More About Concealed Carry

[larrymeyer]

http://www.officer.com/web/online/Operations-and-Tactics/More-About-Concealed-Carry/3$42692


More About Concealed Carry
So Many Choices


Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008
Updated: August 10th, 2008 08:32 AM EDT

STEVE DENNEY
Firearms Contributor



Following my recent column on concealed carry methods I received several questions about other carry options that I did not mention in the article. My intention in that column was to discuss some of the more common choices, but the degree of interest in other possibilities made me think that comments about some other methods might be useful. Here are a few more.

Middle of the Back

One regular reader mentioned that he was surprised that I hadn't mentioned MoB carry, as it has been his preferred method for many years. Also sometimes called "SOB" for "small of the back," it is popular enough that several holster manufacturers make products specifically for it. When I received the emailed question, asking if I had any thought on the subject, this was part of my reply:

Yes, I do have thoughts on MoB carry. First let me say that I used to carry that way frequently myself, but have not for many years. I want to make that clear, so when I say that I don't think it is usually a good idea, you'll know that I have some experience with it. I, too, found it generally comfortable and also very concealable. So what changed my mind? Safety primarily. Over the years, folks started to realize that they were carrying a hard, unyielding object directly over their spine. If you ended up falling on your back, for whatever reason, you'd run a serious risk of spinal chord injury. This first came up regarding what officers carried on their duty belts. It used to be the preferred place to carry your handcuffs, as you could reach them with either hand. They too were a hard, unyielding object, particularly in the typical duty belt carrying pouch. I don't have any statistics on the subject, but somewhere along the line someone raised the issue about the possibility of paralysis from a blow to the lumber spine, and putting anything hard at that location was seriously discouraged. (Nowadays, the glove pouch usually ends up in that spot.) Then people started thinking about carrying guns there, either in plain clothes or off duty. If the cuffs/cuff case were bad, a gun would be worse, so we gradually got away from it. Over the years I've had several hard falls in cold climates due to icy surfaces, and they were bad enough on my aging bones without anything in the middle of my spine. On a warmer note, a friend of mine here in Florida used to carry MoB, until he took a class that discouraged the practice. He switched to strong side hip as a result, and less than a week after the class he took a fall in his barn, landing flat on his spine on a large sheet of plywood. To this day he is grateful that he was warned, just in time. I know the odds aren't that great, but people do fall, or get knocked down, often enough that it just isn't worth the risk.

There are also two other reasons. First, we don't let people use MoB holsters in any of our classes, as the muzzles of guns during drawing and holstering end up pointing behind the firing line, or crossing shooters to the sides of and behind the person using them. This can be more of a problem, depending on the cant of the holster. The other reason is that the gun is more likely to become visible if the concealing garment isn't long enough to keep it covered when the person bends over. Or, if they are wearing a "single vent" suit coat, especially with a long vent that gets caught on the gun butt. And, if this does happen, the wearer might be less likely to notice it than if the gun was in a hip holster. For the same reason, we discourage people from wearing side (double) vented jackets if they are carrying on their hip.

Ankle Carry

Carrying a small gun in an ankle holster, particularly for backup purposes, makes huge sense for many people. Once you find a holster that feels comfortable and you get used to the weight, it can be reassuring to have a gun within reach if you are seated, as in a patrol car, or end up on the ground. If I were still "on the streets" today, I would be using an ankle rig. But, as with any carry method, I urge you to practice with your gear before you have to rely on it. Ankle carry requires trousers that are cut full enough in the legs to allow you to pull the pants leg up high enough to clear the top of the gun. If you are right handed, this is done with the left hand, as the holster should be on the inside of your left leg. You need to grasp the material as far as you can below the knee to lift it clear. This is why it is best to do this while in a crouching position rather than kneeling. Most duty uniform trousers are fairly full cut, but translating this to off duty carry requires you to avoid most jeans and similarly tailored pants. It also means that your pant legs need to be long enough to cover the gun, even if you cross your legs. A little trial wearing and practice at home is essential. A few years back, a detective in a city near me had confronted a knife-wielding man in an alley. The plainclothes officer was carrying his primary gun in an ankle holster and was struggling to free it from his pant leg as the man began charging him with the knife. Fortunately, a fellow officer arriving at the scene had his gun already drawn and shot the attacker before he made contact with the detective. Ankle rigs are a good option, but you need to train with them.

Shoulder Holsters

Shoulder holsters seem like they have been around forever. Usually seen being used for dramatic effect in movies and on TV, they actually are still very useful. The people who design them have tried pretty much everything: vertical, horizontal, up-side down, all sorts of harness configurations and various tie-down arrangements. All this means that they are, like any other carry method, highly individual in their comfort and usefulness. Shoulder holsters are generally more expensive than other options and are usually a "love 'em or hate 'em" proposition. You need a suitable covering garment when you're "in harness" and you can't discreetly slip them on and off. But they do have distinct advantages in a couple of areas. One is if you don't have a sturdy belt to carry a holster. That's one reason many female officers prefer them. Women's fashions don't often include a belt that is suitable to support the weight of even a small, concealable firearm. Some of today's best shoulder holster designs have the gun weight balanced with a magazine and/or handcuff pouch on the opposite side. If they fit your needs, they can be quite comfortable. They can also be a real pain reliever for people who find the constant weight of a gun on their pants belt aggravates their back problems. For those of you old enough to remember the TV show "Barney Miller" you will recall that the old pro, Sgt. Fish, was the one with the shoulder holster. He was also the one who spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Often, day to day needs will dictate your best carry method.

Obviously, there are many other options when it comes to either on or off duty concealed carry. As I mentioned in my earlier column, Massad Ayoob recently wrote an entire book about concealed carry for Gun Digest (it is due out this fall) and still did not cover everything. It boils down to the fact that you have to do a certain amount of experimentation to figure out what is right for you and your circumstances. Most of us who have been doing this for a while have a box or two (or more) of old holsters that have either outlived their usefulness or just never worked quite right in the first place. Almost every day I talk to folks who are pondering a holster selection as if they were buying a car. I always tell them that it is a journey and they are going to accumulate a lot of holsters before they find the ones that work best for them. Right now I have about six that I use regularly, depending on level of concealment or type of gun. One final tip, which I alluded to earlier: when trying out a new holster, do it at home. Before you go out into public, make sure it is going to be comfortable for extended wear and concealable during all types of activity. If you find out the shortcomings in private, you won't have any embarrassing or awkward moments in public. I've had a few holsters that never made it out of the house. They are now in a "bargain box" down at the gun shop, because they may actually work just fine for someone else. Recycling is good, right?







Steve Denney is a former municipal police sergeant, USAF Officer and chief of security/safety officer for a large retirement and healthcare community. A former SWAT officer, crime prevention officer and both military and police firearms trainer, he is currently an instructor for LFI Judicious Use of Deadly Force, LFI Stressfire, and NRA and other defensive tactics disciplines. He currently trains police, military and private citizens. He is a charter member of ILEETA and a member of IALEFI.

[headcase]

Very good CC post Larry

[jahwarrior72]

i've tried the SOB and shoulder holster thing i didn't care for either. actually, SOB isn't too bad, as long as i don't use a holster. the ankle wear never appealed to me; it seems like it'd be too much wasted motion, and if i'm in a postion where i could reach my ankle easily, i'm probably already screwed.

[27hand]

I just missed the post. (copied and pasted from that other thread )

I carry primarily on my ankle. I work construction and there is really no other feasible way to do so. I do wear jeans and pulling the pistol rapidly is not as bad as people who don't carry that way imagine. i should time it but it might take an extra second. I figure at least I have a pistol as opposed to locking it in the car for those 8 hours.

I thought about SOB and looked into different style holsters just for this purpose. Comments were made about falling on it and i decided against it.
Two years ago, I came home from work to 8 inches of snow,got out the snowblower as i do mine and 4 elderly neighbors. I was walking slightly downhill behind the blower and both feet went out from under me. I broke my tailbone which took months to get heal. Had the gun been back there, it would either have cushioned my fall as the Kahr is partially nonmetallic or it could have caused an even more severe injury.

Some of these threads do die prematurely but it is usually related to the title and interest in that title. I pass on many many threads because of this.

It was a good post Larry.

27hand

[CoyoteJack]

Most of my pants are Carhartt jeans and the cuff is too narrow for ankle carry.

I tend to agree with the concerns of falling on a sob rig.

I'm just too slight of build to carry well in a shoulder rig. Oh I suppose I could hid a small slim semiauto like a Keltec, Bersa .380 or maybe a Walter PPK or similiar under my arm but they also carry just as well at 4 o'clock. Even in the heat of summer I tend to wear an either an untucked over shirt or safari jacket over a tee so an IWB right up to my 1911 hides well. There is no way I could carry a full sized pistol anywhere else. A 1911 under my arm would be touching my belt and holding my arm out all funny like.

[bdevil73]

I used to carry SOB all the time. I'm right handed. I used an Uncle Mike's left handed IWB holster. It did conceal very well, but if you spend a lot of time sitting, it can get uncomfortable. Eventually, I switched to strong side IWB if I was at work, and strong side OWB any other time. Occasionally I carry a P3AT in an ankle holster. I don;t find it very comfortable though.