"It's too heavy for a carry gun"

[RossA]

I admit in advance that this is a bit of a rant, so feel free to stop reading here if you choose.
I can't count how many times I have seen or heard someone say "that's a nice range gun or home defense gun, but it's too heavy to carry."
Really? I am a big guy, 5'5" tall, around 160 lbs. OK, maybe I'm a little guy.
For many years I have carried a full size 1911 with no complaints. How do I do it? Have I invented some new, secret system?
No. I just do the basics. Get a GOOD holster. One that will hold the gun securely and snugly against your body.
Get a GOOD belt. One that is heavy (thick) enough and wide enough to fully support the gun and holster.
Tighten the belt up around your waist so that it doesn't hang loosely like some punk kid with his pants around his knees. Even if you have a good belt and holster, if you wear the belt loosely it won't give you the proper support.
That's it. No secrets, nothing fancy, just a simple, workable everyday solution.
I swear that a lot of times I forget that the gun is even on my body.
How is it that guys twice my size complain that a few ounces more weight makes a gun too heavy to comfortably carry?
OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.

[carlson1]

I am always amazed by those who spend $700.00 on a pistol and $15.00 on an Uncle Mikes holster with a Wal Mart belt.

I have an assistant who I just can't get through his head spend $450.00 on a pistol and $175.00 on proper carry equipment. (You do get what you pay for.)

Then go out to eat and buy ammo with the $100 plus dollars you saved.

[anygunanywhere]

I admit in advance that this is a bit of a rant, so feel free to stop reading here if you choose.
I can't count how many times I have seen or heard someone say "that's a nice range gun or home defense gun, but it's too heavy to carry."
Really? I am a big guy, 5'5" tall, around 160 lbs. OK, maybe I'm a little guy.
For many years I have carried a full size 1911 with no complaints. How do I do it? Have I invented some new, secret system?
No. I just do the basics. Get a GOOD holster. One that will hold the gun securely and snugly against your body.
Get a GOOD belt. One that is heavy (thick) enough and wide enough to fully support the gun and holster.
Tighten the belt up around your waist so that it doesn't hang loosely like some punk kid with his pants around his knees. Even if you have a good belt and holster, if you wear the belt loosely it won't give you the proper support.
That's it. No secrets, nothing fancy, just a simple, workable everyday solution.
I swear that a lot of times I forget that the gun is even on my body.
How is it that guys twice my size complain that a few ounces more weight makes a gun too heavy to comfortably carry?
OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.

Feel better? Need a hug?

[The Wall]

Sounds like you got it. Proper holster and belt can make all the difference in the world. I guess some folks just aren't comfortable with the larger frame guns and they are a little more difficult to conceal. If you're talking a 500 S&W Magnum I can see that may be a problem. Even that gun in a good holster and belt wouldn't be hard to handle for short periods of time. But the 1911 is a breeze to carry. It boils down to personal preference. If someone thinks a certain gun is too heavy, who are we to argue.

[Pariah3j]

So Ross - maybe its because I'm a heavier dude, but I'm one of the people who makes the comment 'It's too heavy for a carry gun' - no mind you I wouldn't tell someone they can't carry it because of the weight, just that I personally have found that a heavy gun doesn't work for me.

I wear pants that fit and a belt, and I still have a problem keeping my pants at my waist when I get up/sit down/move around. In order to tighten my belt enough for this not to happen, I have to tighten my belt into my gut and its painful. So my pants aren't sagging around my knees or any of that. It made me sad to know that my XD 40 service model with a clip full of ammo, made my pants fall off. Not like tequila, its just too heavy for me to keep my belt at a comfortable tightness and around my waist. I do not have this problem with any of my lighter guns. So for me the 'It's too heavy for carry' is a valid point.

[RossA]

Good points, all. We are all built differently, and not all of us are as comfortable doing certain things as others are. I still just see that a lot of the problem is that some people just aren't doing the right things to make carrying a heavy gun work the way it should. I have a business partner who carries a very small gun (when he even carries one) because he only likes to wear thin "fashion" belts. And he likes to wear them fairly loosely. He asked me how I can bear to carry a big gun all day, and I showed him the difference between what I wear (and how I wear it) and what he wears.
You pays your money and you takes your chances.
I'm all about freedom. To each his own.

[oljames3]

I admit in advance that this is a bit of a rant, so feel free to stop reading here if you choose.
I can't count how many times I have seen or heard someone say "that's a nice range gun or home defense gun, but it's too heavy to carry."
Really? I am a big guy, 5'5" tall, around 160 lbs. OK, maybe I'm a little guy.
For many years I have carried a full size 1911 with no complaints. How do I do it? Have I invented some new, secret system?
No. I just do the basics. Get a GOOD holster. One that will hold the gun securely and snugly against your body.
Get a GOOD belt. One that is heavy (thick) enough and wide enough to fully support the gun and holster.
Tighten the belt up around your waist so that it doesn't hang loosely like some punk kid with his pants around his knees. Even if you have a good belt and holster, if you wear the belt loosely it won't give you the proper support.
That's it. No secrets, nothing fancy, just a simple, workable everyday solution.
I swear that a lot of times I forget that the gun is even on my body.
How is it that guys twice my size complain that a few ounces more weight makes a gun too heavy to comfortably carry?
OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.

My everyday carry with extra mag weighs about 4 pounds. I most often wear suspenders to carry the weight and use the belt as an attachment point. Similar to the load bearing equipment I wore from 1973 to 2012. My uncle gave me that and it worked fairly well.

[The Annoyed Man]

There are certain situations where pocket carry of a small gun, or even OWB carry of a small gun, was the preferred carry method. It has to do with what would be the appropriate sartorial choices for a given situation. For instance, I tend not to carry a full-sized gun when I'm on stage as a member of the worship team. It probably wouldn't get exposed, but I can't guarantee it not happening right in the middle of playing a song. Therefore...... a smaller gun.

But the rest of the time, I've always carried either a mid-sized pistol such as a 3" 1911, a USP Compact .40, a XD(M)-45 Compact 3.8, or a Glock 19; or a full sized pistol such as a 5" 1911, a full-sized M&P45, or a Glock 17. Almost from the beginning, I've carried all my guns OWB. I tried IWB for a while in a Comp-Tac Minotaur MTAC, but I have suffered from chronic back problems for years, and eventually the holster/gun pressed into my hip by the belt was too painful to continue. But even with OWB, there are days when my back acts up, and I cannot tighten my belt enough to hold the weight of a larger gun without causing myself a lot of pain. On those days, I will either pocket carry/OWB carry a small gun, or I will shoulder holster carry one of my larger guns.

The point is, there are plenty of reasons why someone wouldn't carry a full-sized gun on their hip, and it isn't always because they are whiners or fashionistas who are unwilling to dress around the gun.

[twomillenium]

Don't understand why the rant. Some folks like Dodge, some Chevy, some Ford, etc., etc.. To each his own, that is what freedom is all about.

[cbunt1]

You are so right. It's all about the equipment. Personally, I've found that the belt is even more important than the holster. The belt is the foundation of the rig.

It's also worth noting that BALANCE makes a difference, at least for me. It sounds silly, but give it a try.

I frequently carry either a full-size glock or a (steel) commander sized 1911 on a Comp-Tac gun belt. Gun at 3:00 (ish), and reloads at 9:00 (ish).

I frequently conceal with a simple un-tucked shirt, even though I use a tuckable holster (I rarely go anywhere that an untucked polo isn't appropriate attire)

But I've been "caught out" a couple of times and needed to tuck my shirt in. With my tuckable holster it's a no-brainer, but my reloads now have to go somewhere else (I have other solutions if I'm planning to tuck, but if I'm not prepared for it, it's a little less convenient.)

Long story short, the times I've carried the gun at 3:00 without the balancing weight of the reloads on the other side, it hurts my back after a period of time, especially if I'm on my feet.

Point being: We (humans) are designed to carry a relatively balanced load. When we throw that balance off, we're uncomfortable, and we "give" to the load, creating a snowball effect. Additionally, a stiff belt can carry a distributed load, but when we throw the balance off, well...same story.

Bottom line: Much of the discomfort of carrying a "heavy" gun has to do with balancing the load--whether the problem is from the human structure, or the way the load pulls on your belt, pants, and even can affect the way you walk.

On another (funny) note: I still remember being at a Cabella's gun counter, discussing carry guns with a guy behind the counter. He kept insisting that a full-size 1911 was a great gun, but simply impossible to conceal effectively. He told me it simply couldn't be done, period, paragraph, end of discussion. I decided it wasn't worth the ramifications of proving him wrong....

[Jago668]

Well I started off with a little Bersa Thunder 380, then moved up to a Glock 30, and have carried full size after that. Springfield XDM 4.5", S&W MP, and now a Glock 17. So I know a full size can be concealed relatively easy. Now they don't conceal as well as a little gun, but it isn't some great task either. I usually carry 3 o'clock, and have a triple mag carrier at about 8 o'clock (2 mags, and a flashlight). I don't notice the weight at all anymore. I've carried it tucked in my suit before, with jacket and without.

So yes it can be done. However as people have said in here, there are other issues at play for some people. I would still rather have them carry a pocket pistol than nothing at all.

[MechAg94]

Don't understand why the rant. Some folks like Dodge, some Chevy, some Ford, etc., etc.. To each his own, that is what freedom is all about.

Well, yes, there are the Dodges and Chevys and Kia's of the hoslter market, but then there is Huffy.

There probably are guns that are too heavy, but using good equipment can help. I agree with that. Good equipment doesn't solve all problems, but it eliminates quite a few. Also, some guns like a Glock 21 are big, but not as heavy as equivilent steel pistols.

[cbunt1]

The point is, there are plenty of reasons why someone wouldn't carry a full-sized gun on their hip, and it isn't always because they are whiners or fashionistas who are unwilling to dress around the gun.

You're absolutely right, there are occasions where no amount of gear or arrangement will work...I've been known to go all the way down to a NAA mini-revolver in .22 Mag on some occasions.

But a flimsy belt and a $10 "clothespin on a tube-sock" holster will all but guarantee the discomfort of packing so much as a water pistol.

[flintknapper]

Clint Smith told our class something....that has stuck with me through the years.

He said: "Carrying a handgun is not supposed to be comfortable, it supposed to be comforting".


But, with the recent advent of OC...more us might be able to achieve both.

[jb2012]

May I add the "that gun is too heavy" then goes and buys a full size double stack glock...lol come on. I am a big guy myself 6'4" 225-230 depending on how much I eat that day (not even kidding I eat alot) but I carry a commander size 1911 in a Galco King Tuk and half the time I forget it's there. I dont have a special belt either, just the same western style belts I wore before I turned 21.