I am confident this is an issue that many here among us have faced in the past and I would just like to hear from others who have confronted this issue. Me, I am about 5'11" and 175 lbs. I have no problem concealing a full size Smith and Wesson 686 or a 1911 in a high ride pancake holster when I can wear even a light jacket over it. But the problems start when the Winter coats and Spring/Fall jackets are tossed into the closet for Summer. My normal mode of Summer dress is either Polo shirts and Dockers (or something similar) when at work or t-shirts and jeans otherwise.
Now since I normally go with shirts tucked in, IWB holsters aren't exactly my first choice. On top of this I find them very uncomfortable. So in short, IWB holsters just aren't my thing. But I realize this doesn't leave me too many options. But I don't want to suddenly change the way I dress and go from being a well dressed, tucked in type of guy to wearing loose, untucked button-ups. That would be a dead giveaway that I was packing.
So I figure my options are limited to a small gun in either an ankle holster or a small gun inside one of those Kramer concealed carry "Confidant" shirts, which for those who haven't seen them, basically amount to a mesh wife beater shirt with a gun pocket underneath the arm holes. Also an option is a pocket holster with a smaller pistol, but these aren't exactly my favorites either. So, if you were forced to carry a compact pistol/revolver concealed while wearing typical Summer clothing, would you go with the ankle rig or the shirt? I realize the shirt is great for deep concealment, even under the lightest clothing. But I have never had one of these and have no idea if they are practical. They could be awkward to get to in a hurry, but I think in an emergency I could just rip open the top few buttons of my shirt or pull the shirt up enough to get to my gun fast enough. Plus, the second pocket would give me an extra mag or speed strip holder. The ankle holster would probably be faster, but offers no place to carry spare ammo and would likely be harder to keep the gun totally concealed. Also, the ankle rig may require the gun to be even smaller than what I could carry in the Kramer shirt. Again, I am no huge guy and normally wear clothing that isn't oversized. So, once again, which do you think would be best suited to the type of carry I am talking about? Any experience with ankle holsters or the Kramer Confidant?
And last but far from least is the choice in gun! I currently have nothing in my inventory except a Taurus Model 85 snubby that would even come close to being what I need. All of my current pistols are full size duty type weapons. Two guns that I really like are the Smith and Wesson 6906? (or whatever model is like a 5906 with a 3.5" barrel and bobbed hammer) and the Smith and Wesson 2" titanium snubbies. My minimum calibers are 9mm for an auto and 38 special for snubbies. So please, no suggestions for .25 ACP's, 22's, 32's, etc. There are also some single stack, compact Sig's that may also be exactly what I am looking for. So, out of these choices, what would you get and why? Are the Smith and Wesson compacts reliable and can you hit anything with them? What about the compact Sigs? And last, do the Ti S&W snubbies have a decent or horrible trigger pull and can you hit a bear in the a$$ with one at 7 yards shooting double action?
I know that with all of the limitations set forth my myself and nature that any decision I make will at best be a compromise. But I want to attempt to stay with a decent caliber and gun and not resort to "mouse guns". But I know based upon my size, method of dress and my preference in carry options that I must also keep size to a minimum in order to be practical. What are your experiences and advice when it comes to Summertime concealed carry, carry methods, holsters and guns? I look forward to the responses and feel free to make suggestions toward other options I may not have considered. Afterall, if I knew everything I would not have needed to post this in the first place!
Thanks,
-Charging Handle