Need A Conceal Carry Solution...

[Nightvisionary]

Stay away from the Kel Tec P-11 and Kel Tec in general. I owned a Kel Tec P-11 for about six months. The magazine capacity and small size were very attractive. In concept it was a great gun. I had heard many stories about spotty Kel Tec quality control but they are also know for great customer service so I decided to take the chance. I did the requisite "Kel Tec Fluff and Buff" before firing as suggested by the Kel Tec Owners Group forum to improve reliability. Kel Tec guns sometimes don't really come completely finished from the factory. If CVA made centirefire pistol kits my Kel Tec could have been the premium model. The first time I shot it I was perplexed as all the shots keyholed at 25 yards. I took it apart to inspect the bore and was shocked to notice for the first time that the rifling had almost zero twist. The lands were just slightly off from a straight line from chamber to muzzle. Picture the land starting from the chamber at the 6 o'clock position. It had enough twist to end up at the 5:50 position at the muzzle.

I contacted Kel Tec. They had me ship the barrel back and had a new barrel at my door in about two weeks. I had to perform another fluff and buff on the barrel and feed ramp. I took it to the range with the new barrel and was quite pleased with the accuracy. No more keyholes. About 50 rounds later it stopped extracting. I took it apart and discovered the ejector had snapped off. That ejector had no more than 120 rounds on it. At that point I completely lost confidence in the Kel Tec. There was just no way I could rely on it. I contacted customer service again. They sent me a new ejector. I replaced that and traded it in on a new Beretta Nano 9mm. I couldn't be happier. The quality is night and day difference. Reliability has been perfect and it is tiny. The trigger pull is much better, closer to that of the Glock rather than the Kel Tec loooooong and heavy trigger pull. I have owned quite a few compact guns 2 S&W 642's, Beretta Bobcat, S&W Sigma 380, Walther PPKS, NAA Black Widow. Beretta really hit it out of the park with the Nano and for under $370 it's hard to beat.

[Spurholder]

I like the "J frame in your strong side front pocket" idea.

Not a big fan of this sort of carry, but have you considered a G26 in an ankle rig?

Good luck...too bad you can't untuck your shirt.

[SpankMonkey]

When I need deep concealment I use Thunderwear. A PM9 or small gun disappears. Sitting poses a few problems but you get use to it fast. Drawing is fast and no one has any idea you are carrying.

Thinking about it, a P7 may work very well with the thunderwear holster. Short barrel and longer grip.

[HES]

Being a fellow resident of the wang of the United States, I feel your pain. Here is how I do it. Compac-Tac Minotaur, full sized pistol (M&P, PPQ), tucked in polo. Just blouse the polo a bit and you'll be good to go. Depending on your body type you may need to buy a size larger shirt. Bonus points if you use a dark colored one. You wont look like a model, but on the schlep scale, figure a 2 out of 10.

[TehLlama]

Being a fellow resident of the wang of the United States, I feel your pain. Here is how I do it. Compac-Tac Minotaur, full sized pistol (M&P, PPQ), tucked in polo. Just blouse the polo a bit and you'll be good to go. Depending on your body type you may need to buy a size larger shirt. Bonus points if you use a dark colored one. You wont look like a model, but on the schlep scale, figure a 2 out of 10.

Even with the right fabric and shape, there is still a BMI floor for what works for this.

[SteyrAUG]

I like the "J frame in your strong side front pocket" idea.

Not a big fan of this sort of carry, but have you considered a G26 in an ankle rig?

Good luck...too bad you can't untuck your shirt.

I discovered long ago that I'm not an ankle holster person. I have a unique ability to bang them against every door and door frame I go in and out of. And I got tired of the quizzical looks when my ankle would make a loud clang on your standard metal frame glass door as I failed to slip past it. I also beat to hell a decent compact.

And the two times I actually had to draw from that carry mode weren't exactly a study in grace, balance or speed despite the amount of practice I devoted to it.

At this point I'm ready to consider a Batman cape just so I can 6 o'clock carry.

[Big A]

I discovered long ago that I'm not an ankle holster person. I have a unique ability to bang them against every door and door frame I go in and out of. And I got tired of the quizzical looks when my ankle would make a loud clang on your standard metal frame glass door as I failed to slip past it. I also beat to hell a decent compact.

And the two times I actually had to draw from that carry mode weren't exactly a study in grace, balance or speed despite the amount of practice I devoted to it.

At this point I'm ready to consider a Batman cape just so I can 6 o'clock carry.

Yeah, ankle carry is about the dumbest solution that I think was ever invented.

I prefer to keep everything in arms reach.

[moonshot]

I posted this before - if ankle, pocket and tuckable are out, buy a Smart Carry and place whatever hardware you wish inside. If it were me, I'd go DAO, but that's me. A shorter barrel is more important than a short grip (for all day comfort, especially if you plan on sitting). A 2" J-frame or PM9 sized single stack will be more comfortable than anything larger/thicker.

I wouldn't carry this way if I didn't have to, but sometimes you have to. The holster works as advertised.

[Ed L.]

I would have to echo the Kahr PM-9 in a pocket holster since the gun is flat and light.

The key thing is to use a pocket holster which serves to keep the gun oriented muzzle down and to break up its outline.

Another key is to carry absolutely nothing else in the pocket other than the gun in the pocket holster.

I use a Kahr PM-9 or a S&W J frame for pocket carry. An important part of the equation is having a tailor deepen your dress pants pockets to give the gun more room so that it doesn't risk printing. Though most 5-11 type pants have enough pocket room, dress pants generally don't and will print when you sit down.

I use the Kahr PM-9 at work because you have to pass the same people every day who might notice things that strangers on a street might not. This might have repercussions where corporate policy prohibits the carry of weapons that are otherwise legal to carry.

The J-frame Smith, though it doesn't hold as many rounds as the Kahr PM-9, because the grip is easier to slip your hand around.

With pocket carry you can have your hand in your pocket on the gun ready to draw if necessary.

At one time I carried a Glock 26 in a pocket holster but it was too big and bulky with too many sharp edges that could get caught if you try to draw it at an awkward angle.

Below is a picture of my Kahr PM-9 and S&W 640 both in Uncle Mikes holsters. It's hard to tell from the picture how much flatter and more compact the Kahr PM-9 is.

[T2C]

You might want to consider a belly band type holster. If you are right handed, position the pistol with the slide near the left hip and the grip toward your center line. You may have to move the pistol a little bit away from the hip, so the grip lies flat against your stomach. Try wearing the weapon low with the grip just above the belt line. You will have to leave the bottom of your shirt tucked in a little loose to conceal the grip.