Best concealed carry methods for big guys (Part 1)

Criteria

People come in all shapes and sizes. While us un-svelte types have some commonalities there are still a wide range of body types for overweight people. I’ll try to stick to the commonalities for this article and you can modify to suit your own body/preferences.

There are a number of different methods to carry so I’ll end up with multiple articles about this.

Criteria

What are we looking for in our carry method?

1. Accessibility. If you need your gun you need it in your hand, not in the holster.
2. Concealibility. The gun/holster should remain concealed. Otherwise it’s open carry, which is not the purpose of this site. There are times when it’s possible the gun could print briefly. That’s not a big deal.
3. Comfort. I’ve seen the saying, “Carrying a gun should be comforting, not comfortable.” Nonsense. There may be trade offs, of course, and I’m not saying that you won’t notice the gun you have on. But if it’s not comfortable then you’re doing it wrong. On the other hand, you don’t want to forget you have it. Otherwise you might accidentally walk into a US Post Office or bar or other restricted place while armed. Or so I’ve heard.
4. Retention. It would be best if it was hard for someone other than you to get to it. Concealment covers most of this, of course; someone can’t grab a gun they don’t know about. Still, it wouldn’t hurt if it was difficult for someone other than you to draw it.

These are only going to be guidelines. A lot of these decisions will be specific for your situation. For example, I have a number of shirts that technically fit, but they’re a little tight and won’t conceal a gun. So if I end up wearing one then I need another approach to my carry that day.

I also wear my pants at my waist. That is, my belt fastens at or near my belly button. I do not wear them so that my gut hangs over my belt. You may do things differently; you’ll have to take that into account.

You may not even wear a belt. Some people like suspenders. If so, then a CCW method that involves a holster on a belt isn’t for you.
So what’s the best concealed carry method? Read on.

Inside Waist Band (IWB)

My personal favorite. Most of the time I’ll either carry an M&P Shield in 9mm at about 3: 30 to 4 o’clock under an untucked shirt in a leather holster or a Sig P229 in a hybrid holster. Most people suggest 4:00 – 5 o’clock for IWB, but I like it slightly more forward. Experiment and then do what works for you.

Advantages:

1. Easy access. You have to train yourself to clear your shirt (and jacket if you have one) before you draw but once you’ve got it down it’s clean and fast. Well. Not sure about you but I’m not exactly Bat Masterson over here. Still, it’s as fast a method as I’m likely to find. And drawing practice is cheap and can be done at home. Just unload the gun before practicing, please. Safety first.
2. Good concealibility. There can be some printing while bending over but for the most part it’s well concealed. Your arm is also in the general area and moving a lot so that tends to break up the outline of any gun butt that may briefly show. Many of the common IWB holsters are also “tuckable”. The clip that holds it to your belt is designed so that you can tuck your shirt in between the gun and your pants. I’ve found this can reduce printing with certain guns. The clip(s) that are on your belt are visible, however.
3. Very comfortable. I know it’s there but it’s never a burden. Holster design is a big part of that. I’ve never tried a pure Kydex IWB but my hybrid holster works fine.

Disadvantages:

1. Pants/belt sizes. If your pants or belt are tight in the first place then this can create problems. My Shield is 1″ wide. My holster, between the leather and Kydex portion, adds another 3/8″ or so. I currently have a 47″ waist. So 46″ pants/belt are right out. I mean, sure, I can force it. But that’s not comfortable. 48″, on the other hand, works fine.
2. Shirt sizes. Tight shirts are not going to work. A baggy shirt will flow around the gun butt in such a way that it won’t print. Longer is also better. At the same time you probably want to avoid anything that looks like it was bought at (insert city name here) Tent & Awning. More material is harder to clear.
3. Shirt color. As we all know, black is slimming. It’s also pretty good at preventing printing. As are navy and other dark colors. Light colored shirts, on the other hand, can be problematic.
4. Manual labor issues. I do some occasional manual labor: taking apart old spas to junk them, helping with various tasks at flip houses, etc. I tried doing some of that once with an IWB. Didn’t like it. I was constantly concerned about the gun butt being whacked by something or another. While I was never afraid the gun was going to fall out, there was a lot more shifting going on as I bent and moved than I’d like.

Appendix Carry

Very similar to IWB, except the gun is around the front of your body, not the side. All the advantages and disadvantages of IWB apply. There are a few extra things, though.

Advantages:

1. Retention. It’s better. The gun is right in front of you so anyone who may try to grab it is in your line of sight.
2. Drawing is slightly easier with the gun right there in front of you and you don’t have to reach around as far to clear your cover garment.

Disadvantages:

1. I’m hardly the first to say this but I really don’t like where the gun points. Genitals or femoral artery. Both are bad for an accidental discharge. Sitting down makes it worse since your gut tends to push the grip out so the muzzle points more into you.
2. More sensitive to barrel length than regular IWB, especially when sitting.
3. Your gut can do strange and unusual things to the angle of the gun when you move. When just standing or walking I have no trouble with it. Bending and sitting, especially sitting, is problematic.

Belly band

I’m including this here because it fits with IWB and Appendix.

Advantages:

1. It is completely clothing independent. You can wear jeans, sweat pants, athletic shorts, whatever. A belt is completely optional.
2. You can shift the gun around to wherever you want it to be easily. No belt loops to dictate anything.

Disadvantages:

1. A belly band is designed to fit around what is, to us, the widest part of our bodies. Printing becomes a major issue.
2. I have to say that my one experience with belly bands was not a happy one. Retention was poor and the gun shifted constantly. Having said that, this was a number of years ago and I honestly bought a cheap one that only had a separate piece of the stretchy nylon to hold the gun. Newer (and higher quality) ones I’ve seen lately have a Kydex portion that attaches securely to the band and holds the gun itself more securely than another piece of fabric. That seems much more stable to me so it might be time to try again.

Conclusion

These are three related methods you’re likely to try. They’re similar in that they’re designed to work under normal clothing with minimal wardrobe changes. There are some other options that I’ll go into in the next article.