CCW options guns/holster

[04RWon]

I recently got my va non resident permit. This weekend were out of town and im loving using it. Currently im carrying my fullsize p220 in a uncle mikes size 15 inside the waistband holster. I got this awhile ago just for screwing around. Now that i can actually use it im looking for a different setup. Currently my options are as follows:
Fnp9
Sig 229
Sig 220
Glock 22

I have the uncle mikes and a black hawk IWB i believe size 7. It fits the fn and 229 perfectly. Its the same as the uncle mikes just a different size. It also places the pistol up higher. Neither have a retention strap. On the black hawk, with the pistol being higher up, i dont feel its as secure as the one for the full size pistols. I prefer iwb holsters but am open to other ideas. I move around alot, in and out of a car, on a motorcycle. I usually only have a t shirt on unless its really cold then ill have a sweatshirt on.

Im looking for a comfortable holster for any of these pistols. Im also wanting opinions on which one i should carry?

I shoot the glock the best, the 229 almost as well, then the fnp, lastly the 220. I get all the pistols on target at 25 yards, i just group better with some. Im confident in all of them and my abilities with them.

Heres my ideas for the pros/cons of what i have:

Fnp9- lightweight, highest capicity 16, safest of all due to da/sa plus thumb safety. Its wide...very wide, especially because of the safety.

P229-compact, good capicity 13, wide but doesnt have the protruding thumb saftey of the fn. Night sights.

Glock 22-lightweight, good capicity 15, thin but still a fullsize pistol

P220-thinnest pistol of them all, longest and tallest, but for a fullsize i can conceal it well because its so thin. Smallest capicity 8. Night sights.

The issue i have with both sigs...sitting down, moving around, bumping into things i just see that 900 price tag flashing in my mind.

I was considering picking up a used, prefer gen 2, glock 23. Cheap pistol, used, and i wont mind beating it up, plus it would be smaller as well. Id like it to have night sights. I know SD has gen 3's for 389 with n/s's so that was a possibility. Im just not sure if a new pistols what i should really do in this situation. Im comfortable shooting everything i have, id have to learn the 23.

 

[StantonCree]

buy a 26 and toss it in a belly band. Then you don't have to worry about anything

Oh and then you get a new gun as well. Double Bonus!!!

If you need any other advice on ideas let me know because apparently I'm a genius today.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Concealment is mainly a clothing issue, Dress Around the Gun .
A good pancake will hold the gun as tightly to the body as an IWB.
You have to mentally adjust to the concept that holster/ carry wear and tear is OK , and a badge of honor. If you can't stick to ballistic tupperware.

 

[04RWon]

buy a 26 and toss it in a belly band. Then you don't have to worry about anything

Oh and then you get a new gun as well. Double Bonus!!!

If you need any other advice on ideas let me know because apparently I'm a genius today.

How do belley bands work? Would it show in anyway? Like a buldge? Im talking with just a tshirt.

 

[04RWon]

Concealment is mainly a clothing issue, Dress Around the Gun .
A good pancake will hold the gun as tightly to the body as an IWB.
You have to mentally adjust to the concept that holster/ carry wear and tear is OK , and a badge of honor. If you can't stick to ballistic tupperware.

I guess that true, it has wear bc im actually using it. Im just not sure if the 220 is the best choice.

 

[StantonCree]

How do belley bands work? Would it show in anyway? Like a buldge? Im talking with just a tshirt.

No actually I really like them. They print very little with a standard polo style shirt, there not hard to access, and with an under shirt there actually comfortable when u get used to that little bit of pressure.

Its like getting a hug of gun safety

My p64 and 38 fit in just perfect.

 

[Name Taken]

229 or 220 in a CB Supertuk.

Also get a good quality belt.

I use simple pancake holsters a good bit...but there's plenty of times in the summer where my clothing doesnt allow for it.

 

[Hotrod Diesel]

Look into comptac, well built, very comfortable, and you get different shells for different guns...

 

[04RWon]

The belly band looks to work with any gun. I like that.
The supertuck looks like it conceals very well and alot of what i read ppl like them alot. I would however like to see how close it pulls the gun to your body. I dont really wear to much baggy clothing. I may get both of these. The comptac looks similar to the supertuck. I like that you can swap out parts for different guns, but the crossbreed offers a better warrenty. I need to look at these in person, try them out. Itd be really nice if i could take my pistols and try each of them in the different holsters to narrow it down.

 

[Name Taken]

I can just say that with the CBST I can wear shirts that I can not wear when I use a pancake holster.

I can wear my "normal" size shirts with a CBST and I usually size up when I have a pancake on unless it's a long tailed button down shirt.

 

[FFMike]

You can come by the house and check out some of my holsters. I have a CBST for my M&P9C, and a similar holster for my G19/G23. I also have some all leather you chan check out.

Let me know if you are interested with a PM and you can stop by when you get home sometime next week.

 

[teratos]

I like the Glock 26 in a belly band. It is pretty comfy, and conceals well.

 

[StantonCree]

What sized waist are you?

 

[balext]

I recently got my va non resident permit. This weekend were out of town and im loving using it. Currently im carrying my fullsize p220 in a uncle mikes size 15 inside the waistband holster. I got this awhile ago just for screwing around. Now that i can actually use it im looking for a different setup. Currently my options are as follows:
Fnp9
Sig 229
Sig 220
Glock 22

I have the uncle mikes and a black hawk IWB i believe size 7. It fits the fn and 229 perfectly. Its the same as the uncle mikes just a different size. It also places the pistol up higher. Neither have a retention strap. On the black hawk, with the pistol being higher up, i dont feel its as secure as the one for the full size pistols. I prefer iwb holsters but am open to other ideas. I move around alot, in and out of a car, on a motorcycle. I usually only have a t shirt on unless its really cold then ill have a sweatshirt on.

Im looking for a comfortable holster for any of these pistols. Im also wanting opinions on which one i should carry?

I shoot the glock the best, the 229 almost as well, then the fnp, lastly the 220. I get all the pistols on target at 25 yards, i just group better with some. Im confident in all of them and my abilities with them.

Heres my ideas for the pros/cons of what i have:

Fnp9- lightweight, highest capicity 16, safest of all due to da/sa plus thumb safety. Its wide...very wide, especially because of the safety.

P229-compact, good capicity 13, wide but doesnt have the protruding thumb saftey of the fn. Night sights.

Glock 22-lightweight, good capicity 15, thin but still a fullsize pistol

P220-thinnest pistol of them all, longest and tallest, but for a fullsize i can conceal it well because its so thin. Smallest capicity 8. Night sights.

The issue i have with both sigs...sitting down, moving around, bumping into things i just see that 900 price tag flashing in my mind.

I was considering picking up a used, prefer gen 2, glock 23. Cheap pistol, used, and i wont mind beating it up, plus it would be smaller as well. Id like it to have night sights. I know SD has gen 3's for 389 with n/s's so that was a possibility. Im just not sure if a new pistols what i should really do in this situation. Im comfortable shooting everything i have, id have to learn the 23.

You can look at a Glock 27. It is small and compact and you can use your G22 mags with it also. You are already familiar with the Glock platform so you can more easily cross over.

 

[Brychan]

Around the house I usually wear sweats and a t-shirt and I will carry my RIA compact in a belly band (http://www.stonerholsters.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_5) it is a shoulder holster, but you can spin it around and lower it to your waist, I will sometimes wear it as a shoulder holster in the morning under my robe.anyway no one has ever noticed I'm carrying. Another plus if you need to take a sit down you can drop your drawers and still have you pistol on. I being a large guy (44 waist)made the mistake of ordering the XXL and it was way too big, so I just may a fold across from the holster sewed up 3 sides and now I have a mag pouch.

 

[04RWon]

You can come by the house and check out some of my holsters. I have a CBST for my M&P9C, and a similar holster for my G19/G23. I also have some all leather you chan check out.

Let me know if you are interested with a PM and you can stop by when you get home sometime next week.

Ill have to take you up on that offer. Were in Elkridge now so im even closer.

What sized waist are you?

34. Interested in any other measuments?? Lol

You can look at a Glock 27. It is small and compact and you can use your G22 mags with it also. You are already familiar with the Glock platform so you can more easily cross over.

When the 26 idea was thrown in there i actually thought 27. Im just unsure of the super small size. But i guess its not a pistol im going to constantly shoot so its no big deal.

Around the house I usually wear sweats and a t-shirt and I will carry my RIA compact in a belly band (http://www.stonerholsters.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_5) it is a shoulder holster, but you can spin it around and lower it to your waist, I will sometimes wear it as a shoulder holster in the morning under my robe.anyway no one has ever noticed I'm carrying. Another plus if you need to take a sit down you can drop your drawers and still have you pistol on. I being a large guy (44 waist)made the mistake of ordering the XXL and it was way too big, so I just may a fold across from the holster sewed up 3 sides and now I have a mag pouch.

I never really thought about shoulder holsters. Thats one id definately have to try on. Shoulder holsters require a crossdraw, something ive never even played with.

What i like about IWB is speed, and ease. Even with a retention strap its right there.

 

[StantonCree]

I am a 34 too but I have an extra belly band, it would be to big for you though.

I bought one for my brother but it will better fit a 38 in waist. So I bought him another one.

Oh wait what sized feet do you have?? JK jk

 

[wreckdiver]

Check out the crossbreed supertuck. I carry a Glock 19 and a 26 in mine depending where I'm going and what I'm wearing. I take the 26 to Florida in the summer with just a tshirt and shorts and never know its there (except for sweating a little more having leather up against bare skin). The 229 will flatten out nice with the supertuck. Its spreads the weight evenly over two belt clips and doesn't pull your pants down like some other holsters.

 

[Kilroy]

If I were you, I'd carry the P229 in a Comp-tac Minitaur.

 

[Elgan]

The best advice I can give anyone who's starting out with carrying is to:

1) Get a proper gun belt. There are many on the market, from leather with plastic inserts to maintain rigidity, to ballistic nylon "tactical" belts, to reinforced riggers belts, to simple double-layer leather. You will want one that's thick (1.5" at a minimum, as most holsters are designed for 1 3/4" width belts) to prevent your holster from sliding/moving around, and filling up the belt channel helps greatly with this. There's something called the Liger Belt that has a grippy non-slip surface on it, and it's really rigid. I love mine.

Regular belts will droop, bow outward from the extra weight of the pistol, and so on an so forth. Sure, you can ratchet it down another notch or so, but it won't be quite as comfortable, especially if you IWB carry.

2) A proper holster(s). I recommend FBI canted holsters, but this is a purely personal preference of the wearer/carrier. For winter when I know I'm not going to be taking my jacket off, I tend to gravitate toward OWB carry with a larger firearm (XD45 or other full service pistol), as my coat is more than enough to prevent printing. For the warmer/summer months, I'd use my smaller Sig P239 in an IWB rig I had custom made from a leatherworker years ago. Quality hand-tooled leather is my preference, as it is more comfortable. For ease of access, I roll with open-top holsters, and let the tightness of the holster and belt hold the firearm against my hip in a 3:30/4:00 position.

Lack of a proper holster will lead to discomfort, and discomfort will lead to you constantly adjusting your rig. While you'd be surprised just what people DON'T notice while they're out and about, it's still something you don't want to draw attention to if you can help it, especially in Maryland. Again, for comfort's sake, I recommend leather, and it warms up, becomes supple, and molds to your shape, as opposed to synthetic materials like kydex or plastic, which can dig into your back/side and make carrying a chore.

If you decide to carry something open top, there are manufacturers and custom makers out there who can make an additional flap of leather to make things more comfortable to wear.

My last tip for carrying - Pick something you are proficient at. The whole purpose of carrying is so you will be able to defend your life, or another's, in a hairy situation, if it comes down to it (the best way to carry with defensive intent is to not put yourself into situations where you'll need to use your weapon in the first place).

That being said, carrying a particular piece because it has a higher capacity, or has the larger caliber round is inherently more deficient than carrying the firearm you're able to use most effectively at sending rounds downrange in an expedient, safe, and judicious manner. If your best-shooting pistol is a 9mm, carry that until you're just as good, or better, with something else.

Above everything else, practice, practice, practice. I'm of the firm belief that all CCW holders should maintain their proficiency as a matter of common courtesy and safety - go to the range and drop a few hundred rounds at least once a month. Nothing scares me more than people who spend a few hundred on a class, get their permit, and then never go to the range. Those are the folks who will try and act the hero and end up shooting innocents or hurting themselves.

I apologize for the length, but all of this blends in together a bit. To pick the proper holster, you have to pick the proper gun, and to pick the proper gun, you have to experienced, safe, and proficient with it, while considering all other factors involved with possibly having to use that firearm to save your life or someone else's.

Hope this helps!