Warm-weather CCW

[tfltackdriver]

As the weather has been in the 80s here most of the week, I'm reminded how good it feels to throw on some elastic waistband shorts, an old t-shirt and some flip flops and how much it sucks to instead wear proper belt-loop shorts, an undershirt and a cover shirt to conceal my Glock 19.

I carry pretty much everywhere it isn't prohibited, reliably, three seasons out of the year. When it's hot out, I'll change if I'm going out with my family to suit carry, but if I'm going by myself, I leave the gun at home. I dislike this. I'm hoping there are options I haven't considered you can suggest. Here's what I've tried and what I'm considering (in novel format, sorry).

In seeking solutions in the past, I have carried a j-frame, which I could conceal with a t-shirt IWB. I have carried a Kel-Tec p32, then upgraded to an LCP. On the bigger fail side of the equation, I had a Glock 26 that was simply not an improvement over the Glock 19 in any fashion in terms of CC,W and a Kahr MK40 that was so shot out, the slide would rock on the frame when you pulled the trigger.

I shot the p32 well and it proved to be reliable after a fluff&buff for up to about 100 rounds, but then would get too dirty to cycle. Frankly, I was more concerned about stopping power than having a 100-round gunfight with a .32 mousegun. Honestly, I liked this little pistol a whole lot and wish I still had it.

The LCP and the M36 j-frame I owned also were a joy to carry and worked with beach bum attire, but I did not shoot either to my standards. The .380 ammo became impossible to find for a while, so I never gained proficiency. Call me a puss, but the LCP was a pain to shoot. I shot the j-frame extremely well with wadcutters, but very poorly with anything jacketed. I sometimes suspected this was a symptom of the barrel going on it, but I had a friend who shot it often, fell in love with it and was happy to shoot wadcutters, so I sold it to him.

So, I'm not considering whether to pick up a new pocket gun or to adopt an alternative method of CCW a la the Maxpedition versipack Fat Boy. I like the idea of sticking to the same pistol year-round instead of learning how to shoot another pistol well. Plus, we have another baby on the way and the idea of the versipack pulling double duty as a diaper bag and holster appeals to me if I'm going to be carrying some sort of murse anyhow.
OTOH, draw from a purse/murse is a joke. "Excuse me Mr. Mugger, I need to unzip my man purse here... hold on." It also carries the same problems as a ladies' purse in that it's not always on your person. Getting a new gun is a great temptation -- if I do, though, it has to be pocket carry, preferably semi-auto. I've pretty much taken a dump on the Ruger/Kel-tec models for the ridiculous trigger pull and slightly less of a dump on the airweight-type revolvers because they're simply difficult to shoot well due to recoil with +p .38s.

[Trajan]

You can actually carry a gun in elastic shorts without them falling down?

Whats wrong with just a pair of good cargo shorts? My summer carry is now a pair of Abercrombie cargo shorts, Glock 17, and the RCS VG2.

[Odglock]

I pocket carry a j frame or a Kahr pm9.

[1911-A1]

Is the Walther PPS small enough for pocket carry? It would almost certainly work under almost any tshirt.

[gtmtnbiker98]

Is the Walther PPS small enough for pocket carry? It would almost certainly work under almost any tshirt.

I buy relaxed fit jeans and shorts and have little problem carrying my PPS in a Nemesis.

[Beat Trash]

The size of the PPS with a 6 rd magazine would make it doable, with the proper pockets. The weight might be an issue with elastic waistband type of shorts though.

[ST911]

We could rehash the many ways to get the job done, but in the end it comes down to this:

Carry in the summer is simply a matter of dedication. You either have it, or you don't.

Get a pair of LW cargo shorts. Pocket carry J-frames, IWB, AIWB, or OWB a fighting gun with a cover garment. Do it daily and get used to it. Off-body carry is for BUGs and contingency guns. It is tactically inefficient and there's no good reason to do it.

And ditch the flip-flops. When you need your feet to fight or flee, have something on them with some protection.

[skyugo]

j-frame!
more reliable than those craptastic little 380 things everyone is fawning over these days, AND it hits quite a bit harder. It's still less thump behind it than 9mm, but a good 38 special load is quite adequate.
again, crazy reliable.
it's much lighter than any 9mm, this doesn't seem like a big deal until you realize the carry options that fact opens up for you. things like pocket carry and belly bands are no longer unreasonable.

I didn't "get" the 38 snub thing for a long time, but it really is the ideal form factor for a concealed handgun. it doesn't have any of the square edges and crap that give away an automatic, and again, very light.

not the easiest gun to shoot admittedly, but quite doable. it's also very easy to dryfire practice with as the trigger is self resetting.

[LowandLeft]

The only way I have found to carry in the summer is with a KelTec PF-9 w/ integral belt clip. I'm a skinnier guy (31 waist), so I don't have a lot of real estate to hide something. My next goal is to try a G19 with appendix carry.

As mentioned before, I guess summer carry come down to dedication!

[jb7304]

J-frame or a Kahr CM9 in my pocket.