Basic CCW question

[Redhat]

I have been pondering getting my CCW lately and will probably start with a IWB holster.

Up until now, I have always carried a duty rig only, so I have no experience with concealed carry.

Question I have is where should mag pouches be placed along with Pros / Cons

Thanks

[Cincinnatus]

Question I have is where should mag pouches be placed along with Pros / Cons

Thanks

This is something most folks have to experiment with to find a blance between function, comfort, and concealability. Chances are, you will switch from different brands of pouches and placement of them; just wherever you end up with them, make sure you train like crazy to be able to instinctively locate them and utilize them. You said you used to duty carry--a good start is to place your pouches and ccw holster as close as possible to where you had them on duty.

[Redhat]

that was my thought initially but then I began to wonder how well that would work when wearing a cover garment such as a jacket. The pistol would be concealed but the mags would be right up front.

[rickp]

I carry my 1911 just behind the pant leg center line on my strong side and my mags just behind the pant leg center line on my weak side. Sometimes I'll move the mags a little further back, like centered on the opening of my jean back pocket. Some times the belt loops don't line up just right forcing me to move them back just a bit.

A lot of this is personal preference. But the last poster had a point, if you can, try and carry as close to how you carry with your duty gear. It will help with muscle memory.

R.

[TehLlama]

I carry my 1911 just behind the pant leg center line on my strong side and my mags just behind the pant leg center line on my weak side. Sometimes I'll move the mags a little further back, like centered on the opening of my jean back pocket. Some times the belt loops don't line up just right forcing me to move them back just a bit.

A lot of this is personal preference. But the last poster had a point, if you can, try and carry as close to how you carry with your duty gear. It will help with muscle memory.

This is exactly how I run mine - the closest possible muscle memory without compromising concealment. My OWB training rig mirrors this as closely as possible.

[MeanRider]

May not work for all but it works for me to sometimes just carry in my front pocket with a single mag.

[rickp]

May not work for all but it works for me to sometimes just carry in my front pocket with a single mag.

This is how I carry my pocket revolver when I can't carry my primary.

[kartoffel]

The 1911 guys may have better input here. I'm a double stack plastic pistol kind of guy...usually just carry a single spare mag in a pants pocket or (gasp) just tough it out with 17+1 in the gun and no spare.

[John_Wayne777]

Question I have is where should mag pouches be placed along with Pros / Cons

Part of concealed carry is experimentation with your gear, mode of dress, and physiology. The basics I would outline are:

1. Carry at least one spare magazine
2. Carry that spare magazine in a proper magazine holster/pouch/etc. The theory being that if you need that mag, odds are you are going to need it in a hurry, and fishing around in a pocket just doesn't get it done.

As for placement, I tend to run a dual mag holder either as close to my belt buckle as possible (closed front concealment garment) or just slightly behind the crest of the left hip. (Open front concealment garment)

In your situation I would recommend trying to get the placement of your CCW spare magazines as close to your duty rig as you can. Because the majority of your training has probably been with your duty gear on, replicating that with your CCW gear as much as possible means that if things go pear-shaped on you at least when you go to reach for stuff on autopilot it's near where you are used to it being.

Tom Givens teaches that in a gunfight if you can get two "what the ****?" moments out of the bad guy you're likely to win. The unspoken corollary to that is that if you give yourself "what the ****?" moments you're helping the bad guy kill you. Reaching for stuff that isn't there is enough to create a "what the ****?" moment.

[Redhat]

Thanks all,

I am thinking I will try behind the mag pouch behind the hip and will just have to un-learn the muscle memory since I will no longer be carrying a duty rig.

This won't be the first time I've had to switch over because of changes in issued equipment. I started out using the M12 holster, then went to a triple retention (Uncle Mikes) followed by the M6004.


From here on out it would be strictly CCW only.