I'm 6' and was 285 lbs. last I checked. The key to making OWB work for me is a high-ride holster and wearing my belt a bit higher than I used to. My holster is a Galco Combat Master, carrying a full-length Hi-Power (same profile as a 5" 1911). I use a bullhide gun belt from http://thebeltman.net .chewy555 wrote:I am a big guy, 350+, and I find that IWB works best for me, even thought it does hurt at times. I just can not find shirts long enough to cover an OWB, at least with the OWB holsters that I have. My problem is not while walking, it while sitting down, my shirt rides up on the sides. Maybe I just dont have the right OWB holster, I might try some others. What holsters are you other big guys using, to give me an idea of where to look for another holster?
The image below illustrates how I carry. This isn't the best illustration for this purpose, but my belt rides relatively high. Imagine the front pulled up a little (the picture was taken before I got the gun belt, so the belt I was wearing wasn't as stiff and tended to sag in the front). Also note that the butt of the gun is at elbow level. That should illustrate how high it rides and why a gun that high carried OWB will lean inwards over love handles. Of course, everyone is built differently, but in general this seems to be the case. Another key is to wear clothes that fit you properly. For a couple of years I was in denial regarding my waist size, and wore pants that ended up too tight around the waist. This will screw up concealed carry in all sorts of ways. I bought a bunch of new clothes after I started carrying, and suddenly it wasn't such a task to conceal properly.
On a positive personal note, I seem to have lost a few inches around the waist in the last couple of months. I've had to go in 4 notches on my belt, and have run out of room to shrink it further. I may have to order a new gun belt soon!
