What's the most important dimension regarding CCW

[Stainless]

Considering you are concealing with an IWB holster.

What is the most important dimension regarding the concealability of a weapon?

The length of the slide? The length of the grip? or the Width of the weapon?

Which dimension is the hardest to conceal? or which is the most problematic?

Example, would a Glock 17L/24/34/35 be harder to conceal than a Glock 17?

Is a Glock 17 that much harder to conceal than a 19?

Those of you who CCW one of those micro 1911s, why not a full size? Those of you who CCW a full size 1911, have you tried the micro 1911s?

thanks

[RD62]

I would have to say grip length.

My G27 disappears in an IWB holster.

I do however regularly carry a full size 5" 1911 IWB, and don't have a problem concealing it. It's slim dimensions help conceal it but I do have to be careful about the butt of the grip printing if I bend wrong.

The slide should be almost completely concealed inside the wearers pants with an IWB, as to make it's length essentially irrelevant.

I used to wear my cell just forward of my IWB holsters, to help blouse my shirt away from the weapon, and if anyone happened to brush against me it, no one thought anything of it.

Dark shirts and prints also help break-up the outline for me too.

A buddy of mine and I were asked to work "Security" for the high-school football game after party the other night. Some times fights from the game spill over afterward and gang shootings are sadly becoming more of a problem around here. (Idiot kids who think shooting some other idiot kid over "Dis-respecting them" will some how make them a man.) Anyway, my pastor came over to say thanks and placed his hand right on my concealed .45, and never broke sentence. :) Gotta love it.

Anyway, good luck with your CCW!

-RD62

Edited to add:

I also used to regularly conceal my duty G22 or a Beretta 96 IWB without problem. So full size really isn't a problem, you just gotta be conscious of the grip printing.

[DRich]

Mostly, it will depend on your body shape, your clothing choices and your belt/holster combo. I'm 6'5, 225lbs and large framed, no gut. I buy my pants one size too large in the waist and carry IWB. I generally wear cargo pants/shorts and golf shirts. As such, I can easily and comfortably conceal a Glock 21 with no problems, although my primary carry gun is a bobtailed 4.25" 1911. My brother-in-law is the same height, but has a bit of a beer gut and finds it hard to conceal anything bigger than a G26 due to his body shape.

A good stiff belt and a quality holster are the most important part of the equation, IMO. A good belt/holster combo will hold the gun close to your body to minimize printing. A crappy belt/holster combo will make it hard to conceal the smallest guns.

[mayonaise]

The 5th Dimension.

[John_Wayne777]

Considering you are concealing with an IWB holster.

What is the most important dimension regarding the concealability of a weapon?

The length of the slide? The length of the grip? or the Width of the weapon?


Personally I find the width of the weapon to be the most critical element to concealment in an IWB. The slimmer the weapon, the tighter it fits against the body...which makes for a smaller irregularity around your waist and and makes the concealed weapon MUCH harder to spot.

Second on the list would be the length of the grip. If you are a fairly big guy a full-sized grip is not going to be hard to conceal. If you are a skinny marink, you might find the full sized grip of a G17 or a 1911 is a bit wider than you are.

I don't worry about barrel length at all because the barrel is stuffed down my pants and isn't visible.

Personally I find that the easiest handguns to conceal are my 1911 and my Sig P239, both of which are slim single stack weapons. They print the least and bulge the least, and even those in the profession of arms are rarely able to tell when I am packing them.

A good quality holster and belt are absolutely critical for carrying CCW. I use an Eagle Industries instructor belt, and Blade-Tech IWB holsters.

YMMV.

[toddackerman]

Length of grip "printing".

You can get around the "Width" of the pistol with the right clothing, but no matter what you're wearing, if you bend over...you're gonna show!

Tack

[Don Robison]

Length of grip "printing".

You can get around the "Width" of the pistol with the right clothing, but no matter what you're wearing, if you bend over...you're gonna show!

Tack



Try AIWB carry. I carry a G21SF in a High Noon hideaway with no problem of printing. I typically wear shorts and T-shirts. Prior to the 21 I carried a G17.
All that being said, I would have to say grip length for nearly every other carry position.

[Looey]

For me the determining factor of what i am carrying is the weather. if is the middle of the summer, you are not wearing to much clothing. which then does not allow you to carry nothing big full size(G17, 5" 1911) and even some compacts(G19, 4" 1911) sometimes something like a keltec inside your pocket might the only thing you might be able to carry.

But in regards to what in the gun makes it easier to carry i would have to also say the thickness. traditionaly I carry a G19 but when it gets really hot and i am wearring maybe a pair of shorts and a T-shirt i find my self carrying a Kahr K9 both in a IWB holster of some kind. just my 2 cents

[GastonG-NoVa]

It really is quite dependant on the holster. If you use an IWB holster, then your grip needs to be shorter.

If you are using a normal pancake type holster then maybe the slide length matters.

I carry a chubby Glock 30 in a Kramer IWB, and I have never heard a soccer mom yell GUN!!!!!:p

[HolyRoller]

Considering you are concealing with an IWB holster.

What is the most important dimension regarding the concealability of a weapon?

The length of the slide? The length of the grip? or the Width of the weapon?
The most important dimension is the dimension of your shirt! In the dead of summer, I can and do carry IWB either a Beretta M9 or Springfield TRP 1911--mag well extension and all--under a muscle shirt or a button down shirt, so long as they are a size or two over what "fits." It helps if the shirt is dark-colored or has a complicated print, like a Hawaiian shirt.

To get a suitable holster, there's no need to pay a squillion bucks and wait for centuries. I buy from my homeboys and -girls at Wild Bill's Concealment in Garner NC, particularly the Summer Heat IWB holster, which is a "cover" of ye olde Summer Special.

I've never been made, although I also clip my deputy sheriff's badge just forward of the holster. This should ease any concerns if I make a booboo.


Those of you who CCW a full size 1911, have you tried the micro 1911s?

thanks
No, but if I do decide to try a micro 1911, I'll probably also try sticking needles in my ears, barbecuing my hand, and running over my foot with a truck. I'd rather put a little effort into hiding a reliable 1911 than effortlessly hiding a pseudo-1911 and then trying to make it reliable. The only personal experience I've had with a micro 1911 was a customized Colt Officer's Model that was in a bag full of guns that I took in lieu of cash (from a client who had been convicted of a felony, and for some reason they don't let you take guns to prison, even though that's where you really NEED them). I must say the OM worked for the few rounds I fired it, but I sold it and a Smith 640 .357 that was also in the bag, and bought a Walther P5. I'm pretty sure I got the better of that deal.

On days when I'm just too lazy or tightly-clad to haul a big gun, I always have a Smith 637 full of Cor-Bon DPX in some pocket and a speedloader in the other pocket. I considered getting a PPK but after seeing many other peoples' bad experiences with them, I stuck with a snub revolver. Funny thing: if anybody has seen the movie Shoot 'Em 'Up, I think there's a scene where Clive Owen, the anti-Bond, is firing with a PPK and it jams, and he yells "piece of crap!" My girlfriend doesn't like extra-violent movies so somebody tell me if this is true.

[MX5]

Length of grip & fullness of shirt. Patterns help break-up any printing issues.