visiting my wife at Starbucks where she works when the lady in front of me was mouthing of about how great it was that Starbucks didn't allow guns in the stores anymore (which in reality is a non-enforceable policy that they put in place to make soccer moms feel good, the employees are instructed to never confront a person with a firearm and to treat them like a regular customer). I just smiled and kissed my wife with my Sig Pro on my hip the whole time. |
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[#38]
Quoted:
Similar setup to louisanarebel. The Minotaur here is new and will require a little breaking in, but it works with jeans, shorts and t-shirts most of the time. I worried about printing all the time when I first started carrying, not so much anymore. It is not noticeable unless I bend certain ways and I avoid those movements, becomes almost second nature when I had carried this type of rig for a while. The Minotaur gives a good separation of the pistol to my body. Only thing I might do at some point is put some moleskin on the back, but I have not found a need for it yet. http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae267/wile_coyote2/p2000InMinotaur_zpsfc95b90a.jpg View Quote Same holster but with a G26. No problem carrying with a t-shirt. After a while you train yourself to squat, not bend over and reach for something up high with your off hand. Probably the most comfortable iwb holster I have found also. |
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[#39]
I carry the same thing in summer and winter. That would be an HK45c. As long as you aren't the overly tight cloths kind of guy you can get away with carrying a decent size weapon iwb in shorts and T-shirt weather (btw, it's pretty warm where I live). At least that has been my experience. Also, it is nice to have a "buffer," but I don't have one more often than not.
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[#40]
Living in south florida it's a t shirt and shorts every day. I carry a glock 19 without much issue appendix or at 5:00 in a basic kydex holster. If I'm working in board shorts I carry a 26 or a .38 special in a remora up front. I just bought an xds in .45 tonight to replace the 26. Like most people will tell you, no one notices any printing. People are too busy caught up in their own issues and, for the most part, are clueless to their surroundings. Occasionally I'll carry my P30 in a comp tac mtac, great holster and conceals very well, but my guns are on and off 4 or 5 times a day, a single clip kydex holster is much easier to work with than the pancake style, also less to get sweaty. I'm 5'7" and pretty stocky. Hope this helped.
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[#41]
South Florida; P220 Carry Equinox in a horsehide Super Tuck, every day, year round, usually under a tee shirt and shorts.
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[#42]
Shorts and fishing shirt untucked.
Prints a little but no one notices and I don't go around thinking about it. |
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[#43]
Thanks everyone for weighing in on this topic.
Although I've been carrying for a few years now, I think I just worry about printing too much. Honestly the only people that might notice (unless its completely visible) would be those that I would be proud to see it, IE other CCW holders. That being said, I would like to sell my Mak and pick up a 2022. That looks to be a sweet gun for an even sweeter price. |
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[#44]
XDs 9 in Nate Squared professional. The suede feels so good against the skin. Super comfy!!!
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[#47]
The best thing I have found in hot weather when wearing shorts is pocket carry; G42 in a DeSantis Nemesis.
I wear Cabela's 7 Pocket Shorts. The Nemesis is a perfect fit in the front pocket with its squared off "cargo pocket" type cut. And the front pocket also has a small, separate, exterior flap pocket which completely obscures printing. And the pocket opening is large enough to allow a decent (not perfect) draw, unlike jeans pockets which are too tight. |
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