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Seriously, that looks like a great 'cover garment' a little tailoring should provide you with access to a belt holster. ( front or side seam held together by velcro). Or a hidden internal pocket in the garment itself.

Well, you would think so, wouldn't you? My schedule, though, is arrive at church, 5am. People start arriving @7:15. Early service is at 8am, so I will "robe up" 10 minutes before. Early service ends @ 9, I quickly dis-robe and head down the hall to teach adult Bible class. Late service is at 10:45. To carry OWB for ease of grasp from under the alb is great during service, but then I gotta handle the weapon and transfer to another carry position for Bible class, before and after services. To me, the more the weapon is handled, the more likely it is to be spotted (Pastor, can I come in for a minte...whoah, what's that???), forgotten in my office, or - God forbid - an AD somehow happens. Not to mention, with that much work, the silent danger is to get frustrated with the thing and just quit carrying.

The robe is a light cotton/poplin - think the material a heavy Oxford dress shirt is made of - so an inner pocket really won't support a pistol's weight very well. To add insult to injury, my robe's opening is to my right side; I'm a lefty, so I can't do a tucked cross-draw. Hmmm...maybe I should get an alb made of Kevlar...that would buy some time...call it the BatAlb, SuperAlb, or something like that.

I have small hands. For me to dip my hands through the slash openings of the alb to pants pockets really isn't an issue.

I'm wrestling with carry comfort & ease (small size weapon, i.e. KT or LCP) vs. shooting comfort & ease (j-frame, compact XD, MP, or MilPro). And, I don't wear boots - I didn't think about what would happen when I kneel at the altar for the Sacrament. Peek-a-boo!

Uptheirons...Seguin...you're not Lutheran by any chance, are you? A buddy and former classmate of mine is in your neck of the woods...And by the way, Autom is having a sale on their shirts right now - $14.99, if their ad is right.

Gotta run...thanks all for the words of welcome & advice...

Q

Hi, Longtooth. Good to "see" you again. We spoke on the phone last fall - remember? - after a lengthy clergy carry thread on THR.

Decided it was time to jump in on this board, too. Thanks, all, for your wisdom shared here.

Q

Hi, all. I've been a registered lurker for quite some time now, after a friend suggested I join up here. After several years of arguing, negotiations, begging, bribery, chicanery, jewelry and logic, the mrs. is allowing me to take the CHL class this coming weekend. I've saved my nickels, so assuming I pass the class, I'll have the paperwork in the mail early next week.

As I prepare for the day my plastic arrives in the mail (hopefully by July 4), I'm pondering my options for carry.

I'm a parish pastor. Weekday wear is usually business - slacks, shirt, tie - shading toward business casual (polo & slacks) in summer. I'm usually the only one in the office these days, so I could simply keep it in my briefcase or desk drawer, keeping it handy in a hollow book when answering the (locked) door, etc. Sundays are suit days with full cleric vestments during the worship service. I can see a good tuckable IWB holster as a viable option M-F and Saturdays, but on Sundays, that will be difficult; to be more accurate, God forbid I should need a weapon on a Sunday, the layers (alb w/cincture ("rope belt") over slacks & tucked-in shirt - see http://www.autom.com/autom/Apparel_3044 ... 124287.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for a visual) will prevent any kind of IWB accessability. Yes; this is what I wear and it is not negotiable on Sundays. This leaves pocket carry, as the slash pockets of the alb allow pant pocket access.

Which brings me to a pair of questions.
1) For the time being, I'm going to use either my S&W MP9 or my Ruger SP101 (3") for my carry weapon. Both will have to be tucked, IWB. Do you have any thoughts on which will be better (define "better" however you want) for regular carry?
2) I'm saving toward a pocket pistol, something that will drop into the slacks pocket (w/holster, of course) that will be discreet but quick-to-hand on a Sunday or a late night meeting. The problem is that the affordable pocket pistols - KelTek, LCP - feel like a deck of cards to me. They're just not comfortable to hold. Kel-Tek's P9 and P11 are much more comfortable than the P3, but are more noticable, too. I really like the compact XD and MP pistols, the Bersa Thunder & Thunder CC as well as Taurus' MilPro - they feel good and make me want to use them. Iguess this question is in the area of comfort ("feel") vs. concealability - how much do you give up on one side of the ledger for the sake of the other side?

Maybe I need a 3rd question, too. Given my Sunday attire, would you concur that pocket carry is the best bet? If so, I need to go with small autoloader. Or, if another carry option is viable (ankle?) that would permit a larger framed weapon, I would be very open to that. I know ankle carry isn't the best, but I would have a better chance - I think - of diving for my ankle than digging through layers to an IWB carried pistol.

I hope this is making sense. The M-F thing isn't such a big deal, but Sunday has got me a bit ruffled. If any other clergymen who wear vestments and carry on Sundays are present, I would love to hear from you especially.

Sincerely,
Q