Dear Reader,
There’s a critical action to take in today’s alert. Read to the end to find out what you need to do. But first, let’s talk about formalwear.
Perhaps you wear a suit to work every day. Or maybe you only wear a suit to church on Sunday, like I do.
Either way, if you’re a gun owner and you carry often, sometimes you’ll find yourself carrying while wearing a suit. For some reason, a lot of new gun owners think it’s tough to carry concealed while in a suit, which isn’t true at all.
If you’re worried about being comfortable and discrete while dressed to the nines, here are a few things to consider. (For advice on how to carry concealed while wearing a skirt or a dress, check out “All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Stash Your Firearm”, here.)
Suit Yourself
First, when you go to buy a new suit, bring your holster with you. This way, you can make sure you buy your pants large enough to carry inside your waistband.
If you already have a suit and it’s too tight to carry inside the waistband, I recommend taking it to a tailor to have it let out a bit so your holster will fit comfortably. You don’t want your gun “printing” through your clothes.
The key word when carrying concealed is “concealed.” Inside-the-waistband holsters are my favorite because they do an excellent job of concealing my firearm. Another reason I like the inside-the-waistband holster is because it gives me quick access to my gun.
When carrying inside the waistband, I usually carry a Glock 19, Sig Sauer P226 or Springfield 1911. The 1911 is the gun I’m currently carrying. I carry it inside my waistband using a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 holster.
Using this holster and carrying at the 4 o’clock position allows me to easily conceal this full-size gun. It’s a huge myth perpetrated on way too many internet forums that you can’t easily conceal a full-size gun like the 1911.
Now, the key to making sure nobody knows you’re carrying concealed while wearing a suit is keeping the holster clips on your belt covered. Wearing a jacket will do the trick, but if you decide to take off your jacket, you’ll need to blouse your shirt out enough that the clips are covered.
Before you leave home, stand in front of a full-length mirror to check if the holster clips are visible. There are also quite a few tuckable holsters out there that allow you to tuck in your shirt behind the belt clips to make hiding your holster even easier.
Packing Privately
In addition to carrying inside the waistband while in a suit, I also pocket-carry. I carry a Ruger LCP or Sig Sauer P238 in my front right pocket using a Kydex pocket holster. These holsters are great because they always stay in my pocket when I draw.
Another concealed carry option while wearing a suit is ankle-carry. I don’t ankle-carry very often, but when I do, I carry my Ruger LCP in the Ankle Glove holster made by Galco.
An important aspect of carrying a gun while wearing a suit is training. I highly recommend doing dry-fire practice while wearing your suit. Many people dry-fire every day, but they do it in their casual clothes.
If you wear a suit, you have to practice sweeping back your jacket to draw your gun. It’s not difficult, but it’s a technique you should definitely rehearse. You don’t want the first time you draw a gun in a suit to be during a gunfight.
If neither carrying inside the waistband nor in your pocket works for you, you could certainly carry using an outside-the-waistband holster. For my 1911, I have a leather belt slide holster that works perfectly when I have a suit jacket on. Of course, if you choose to use an outside-the-waistband holster, you can’t take off your jacket unless you’re in a place where open carry is legal.
The bottom line is since I believe in always carrying a gun, it’s important to be able to do it in whatever clothes I’m wearing. So although I try not to spend too much time in suits (I prefer cargo pants and a T-shirt), I’m prepared to carry concealed no matter what type of clothes I have on my back.
You should be too.
Action to Take
Now, remember when I said there was something critical you needed to do?
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Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
Jason, I find your articles very helpful and practical. Most of the magazine and newspaper articles in the mass media are bias and often fake news and confuse the reader.