But I am not sure whether I can carry it, looking for suggestions from some of you who carry 19s, 17s, etc.

When I joined the PD in '68, every one who carried off duty picked the S&W 36 or 37. We all packed Smith or Colt 4-6" revolvers on duty.

I carried my little Smith 38 in my right front pocket and, sometimes, even carried 5 extra rounds, JIC. As a young Detective, when things looked serious, I carried a 45 Gold Cup in what they called "Mexican," cocked and locked in sorta an appendix carry with no holster. Still have my manhood, so it musta been okay-but I'd never do that today.

I was a still young lawyer by the time semis became the weapon of choice for most PDs. I still carried a 38 and owned a BUNCH of guns, including Glocks, but though I shot a lot, practice and competition, I never considered a semi for carry till about, IIRC, 2005ish when I saw and purchased a Kahr PM9.

From there it has been a steady progression of small semis and my current carry is either a 43, SS CR920 or Hellcat. These have a Holosun 507K Green Dot though I am far from certain that's really for me. I keep reading, and see on these forums, that one shoots faster with the dot than irons-I'm doing a lot of practicing, so far if it gets serious, irons will be my choice and I still have one 43 with no dot.

But I have a G49, a G19 frame with a G17 slide, and I am thinking I might try concealed carry with it (we ain't got no open carry in Florida, with a few exceptions set forth in our statutes).

It's warm here, and this summer has seemed very hot, which I like, but the only cover for my gun is a T-shirt and a Polo shirt on Sunday for Church.

So-how do you folks carry a comparatively large, and relatively heavy gun comfortably? I am thinking IWB, at the 4 o'clock position, though I might use a trigger guard only "holster" but I can't figure out where to attach the cord when you draw from the appendix position so the "holster" comes off and one can reach the trigger.

Bob

IWB just behind the strong side hip is definitely the way to go.

I carried a G17 concealed for years, on duty in a plainclothes position, often under just an untucked polo or tshirt.

That's even a bit larger and heavier than a G49. So the G49 would be very doable. It's all about having a quality reinforced gun belt to support the weight, and a quality IWB holster.

Look for a holster that has belt attachments that are offset on either side away from the main body. That helps spread out the weight and bulk, compared to the more typical cheaper IWBs that stack a belt clip directly over the gun and the main body of the holster.

For example:

quote:

It's all about having a quality reinforced gun belt

This cannot be said enough. Belts are boring, not sexy and about as much fun as spending money on a new washing machine but a GOOD belt makes carry infinitely easier and makes even marginal holsters workable.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:

quote:

It's all about having a quality reinforced gun belt

This cannot be said enough. Belts are boring, not sexy and about as much fun as spending money on a new washing machine but a GOOD belt makes carry infinitely easier and makes even marginal holsters workable.

I'll 3rd this, I love leather more than kydex or nylon for sure. But I'm growing to like synthetic material gun belts with support in them. They get to play second duty with my uniform as well.

Even after what Rogue said about the 17, seems like a lot of gun for concealed. Especially in Florida under just a shirt. Have you tried out any of the different P365 models? XMacro is 17 round flush fit mag and a good amount smaller for concealment. Can also do the red dot later if you decide.

The 49 should conceal basically like a G19. A loose fitting shirt and a 3-4ish O’Clock with an FBI cant and it should be no problem. I’ve carried an HK P2000 or P2000sk with a 13 round mag for a long time and neither is much of a chore with a Vedder light tuck and a good belt. The 49 is a little lighter but with roughly the same grip and the slide length will likely help it push in to you.

I mean sure it’s no J-Frame or P365/Hellcat but good belt, decent holster no problem.

I've got several gun belts and a holster for the 49 is on the way. The belts are leather and real gun belts while another is horsehide from a Forum member who sells various leather products.

I also have about 5 wilderness belts but I fear they may not be suitable for a heavier firearm-I reckon we'll see.

Yes, RR, I've tried out many of the 365s, but my little Hellcat is, to me, a better EDC, and that's what I've been carrying for a couple weeks now.

I was kinda surprised at how few holsters I found in an hour or so searching the 'net with belt loops like those RogueJSK pictured above. I was tempted by a couple of leather Summer Specials with leather belt loops, but want to try to wider spaced loops first.

I almost never use a belt clip as it seems that no matter how careful one is, it can still pop off the belt at the worst time (don't ask how I know).

Rather than a clip, I either buy my holsters with leather loops or buy the loops from Amazon and replace the clip with them.

Thanks for the advice so far, guys.

Bob

I have been using the Raven Vanguard with snap belt loop forever and the newer Vanguard 2 with belt clip. If you're looking into a trigger guard holster, look at those.
I have them for my 42/43x as well.

will grab a pic in a second.

I have one like that for smaller Glocks but prefer the small, Kydex shell that fastens onto the trigger guard with a hole for a cord.

No bulk except a bit of kydex over the trigger guard. Problem-where to tether the cord. It is hard to use my belt as one must lift the gun out of the belt, up and to the end of the tether to release it. Shortening the cord seems to stop the gun from going far enough into my pants to hold it firm.

And there's nothing-nothing-in my pants that I want to tie a cord around.

Bob

I use a NexBelt gunbelt and an R+R holsters kydex belt slide. Worn at 3 o'clock. Then a unbuttoned shirt shirt or vest. Works for all my stuff, including an all steel 5 inch 1911.

Thanks, I'll check 'em out.

Bob

RogueJSK, I sent you an email about the brands of the holsters you posted in the pic on this thread.

Bob

I am not Rogue but they look like TT Gun Leather at a glance.

Correct. Those holsters are all from TT Gun Leather: https://www.ttgunleather.com/


The upper left one for the G26 is a Slim IWB: https://www.ttgunleather.com/product-page/slim-iwb

The upper right for the G21 and lower left for the G19 are Reinforced IWBs: https://www.ttgunleather.com/p...-page/reinforced-iwb

The lower right for the G17 is my favorite, but it's an older Occidental IWB (sadly no longer available).

Thanks for the info Rogue, I sent an email to thank you, but, sometimes, my emails don't seem to leave the house.

Looking at TT and Vedder for a new holster.

Bob

I can say after daily using my Wilderness Original Instructor belt with the poly liner for the last several years I think I can hang my car on it and not notice it. JM custom kydex holsters are the best appendix I have used way better then Vedder…
Also love TT Gun leather and Ryan Grizzle holsters for leather!

When this holster I found arrives, I'll sure give it a try with one of my Wilderness belts and the 49.

I've used 'em for years, but only with small and light pistols like the P365, Hellcat, 43, 43X and CR920. Thanks,

Bob

 
After time I grew not to like the Wilderness instructors' belt, which I wore in competition for many years. It "takes a set" if you always wear it buckled at the same point, so much so it is almost impossible to move it to another buckling point. The 1.75" width does provide excellent support, though.
 
After retiring from competition, my waist size changed some, and still changes. I tried a Beltman belt, and felt this is what I should have using all along. Now I just use it to hold my pants up.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Correct. Those holsters are all from TT Gun Leather: https://www.ttgunleather.com/


The upper left one for the G26 is a Slim IWB: https://www.ttgunleather.com/product-page/slim-iwb

The upper right for the G21 and lower left for the G19 are Reinforced IWBs: https://www.ttgunleather.com/p...-page/reinforced-iwb

The lower right for the G17 is my favorite, but it's an older Occidental IWB (sadly no longer available).

TT is my absolute favorite IWB I've ever tried. Even above DelFatti, Sparks, and others. First thing I do after buying any gun I might consider carrying, is to order a black, 1.5" loop, Mike's Special IWB from TT.

They ride lower than other IWBs of similar design, and have a bit more forward cant, resulting in great concealment while still affording a complete and proper grip for the draw.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
This cannot be said enough. Belts are boring, not sexy and about as much fun as spending money on a new washing machine but a GOOD belt makes carry infinitely easier and makes even marginal holsters workable.

What came as a shock to me, the sturdy leather gun belts I found essential for normal OWB/IWB holsters wear (which frankly I was wearing 100% of the time anyway, carrying a gun had nothing to do with it) were the very thing making AIWB unworkable for me. Unbearable for anything other than standing straight upright.

But I got a notion and bought a stretchy belt and oh my lord, it made AIWB not only a workable option but preferred in many circumstances. My heavy duty gun belts were strangling me AIWB. I ended buying a couple of them. Of course NOT carrying AIWB, I absolutely hate the belts, can't stand them. I find them almost pointless.