Warm-weather CCW

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
1

As the weather has been in the 80s here most of the week, I’m reminded how good it feels to throw on some elastic waistband shorts, an old t-shirt and some flip flops and how much it sucks to instead wear proper belt-loop shorts, an undershirt and a cover shirt to conceal my Glock 19.

I carry pretty much everywhere it isn’t prohibited, reliably, three seasons out of the year. When it’s hot out, I’ll change if I’m going out with my family to suit carry, but if I’m going by myself, I leave the gun at home. I dislike this. I’m hoping there are options I haven’t considered you can suggest. Here’s what I’ve tried and what I’m considering (in novel format, sorry).

In seeking solutions in the past, I have carried a j-frame, which I could conceal with a t-shirt IWB. I have carried a Kel-Tec p32, then upgraded to an LCP. On the bigger fail side of the equation, I had a Glock 26 that was simply not an improvement over the Glock 19 in any fashion in terms of CC,W and a Kahr MK40 that was so shot out, the slide would rock on the frame when you pulled the trigger.

I shot the p32 well and it proved to be reliable after a fluff&buff for up to about 100 rounds, but then would get too dirty to cycle. Frankly, I was more concerned about stopping power than having a 100-round gunfight with a .32 mousegun. Honestly, I liked this little pistol a whole lot and wish I still had it.

The LCP and the M36 j-frame I owned also were a joy to carry and worked with beach bum attire, but I did not shoot either to my standards. The .380 ammo became impossible to find for a while, so I never gained proficiency. Call me a puss, but the LCP was a pain to shoot. I shot the j-frame extremely well with wadcutters, but very poorly with anything jacketed. I sometimes suspected this was a symptom of the barrel going on it, but I had a friend who shot it often, fell in love with it and was happy to shoot wadcutters, so I sold it to him.

So, I’m not considering whether to pick up a new pocket gun or to adopt an alternative method of CCW a la the Maxpedition versipack Fat Boy. I like the idea of sticking to the same pistol year-round instead of learning how to shoot another pistol well. Plus, we have another baby on the way and the idea of the versipack pulling double duty as a diaper bag and holster appeals to me if I’m going to be carrying some sort of murse anyhow.
OTOH, draw from a purse/murse is a joke. “Excuse me Mr. Mugger, I need to unzip my man purse here… hold on.” It also carries the same problems as a ladies’ purse in that it’s not always on your person. Getting a new gun is a great temptation – if I do, though, it has to be pocket carry, preferably semi-auto. I’ve pretty much taken a dump on the Ruger/Kel-tec models for the ridiculous trigger pull and slightly less of a dump on the airweight-type revolvers because they’re simply difficult to shoot well due to recoil with +p .38s.

2

You can actually carry a gun in elastic shorts without them falling down?

Whats wrong with just a pair of good cargo shorts? My summer carry is now a pair of Abercrombie cargo shorts, Glock 17, and the RCS VG2.

3

I pocket carry a j frame or a Kahr pm9.

4

Is the Walther PPS small enough for pocket carry? It would almost certainly work under almost any tshirt.

5

I buy relaxed fit jeans and shorts and have little problem carrying my PPS in a Nemesis.

6

The size of the PPS with a 6 rd magazine would make it doable, with the proper pockets. The weight might be an issue with elastic waistband type of shorts though.

7

We could rehash the many ways to get the job done, but in the end it comes down to this:

Carry in the summer is simply a matter of dedication. You either have it, or you don’t.

Get a pair of LW cargo shorts. Pocket carry J-frames, IWB, AIWB, or OWB a fighting gun with a cover garment. Do it daily and get used to it. Off-body carry is for BUGs and contingency guns. It is tactically inefficient and there’s no good reason to do it.

And ditch the flip-flops. When you need your feet to fight or flee, have something on them with some protection.

8

j-frame!
more reliable than those craptastic little 380 things everyone is fawning over these days, AND it hits quite a bit harder. It’s still less thump behind it than 9mm, but a good 38 special load is quite adequate.
again, crazy reliable.
it’s much lighter than any 9mm, this doesn’t seem like a big deal until you realize the carry options that fact opens up for you. things like pocket carry and belly bands are no longer unreasonable.

I didn’t “get” the 38 snub thing for a long time, but it really is the ideal form factor for a concealed handgun. it doesn’t have any of the square edges and crap that give away an automatic, and again, very light.

not the easiest gun to shoot admittedly, but quite doable. it’s also very easy to dryfire practice with as the trigger is self resetting.

9

The only way I have found to carry in the summer is with a KelTec PF-9 w/ integral belt clip. I’m a skinnier guy (31 waist), so I don’t have a lot of real estate to hide something. My next goal is to try a G19 with appendix carry.

As mentioned before, I guess summer carry come down to dedication!

10

J-frame or a Kahr CM9 in my pocket.

11

I am far more willing to wear big boy shorts than to wear two shirts. I will take another look at lightweight snubbies and the pps, which I’ve never even seen in person.

And yes, I was able to carry the LCP and p32 in elastic shorts with the drawstring tied.

12

Maybe this may work for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJIZWsMW5ZI&context=C4d0d8d8ADvjVQa1PpcFOq6dMnxdca7pJx2-QUamcTy5d2P7jRQms=

13

S&W 442 in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster worn in cargo pockets of shorts.

14

Solid gold. End thread

15

I just wear one size larger t shirts in the summer time.

I carry a G19 IWB all year round. I’m not a fan of flip flops I prefer boots or sneakers.

16

True, I live in Florida and wear cargo shorts year round. I carry either a G19, G26 or an M&Pc. A good gun belt & cargo’s will go a long way, it just depends how well armed you want to be.

17

Let’s not get too taken away with ourselves and pretend there isn’t a continuum of comfort and concealability. Otherwise, we would all carry pistol-grip shotguns and wear dusters year-round.

I realize I’m asking too much. I could’ve cut out the novel and said I can’t hide my regular carry pistol under a T shirt and that I wanted to explore my options – that I had tried some things that didn’t work and was looking for new ideas.

Looks like the 442 is the answer I’m looking for unless I can figure out if the lcr or bodyguard are better options.

Thanks to all for your help.

18

My HK P2000SK carries just fine during the summer with cargo shorts and a quality belt. I have a Milt Sparks VMII that makes carrying the P2000SK very comfortable.

As long as you wear a T-Shirt that is a little on the baggy side you will be fine. I wear button down shirts that are not oversized, and conceal the P2000SK no problem. If you ditch the tight, metrosexual style shirts you will be able to conceal just fine.:smiley:

19

There-ya go… The only difference in summer attire for me is shorter pants… Ron

20

I live in Central Kalifornia’s oven-like summer temps and end up carrying my G27 AIWB in a cheap leather Galco Tuck-N-Go about 98% of the time. With a spare 13 round mag on my offside, I feel pretty well armed. It’s as close to a full size fighting handgun as I’m going to get and it carries nicely under cargo shorts and a T-shirt. No flip flops.

I’ve carried my S&W 642 around in cargo shorts too and hardly noticed it was there. Truth is, it’s so dang light that with a good AIWB holster, I’ve carried it inside baggy swim trunk-style shorts with zero printing. 5 rounds of .38 beat the heck outta leaving your weapon at home because it’s hot.