CCW & riding

[Willy G.]

How do you all carry when riding. Pocket carry's not the way I would go nor IWB so how do you do it? OWB, vest,???
Thanks, Willy
PS I carry a S&W J-frame

[BAGN1T]

I've done OWB as well as Smart Carry...either works for me. I just got a tank bag from my girlfriend for Christmas and will probably start using that instead...

[Knuckler]

Mitch Rosen Ankle rig for my J frame.

Mitch Rosen OWB for my larger pistol.

Both are extremely comfortable, and incredibly well made.

[gunnysgt]

The J frame Smith is small enough to stick in a pocket. I have a 642. The Kimber Ultra Carry goes in a shoulder holster under the garage style shirt or jacket. Works for me.

[mungo]

Shoulder holster is the only way I have found to carry comfortably and effectively on a bike. Unless you opt for open carry with a paddle holster.

If you're looking for concealment, then invest in a good holster and stay away from Velcro. A nice leather rig is expensive, but well worth it. If you're carrying in some questionable places, you don't want the sound of the Velcro to give you away. It makes a crackling noise even when you're not pulling it apart.

Wearing boots, I haven't found a good ankle holster.

Small of the back, depends on your riding position, bending over even slightly can give you away. Or the air draft behind you can pull up your concealing shirt.

But consider exercising your 2nd amendment right and carry that baby out in the open like it should be carried.

[plongson]

Galco paddle with a Stainless Kimber Ultra-Carry II .45ACP. I usually ride in a leather jacket that covers well or wear a "wife beater" undershirt, tucked in and a button shirt of T-shirt pulled out over the top. Winter is a piece of cake, summer is much tougher to conceal...

[Knuckler]

Originally Posted by mungo

Wearing boots, I haven't found a good ankle holster.

Mitch Rosen. I wear it every day, with boots on....You may need the boot extender he sells, depending on your size of boot.

You get what you pay for....there is no substitute for custom made leather...it is head and shoulders above anything else.

[4XLT]

im not a LEO but i carry openly on my bike 4o clock strong side very very comfy

[gunnysgt]

Mungo said it even better. If you use a shoulder holster do not buy a cheap nylon one. I've been wearing a shoulder holster almost every day for over 20 years and the Galco SS one has served well. You can also buy different holsters for it to make it more versitile. The wide leather shoulder pieces don't cut in to your shoulder after a 8 hour shift.

[grumman581]

More often than not, I go with a non-CCW-type fanny pack... It doesn't scratch the tank -- not sure if it is because of the metal cover / dash that goes over the top of the tank on the FLHP-I or it is just because of the sitting position... On my Kawasaki ZX-600E, I had to turn the fanny pack around to the side to keep it from scratching the tank... I usually carry either a Taurus PT-145 (.45ACP) or a Sig P229 (.357SIG), both in DAO...

Unfortunately, some of us either live in leftist states or states that have been inflicted with their braindead way of thinking and as such, open carry of handguns is not an option... I'm in Texas and believe it or not, that they way our stupid laws read... On the other hand, I can carry a pistol grip shotgun or an AR-15 pretty much anywhere I want in the open...

[RKJohn]

OLD GEEZER'S REPONCE TO CONCEALED CARRY THREAD
Keep it hid, dont tell nobody you got it and when or if you need it, jerk it out and use it.

S. Clause

[Knuckler]

Originally Posted by 4XLT

im not a LEO but i carry openly on my bike 4o clock strong side very very comfy

Most former or current LEOs dislike open carry....myself included.
I do not want the world to know I am armed....I don't need or like the attention, don't want to be over-vigilant about gun grabs, and don't want to be the first target in case something actually happens.

[mungo]

Originally Posted by Knuckler

Most former or current LEOs dislike open carry....myself included.

Precisely why I have started to open carry.

However, my encounters with LEO have been positive. In fact, a few made the comment that they wished more law abiding citizens did it.

Raleigh use to have a murder every once in a while about 20 years ago. Now there are many a week, I'd even dare to say at least one a night. So I'm carrying.

I've heard of people harassed by LEOs for carrying open. But hasn't happened to me yet. We've even got a group that goes out and meets about once a month at an alcohol free restaurant.

A right not used, is a right lost.

[Knuckler]

Let me clarify....I have ZERO issues with decent people being armed. None whatsoever. I had a permit before I was sworn in, and still do. I do think, particularly where I live (Close to DC) that open carry is inappropriate, at best....for several reasons.

I have seen this arguement on numerous websites, and the open carry reponse is always....a little...I gotta say...lame. The same old repsonses to justify running around with a gun so that the world can see that you are armed.

First, it does frighten, put people off, whatever. There are some people that do not want that around their children, there are some people that get scared and do not understand.

I know, I know, its their ignorance, their problem...I get it.
But, by alienating the people that do not understand, you turn people against carrying weapons at all. People complain, and more businesses put up signs forbidding carrying at all, more people look at gunowners as idiots, tools, cowboys, wannabees....it does not have a great effect on others, quite often.

I know, I know...it's "your right" to be armed. It's your "right" to show the world that you are carrying a gun. How cool.

Let's use something else, so that you can see exactly how others might appreciate your "right". I LOVE cigars. I smoke ALOT of them. It is my right to smoke them in public places, at playgrounds, in bars, at the park. You can't tell me not to smoke near a group of children, a family having a picnic outside, etc. It is my right. Yet, amazingly, I choose not to excercise that "right", because it offends....and I don't want to irritate everyone to the point where "No Smoking" signs start popping up. I smoke where it is appropriate. Another example....loud pipes. I am a firm believer in loud pipes. Keeps the cages away from me. I see a definate safety value. Now...how many times have you seen some a$$clown reving his bike up to show the world how cool he is? In the middle of town, or riding through a residential neighborhood, etc. Those people look like idiots, and are nowhere near as cool as they think they are. I dont rev up my bike in crowded areas, and I keep the revs down coming through my neighborhood at night. Perfect parallel.

About 2 years ago, I was in the local Harley shop. I stood in line behind a guy who had his pistol out for the world to see. It was cold outside, yet he had made sure to wear only a tucked in t shirt, so that everyone could see that he had a gun. He talked loud, drew attention to himself...it almost seemed like he stuck his right hip out just a little more....At that time, I was not working uniform. I had long hair and a nasty looking goatee (I looked so dirty that my wife was embarassed to go out in public with me..) and looked like a dirtbag. While standing in line, I began inching closer to him....and closer...until I was less than 6 inches away. He was too busy trying to impress the girl behind the parts counter to notice. (She rolled her eyes after he left..) Open top holser, completely unaware. It took him more than a minute to notice how close I was. I could have snatched his gun at any time. Total idiot...but he thought he looked cool, and tough, with that gun.

Real badasses (And I am not saying I am one...)don't have anything to prove, and generally shy away from attention.....they have enough self confidence not to need any more validation. They tend to be quiet, well mannered, and respectful of others. They don't run around screaming...LOOK AT ME...I HAVE A GUN!! Those of us who have gone in harm's way generally don't look at open carry approvingly...it make you look like a wannabee.

Lastly, unless you have been trained how to defeat a gun grab, use at least a level II security holster, and have a secondary weapon to help defeat that gun grab, open carry is tactically retarded. You are inviting someone to snatch that gun from you. You gun is only yours while it is in your holster, or in your hand. You being armed does not impress alot of criminals...ask any cop who has been on a little while...people fight the police all the time, irregardless of them being armed. A gun doesn't make you tough.

Again, NO problem with decent people being armed. Wholly support it. Think it's great when some scrote suffers from "accute victim selection failure". I fully believe in the RIGHT of self defense. I was always my depts "gun guy". I believe that carrying a gun should be a right, not a priviledge.

Just cover it up. It doesn't make you look cool...just the opposite.

[sdb29]

Originally Posted by Knuckler

Let me clarify....I have ZERO issues with decent people being armed. None whatsoever. I had a permit before I was sworn in, and still do. I do think, particularly where I live (Close to DC) that open carry is inappropriate, at best....for several reasons.

I have seen this arguement on numerous websites, and the open carry reponse is always....a little...I gotta say...lame. The same old repsonses to justify running around with a gun so that the world can see that you are armed.

First, it does frighten, put people off, whatever. There are some people that do not want that around their children, there are some people that get scared and do not understand.

I know, I know, its their ignorance, their problem...I get it.
But, by alienating the people that do not understand, you turn people against carrying weapons at all. People complain, and more businesses put up signs forbidding carrying at all, more people look at gunowners as idiots, tools, cowboys, wannabees....it does not have a great effect on others, quite often.

I know, I know...it's "your right" to be armed. It's your "right" to show the world that you are carrying a gun. How cool.

Let's use something else, so that you can see exactly how others might appreciate your "right". I LOVE cigars. I smoke ALOT of them. It is my right to smoke them in public places, at playgrounds, in bars, at the park. You can't tell me not to smoke near a group of children, a family having a picnic outside, etc. It is my right. Yet, amazingly, I choose not to excercise that "right", because it offends....and I don't want to irritate everyone to the point where "No Smoking" signs start popping up. I smoke where it is appropriate. Another example....loud pipes. I am a firm believer in loud pipes. Keeps the cages away from me. I see a definate safety value. Now...how many times have you seen some a$$clown reving his bike up to show the world how cool he is? In the middle of town, or riding through a residential neighborhood, etc. Those people look like idiots, and are nowhere near as cool as they think they are. I dont rev up my bike in crowded areas, and I keep the revs down coming through my neighborhood at night. Perfect parallel.

About 2 years ago, I was in the local Harley shop. I stood in line behind a guy who had his pistol out for the world to see. It was cold outside, yet he had made sure to wear only a tucked in t shirt, so that everyone could see that he had a gun. He talked loud, drew attention to himself...it almost seemed like he stuck his right hip out just a little more....At that time, I was not working uniform. I had long hair and a nasty looking goatee (I looked so dirty that my wife was embarassed to go out in public with me..) and looked like a dirtbag. While standing in line, I began inching closer to him....and closer...until I was less than 6 inches away. He was too busy trying to impress the girl behind the parts counter to notice. (She rolled her eyes after he left..) Open top holser, completely unaware. It took him more than a minute to notice how close I was. I could have snatched his gun at any time. Total idiot...but he thought he looked cool, and tough, with that gun.

Real badasses (And I am not saying I am one...)don't have anything to prove, and generally shy away from attention.....they have enough self confidence not to need any more validation. They tend to be quiet, well mannered, and respectful of others. They don't run around screaming...LOOK AT ME...I HAVE A GUN!! Those of us who have gone in harm's way generally don't look at open carry approvingly...it make you look like a wannabee.

Lastly, unless you have been trained how to defeat a gun grab, use at least a level II security holster, and have a secondary weapon to help defeat that gun grab, open carry is tactically retarded. You are inviting someone to snatch that gun from you. You gun is only yours while it is in your holster, or in your hand. You being armed does not impress alot of criminals...ask any cop who has been on a little while...people fight the police all the time, irregardless of them being armed. A gun doesn't make you tough.

Again, NO problem with decent people being armed. Wholly support it. Think it's great when some scrote suffers from "accute victim selection failure". I fully believe in the RIGHT of self defense. I was always my depts "gun guy". I believe that carrying a gun should be a right, not a priviledge.

Just cover it up. It doesn't make you look cool...just the opposite.

Excellent post!