Where do keep your gun in your vehicle?

I used to keep a pistol in a cheap pocket holster wedged in between the driver's seat and the console and then inconspicuously covered with a bandana.

It's right there in easy reach of my right hand. It's also hidden from plain sight.

I got lazy and would leave it in there. The first night I didn't leave my pistol in my truck, somebody broke into my truck. I got lucky and learned my lesson.

rgibso6 said:

I used to keep a pistol in a cheap pocket holster wedged in between the driver's seat and the console and then inconspicuously covered with a bandana.

It's right there in easy reach of my right hand. It's also hidden from plain sight.

I got lazy and would leave it in there. The first night I didn't leave my pistol in my truck, somebody broke into my truck. I got lucky and learned my lesson.

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And also, if you flipped you truck the gun could fly around and hurt you, be lost, or cause damage to the weapon / the vehicle. If its a SIG, it could go off too

AustinBR said:

And also, if you flipped you truck the gun could fly around and hurt you, be lost, or cause damage to the weapon / the vehicle. If its a SIG, it could go off too

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Not my Sig

leadslinger972 said:

That's a better response.

At the end of the day, off body carry has no advantages.

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2 advantages of off body carry quickly come to mind:
-Comfort on longer trips, especially compared to most IWB carry.
-Ease of draw, especially in vehicles with more contoured seats and/or smaller seating areas.

That being said, I usually, 95% of the time, on body carry. And most of that is with a duty belt with which I have trained with drawing from a seated position.

thperez1972 said:

2 advantages of off body carry quickly come to mind:
-Comfort on longer trips, especially compared to most IWB carry.
-Ease of draw, especially in vehicles with more contoured seats and/or smaller seating areas.

That being said, I usually, 95% of the time, on body carry. And most of that is with a duty belt with which I have trained with drawing from a seated position.

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Both of those advantages come with appendix carry.

No reason to off body carry, unless you're carrying a long gun.

thperez1972 said:

2 advantages of off body carry quickly come to mind:
-Comfort on longer trips, especially compared to most IWB carry.
-Ease of draw, especially in vehicles with more contoured seats and/or smaller seating areas.

That being said, I usually, 95% of the time, on body carry. And most of that is with a duty belt with which I have trained with drawing from a seated position.

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leadslinger972 said:

Both of those advantages come with appendix carry.

No reason to off body carry, unless you're carrying a long gun.

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Do you really feel appendix carry is the best option for every shooter in every situation?

thperez1972 said:

Do you really feel appendix carry is the best option for every shooter in every situation?

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Most of the time, yes.

For civilians seated in a vehicle, yes.
For casual attire, yes.
For daily activities, yes.
For LE/Mil plain clothes, yes.

For wearing suits, no.
For LE/Mil in uniform, no.

Appendix carry is not only faster, but it also allows you to access your firearm very easily in a vehicle.

The fallacies surrounding AIWB carry come from people who don't understand it.

Edit -

Here is a friend's method of AIWB carry. Notice it isn't at 12 o'clock, and it IS canted (backwards). His method came from the old timers he sat on details with.

leadslinger972 said:

Most of the time, yes.

For civilians seated in a vehicle, yes.
For casual attire, yes.
For daily activities, yes.
For LE/Mil plain clothes, yes.

For wearing suits, no.
For LE/Mil in uniform, no.

Appendix carry is not only faster, but it also allows you to access your firearm very easily in a vehicle.

The fallacies surrounding AIWB carry come from people who don't understand it.

Edit -

Here is a friend's method of AIWB carry. Notice it isn't at 12 o'clock, and it IS canted (backwards). His method came from the old timers he sat on details with.

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The reality is appendix carry is not the end all be all for everyone in every situation, even if it works for you. Not everyone finds it comfortable. Depending on the holster/weapon/person, it can restrict movement. If your daily activity includes a lot of bending at the waist, appendix carry could cause some pain after repeated bending. Not for you, of course, but for average person. Appendix carry is great if it works for the person. But when it doesn't, it doesn't.

thperez1972 said:

The reality is appendix carry is not the end all be all for everyone in every situation, even if it works for you.

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It used to not work for me, but now it does. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

thperez1972 said:

Not everyone finds it comfortable.

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Mostly because people don't understand the difference between comfortable and comforting.

thperez1972 said:

Depending on the holster/weapon/person, it can restrict movement.

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That's been debunked numerous times, including in force on force classes.

thperez1972 said:

If your daily activity includes a lot of bending at the waist, appendix carry could cause some pain after repeated bending.

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Ergonomically speaking, bending at the waist is poor form.

thperez1972 said:

Appendix carry is great if it works for the person. But when it doesn't, it doesn't.

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Appendix carry works for everyone if they want it to. The folks that say it doesn't work, are the same folks that gave up trying. Appendix carry requires mindful clothing choices, holster selection, and a quality belt. When I started appendix carrying, I found larger firearms to be easier to conceal (for reasons I can explain if you have interest). Smaller guns fell to the beer gut effect, where the frame is pushed out by the stomach. The way to combat that was to seat the firearm deeper, which does not allow for a full firing grip. It's a non-issue carrying at 4-5 o'clock, because the gun will be canted to the extreme.

I've been appendix carrying for 3 years now, and I have no reason to ever resort to another IWB carry method.

leadslinger972 said:

It used to not work for me, but now it does. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

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No.

leadslinger972 said:

Mostly because people don't understand the difference between comfortable and comforting.



That's been debunked numerous times, including in force on force classes.



Ergonomically speaking, bending at the waist is poor form.



Appendix carry works for everyone if they want it to. The folks that say it doesn't work, are the same folks that gave up trying. Appendix carry requires mindful clothing choices, holster selection, and a quality belt. When I started appendix carrying, I found larger firearms to be easier to conceal (for reasons I can explain if you have interest). Smaller guns fell to the beer gut effect, where the frame is pushed out by the stomach. The way to combat that was to seat the firearm deeper, which does not allow for a full firing grip. It's a non-issue carrying at 4-5 o'clock, because the gun will be canted to the extreme.

I've been appendix carrying for 3 years now, and I have no reason to ever resort to another IWB carry method.

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I'm not trying to convince you to try another carry method. You should carry in a way that works for you. Someone else should carry in a way that works for them. If those two methods are the same, great. If they aren't, great. But for the people who don't appendix carry for reasons you may or may not like or agree with, comfort and ease of draw are 2 valid reasons for off body carrying in a car.

thperez1972 said:

No.



I'm not trying to convince you to try another carry method. You should carry in a way that works for you. Someone else should carry in a way that works for them. If those two methods are the same, great. If they aren't, great. But for the people who don't appendix carry for reasons you may or may not like or agree with, comfort and ease of draw are 2 valid reasons for off body carrying in a car.

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As stated above there are a lot of things to consider to on body vehicle carry. Clothing, ie jackets, shirt untucked, seat belts(big problem). You need to try it before using it. As I said earlier, cross draw works best MOST of the time.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

thperez1972 said:

No.

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You are a fine example of the demographic I am speaking about. You asked my opinion, but don't wish to know how I formed my opinion. Sounds like you just want to measure dicks. I'd prefer an educational discussion where we could potentially learn from each other, but you have not provided much useful information thus far.

thperez1972 said:

I'm not trying to convince you to try another carry method. You should carry in a way that works for you. Someone else should carry in a way that works for them. If those two methods are the same, great. If they aren't, great. But for the people who don't appendix carry for reasons you may or may not like or agree with, comfort and ease of draw are 2 valid reasons for off body carrying in a car.

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My goal is to help others find a better solution when they are in need of one, or are practicing methods that could lead to unwanted outcomes (such as mounting a firearm under your steering wheel). You asked if I believe AIWB carry is THE solution, and I told you that it is not the only solution. You asked ME what MY opinion was. Everyone has to the right to do as they please, but it is unwise to give an uninformed opinion about a topic that said person has little to no experience with.

It is not the end all be all, but for the most part appendix carry IS a better solution.

The advantages far outweigh the subjective disadvantages.

Xb40 said:

As stated above there are a lot of things to consider to on body vehicle carry. Clothing, ie jackets, shirt untucked, seat belts(big problem). You need to try it before using it. As I said earlier, cross draw works best MOST of the time.

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If you sit in a vehicle 24/7, crossdraw may be a viable solution. There are a ton of considerations when it comes to crossdraw concealment for daily activities.

leadslinger972 said:

You are a fine example of the demographic I am speaking about. You asked my opinion, but don't wish to know how I formed my opinion. Sounds like you just want to measure dicks. I'd prefer an educational discussion where we could potentially learn from each other, but you have not provided much useful information thus far.



My goal is to help others find a better solution when they are in need of one, or are practicing methods that could lead to unwanted outcomes (such as mounting a firearm under your steering wheel). You asked if I believe AIWB carry is THE solution, and I told you that it is not the only solution. You asked ME what MY opinion was. Everyone has to the right to do as they please, but it is unwise to give an uninformed opinion about a topic that said person has little to no experience with.

It is not the end all be all, but for the most part appendix carry IS a better solution.

The advantages far outweigh the subjective disadvantages.

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You typically don't "help others find a better solution." You tell them what the best solution is and decry all other solutions as inferior, referring to the opinions of others as "silly" or "stupid." You don't typically discuss things. You usually lecture people as you portray your opinions as a better indicator of reality than the experiences of others. I took your "makes you wonder, doesn't it?" as sarcasm consistent with your posting history. If it was intended to be a serious question, I'm all for discussing it as long as you refrain from the insults and condescension present in your posting history.

So...why do you find a larger firearm easier to conceal?

thperez1972 said:

I took your "makes you wonder, doesn't it?" as sarcasm consistent with your posting history. If it was intended to be a serious question, I'm all for discussing it as long as you refrain from the insults and condescension present in your posting history.

So...why do you find a larger firearm easier to conceal?

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It was a serious question. I may not agree with everyone, but you would be foolish to not ask why.

When talking about concealment holsters, there are a few things that need to happen: The butt of the gun must be close to the body, the upper half (above the belt) must be close to the body, and the lower half (below the belt) must be equal to or greater than the length above the belt.

1) Tuck the butt.

In order to place the firearm's grip closer to the torso, you must force it. There are numerous ways to go about doing so, but all require leverage. The RCS claw was among the first of many methods, followed by kydex abominations, and most currently the modwing. If you're unfamiliar with them, I highly suggest you look into them.



2) Equalize the ride height.

Many shooters choose smaller firearms for concealment, because of the fallacy that smaller firearms are always easier to conceal. While that may be true for pocket and ankle carry, it creates more problems in the waistband. As an example, the Glock 19 is a popular choice for IWB the carry, but often times we see the firearm riding so low that the front strap is touching the belt.



The reason for that is because smaller firearms cannot ride high enough for a full firing grip with being forced to topple over the belt line. This is more common with folks that have rounder midsections, which I'd say makes up most of the gun industry.



It's leverage. Your belt line is the fulcrum. In order to prevent the firearm from toppling, you must equalize the force being imposed on the firearm. There are two ways of doing so:

1) Utilize a wedge.

This is a protrusion or addition to your holster, commonly placed between the inner muzzle end of your holster and your body.



2) Utilize a longer lever to equal the force above the belt line.

Glocks are a good example, because the caliber variants share the same grip size (although lengths vary). Carrying a Glock 26 high enough to obtain a full firing grip would cause much less of the firearm to below the belt line. Carrying a Glock 19 at the same ride height would have more below the belt line than the 26, but depending on the cant and preferred firing grip, it still may not be enough to battle the toppling effect. This is when a wedge would be useful. To further combat the toppling effect, you could then carry a Glock 17 at the same ride height. This would give a much more stable platform, and still allow you to sit down comfortably.

Taking things even further, here is a Glock 34 with a WML attached.



Ironically, people have been carrying 5" 1911's for years without anyone batting an eye. The entire idea of a "carry sized" firearm is something that began in the past two decades.

Now you can either dispute everything above, or keep saying that I...

thperez1972 said:

tell them what the best solution is and decry all other solutions as inferior, referring to the opinions of others as "silly" or "stupid." You don't typically discuss things. You usually lecture people as you portray your opinions as a better indicator of reality than the experiences of others.

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thperez1972 said:

You typically don't "help others find a better solution." You tell them what the best solution is and decry all other solutions as inferior, referring to the opinions of others as "silly" or "stupid." You don't typically discuss things. You usually lecture people as you portray your opinions as a better indicator of reality than the experiences of others. I took your "makes you wonder, doesn't it?" as sarcasm consistent with your posting history. If it was intended to be a serious question, I'm all for discussing it as long as you refrain from the insults and condescension present in your posting history.

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BINGO.....his behavior reminds me very much of a former member here. Makes me wonder sometimes.

John_ said:

BINGO.....his behavior reminds me very much of a former member here. Makes me wonder sometimes.

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Oh you mean DAVE_M? Yea... that's not hard to figure out.

The admin team knew about that a long time ago.

leadslinger972 said:

It was a serious question. I may not agree with everyone, but you would be foolish to not ask why.

When talking about concealment holsters, there are a few things that need to happen: The butt of the gun must be close to the body, the upper half (above the belt) must be close to the body, and the lower half (below the belt) must be equal to or greater than the length above the belt.

[stuff deleted for space]

Ironically, people have been carrying 5" 1911's for years without anyone batting an eye. The entire idea of a "carry sized" firearm is something that began in the past two decades.

Now you can either dispute everything above, or keep saying that I...

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Wow...I'm impressed. I think this is perhaps the first post I've seen from you with so much useful information and without any comments directed toward the poster to whom you are replying. And I'm not going to dispute everything. In fact, I'm going to look into the modwing to see if it may work. I never liked the single attachment point of a lot of IWB holsters. My preference has always been an OWB kydex holster at the 2:00. The "wings" of the holster are bent in a way to help push the grip of the gun closer to the body.

While I will stipulate AIWB carry is better than IWB at the 4:00, I can't agree it's for everyone in every situation. And as such, there can be justification for a mounted holster in the vehicle. That being said, a magnet is a poor choice in a crash from a physics perspective. A 50 mph crash that stops the vehicle in 2 feet (like hitting a tree or a wall) gives that 32 ounce Glock an effective weight of over 80 pounds. My personal opinion is a one size fits all means it fits everything "ok" and nothing "really well." In my opinion, the best solution if one feels they must mount a weapon in a vehicle is to use some sort of a rigid mount and a removable holster with active retention. A mounting solution can be created using Ram Mount parts as long as a good base can be located. A short arm can be made to connect to a QLS or RTI setup. That way, the holster can be easily removed from view. While most vehicle break ins are from people walking down the street pulling door handles, seeing something inside the car may convince the thief to aggressively target a specific car.

Tony Mayer, a well respected holster maker at JM Custom Kydex offers a wedge as mentioned above on his IWB and AIWB holsters.

+1 to a claw or modwing setup.

I still can't think of any situation where it would be better to have a gun attached to or in a car instead of being on person. Appendix carry is without a doubt the best carry method for all of the reasons mentioned above, plus a plethora more. In a car, even with a seatbelt on, it is easy to draw from appendix. I drove through a not so nice area of town about 40 minutes ago and tucked my shirt behind my holster, putting the gun about 4 inches from my hand on the steering wheel. Draw time from that position is going to be under a second.

See pictures below: