CCW Problems, please advise!

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gac009

New member
Today I picked up my first conceal carry weapon. It is a HK P2000SK .40sw V2. I have a Mitch Rosen Uncle Sal's Decision Express for it. I tried it on for the first time today and noticed that it printed very badly. I put it on at about 4-5 o'clock and wore a loose(ish) button down shirt over it. I did use an ordinary belt and I will be ordering a custom belt soon but I still feel that it printed very badly. looking in the mirror it is very obivious that there is something there. My fiance' says that when I stand still its not that obvious but when I move she can immediatly tell that its a firearm. I watch people that come into the store that I work at to see if I can make them and sometimes I do but this was the most obvious printing I have ever seen. I imagine that even someone ignorant of most things firearms related would know that it was a gun.

Is this a problem that a belt could solve? or is it more serious? I understand that a good belt will help but should it be this bad without one?

I am 6'0 and about 190lbs. I have a little bit of a belly and its obivious that I could stand to lose about 10-15lbs. I hope this helps!
 
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swk314

New member
Did the shirt have any designs on it? Many people where Hawaiian shirts, striped, dark, and plaid shirts to break up the outline of the gun. Also, does the holster have a forward cant to reduce the chance of the butt of the gun from protruding??
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
Your link just takes me to the Rosen site, not a particular holster.

Is it an IWB, OWB, or between the belt & pants?

What part of the gun is printing?

If the gun is printing when you're walking around, it's going to be impossible to sit or bend without it's being completely obvious.

If it's an IWB with a good amount of forward cant, you may just be finding out that you're going to either completely change your style of dress or go to a smaller gun in order to conceal...
 
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swk314

New member
Having a good belt probably has alot to do with this. Without a proper belt, the gun will hang and sag outwards causing the gun to print more. I'd try to get a nice belt about 1.25" to 1.5" made from a reputable maker and see if this helps. I don't know what your dress code is, but you may have to slightly change it in order to conceal it more effectively.
 
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gac009

New member
John- The website is just like that, sorry. Here is a pic.

usdexp.jpg


Its the grip, seems to stick out no matter what.
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
Thanks!

That's a good cant. Try sliding it around a bit on your belt to see if you can find a spot where the grip doesn't poke out as much. If you can't, I think you're going to have to find another mode of carry, go to a smaller gun (one with a shorter grip), or change your mode of dress considerably.

Contrary to the folks who say they can carry full size pistols, my body style/mode of dress/whatever won't allow me to carry a pistol larger than a Kahr CW9 in a strong side IWB (even with a good holster) without printing badly. You may be in the same boat... :(
 
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chris in va

New member
Alright, let me ask this. Does your state require you to absolutely NOT print, such as TX? If not, there's no reason to worry about the issue.

But anyway, I don't care for IWB holsters in general. They generally provide better concealment, but are very uncomfortable and can't hide the grip very well unless the gun is canted forward severely. That HK is a pretty thick gun anyway, one of the reasons why I got rid of my XD.

You'll probably have to adjust your wardrobe, like the rest of us have. Patterned, untucked shirts or jackets.
 
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BikerRN

New member
I compared your HK to my Glock 19 and came up with a couple of things.

While your Pistol is "smaller" I can conceal a Glock 19 with little effort. The secrets to this are, a good holster (which you have), a good belt (which you need) and the proper clothing.

I wear "Relaxed Fit" jeans for a reason as well as Polo shirts and T-Shirts that are one size too large. Dark colored, or pattern type cover shirts seem to work the best for me. My pants are 1"-2" larger in the waist to accomodate the gat.

Another issue is the gun you are carrying. Your HK has a pinkie exstention on it. All my Glock magazines are flush with the mag well. This may be an issue for you, I don't know. It does seem to me however that the finger exstention can "hook" on your clothing and give away your concealed factor.

Learning to conceal takes time and we all had to learn to "Dress Around The Gun" if we are serious about carrying. I go so far as to have my suits tailored to accomodate my IWB and the one on my ankle.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

Biker
 
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gac009

New member
I wear "Relaxed Fit" jeans for a reason as well as Polo shirts and T-Shirts that are one size too large. Dark colored, or pattern type cover shirts seem to work the best for me. My pants are 1"-2" larger in the waist to accomodate the gat.
I wear "Relaxed Fit" jeans for a reason as well as Polo shirts and T-Shirts that are one size too large. Dark colored, or pattern type cover shirts seem to work the best for me. My pants are 1"-2" larger in the waist to accomodate the gat.
Click to expand...

After reading somewhere where someone planned to get a white holster and to duracoat their CCW white so if their shirt ever blew up momentarilary no one would notice I decided to dress around wearing black undershirts. The pinkie grip I like, I can't see it really snagging on anything but if it dose Ill learn to live without it.


Alright, let me ask this. Does your state require you to absolutely NOT print, such as TX?
Click to expand...

Yup, infact I am in Texas. Basically if you can see my holster or that I have one I have failed to conceal.

Try sliding it around a bit on your belt to see if you can find a spot where the grip doesn't poke out as much.
Click to expand...

We have been doing that, and guess what! If I put it just behind my hip, around 3:30, the biggest thing sticking out is the snap. Its also very comfortable, Im sitting right now typing with it on.

Thanks for your help everyone. I guess I just paniced after spending $100 on a holster and $600 on a gun and it diddnt fit right away.

thanks!
 
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Stretchman

New member
The holster will also break in a little with wear. When it is new, it is very stiff. After a little while the loop flattens out some, and the holster develops curves for your body shape. Any new holster takes a little while. It only gets better with age.

By the time you have it totally broken in, something goes wrong with it, and you end up with a new one.

Stretch
 
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NCHornet

New member
The belt is not as big of a factor with a IWB as OWB. I have never found a IWB holster that is comfortable, it just isn't for me. I try to always use a good quality high rise pancake holster and good stiff belt and have little problem. I am your same size and 10lbs heavier. When I first started CC 11 years ago I thought everyone could see my gun. This is normal, the truth of the matter is 99% of the public are going around in condition white and are oblivious to what you are packing. You will see with time you won't even think about it. OC is legal in NC although not promoted. I have done some OC in NC and VA and most folks never even look there, the kids are the ones that usually spot it. I have always found that 3:30 to 4:00 is much better for concealment than 3:15. Take advantage of the curve of your body and how the shirt falls, and take your trip to WalMart. This is a on going joke in the Combatcarry forum, once you get your permit you need to take a trip to Walmart for your first carry in public. Go buy some ammo and gun care products. You are also suppose to order some nachos but many WalMarts don't sell them anymore. Come on over to combatcarry and learn all the ins and outs of CC. I think you find the forum useful.
Carry On!!
 
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kirkcdl

New member
Lose the pinky catcher on your mag,it made a world of difference on my USPc.My USPc printed horribly until I changed to a standard floorplate.Also,+1 on changing the carry position on your belt,perhaps 3 o'clock or so will work better.
 
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gac009

New member
Lose the pinky catcher on your mag,it made a world of difference on my USPc.My USPc printed horribly until I changed to a standard floorplate.
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I have two flatbottom magazines and two extened magazines. There dosnt seem to be any difference between the two and I like the extended magazines.
 
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