What makes a handgun concealable?

[j. villarreal]

I have never concealed carried before and I was just wondering what are the most important factors in making a gun concealable. Maybe you guys could rank factors such as weight, thickness, grip length, slide length, capacity, etc. Thanks!

Jason

 

[scottka]

Jason to me, the most important thing for CC is grip length and and grip width. These are the two that will cause a pistol to print through your shirt. A good holster and belt will make a so-so CC pistol a good CC pistol though. I carry in a crossbreed supertuck and it is fantastic!!

 

[Joe Williams]

Grip length and thickness are hardest for me to conceal, and shape is also important. Capacity is usually tied directly to the first two.

Barrel length can affect concealibility, but is easier to overcome than grip length and thickness. Can hide lots of things just by stuffing them down your pants. However, too long and comfort becomes a distinct issue. Weight also affects comfort more than concealability. Still, if a gun weighs to much and you are always hiking your pants, or a too long barrel so irritating that you are constantly fiddling with the gun, you may as well not carry concealed.

 

[All Available]

What makes a handgun concealable?

It's holster/belt + the clothing that you put on around it.

Make your outfit fit the gun that you feel you need to carry with you.

 

[UIndyKenneth]

Also, I feel that the size of the person carrying impacts if the gun is more or less concealable. I carry a pretty good size gun, but I can conceal it a lot easier than a smaller guy because I'm pretty tall and I weigh around 220. It would not be smart for a guy who is 5'8 and 160lbs to carry the same gun I do because it would be a lot harder to conceal.

 

[Lanser]

Everything about the gun's size and shape factors in, though it sometimes depends on what kind of garment you're concealing it under.

A long grip will stick out, a thick gun will create a bulge, any protruding parts (safeties, a wide magazine baseplate, etc.) can create eye-catching irregularities, and so on.

A long slide may stick out below your shirt/jacket, unless you use an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster (or, heaven forbid, "Mexican carry" by just stuffing it into your pants). A long garment helps here, but even that can get bunched up and expose the muzzle if you're not careful. A shorter barrel or, again, a good IWB holster would help with this.

Weight may not have much to do with concealment, but it may affect whether you even bother carrying the gun to begin with. The heavier the gun, the less comfortable the carry.

The advice of one of my favorite gun gurus, Chuck Taylor, is: "Get the most powerful gun that you can still conceal and shoot well." You don't have to take that to extremes, of course, but it's a good yardstick.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Good luck!

 

[CSK22]

weight, thickness, grip length, slide length, capacity

Yep! hammers/beaver tails can hurt and rub as well

 

[redsuperduty]

light weight is important to me if I'm moving around a lot.

 

[Tallenn]

What makes a handgun concealable?

It's holster/belt + the clothing that you put on around it.

Make your outfit fit the gun that you feel you need to carry with you.

Bingo. A good quality holster is by FAR the most important factor in successfully and comfortably carrying a concealed firearm- even more important than the gun itself.

 

[JohnP82]

The most important to me is:

1. holster and clothing
2. grip length
3. slide length
4. weight
5. thickness

Again this is just my list of importance, but everyone is different. My EDC is a G27 and I always conceal carry. I have also CCd my G23 as well with no problem. I carry IWB at the 4 o'clock position. I also pocket carry my keltec in a pocket holster. Don't get me wrong, I did not find my favorite combination overnight and nothing says my current setup wont change someday. It requires alot of trial and error to find what works best for you personally. Also the good ol Indiana weather and our style of dress has alot to do with CC. Good luck in your process of finding a CC setup.

 

[lawrra]

Holster holster holster holster, a good belt, and dressing around your gun. I carry a XDm, it's big, but I can pull it off. You have to find what works well for you.

 

[88E30M50]

For me, it's the grip width and length that determines how well I can conceal, but the barrel length makes a big difference in how comfortable it is for me to carry concealed. I used to carry a full size 1911 IWB and it concealed pretty well, but after 8 hours of sitting the barrel would dig into my side.

A good holster can make a huge difference in the carrying experience and an adjustable holster helps even more by letting you tweak how you carry to fit your body. I currently carry a compact 1911 IWB very comfortably as well as both the 1911 and a Bersa 9UC OWB.

A big part of successful concealed carry is dressing around the chosen style of carry. Most anything can be concealed (within reason) with the right clothes. My son is 5'4" and thin as a rail, yet conceals a Bersa 45UC OWB with no problem by dressing around it.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Proper holster is the major factor in my opinion. You can easily conceal a fulsize pistol!

 

[cosermann]

I agree with others that overall height of the gun (which others have called grip length) and it's width are the two most important factors. The criticality of width can be mitigated a bit by wearing looser pants, as I find it more of a comfort/carriability issue than concealability issue.

Length, within reason, is not as much of a factor if carried IWB, because as Joe mentioned, the barrel is hidden by your pants. Barrel lengths of 0-5" are quite concealable, although for some folks' body type, 5" is a bit too long. Barrel lengths of 3.5 to 4.5" are pretty common for concealment guns. There's usually no reason to go with a shorter barrel (and sacrifice ballistic performance), unless you're going for something suitable for pocket carry or deep concealment.

Weight is also a factor, but can be mitigated a bit with a good holster and belt as others have mentioned (if you're willing to hump the extra weight around).

 

[Cam]

I can't add much to what has already been said. But I will say that for me it took more than one flavor of gun finally figure out what works for my situation. Once I realized there is no "Perfect gun for all occasions", it became necessary (and easy, fun, and somewhat expensive) to make some other purchases. Again, this is just what I found out, YMMV! Good luck and let us know what you decide on!

 

[elaw555]

Don't forget the pocket you put it in. If you mainly carry a Kel-tec or Ruger LCP then a simple quality pocket holster to de-print it works very well for concealing a pistol...or revolver.

 

[Indyhd]

I can't add much to what has already been said. But I will say that for me it took more than one flavor of gun finally figure out what works for my situation. Once I realized there is no "Perfect gun for all occasions", it became necessary (and easy, fun, and somewhat expensive) to make some other purchases. Again, this is just what I found out, YMMV! Good luck and let us know what you decide on!

Very good advice. Most all of us have more than one gun, holster, and location of carry. The time of year needs factored in as well.
There was a time when I carried a S&W 25-5 with a 4" barrel. That was only possible in the winter, and I had to switch out to something smaller in the other seasons.

 

[cmcate]

As some others have said, weight can be huge. It's very uncomfortable to carry around a gun that weighs too much when loaded. I love my Kimber, but it feels like a chore to carry that thing around sometimes. I can hardly tell when I'm carrying my P22 though (it's not nearly as powerful though :/ )

 

[barrelmaker_2002]

I can hardly tell when I'm carrying my P22 though (it's not nearly as powerful though :/ )

Please never carry this gun for SD ever again. If you want to carry a .22 for SD, get a revolver.

 

[Clay]

apparently all you need is big pants........ well, according to this video anyway, you could conceal carry a shotty!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9FF3LQlhBs]YouTube - Why Schools Make You Tuck In Your Shirt![/ame]