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I am new to the CC world and would love to have some advice. I have a P220 and P226...both full frame guns. My work requires me to wear dress slacks, shirt and tie. Jackets aren't usually an option in my work place. I am working to figure out if I can conceal either of these guns or if I need to get something more compact. Does anyone have suggestions on what type of holster system would work for this attire? Thanks in advance

Tuckables work for some people.

IWB or Pocket carry is probably the best bet.

You can tuck shirts with IWB, and pocket, well, goes in your pocket ;) Dunno if they make a pocket holster for a 220 or 226...

Too bad you can't wear a jacket. That opens up the Shoulder Holster possibility ;)

dicion wrote:Too bad you can't wear a jacket. That opens up the Shoulder Holster possibility ;)

Or untucked IWB, or even OWB for some.

http://www.thunderwear.com/holsters.asp

You could try one of these. I picked mine up for less than $20 and they work great with shorts too.

A full size pistol is going to be terribly difficult to conceal on a daily basis with IWB. If you can’t wear a jacket and want to physically carry at all times I’d proffer:

1. Get a gun belt that works. Beltman and others have belts that fit the bill but also pass just fine as dress belts.

2. Get an IWB holster. Cross breed and Minotaur make excellent models.

3. I’d recommend getting a smaller pistol for that daily carry. Kahr and Walther both make excellent single column 9mms that are an inch or less thick and weigh 19 ounces or less. There are also several double column sub compacts as well (Glock, Springfield’s XD, Beretta, Taurus, RUger, and Sig off hand) that are also lightweight.

You might want to look at Smart Carry. I've been carrying a full sized 1911 while wearing jeans or cargo shorts with my shirt tucked in for a couple of weeks now. So far nobody has noticed.

-davidtx

with DavidTX. Smartcarry (which is similar to Thunderwear) would be worth considering. Very comfortable and concealable no matter what you are wearing.

I carry a P226 in an M-Tac IWB holster. It's tuckable. I can conceal under a tucked in dress shirt just fine. Just be sure and get a good belt. Beltman or something similar. I have the Beltman.

dcm wrote:I am new to the CC world and would love to have some advice. I have a P220 and P226...both full frame guns. My work requires me to wear dress slacks, shirt and tie. Jackets aren't usually an option in my work place. I am working to figure out if I can conceal either of these guns or if I need to get something more compact. Does anyone have suggestions on what type of holster system would work for this attire? Thanks in advance

Not to repeat what everyone else is saying, but I work in pretty much the same environment, and here's my observations...

1) It's a commitment to lifestyle change. We often forget to mention that, since we've all done it and now take it for granted.

2) No two of us can carry and conceal the same ways. That being said, with the proper thought and equipment, most any gun can be successfully (and with reasonable comfort) be concealed and carried. There are exceptions (Desert eagle, etc.)

3) When starting into the process of daily concealed carry, it's not a bad idea to start with a smaller gun and work your way up to your full-size carry. Personally, I carried a J-Frame daily, and migrated into the 1911's I carry daily today. The smaller gun *is* a little easier to conceal, takes less space in your (waistband, pocket, whatever).

4) One of the keys to successfully carrying without being made, is to be in a position that you're comfortable carrying it, and "forget it's there." if you don't notice, neither will anyone else.

5) Once you've been carrying a gun for a couple of months, you'll change your wardrobe. Not significantly, but it will change. You'll buy XL instead of L, 38" waist pants instead of 36", etc.

All the above being said, your mileage my vary, and I am not an expert, all those standard disclaimers.

You *can* carry a large "fightin' pistol" in the proverbial white shirt and tie, but it takes some thought and the right equipment. Personally I use a MTAC, but the Supertuck is very popular.

--Chris

I carry a Browning Hi Power in a CTAC, a tuckable IWB holster by comp-tac.com. It conceals just fine inside any shirt, including dress shirts. Have been using this rig for at least three years, EVERY day. Highly recommend it.

I carry a Glock 19 with all manner of dress from shorts and T-Shirt to a suit and everything in between.

Except work clothes.

The smartcarry is something I would like to look into. I use my 5.11 holster shirts when I have to dress with a tucked shirt at times. I went all day with it on during a funeral and other family engagements one day without anyone at all noticing. My VMII works great with jeans and a tucked shirt, especially with my western belt but I think the bulge would be noticeable with my dress slacks so I go to the shirt at that point.

TxDrifter wrote:The smartcarry is something I would like to look into. I use my 5.11 holster shirts when I have to dress with a tucked shirt at times. I went all day with it on during a funeral and other family engagements one day without anyone at all noticing. My VMII works great with jeans and a tucked shirt, especially with my western belt but I think the bulge would be noticeable with my dress slacks so I go to the shirt at that point.

Drifter,

It's not the exact same holster, but you're more than welcome to try out my MTAC next time we're both at Thunder...I'm rigged for a commander size right now, but I have the clamshells for all three sizes of 1911's.

--Chris

After struggling with this same problem for some time, my conclusion is to make or have made an IWB holster which positions the grip just above the top of the beltline as with Mexican carry. The grip is easily covered then by blousing out your shirt over it. So far, I have found only one holster on the market that carries the gun in this manner, by Bulman Gunleather for $122. Kinda steep for an IBW, which need not be fancy. Most IWB's seem to position the gun too high to effectively cover with a shirt, especially if you move a round a lot. The DeSantis Insider @$25 puts the grip too low in relation to the belt and slows the draw, although it might be easily modified to ride a little higher. The Insider will get you going cheaply, however. I rule out any further IWB with an infernal metal clip. Too hard to get on and off. The most promising tuckable IWB I have found by far is by El Paso Saddlery, which uses snap loops in lieu of a clip. It's a pretty sure thing that a tuckable will conceal 100 per cent of the time, keeping you in compliance. I'm not sure about draw interference, however.