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What's more important: Concealability or Ease of Draw?

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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As people CCW I'm assuming most are looking for a carry mode that conceals your CCW and allows for quick access and draw in the event of need. As everyone's ability to carry is different the question comes up as to what is more important. Concealability or quickness of draw? As always concealed means concealed and if you opt for more quickness it means you are possibly printing or presenting depending on what your are doing. Conversely if you go for more conceal it will possibly slow your ability to draw if an immediate need presents itself.

Overall it comes down to what someone is most comfortable doing when carrying. Case in point there are times I need to go very deep conceal when carrying. It will take me a little time to draw and that is a personal choice as printing, presenting, belt clips etc' is not an option. Obviously the choice will be tailored to each person and the mode of dress/carry used.

For you, what is most important to you realizing everyone wants a mix of both. In some instances though both are not equally possible. In those cases, which way do you lean? Deep conceal or ease of draw?

(Not a post about your most effective carry rig and gun. This is a mentality question on personal choice.)
 
Non-gun people wouldn't even see or recognize a bump at your waist (inside or outside rig, doesn't matter). And gun people may or may not notice it. So being practiced at drawing effectively is more important than concealment. Because they aren't going to notice it anyway.

Wish I could find the video done by a few guys at a mall that showed this. It was an eye opener for me. Very few even noticed or reacted, and those that reacted had reactions like "I see what you got there, me too".
 
I'll jump right in with a vote for concealability. But it is a narrow contest between the two.

You carry concealed to keep the wrong people from knowing you are armed. Until it is loo late for them.

But you also want to be able to access your firearm quickly, especially if your situational awareness fails you.

If I really wanted to assure ease of draw I'd probably wear a belt and holster combo, tied down low. Well, maybe that's a little extreme but complete reliance on one will probably affect the other.
 
The US Air Force Weapons Instructor Course produces some of the most knowledgeable pilots in their particular airframes / missions. If you want to get into an in depth conversation about the nuts and bolts of a particular tactical situation, you need to find the "Patch" at a squadron and ask him / her. Without fail, the hour and a half long conversation will start with "it depends".

Same here, you need to begin the day with a realistic threat assessment: what you'll be doing, where you'll be going, is there a real threat, what is the risk if I don't conceal well enough, etc etc.

Most days, I lean more toward the conceal part. The risk is more than embarrassment or social outcasting if discovered I'm carrying. Those days when I'm in a more permissive environment, I still lean toward the conceal, more out of habit.

On the days when I know I'll need to be a fast draw, because I've got a showdown at high noon on Main St, I open carry a shotgun.
 
For me, I value concealability over ease of draw.

I got to that point from realizing that there's a very small chance I'll ever need to draw a gun, and in the cases I do, either it won't matter how long it takes (within reason), or I can't in any reasonable carry such that I cold draw fast enough.

i.e.: if someone is shooting at me, they've already picked me as a target, I probably can't draw fast enough to make a difference with any holster/gun, but if I'm just "in the area" (like in a store that's being held up or a restaurant where someone comes in shooting) the extra few seconds a well concealed gun takes to draw are probably fine.

But I really value being invisible, so I don't want to spook anyone around me, including co-workers, friends (who aren't gun geeks), that person at the supermarket, cops, or anyone who might want to hurt me.
 
If it's a social occasion, especially if I'm a guest in someone else's house, I go deep and pocket carry. I'll sacrifice 1 second of draw speed to ensure I don't ruin an evening with the wife and create a disruption in a fun event. There are people around here that would have a full panic-attack if someone around them had a gun. Outside of that, I'm still pretty careful. If an umbrella handle can put the sheep in a 911 panic, well, I don't want that kind of attention.
 
This reminds me of past threads about summer carry vs winter carry. I've always gone against the majority on that one - sure, you might be able to conceal a Desert Eagle under a big winter jacket, but good luck getting to it! I value ease of draw so I'm actually more likely to switch to a small gun in a pocket in the winter and carry a bigger gun IWB in the summer where I only have to get one shirt out of my way to draw.

There are exceptions, of course - some situations and venues require deep co concealment.
 
concealability...because MA.

even though my boss allows me to open carry in the salvage yard, I prefer to not make myself a target to the various scum bag patrons that frequent our business. they basically drag the bottom of the barrel to come up with the customer and employee base here...I always say that no one ends up here by being good and doing the right thing all their life.

that being said, any place I stop on my way to or on the way home from work is likely not going to be as accepting. i'm amazed that i've never been called out before because i like the 'schmedium' t-shirts and i'm constantly ducking/kneeling/bending/reaching and often find that i've exposed my little friend, but i assume most people just think i'm a cop from the dooshbag haircut the Marine Corps has me keep.

i think in a situation you're going to have to draw quickly (probably a 1/10,000 chance any of us will actively be forced to draw on someone) you're already better just by having your piece ON you and ready to rock. i'd like to think i found a nice happy medium with my desantis IWB for my shield that I carry at 4 o'clock...it's not the sturdiest material, but it's comfy enough where I don't even go to get eggs at the honey farms without carrying.

but opinions are like a-holes, and there's no shortage of those around these parts ;D
 
Concealability for me. The likelihood of needing it is very low and in my head I need access to it, but not *immediate*, Quickdraw McGraw access to it.
 
IWB at 4:30 makes my 226 invisible with standard tshirts.
Picking up a 229 soon to give appendix a try, something the full size makes difficult for anything but standing.

I live amongst libs and need to conceal. Most of my customers would lose their shit if they knew I was carrying on their property, as would many friends. Other than a speed draw event at OK Corral I can access easily enough.
 
being an old fart, i'm not too concerned about concealability like i did when i was just starting to cc. if i reach for something in the supermarket and my shirt rides up, so what. if i print, which is most of the time, who cares? haven't been challanged in 45 years. i stopped being paranoid about it long ago.

and i'll never be a quick draw artist by any strech. i don't even practice drawing anymore. but to help me out just in case, i started using galco kydex triton iwb holsters for my cc guns. i find the guns come out of the holster slicker than shit with no resistance, unlike leather holsters. and a bonus, i can re-holster easier. i'm sure most any kydex holster would work as well, this is just what works for me.
 
If I were stranded on a desert island and had to choose one: concealability.

Conceal carrying must be as easy as possible in order to make it a daily habit. This is why, IMO, we don't see women carrying too often even though they're licensed.

With a good sense of situational awareness, you can buy yourself an extra 1-2 seconds+ to prepare yourself for a draw.
 
SKumar said:
With a good sense of situational awareness........
Click to expand...
the only situational awareness i've ever practiced in my life is never sitting down in a public place with my back towards the entrance. been like that my whole life. but as i age, i realize seniors are regarded as easy prey for thugs, or so they think. it might be time to rethink my plan of attack here. i do try and stay out of the ghettos and seedy parts of town, avoiding dimly lit places at night. common sense stuff.
 
There is a third leg of the stool - security. Above all else, I want a carry rig that will not unintentionally leave the gun in a restaurant seating booth or shitter stall.

The importance of concealability depends on the permissiveness of your area. If you are in TX where carry is common, no big deal. A bit more discretion is needed in MA, and even more if you carry in NJ or NYC without a hens tooth in your wallet.

Concealability also moves up in importance if you are black. The unfortunate reality is that a black person spotted carrying is likely to get the felon treatment, whereas a white gun may very well slide with "I need to see your LTC sir".
 
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Definitely concealment for me. I definitely don't want anyone knowing I'm carrying. And at 64 years old, I figure no matter what I carry, I'm not gonna win any quick draw contest. Situational awareness is my friend.
 
kalash said:
This reminds me of past threads about summer carry vs winter carry. I've always gone against the majority on that one - sure, you might be able to conceal a Desert Eagle under a big winter jacket, but good luck getting to it! I value ease of draw so I'm actually more likely to switch to a small gun in a pocket in the winter and carry a bigger gun IWB in the summer where I only have to get one shirt out of my way to draw.

There are exceptions, of course - some situations and venues require deep co concealment.
Click to expand...

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ THIS... Summer would be a G19 or G26, but in winter I would still keep the G19, but throw something in my coat pocket, 642CT or Model 60... very quick access and able to shoot through the coat pocket.
 
While I've only been carrying for the past 5 years. I was amazed at how fast I went from "everyone knows and can tell" to dear god are people really that oblivious? So I choose more for ease of draw and comfort in carry. While I may give some ease for concealment if going to say a venue or such, for the most part I don't give a hoot if you "glimpse" me printing or the bottom of my holster. I find most don't even pick there heads up from there phone to notice in the first place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I choose ease of draw over concealment when it it not a micro gun in summer.

i used to to carry the 26 alot in most cases, but after looking at clothing , thinness is more important than length when it comes to printing.

so between the Glock 26 and 19.. the finger width of length between the two did not matter at all, plus i got a better grasp on the gun faster in all conditions with moisture.
 
1. Reliability.
2. Ease of draw. I don't like guns with safeties and crap sticking all over the sides.
 
-Retention (gun won't fall out)
-Speed
-Concealability? Lol.. "anything that's not awful is good enough." Then again I just reject entire holsters outright if they hold the gun out in such a way that makes it print too much, etc. (ex, a lot of those cheap kydex paddle holsters that have a quarter inch gap between the bottom of the gun and your body... these aren't duty holsters, but they're often made like them, and all of them are retarded. ) I don't "deep conceal" because anywhere I feel I need that, it's probably felony grade illegal for me to carry anyways so the gun gets stowed outside of the felony zone.

Cloverleaf brings up a good point though, if you are in the realm of predator types on a regular basis.. then it does become more important...

-Mike
 
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I prefer for people not to see that I'm armed but ease of draw is more important to me. Since most people are unconscious, I can have both.
 
Concealment. Most of my carry hours are at work in an office with a tucked in shirt. Pocket carry has been the most practical for me in those circumstances.
 

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