Printing vs comfort

[TheGrey]

What do you find to be the most comfortable carry position? And what is the best way to avoid printing- is it the position, the size of the gun, the type of holster, or a combination of those factors?

[argonstrom]

I carry at about the 4:30 / 5:00 position (I'm not a big guy). I was a complete fan of IWB holsters before I tried HBAR's OWB holsters - what a world of difference they made comfort-wise. Assuming the shirt is long enough, I have no worries about it being seen (that, and I'm fairly certain no one is going to be checking out my sexy buns). Insofar as printing goes, unless you're wearing a tight shirt, no one is going to notice unless they're looking for it.

[buffalobo]

D. All the above.

For comfort I carry OWB @ 3:30-4 o'clock and use an over shirt. Almost impossible for me to avoid printing without cover garment.

For concealment I carry IWB, same location(smaller pistol) and can cover with most any shirt. No cover garment needed.

I always prefer comfort mode because I almost always wear an over shirt untucked anyway. And I prefer 15 rds to 8, 9, or 10.

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[Zundfolge]

I carry IWB at the 3-3:30ish position. I find it conceals best there (your arm covers it most of the time) and its not so far back that I'm sitting on it (so I can draw while driving).

I carry pretty much 24/7/365 and have modified my wardrobe to accommodate carry (all my pants are slightly over sized and I most often wear shirts un-tucked.

Since Colorado is an Open Carry state you don't have any legal issues to worry about with occasional printing or flashing and most people wouldn't notice you were wearing a gun if you open carried so the biggest way to combat printing is to stop worrying about it (in part because worrying about it causes you to futz with your equipment ... and nothing gives you away like constantly adjusting your holster).

[Irving]

3:30 for comfort, closer to 4-4:30 for concealment. One you get behind the center line of your hip, the gun quickly disappears from front view when you are looked upon from the front. I answer my door all the time with under shirt tucked in behind holster and no concealment garment at all. The gun is not visible on my person from the front at all (check this in the mirror). In addition, your belt won't have any "bulge" from the front. This goes a long way in your own comfort and peace of mind.

One you get that belt bulge out of view from the front, it will be a matter if finding the sweet spot between the gun digging into your hip and the seat belt, or your back and the seat, while driving.

Once you arrive at this point, sitting in most chairs should be comfortable enough. It's been a while since I've worn a blouse to work, but with a shirt tucked in, you can pull all the folds out of the shirt in the front by pulling out from either hip and getting all the folds and ruffles behind your waist line. This cleans up the front presentation and puts all the awkward excess material in the back on top of the gun. From here, assuming you've got a tight tuck all around, you can pull your shirt up about an inch so it blouses a bit all the way around and gives you some freedom to twist and bend (to a point) before the shirt pulls tight and prints your gun.

Now that you've got the gun/belt/shirt positioning squared away, the rest is up to you to learn how far you can bend over, squat, or twist before printing. If you're wearing a silky material that is shorter, you run the risk of your shirt becoming untucked when you raise your arms. This is usually not a big deal, but can be depending on the situation. Here is where you'll learn how to act normal, and not like you're caring a gun. Like Zundfolge has said, looking uncomfortable draws attention you don't want. Just being casual and relaxed goes a very long way toward completing the look of "no guns here," which you're trying to achieve.

While not as comfortable (especially after two Indian tacos) the tighter you wear your belt, the better you'll be able to mitigate movement of your carry rig as a whole. Gun less likely to move up and down your belt, or tilt into our away from your body. Shirts tend to become untucked in the center of your back first because that is where the belt has the least contact with your back.

An under shirt makes a huge difference in comfort, I prefer a tight fitting A-shirt (wife beater). A dark under shirt also helps break up the visual of a chunk of rigid black metsl/plastic against your body in the event your shirt gets untucked while reaching up high. I have a few dress shirts that are cheaply made and of such thin material that if you are paying attention, can actually see the color of the gun against your skin or under shirt.

[Irving]

Oh snap, I've quite nearly forgotten to mention that the more belt loops the better concerning holster stability. I once ordered a pair of pants online and on top of the fact that they turned out to be hipster pants (tight on lower legs with a loose ass), they only had five belt loops. I was carrying with velcro clips at the time and without adequate belt loops to keep everything tight and together, the stiff belt would float out away from the waist of the pants and the velcro would not stay secure. This allowed many draws resulting in drawing gun and holster together. Not ideal.

[TheGrey]

Great info! Thank you all for responding. I'd never thought of a dark tshirt of some sort underneath, but that makes a great deal of sense.

I can see now I'm going to have to make some adjustments in my wardrobe- an overshirt or jacket is to be expected as the weather gets colder, but some of the thinner/tighter shirts I own are going to have to go.

I hate wearing belts. I have only one concealed carry holster as of right now, and it's one that holds the firearm at 4:30-5:00. I ventured out today, going to Walmart just to see how I would do in public. It was overkill; I had not only a jacket, but a longer coat as well. It was more for my mindset and outlook than anything else. Zundfolge, you've got the right of it. I was at great pains not to draw attention to it- but I would catch myself almost reaching to adjust.

I've been kicking around an idea of an ankle/calf holster...but I think it would drive me to distraction, and wouldn't be very practical.

[Irving]

Have you looked into a Remora holster yet?

[Pistol Packing Preacher]

A pair of suspenders under the un-tucked shirt and an IWB holsters works great for me.
Also, a tuckable holster with a dress shirt works. I do use a sports coat also but can remove it for that casual look!
Dark or black T shirts are best.

[68Charger]

It's different for everybody, but I find appendix carry to be both comfortable and also very concealed- but if I'm more concerned, then a smart carry type (underwear carry)for deep concealment.

If I'm carrying concealed, It's always IWB- personally I don't feel OWB is concealed (unless I'm wearing a long coat, which is somewhat rare for me). YMMV

Sturving's comments are good- you have to be comfortable enough that you're not messing with it- another form of printing would be adjusting/messing with your cover clothing because you think everyone can see you're carrying. I've spotted people carrying at church because I saw them doing so, but never saw their gun- I didn't need to.