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Posted: 2/27/2006 10:04:53 PM EDT
I'm just wondering how you guys carry in the vehicle. Do you carry on person or some other place in the vehicle? I tried carrying on my person while driving but it was just too uncomfortable, especially on long drives. Do you guys find that also to be true? Anyone have a hoster set up in their vehicle? Suggestions and pictures would be great if you have them. Thanks!
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I have done many 10 hour drives carrying on my person with my USPc .40 in my VMII. Most the time I forget it is there.
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I have never had any problems carrying while driving. If you have an issue with comfort maybe you should try a shoulder rig. I wear a mitch rosen shoulder rig along with a sparks vm2 all the time. I drive quiet a bit and always have my 2 glock 19's with me
Remember that carrying is supposed to be comforting not always comfortable. Also i would never suggest off the body carry since you never know whne you might have to exit your vechicle in a hurry. |
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My handgun goes in my console when driving.
The seat belt interferes with waist carry positons slowing the draw process and I don't care for the "Wait while I get my gun" approach to personal defense. Unlatching the seatbelt is very obvious from outside the car and is telescoping your intent to resist. The idea is not to escalate a bad situation unless you have to. Having my gun down the small of my back is about the worst since I'd almost have to get out the car to get to it. The most likely scenario any of us would face is car jacking or window mugging. I'm not out to seek revenge after being robbed but prevent severe bodily harm or death. Letting the badguy get the drop on me doesn't fit in my plans. Now that being said, console carry is just like personal carry and you have to practice pulling your weapon. Placement is very important. I use a one hand method, right hand, minimizing body movement which is telescoping. This requires I face forward while watching a potential suspect from the corner of my eye. If an approaching person is suspect but not showing a weapon, I have the optin of opening the console to speed the process but not drawing. Life was alot easier before the seatbelt laws. Another benifit is the gun is not on me should I be pulled over. There isn't a must disclose clause in TN and cops don't quite feel as threatened if you don't have a gun right on you. Personal if on me, I would show them my CCW card right off required by law or not. There's some downsides and probably the biggest is transferring the weapon from your console to your person when you get out the car. I do this in the car but sometimes have to wait until people are not next to the car. With this in mind, sometimes I carry two one on me and one the console. In making the decsion, I suggest you set in your drive and try both on you carry and console with emphais on which is faster with the least telescoping of your intent. There's alot of factors from your body shape to the car cockpit design so one answer doesn't fit all. What this does is you develop not only your technique but can have guns specifically dedicated to console use (see above). Tj Edit: I wanted to note I discarded seat belt losening techniques so my draw time would increase during personal carry. The odds of a car accident far outweigh the odds of armed confrontation. I added this cause I know alot of people who do this. |
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I agree completely with TomJefferson.
The techniques for drawing from IWB while in a seat belt are all compromises. I put it in my center console. Often I'll have one in my center console and one on my person. I also have a couple of holsters that mount at various locations in the vehicle, out of sight. |
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I have heard of people that have some type of holster set up under the dash or something of the like. I don't know how safe or feasible this is, anyone do this, think its ok, have any ideas about, anything like that?
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I used to have one mounted to the front of my seat, where it was out of sight because the cushion sticks out over it. Works fine. smartcarry sells the ace car holster...he doesn't make them but sells them. They're velcro and come with highly adhesive velcro pads that you can put anywhere in your car and stick the holster to. There's also a fobus rig you can mount with screws if you can find the right spot, and there's the kingston car seat holster as well. I've tried lots of techniques. In my current vehicle, the center console makes the most sense. |
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Having to carry one for 12 hours at a time is a pain and even more so to deploy from the driver position. I'm a big guy and things tend to be a bit cramped. In this case I keep a backup in an easy to reach place in case a traffic stop goes very bad. Off duty, I usualy have no problems though. No "batman" utility belt or bulky body armor in the way.
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It depends on the type of vehicle. Its really not a good idea to have your weapon visible. I do a couple things for console carry. All of my carry holsters are belt holsters. After determining the best positon so the console will close and for best speed drawing, I mounted a leather strap to velcro and matched it to the other side of velcro which I tap on the vehicle. This allows me to use my carry holster as a console mounted holster as well as take out the leather leaving just the velcro if needed. Its not as steady as a scewed in dedicated holster but is secure enough you don't have to draw the gun from the holster with one hand. That's a deep console and all of my handguns will fit in it. I use a couple strips of velcro which allows me to position the leather strap (piece of old belt) for different firearms. Its almost always barrel down and handgrip to the front but somtime barrel forward handgrip down. In my vehicles with shallow console. I've done really nothing since depending on what gun it is it will fit only one way. Here I simply lay the gun in there barrel down towards the back and handgrip up towards the front. You guys find this funny but I use napkins I pick up at fast food places etc. to hold the gun in position and keep it from shaking about. The napkins come in handy for other stuff. Now if you can imagine the position, it allows me to open the console and draw in a natural positon with my right hand. Tj |
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I'll have to check out those holsters. I don't think my console will really fit my .45 with all of the other crap I keep in there. I like the idea of putting the velcro under the dash, and I think I could put it in a place were it wasn't visable. That would sure beat having it in the glove box or having the awkward draw with the seat belt. If anyone has pictures of these types of holsters in use I wouldn't mind seeing them. Thanks a lot for the info.
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I usually can carry mine one me in a belt or IWB hoster at 3 o'clock. I also have a pancake holster that works well for my stick shift car and fits right next to the emergency brake handle and in my truck I can put it between my center council and the seat bottom or under the center council it's self.
My friend likes a shoulder holster pointing down. |
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Didn't you just say in another thread that you only just got your CHL today? |
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ha. no i've had it in for about three weeks now. i looked in "My Topics" and went through and commented on some of the old ones. But i'll be straight honest i've carried for over a year now. |
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If I am a passenger, I leave both weapons on. It is much easier to draw when the steering wheel is not in your lap. When I am driving, my primary weapon is tucked between my seat and the console, but I leave my BUG in the ankle holster.
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Give you another place, the old fold down arm rests in a bench seat. That actually saved my ass once.
Story: Driving to Texas through Arkansas a 24 hour trip tired and unable to stay awake, I pull into a road side rest to take a quick nap. I'm not there 10 minutes or so when a car with no muffler pulls right behind mine and stops. I think WTH there's parking places everywhere. Curious I raise my head to look through the side view mirror. Two guys get out wearing nothing but short pants one with a handgun. I lower the arm rest and retreave my .38 snub. Laying down this was an odd angle so when I pulled it, it must of flashed above the seat. One of the guys yelled, "He's got a gun!" They then piled in their car and drove off. Shakened, actually my wife and I (she was in the backseat) went into the rest, reported it to the caretaker, and washed our faces with water to wake up. We get back on the highway. At the next roadside rest just east of Texarkanna, we notice flashing emergency lights everywhere. This was back in the CB days so I get on the horn and ask if anyone knows what happened. I was told two guys fitting the same description had robbed some guy sleeping on a picnic table and shot the victim in the head. You want to know why I carry in a car, well here is one of the reasons. Tj |
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I carry my primary on my person in a IWB belt holster and my spare under my right leg while driving. If the primary gets uncomfortable then I'll just set it between the seat and console.
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I've got an '03 Tundra that has an indented tray over the transmission hump. Either my S&W 65 or SIG P229 just fit in the tray. The gun is fairly secure and very accessible to me. I keep a towel handy to cover the gun while going through a drive thru or toll booth. When I get out or if I get pulled over, I put the gun in the console. I live in Louisiana where having a loaded handgun in your vehicle is not illegal. In my wife's SUV, I will put my handgun in the driver's side door map pocket. There is a small locking drawer under the passenger seat that I put the gun in when we get out.
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How mature of you, risking your CHL eligibility like that. |
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I've been told by a local law enforcement officer here that even if you have a CCW then you cannot stor a weapon in the center console or glovebox. It MUST be on your person. If you don't have a CCW it must be unloaded, and in its case, in a place where the driver cannot reach it
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Colorado is a bit different, without a CCW you can have it in your car as long as it's not concealed and the chamber is empty. Right now I keep mine on the passenger seat. My car is small, I can open the passenger door while sitting in the driver seat. With a CCW I believe you can have it in the center console or glovebox if you want. |
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I think in Colorado even if you don't have a CCW you can have it concealed in the car. I can't remember back to my CCW class, but I'm pretty sure I remember discussing that in that course and the instructors said in Colorado anyone that can legally be in posession of a handgun can have it concealed in their car. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Zach |
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That sucks. In Kentucky, you can carry a loaded weapon in the glove box even without a CCDW permit. |
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Its been said, but ill say it again. If your weapon isnt on your person its not with you. If you have to jump out of the car etc, you no longer have access to your firearm.
My opinion about holster options for your car is that it should be within arms length so that you arnt leaning over to draw the weapon. That way the BG doesnt suspect your reaching for something. If its outside an arms length i think its not useful. My suggestion: find a good place for a weapon in your car and have a second dedicated weapon for it. Also, always keep a firearm on your person so that if the sh*t hits the fan you have your weapon. Drawing from IWB with a seat belt sucks, which is why i suggest two firearms. If you only can carry one weapon - carry it IWB. just my .02 |
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I am not big on shoulder holsters but when I know I am going to spend all day in the car I will wear one.
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That's precisely what I do. I have a dedicated "truck pistol" that I leave in my console and I carry my usual piece IWB. However, if I have to carry just one I'd rather have it reachable while I'm driving than IWB. In most scenarios I can grab my gun from my console and holster it before exiting my rig, and I've had enough close calls while in my vehicle to be glad that I have a weapon within easy reach while sitting and seat belted. |
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I have an old pickup w/a bench seat. Leather pocket sewn on front of bench seat. Loose fitting seat cover hides the gun very well. I also have a vest and light jacket that both have thin home made leather holsters sewn inside. I usually just wear the vest or the jacket. All three will hold a full size double stack 1911 style pistol. Except for the slightly noticable (to me)increase in weight on one side, I hardly notice the difference. Sometimes I have all three along for the ride.When my wife sees me with that many guns, she just figures I'm being a gentleman and carrying hers alos!!
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This is correct. It is one of the exceptions to the concealed carry laws, in Colorado anyways. As far as in a vehicle, I leave my carry gun on my hip and have another one in the car. I had a piece of velcro sewn onto a cheap Uncle Mikes holster and then stuck a piece of velcro onto the underside of my truck's dash. It is very accessible and very discrete. When I leave the vehicle for any length of time, the gun is locked up in the console. HTH Seydou |
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