Concealed carry for suits and tucked in shirts.

[Guitarrocker98]

So, I own a clothing store, and I wear a suit white shirt and tie every day. I have decided to start carrying my s&w m&p 40c on me at work from now on. My question is, is there a good solution. I deal with costumers all day, and don't want them to get skiddish if they see it. I have seen read and talked to my tailor about doing a custom pocket inside my suits. He can Di it, but were talking around 100 bucks per coat. On top of that I take off my coat here and there. What is a good in the waist band to carry with slacks. I know you can tuck it in and "blouse" it so its kinds tucked around the gun. I'm just seeing if anyone has any better ideas.

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[Botte Hork]

A question I've thought about. I mostly wear jeans, but occasionally I'm thinking about getting more suits and I do occasionally wear a tucked in "dress" shirt.

If you wear a belt: Get a heavy duty belt. They can look the dress part, but make sure it's chunky. I currently have a 3 layer leather belt from Saddlebackleather.com. Great belt, but I found that I want something that has a velcro backing stitched to it. I tried the v-clip thing with my N82 holster and the stickytapevelcro and it just comes off. I'm looking to order a belt from here: www.thebeltman.net as they offer velcro strips.

Also, don't go for ultra slim fit shirts like this:



It'll print like crazy. This style of shirt will work better (but think "in the pants" for a more dressy style):


What I found that works in terms of fabric: Not too "clingy", darker colors or patterns. I can conceal a full size Beretta M9/92FS IWB quite well with a blue checkered shirt I have (different shades of blue), because the pattern messes up the printing recognition for people that don't know. For people "in the know", they usually are 2A supporters anyway.

For holsters, I like the N82 Tactical Pro holsters. They're made for the gun, so it has an affirming "click" when you holster the gun, secondly, it sits superstable on the belt, but it only has a single belt clip. If you want to go with the velcro stuff, order a clip from somewhere, it's all standard sized. And use loctite blue to fasten the fasteners. What I like about the holster is that it has a suede-ish backing. I started to wear a t-shirt under everything now and if you let the backing rest against the shirt, it won't sag as it'll pull on the shirt and sits in the belt.

In short:
- Get a quality belt. Size it properly and if needed, add a hole. Might look stupid, 3 holes close together, but if you're on your feet all day, you want optimal comfort. Get velcro on the inside installed.
- Unfortunately, super slim Italian style fit shirts are out. That might not be your thing anyway (it is mine, except I have an unflattering figure for that style of dress). Slightly roomier fit is what you'll need.
- Darker is better than light, patterns are better than plain.
- Get a good holster for your gun. I love my N82 tactical pro model for the Beretta. Get v-clips.



You mentioned a tailor. So before we start: Do you have a good tailor in the PDX (maybe even Vancouver? ) area? If so, share his details! They are worth their weight in gold and are not to be underestimated. A good tailor can make a $250 polyester sweatmachine of a suit look like a million bucks. I've seen guys get married in an ill-fitting Armani (or whatever fancy name) suit and all the money that was spent on the material is thrown away as a good tailor can make a cheap suit look brilliant. Sadly, it's a profession that is dying out. Right now I'm thinking that if I buy a new suit or pants, I'll likely spend half that money on tailoring.

Some things for your tailor:
- Adjust your shirts slightly on one side. A little room for the gun can give you a shirt that looks great on both the gun side as well as the other side, instead of looking like a tent on the empty side.
- Same for pants. Maybe even a reinforced waistband for a holster. I would advice agains a pocket, unless you carry a polymer 4-shot pocket rocket. It should hang off your sturdy belt, not deform your pants. (Actually, I'd prefer to have no pockets in real dress pants, but I have an insulin pump, so a good tailor that can add a little hole in the pocket for the tube and some elastic band or something to hang the pump in would be great for me, so tailor recommendations: YES PLEASE! )
- For printing prevention, you could request some additional lining. The stuff that goes in the front could also dress one hip.
- Printing prevention part 2: Your dress shirts can have an extra patch on the inside too to cover the sharp edges of the gun a little.



OK, so I spoke about belts non stop. But to be honest, I love braces (suspenders ). That kind of kills the holster idea. I wouldn't wear a shoulder rig if I were you with a suspenders, especially if you have to move around customers fitting their garments. You're more prone to hitting/touching them with the gun than on the belt I think. But for braces, look at a belly band. Sure, access is less optimal, but when the bubblegum hits the fan, just pull up the shirt and do what's needed. Since braces do emphasize stuff under them and on the belly region, get a band with padding.



So finally, where is your store? Do you sell dress stuff? I'd love to come by some time to shop. PM me if you don't want to identify in public.

 

[dude young]

Another option to consider could be an ankle rig. Food for thought.

 

[SCARed]

Look at the Raven Concealment Vanguard 2. It's an appendix carry holster. Basically a triggerguard that loops on your belt. I wear one and you can't really tell with my Glock 19. Shirts naturally bunch up where it sits, and you can tuck shirts in with it too. For $35 it's an inexpensive option to try.

 

[1stIDFMP]

You may have to carry a smaller pistol, but a good pocket holster or ankle holster (slower to access & draw - but it's on you) may also work.

 

[Mark W.]

I carry a small auto in a wallet type holster and have a VERY slim nylon wallet that rides outside it I can easily carry in a good pair of slacks or even a tight pair of cut offs.

 

[Guitarrocker98]

Thanks all are good options. I will google all of them when I get home. I don't mind people knowing where I work. But you do have a pm. I just don't want it plastered on the Internet forever. We sell mainly 2 pant suits, we deal mainly with LDS aka Mormon missionaries... Yes I am a Mormon.... But we also deal a lot with the FBI and undrcover agents. They are always in the market for good suits and 2 pants makes it so their suits wear longer becuase holsters are vary abrasive to suits.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

I carry a small auto in a wallet type holster and have a VERY slim nylon wallet that rides outside it I can easily carry in a good pair of slacks or even a tight pair of cut offs.

This. Minus the "tight pair of cut offs"

 

[Guitarrocker98]

Agreed. The shirts I typically are not slim fit, but rather an athletic fit. There is a slight difference in the two. I don't wear ultra slim pants, but flat front pants are in style and those print like crazy.

 

[Botte Hork]

Then what about a belly band? If you have some room in the shirt but do wear the flat fronts, you may not want to attract attention to the waist. The only thing is that you'll have to make sure the jackets fit if you wear a jacket, it does add a little to the circumference. Then again, that also depends on what you wear. A Nano will be less of an issue than an M9.

 

[raindog]

Here is an example of wearing an IWB with a dress shirt:

MaxTuck tucked in with dress clothes.wmv - YouTube

I like White Hat, but Crossbreed's Supertuck and others are of course good too.

Pistol-packin' guitar-rockin' Mormon. I like it

 

[Guitarrocker98]

Hahaha thanks raindog.

 

[Stomper]

I sport an IWB Galco Kingtuck. Works awesome for tucked in dress shirts and suits.

 

[Mica]

I Have a friend with the same Gun and he will put it in a ankle holster Alot of the time. He is a pastor and Is in the public Eye alot. You would never know he packs.

 

[bikejunkie]

I routinely carry a Sig P238 in a UBG "Becker" holster. The way the holster works it clips on my belt IWB, but the way the holster is made a shirt can easily be tucked around it. It's a good combination. The tiny pistol disappears pretty easily and doesn't print at all really

 

[svtrc51]

I carry with a Crossbreed supertuck. Keeps everything close to the body. It takes time getting used to and pulling your shirt around to fit but it works well. The biggest issue is relaxing and being comfortable with it.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

Get a pocket gun, and just shove it in your front or back pocket. Kel tec p3at, ruger lcp, sig238, kahr .380, db9, db380, this list goes on.

 

[Bob D]

Get a pocket gun, and just shove it in your front or back pocket. Kel tec p3at, ruger lcp, sig238, kahr .380, db9, db380, this list goes on.

If you do this, get a pocket holster. Your pocket is not a holster, and is not a safe location for a trigger-safety gun like most of these.

I like sticky holsters. They work equally well in a jacket or pants pocket OR tucked into the waistband under a dress shirt. It makes it easy to transfer from my jacket pocket to my waistband if I need to remove my jacket or coat and don't want to leave my weapon unattended in a coatroom or closet.

If you have a very loose waistband like the "sagging" look, this won't work for you. Also, you look stupid. Buy grown-up pants and wear a belt.

 

[8ball]

My dress suits and shirts are all of the slim fit variety, which basically covers pretty much any designer clothing. That and a 32 inch waist make it impossible to hide an IWB holster, regardless of make. Most of the videos I see of people wearing IWB have significantly bigger waists and are wearing baggy clothes, like the guy above.

My solution is the 5.11 holster shirt, which is like an Underarmor compression shirt and gives me just enough room to carry a small semiauto under my left arm and a spare magazine under the right. Add a shirt with press stud openings and a bit of training and I can get to my gun very quickly. The under shirt looks just like a t-shirt to any casual observer.

My carry gun has a grip safety. I'd be wary of using one without a safety in this config because the holster area is just a thick material, not a solid leather/kydex surface like a true holster, and there is a one in a million chance someone grappling you could accidentally squeeze the trigger area. I've tried it and it's extremely difficult, but its my personal preference to have a second layer of security in that remote chance.

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Shirts/Concealed-Carry/Holster-Shirt.html

Just remember to keep your left arm down by your side when when a cute girl comes up to give you a hug.

 

[Bob D]

Hmm. I might have to give that shirt a try. I'm in the exact same situation, 32-inch waist, fitted shirts, slim and long. IWB doesn't work for me, what does is a very small automatic in a carefully placed ultra-slim sticky holster.

There is simply no way for a guy with my build to adequately conceal a full-size or even most subcompacts in summer.