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Carrying in a small car = pain and suffering

rickyray9

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
109
Location
Northern Nevada
Is it just me or do bucket seats in small cars not get along with any side-holstered full size pistols? I'm left handed, 6'3, mostly torso, and I drive a Prius C. It's practically impossible to get in and out of that car without banging up my gun and then having it jam into my ribs or guts. OWB seems a tad more forgiving than IWB, but it's still a pain in the butt. Are there any small car drivers out there that can give any tips? I absolutely hate taking my gun off to drive and then putting it back on in a confined space before I get out to shop or whatever.
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
Being a person stuck in his right mind leaves you with less space for your holstered handgun. All the handles and latches and stuff over there do creep into the free space available.

Shifting your OWB holster a bit more towards 4, 4:30 or even 5 o'clock may give you some of the room you want while still allowing you access to the grips. Another trick is to tuck your seatbelt under your holster as you pull it across your body. That also should give you more access to the grips.

Changing the ride height is another cosideration. You bucket seat design puts "wings" where a lower-riding holster would be. Mid-ride or even high-ride might be the way for you to go.

Changing the cant of your holster is another consideration. A more severe butt-forward rake might give you the room you are looking for, but often needs to be countered by moving te holster closer to 5:30 or 6 o'clock.

Finally, when you go to try on/test drive holsters be sure to check them in as close to your seated-in-the-car position as you can. That may require bringing a buddy to hold up some cardboard simulating the car door as well as being seated.

Good luck.

stay safe.
 

twoskinsonemanns

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
2,326
Location
WV
Is it just me or do bucket seats in small cars not get along with any side-holstered full size pistols? I'm left handed, 6'3, mostly torso, and I drive a Prius C. It's practically impossible to get in and out of that car without banging up my gun and then having it jam into my ribs or guts. OWB seems a tad more forgiving than IWB, but it's still a pain in the butt. Are there any small car drivers out there that can give any tips? I absolutely hate taking my gun off to drive and then putting it back on in a confined space before I get out to shop or whatever.

This is spam. No one carries and drives a prius. :banana:
Kidding. I've gotten this down to a science for me, though I carry on my RH side.
I sit on the left side of the seat and kinda lean right and slide right until my holster butts right up against my seat belt latch. Then my belt goes over the holster and right into the latch. It doesn't make for very quick drawing but it is comfortable for me.
 

1245A Defender

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,365
Location
north mason county, Washington, USA
Well,,,

Im 6ft and a lefty also and I drive a honda civic

If you want to be able to draw while sitting, while belted in, in a tiny car...

You got to carry cross draw!!!

It is betterrer :D in every way,,, even for those unfortunate masses that are right handed..
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
Cross draw and shoulder holster may relieve some of your problems. High ride holsters that hold tight to the body might help also.

And if all else fails, duct tape the gun to your forehead, it should not get in the way of your seats then.:banana:
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
Insofar as a side-holstered gun is not very accessible after the seat belt is buckled, I worked out a "car" holster. In my car, a cheap holster jammed between the seat and the console holds the gun against hard stops and so forth.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I don't always remember to transfer to the "car holster" which usually resides in the glove box after I get out of the car. But, when I do remember it, my ribs don't complain.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
Insofar as a side-holstered gun is not very accessible after the seat belt is buckled, I worked out a "car" holster. In my car, a cheap holster jammed between the seat and the console holds the gun against hard stops and so forth.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I don't always remember to transfer to the "car holster" which usually resides in the glove box after I get out of the car. But, when I do remember it, my ribs don't complain.

Duct tape that holster to your forehead and you won't forget it...:monkey
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
Im 6ft and a lefty also and I drive a honda civic

If you want to be able to draw while sitting, while belted in, in a tiny car...

You got to carry cross draw!!!

It is betterrer :D in every way,,, even for those unfortunate masses that are right handed..

I'm in shape (round is so a shape!) and crossdraw does the same thing that appendix carry does - makes my muzzle point at things I absolutely, positively do not want destroyed, even "by accident". That means for folks like me crossdraw is the opposite of betterrer.

And a Honda Civic? Do you have one of those orange safety flags on a stick so other motorists don't drive right over you? :p

stay safe.
 

Fallschirjmäger

Active member
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
3,823
Location
Cumming, Georgia, USA
Wore a hole in the seat bolster of my GTi with a Glock; couldn't even reach the holster when I had a Miata (was jammed against the left door), wasn't even enough room for just me with the 914 when I was running that (it had sport seats and they are Narrow.
I wound up getting some expanding rubber anchors (used by BMW, Subaru, etc to affix 'grocery hooks' and such) and mounting a right handed holster to the transmission tunnel. With tinted windows it was barely visible and the holes disappeared with a cap when I sold the car.
13929d1362670067-wtb-cargo-net-mounting-mushroom-assembly-hooks-cargo-net-nuts.jpg
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
All y'all making suggestions about changing between holster A and holster B might want to recall why that may not be in your best interest. http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...n-a-Ferry-Tale-Arrested-for-following-the-law

stay safe.

Y'know, when I first started carrying (CC), I was all sucked-in to the "conventional wisdom" about never letting a sheeple see the gun. I would go through all these fantastically difficult contortions to transfer the gun to the car holster, or holster it from the brief-case at the next stop after leaving wherever.

Then one day, I said, "the hell with it." "Open carry is legal." And, "I'm not gonna suffer a car-jacking or robbery at the bank drive-thru just because a sheeple might get their knickers in a bunch." Or, words to that effect.

Today, I holster up from the brief-case standing at the trunk of the car. And, unholster to the car holster before getting in the car.

Enough is enough, rights are rights. And, I'm not going to go around trying to avoid every possible risk.

Now, that doesn't mean I'm stupid about it. For example, if I am at my car and want to transfer the gun, I first look around at other parked cars, and look for anybody just sitting in their car or walking in the parking lot who might see me make the transfer. If there is someone looking at me, I just wait a few seconds, maybe pretending to fumble for keys or something. Then, after they pull away, or walk past, I make the transfer quickly, with a lot of attention on safe gun handling.

If someone is sitting nearby in a car (but not next to me), I'll just turn my body so they can't really see me threading my belt through the holster loops. Or, the gun transfer.

Over the last seven or eight years, I've maybe had to drive to a new parking space maybe twice.

So, I won't invite trouble by just ignoring the situation and possible reactions. But, on the other hand, a right is a right, dammit. And, I'm only gonna go through but so much gyrations to exercise a right.
 
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hafnhaf

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
230
Location
Williamsburg, VA
the idea about the duct tape and the forehead is great. but there will be some prying involved if the air bags go off...

and i dont think it will buff right out either.


as for the real topic, i carry OWB in a simple leather holster with a thumb break. the rig fits between the seatbelt latch and the rear bolster. just forget about getting to it quickly.

and skid, i'm driving a honda insight. the little two-door. smaller than a civic. so.... two flags!
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
the idea about the duct tape and the forehead is great. but there will be some prying involved if the air bags go off...

and i dont think it will buff right out either.


as for the real topic, i carry OWB in a simple leather holster with a thumb break. the rig fits between the seatbelt latch and the rear bolster. just forget about getting to it quickly.

and skid, i'm driving a honda insight. the little two-door. smaller than a civic. so.... two flags!

Then what's the point?

As for those of you pedaling around in those tiny cars - just wait till you get to the time in your life when the body a) no longer bends in those directions and b) the body refuses to unbend once contorted to the shape necessary to get in/be in one of those cracker boxes. :p :p :p

stay safe.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I would say "real pro-gunners only drive pick-up trucks." But, the days of bench seats in pick-up trucks are long gone. (sigh)

We went to buckets in the patrol cars in the 80's, as well as electric windows. I prefer the standard buckets to bench seats because I like mid drop holsters, the old border patrol/Jordan style.
 

rickyray9

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
109
Location
Northern Nevada
Nice to see others have the same problem as me! My SUV is much more comfortable for carrying, but once you get used to filling up your tank for less than $20 it really gets hard to commute around in anything else
 
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