All posts tagged Sig Sauer

CCW holsters can become complicated are they worth the hassle?

We recently had a few guys being deployed to Afghanistan that were looking to get Molle vests but they heard about an Elite Survial quick detach one that is coming out.  These guys all knew what it was like to get into situations where you have so much stuff strapped on you that it can be life threatening if  you get snagged on something or need to drop the load and move somewhere.   It’s also a comfort thing to some degree because if you can take it off quickly you aren’t wasting time.   The same goes for getting the stuff on which is why quick release gear sells faster.   Shoulder holsters can be very comfortable to wear especially for large autos but they are hard to get in and out of.

When it comes to waking up everyday and putting on a gun, nobody that CCWs for a long time is going to want to spend extra time with the hassles of clip things here and there and make adjustments.   The Galco Kingtuk holsters are a good idea and more comfortable but for every day carry they are little bit of a hassle to get on and off every day.   I will say that I use them for social environments and not for work because of the comfort levels but thats something for the buyer to decide.   Galco glock holsters  and Galco 1911 holsters are outstanding leather holsters.

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Yes it does make a difference

Hogue Pistol GripsI recentely mention the need for rifle operators to consider customizing their rifles to their liking.   Every rifle stock and pistol grip should be modified to fit the user, there is no such thing as one length or universal pistol grip.    I have modified many of my Carbines to a SAW type grip just because I expect to be the one shooting them, but as I have found out from bringing new shooters to the range, they aren’t comfortable for small hands.   The same goes for handguns.

We are starting to see more and more handgun manufacturers putting out handguns with changeable backstraps.   This is a good idea and will give a firearm some versatility, but if you really want to make a change to the feel of the gun, I’d highly recommend Hogue Pistol Grips.  The real difference that I ask people to think about is if they want finger grips or fingerless.   Glock came out with a finger groove grip on there more modern designs.   Some people complain about cramping with the finger grooves, but this is something that you can adjust to once you get use to it.    Hogue grips are in my opinion a must on all Sig Sauer firearms.   I love Sig Sauer, but there factory grips seem to be the most slippery and ever since I switched to Hogue,  it almost feels like the gun is holding my hand.

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The stuff you read about on the internet about Fobus

Fobus HolstersI’m sure the majority of what you read about various holsters is mostly based on peoples personal tastes.   Guns and accessories can suit your purposes just fine if they are use appropriately, but there is a lot of BS on gun forums.   Probable 75% or more of what you read about accessories on gun forums is propaganda either for a product or against it.  One of the biggest BS bits of  info I saw on the  internet was about how easy it was to break Fobus Holsters.   There is a youtube video of a guy with a holster on and another guy walking up behind him and breaking the gun and the holster off.   The reality is this, if you give anyone enough time, they can mess up your life.

I could do something even better than that, how about sneaking up behind someone and hit the mag release and take the magazine out of their gun while it’s in the holster which leaves them with one round in the chamber, better yet, just hit them with a baseball bat and take their gun and their wallet from them.  If they have an AR15  using GI Mags, why not sneak up on them and use a pair of vise grips and pinch the mag well so the gun jams on them.  Sure you can break certain holster designs easier than others, but I’m not going to toss my gear out a window and find out if it breaks from a two story window.   Fobus holsters are simple to use, they are primarily used for people carrying large sized autos and don’t need retention like a thumbstrap or serpa holster does.

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Comfort is the primary goal

I am beginning to grow tired of carrying IWB anymore.   I guess it’s my present work load and the amount of physical work I’ve  been doing the last year, but I’m really starting to feel it when it gets to day 6 of the week and I’m carrying IWB.   I am growing more comfortable with smaller semi-auto guns and my Ruger LCP is a fun gun to shoot and carry.   I had some reservations about carrying a small semi-auto because I’ve shot some NAA 32acp guns and I though the bite was a little much.   Any gun is better than no gun, but I really don’t like having guns that I don’t enjoy shooting.   I have sent a good bit of lead downrange with the Rohrbaugh R9 guns, but they are more of a novelty backup gun and I’m honestly afraid of breaking the gun or wearing it out too soon.

Pocket carry is the most comfortable for me, but I am having a little bit of trouble with some of my wardrobe and the types of pocket holsters I have.   I am noticing an awful lot of lint building up in my gun holsters and I’m tracing it to the sweatshirts that I own.  Now that FAll is almost over and Winter is a few weeks away, I’m wearing things that cause lint build up to increase.    I prefer to carry guns that are combat proven, but CCW is another thing.   If I notice too much build up on my pocket guns I’m going to have to do some serious overhauls in my wardrobe.   The thought of having to clean my guns more than once a week is a little impractical and.

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Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t good CCW

Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t a good way of concealing a firearm, but I’d have to say that I think it’s the most comfortable way to carry a medium size auto.   There are considerable differences in the fit of each should rig, but I have actually found that Bulldog and Uncle Mike’s have made some really nice holsters that are very inexpensive.   If you are wearing a good gun belt you won’t have any bunching up where the straps latch on and if you are carrying a firearm in the winter, this can help free up the room around your belt line and give you some other jacket options that aren’t full length.

Galco gun holsters are still making the popular Miami should rig, but I’m not a big fan of the horizontal holsters.   These are banned at most of my CCW courses because it’s hard to actually use the holster and not sweep someone behind you if you are on the firing line.   I prefer to carry large size Sig Sauer pistols when I know I will be wearing a jacket full time and I like to carry them in something other than inside the pants gun holsters. I have recently picked up a Sig 229 in .357 Sig that I hope to get some good practice time in.  I don’t think it’ll be much of a big change from going from a Sig 228 9mm to a Sig 229.   There is a noticeable amount of weight but a whole bunch more punch.

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Suggestions for concealment in Fall and Winter

There are a great many arguments on the gun forums about how bad of an idea it is to carry using a vests becuase it supposedly gives you away.   Well, if you are 22yrs old and wearing a vest and it’s 80F outside, you probable will look out of place, but you have to realize that most bad guys don’t think like that.   If you factor in how many people that carry concealed firearms vs. the statistics that don’t, you’re probable over thinking.   Find out which guy you really prefer to carry and dress accordingly.   The Eotac Style 102 lightweight vest is extremely popular with many of our customers living in Texas and in the Southwest do to it’s 100% cotton material.   It gives you some  protection against the sun and won’t weigh you down.

The Eotac style 103 vests is a fairly new vest, but it has been growing in popularity due to it’s length and pocket designs.  I don’t normally recommend carrying  a fiream in outerwear, but the Eotac vest will help you conceal a full size auto and be able to stow a firearm in the outer pockets without printing.   The elastic straps  inside the pockets will secure any other knives, flashlights or magazines for added security.   This is not a lightweight vest, but I think that it is very well balanced and does not look too tactical for a concealed carry vest.   The Style 101 vests are by far the most tactical looking, but we do have some operators that wear them under another lighweight jacket and prefer the soft fabric over a harness locking vest.

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Getting a better grip on things

pistol gripsI must admit that I have my preferences when it comes to handguns and rifles, but I realize because I like something more than another, it doesn’t mean that they are functionally better.    I’m aware of dust tests on firearm where one beats out another, but for non-military endurance levels, most of what I normally handle is in the top tier.    Firearm maintenance is another area that people don’t like to venture into, because some people seem to think that just because it’s got a good reputation for being reliable means it’s always going to work for them.   Tools break, operators can abuse, and climate and enviroment can have an impact on your weapons, but when it comes to proficiency with the firearm, customization is something I strongly encourage.

I took a family member to the range to get them to try out 9 handguns.   Everything from 38 Special, 9mm, 40 S&W, 45acp and 357 Magnum.     Some of the 9mms I used were the same guns, but with different sights and different grips.    Novice shooters tend to not notice the slight differences in the guns and just think that because it has different pistol grips, it’s a different gun.    I had Factory grips on a Sig 226 and Hogue grips on another, and yet another one had the Hogue Grips with the finger grooves.   It turned out that this new shooter preferred the finger grooves on the Sig 226, but didn’t realize she was shooting basically the same firearm the whole time.   One had night sights which she didn’t care for because they didn’t work too well during the day.   I wonder which one she would have picked if we were shooting in low light?

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Cleaning revolvers is easier with a boresnake

I remember the first firearm I ever cleaned was a Marlin bolt action 22LR rifle.  To clean the gun, all you had to do was pull the bolt out the back by depressing a button and pulling it back.   You could look down the chamber and see all of the fouling and know how dirty it was.   Using Hoppes cleaning solvent on a wet patch would produce a dark black gun patch on the other end when pushed through with a cleaning rod.   After you did that a few times, I’d run a cleaning brush a few times and then run a dry patch until it ran clean.

Revolvers and some semi-auto guns like the M1 Garand or the M14 and Mini 14 can be tricky and need to be cleaned from the muzzle if you are using a cleaning rod, well a few decades ago a new innovative way of cleaning these firearms was invented.   The Hoppes boresnakes are the simplist way to speed up the process and to put dangerous wear on your barrel by using a cleaning rod.   The Hoppes Boresnake is caliber specific so you may want to pick up a few for various calibers.  There are also rifle and pistol versions.

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How much for a gun case?

As many of the choses we make when using firearms and the gear that we want to use with them, we have to ask ourselves “for what?” purpose are we using it.   If you are toting a Mini 14 around with a $180 Leupold rifle scope, you may not need a $1000 hard case with pistol magazine and handgun cutouts.   None of you are going to be deployed to Afghanistan with your gear or have it airdropped behind enemy lines, so there’s no need to worry about that level of violence occuring when moving your rifle around.   SKB gun cases are nice, but that may be for somebody else.

You really can’t go wrong with using Uncle Mike’s gun cases, or their holsters.   I wouldn’t say these are cheap products at all, some of them are priced very well and will hold up for most intended purposes.   The nylon holsters are very practical if used securely with a good gun belt and their gun cases are also very inexpensive for every day use.  They are outstanding to have for any semi-auto carbine because the magazine pouches will really help keep your Pmags or AK magazines organized.  I strongly recommend spending $25-$30 on a soft case for every gun that you won, and keep your sight in tools or magazines in the cases.

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What are your options for suit and tie environments?

I will always leave room for imagination when it comes to CCW because there are different types of clothing that give you more possibilities and limitations and then there are variables in gun sizes and types of holsters.   What it really comes down to is comfort.  I don’t believe every firearm has to be carried in such a way that you have to always expect to be a gunslinger.   Deep concealment is something to consider in situations where there may be some unfriendlies and you don’t want to have to deal with the repurcussions of being outed.

I’d say that the closer you are going to be in contact with people the more you have to consider pocket carry or ankle holsters.  I prefer to use J-Frame 38 Special with 110gr Hornandy bullets due to the fact that this is about as light as you can possible get with a firearm without getting into the plinking caliber pistols.   There are situations where you have to consider that a person passing by you may feel the clunk of your IWB Galco Holsters or any other type of firearm that is at the waist line.   People tend to not be as suspicious about pocket gear so that is a office environment consideration.   For weddings I think pocket carry and Ankle Glove holsters are probable your best bet.

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