I'm getting a mouse gun.

[RedTape]

I was out with an old friend the other night and got made at the end of the evening when we hugged. She felt the grip on my J-Frame and instantly asked if I was carrying a gun.

I've got to get a mouse gun. I never thought I'd go smaller than my G26, but I ended up with a S&W 642...which I love. So then I thought I'd never go smaller than that, but I just can't pocket carry the thing, and my G26 is only slightly harder to conceal than the J-frame IWB. I think I'm going to get a Ruger LCP for those times when I'm out with friends who don't know I carry.

 

[vvvvvvv]

I was out with an old friend the other night and got made at the end of the evening when we hugged. She felt the grip on my J-Frame and instantly asked if I was carrying a gun.

I've got to get a mouse gun. I never thought I'd go smaller than my G26, but I ended up with a S&W 642...which I love. So then I thought I'd never go smaller than that, but I just can't pocket carry the thing, and my G26 is only slightly harder to conceal than the J-frame IWB. I think I'm going to get a Ruger LCP for those times when I'm out with friends who don't know I carry.

I carry forward of the hip (gradually getting closer to AIWB as my gut shrinks) and when I hug I ALWAYS put my strong arm low to force them to go high. I get hugged a LOT at church, an have never been made there, but I am always very careful to be in control of the hug. Heck, my wife has hugged me when she's gotten home and never realized I was carrying until we start making out (yeah, we're still in that "stage"). I'm carrying an XD45 Compact Tactical (short 10rd grip, 5 inch barrel) and haven't had a problem. Personally, I think either the position should be rethought or more control of social contact should be exerted. I'm not trying to dog you or anything, just trying to give you ideas so that you don't have to resort to a mouse gun.

I have a friend who keeps a 1911 in his truck, and told me he was going to get a P22 to carry because he can't imagine any of his full size pistols being carryable (we're about the same size, except my gut has a bit more overhang). I was wearing cargo shorts and black beater (this was at the house, so I wasn't worried at all about printing, but you have to look for it closely on the black beater... my grey and white ones print more than the printing presses at the NY Times) and showed him my XD45 with the 13rd mag in it (so it had a full-size-like grip, instead of the 10rd compact). He said he's going to consider his 1911 more, because he'd rather have a .45 than a .22 on him.

As an aside, generally if I make someone for their gun its because they carry at 4 or 8 and the grip either gets pushed out a ton by their love handles or the top of the back pocket has an unnatural curve due the end of the barrel pushing the seat of the pants. (No, I do not walk around Wal-Mart staring at everyone's rear. Things that don't seem "right" on a person tend to catch my eye rather quickly.) The way I almost always figure out who is carrying is their mags stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[watchcollector1968]

My wife and I went to an outdoor wedding for her brother. It was casual dress, so I had my Taurus Millineum on my right hip. We had never even met the brides family, but it turns out they were the "huggy" type. Im sure they thought there was something wrong with me, I kept having to turn and keep my arm straight down by my side...what a pain.

One of these days when I come across a NAA mini I think Im going to have to grab one just for such events.

 

[okie98]

The Seecamp or the KelTek .32 loaded with Winchester silver tips can be a very comfortable and comforting carry.

 

[Soulman]

Why not carry at 1 or 2 o'clock position? Nobody besides my girl better be hugging me close enough to feel my gun in that position.

 

[RedTape]

I'd like to carry about 2 o'clock, but I'm too skinny. When I sit down the barrel jams into my leg. 4 o'clock is the only way I can make IWB work. 95 percent of the time that position works just fine, but there are those situations when I'm around around a group of people and I'd just rather them not know I carry.

I thought about the Kel-tec, but I like the idea of being able to lock the slide back on the LCP and the Ruger felt like it was a little better made.

 

[Soulman]

You can't pocket carry your S&W J frame? What pocket holster are you using?

 

[vvvvvvv]

I'd like to carry about 2 o'clock, but I'm too skinny. When I sit down the barrel jams into my leg. 4 o'clock is the only way I can make IWB work. 95 percent of the time that position works just fine, but there are those situations when I'm around around a group of people and I'd just rather them not know I carry.

I thought about the Kel-tec, but I like the idea of being able to lock the slide back on the LCP and the Ruger felt like it was a little better made.

When I sit at 2:30, my barrel rides down my leg. When I sit at 1:00, my barrel moves Mr. Right over a bit and snuggles in there. However, my belly is just a bit to big for that to be comfortable, and it is in between being big enough to fold the fat over and flat enough to really work.

I'd just hate to carry something where you would have to empty a full mag just to get a determined assailant to begin thinking about slowing down, much less empty a full box of ammo on someone hopped up on angel dust. My theory has always been "Why pissemoff more when you can stop the threat within a few shots?". I personally think you should experiment some more with positioning, and possibly with a different holster. Many people carry at 4:00 without hugging problems, so I just have to ask how you do you hug? If you can force their arm to go high on your strong side, you can pretty much eliminate most chances of them feeling the gun during a hug. If this was one of those hugs where her hand came across your weak side and all the way over to 4:00, a smaller gun won't fix that.

 

[z06man]

I thought about the Kel-tec, but I like the idea of being able to lock the slide back on the LCP and the Ruger felt like it was a little better made.

Huh? You can lock the slide back on a Kel-tec. At least you can on the P-11 and PF-9. And they're full power 9mm, not really a mouse gun at all.. I thought all the Keltecs had slide stops/releasess.

 

[Burk Cornelius]

....She felt the grip on my J-Frame and instantly asked if I was carrying a gun?

That happens to me all the time