How do you open carry?

I was just wonder how people here openly carry, and with what kind of holster. I have a Black Hawk serpa holster with paddle and belt options, and today I got the shoulder harness as well. (mag pouch too!)

I like the belt option, but (weird I know) I carry my wallet in my right front pocket and always have, as well as my car keys and carrying on the belt is in the way sometimes.

I am right handed and would prefer a strong side draw, but I picked up a shoulder harness to try it out (and I could always CC after my card gets to me but ONLY if/when I have to) carrying that way.

However after I got it, it occurred to me, that might be a bit goofy to wear in public over just a belt clip. I tried to change my wallet to my rear pocket but after years (I am 25) of carrying it in the front it just felt wrong.

As far as I am aware my state law (Ky) says I can open carry as long as it can be easily seen from the front.

Any ideas about my dilemma? I like carrying more to the front and its just in the way of my wallet.

Thanks for any ideas.

well that may leave you with a problem, if your so use to the wallet in the front pocket try switching sides with the wallet. i also use the blackhawk serpa both paddle and belt, XD 45. but what ever you come up with you will get use to it. and welcome to ocdo.

I spent $40 on the shoulder harness and ended up not liking it after a hour of trying to get it to even fit right and be comfortable.
I will try carrying my wallet in my other pockets, I adjusted my belt holster so it fits better and is faster to pull, gave it a bit of back tilt. I drew with it like that several times and liked how it felt. My new matching mag pouch fits well and I practiced changing mags a few times until I was comfortable with that too.

I am going to call the shop where I got the harness and ask if I can exchange it for something else. I can get almost 200 rounds of 9mm FMJ or try a different harness if I can exchange it.
I might see if they have a upper leg holster like this.




I seen one and really liked it, the local gun range owner had a home made rig similar to this.

Very Carefully :monkey:banana::lol:

Butt seriously, Bianchi Carry-lok for my cbob usually the 4:15 to 5 oclock area, I also have the Blackhawk cqc carbon holster with paddle and belt loop part. I usually carry with the Bianchi, looks a little nicer and keeps here high and tight, where the blackhawk will get range duty and lawn mowing duty, being leather doesnt care much for back sweat :uhoh:



Tim

Titan357 said:

I spent $40 on the shoulder harness and ended up not liking it after a hour of trying to get it to even fit right and be comfortable.
I will try carrying my wallet in my other pockets, I adjusted my belt holster so it fits better and is faster to pull, gave it a bit of back tilt. I drew with it like that several times and liked how it felt. My new matching mag pouch fits well and I practiced changing mags a few times until I was comfortable with that too.

I am going to call the shop where I got the harness and ask if I can exchange it for something else. I can get almost 200 rounds of 9mm FMJ or try a different harness if I can exchange it.
I might see if they have a upper leg holster like this.


View attachment 6489

I seen one and really liked it, the local gun range owner had a home made rig similar to this.

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I would recommend you not make use of an "upper leg holster". The image and message that tends to send to the public at large, not to mention your local LEO's, is likely to turn out to be negative. You would be much better served with a relatively simple and effective belt holster for OC'ing your gun. Something that is nondescript and effect, and that works for you.

Also with the Blackhawk Serpa design, I can't stress this enough. Practice, practice, practice you draw and shoot moves with an unloaded gun. You want the muscle memory down pat since you have a lever to depress in order to remove your firearm from that holster. In an extreme dynamic encounter, the last thing you want happening to you is for you, in the heat of the moment, to fail to fully depress this lever and come up empty handed. I have seen an experienced instructor do this twice and try as I might, I could not reach 100% with this design. So do spend a lot of time practicing your draw with this setup. It could be the difference between returning home with everything intact or becoming a resident at a hospital or morgue.

Q-How do you open carry?
A-Strong side, belt, 3 oclock or just a bit further back.
Specifically, Ruger P89 9mm in an Uncle Mike Pro3 triple retention holster on a Uncle Mike nylon pistol belt.

Spare ammo mag, digital voice recorder, Freeze +P OC/CS spray and Taser C2 on left side.

Carry the same way as much as possible and TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN. Not just standing in on spot shooting at a paper bullseye. Get out and MOVE. Try entering IDPA or USPSA matches and using your regular carry gear. Remember you train like you fight and fight like you train. Use your gear. You mention 200 rounds of 9mm ammo. One USPSA match could use that up.

Find a local gun internet forum or club and learn who the quality instructors are in your area. Then spend the money to get instruction on how to use your firearm in real world scenerios. Buying the gun and holster are just a first step. Learning to use them effectively will be the next step.
Good luck.

SouthernBoy said:

I would recommend you not make use of an "upper leg holster". The image and message that tends to send to the public at large, not to mention your local LEO's, is likely to turn out to be negative. You would be much better served with a relatively simple and effective belt holster for OC'ing your gun. Something that is nondescript and effect, and that works for you.

Also with the Blackhawk Serpa design, I can't stress this enough. Practice, practice, practice you draw and shoot moves with an unloaded gun. You want the muscle memory down pat since you have a lever to depress in order to remove your firearm from that holster. In an extreme dynamic encounter, the last thing you want happening to you is for you, in the heat of the moment, to fail to fully depress this lever and come up empty handed. I have seen an experienced instructor do this twice and try as I might, I could not reach 100% with this design. So do spend a lot of time practicing your draw with this setup. It could be the difference between returning home with everything intact or becoming a resident at a hospital or morgue.

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Yeah, I am learning to work with my belt holster and after shooting today I have worked out all the kinks so far.
I have gotten used to the button press and after a few draw and re holsters my finger goes right to it every time. But still more practice when I can won't hurt.

The only range around here is ran by a ex-marine sniper and hes been really good at giving me pointers and helping me out. As expected he is much better at shooting then I am.

yale, I have the P-85 MK-II and I love it.
I have no idea exactly how many rounds I have went through total, but Its nearing the 1,000 mark in under 3 months. I can't shoot as often as I like due to both my first and Second job as well as trying to save some money for my wedding/honeymoon in sept.

I will check around and see what I can find in the way of classes, so thanks for that idea.

One thing I have noticed, I am much better with my .22 single action and the range owners S&W .40 than I am with my 9mm ruger. I think the sights are off, I did get it used for $260 something, while the .22is less than 2 months old and under 300 rounds, the .40 is over 5,000 rounds and was bought early this year.
I will never sell the P-85 though, it was my first handgun.
I have been looking at a XD 45 that I really liked how it felt and the trigger and grip safety.

Also, my paper came back from my CCDW class last night!

Titan,

For the used Ruger that you bought, before calling the sights off, make sure of your grip and your wrist ... not saying anything here, but that those are the first things to check (like, check the cables on the computer before replacing parts LOL) Mis-aligned factory sights are not unheard of, just very rare.

Then, are you absolutely certain you are getting the sight picture correctly in the sights?

If all those are Check, then having a gun smith give the gun a once-over on principle for being a used gun is also a good practice for any used gun purchase. It may also be time for the springs to be replaced ... weak springs can be at the bottom of several issues.

You might check with Ruger to see what their cost would be for a 'tune up.'

okboomer said:

Titan,

For the used Ruger that you bought, before calling the sights off, make sure of your grip and your wrist ... not saying anything here, but that those are the first things to check (like, check the cables on the computer before replacing parts LOL) Mis-aligned factory sights are not unheard of, just very rare.

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Correct. Proper and consistent grip is extremely important to consistently accurate fire. A good test for this is to practice draw and fire drills with an unloaded gun.

Set up a "target" in a room about 15 feet away, then practice drawing and firing the gun, again unloaded. If you grasp the gun from the holster and maintain the same grip throughout the draw and fire, chances are your grip is Ok. If yo find yourself having to "adjust" your grip before a good sight picture is obtained, then the gun's grip and "feel" might not be best suited for your hands.

Ok, thanks guy.
Ill check into that, I just thought it was kinda strange that I shot better with the .40 and my .22 as soon as I picked them up.

I have 50 rounds left, I may go back to the range and shoot some more today and see if I can improve any, if its not so hot.

Titan, another thing to consider if you still have the factory grips on your P85 is trying aftermarket grip panels. I replaced my grip panels with Hogue wrap around grips (like this-> http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=507229 ) and LOVE the way they feel. Nice soft rubber with finger grooves For The Win.
Here a photo of them on my pistol close up....

Good luck and stay safe.

Nice grips!

I tried some things I was showed today.

I hung a target, walked 10 feet away turned drew and fired 10 shots as fast as I could line it up and pull the trigger.

10/10

at 15 feet I hit 7/10

at 20 feet 7/10 again.

My last 10 shots I walked 20 feet away, turned drew and took my time shooting.
10/10

Here is the last target.
I know its hard to tell from the picture, but I placed 3 almost right on top of each other in the lower right circle.

Its 8X11 printer paper.

I could get better, but hey I am learning.

SouthernBoy said:

I would recommend you not make use of an "upper leg holster". The image and message that tends to send to the public at large, not to mention your local LEO's, is likely to turn out to be negative. You would be much better served with a relatively simple and effective belt holster for OC'ing your gun. Something that is nondescript and effect, and that works for you.

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Furthermore, the thigh rig is not actually a very comfortable or practical way to carry a firearm. It bumps against things and catches on everything. The thigh rig became popular because of its use by "operators" in tactical situations. The reason for its existence is that it puts the pistol down below the body armor where it can be easily reached even if you're loaded down with 40 pounds of stuff. For us ordinary folk, a holster on the belt is a better choice both tactically and socially. The only significant exception I have found is that when horseback, a thigh rig rides better and doesn't cause the pistol to dig into my fat roll ... errr ... my waist.

Nice shooting ... if you measure it out, they were all in the CM!

And Kudos to you for asking for and responding to the advice and suggestions given here ... so many don't :banghead:

As for your aim/targeting, it just takes practice, which you seem to know. Yes, it can be quite expensive, but that is part of the responsibility of carrying. You might look around for a reloader where you could get a break on price, but that also means you need to collect your brass. Some ranges don't allow you to collect your brass as they use that to help with range costs/overhead, so be sure to check first. Most open air ranges do not require you to leave your brass ... IME, they actually require you to police your brass :lol: Our range has a brass bucket which I dump the .22 brass into, but my reloader had me start saving my 9mm brass a couple of years ago, and then all the other calibers I shoot have always gone to the reloader where I got the brass from in the first place. On edit: some reloaders will accept brass from ammo purchased at a retailer, but check first.

If I go to an indoor range where I cannot collect my brass, I purchase cheap ammo for that place. This is another consideration for your budget. It may take a little time for you to get it all in place and working, but keep at it and it will work out for you.

If not, when buying from a reloader, you pay for the first brass, then the load after that, and the reloader replaces 'bad' brass to fill your order. Most brass can be reused at least 2 times, but to do that, the reloader may have to do additional machining, so there may be a cost there, although my reloader just replaces and recycles anything that doesn't meet spec.

Have fun, practice as you can, and carry on

I have been looking at a XD 45 that I really liked how it felt and the trigger and grip safety.

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I carry an XD .45 in a Blackhawk holster. I have shot a couple of IDPA course with it, it works and works WELL. Many of the veteran shooters at IDPA commented on my accuracy, just needing to speed up my draw and target acquisition, which I assume will come with more practice.

IMHO, it would be a good choice.

How about wearing it on your left side facing backwards and do a reach accross if needed?

William Fisher said:

How about wearing it on your left side facing backwards and do a reach accross if needed?

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Dear, Zeus! NO! Tell us you were being sarcastic and forgot the smilie icon.

yale said:

Dear, Zeus! NO! Tell us you were being sarcastic and forgot the smilie icon.

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Hey, He carries his billfold in his right front pocket. Just thought it an option. Don't you have to do a reach across with a shoulder holster? I'm right handed and carry on the right.

I open carry my pistol on the hip, even (or especially) when on horseback. Different holsters for different guns, each to specifically fit that particular weapon. On horseback retention is the BIG thing, get the best retention you can find.

As to your wallet and car keys/ Left front pocket if your slacks/jeans will allow it. Do not get in your car with your wallet in your back pocket, your back may not tell you today, but I will guarantee some day your back will protest the presence of that wallet in your back pocket. With todays bucket seats this time will come sooner rather than later.

Strong side, safariland ALS 6378 paddle (belt option) with a glock .40, single mag holder and spare mag weak side, S&W tanto lever assisted folding knife clipped in strong side front pocket, digi. recorder in weakside front pocket with detachible mic ran up my shirt and clippped near my pectoral muscle. Once I get my CPL, some sort of pocket pistol will be in weakside front or rear pocket or possibly tucked IWB.