Digilogic

I just got my new usp compact 9mm and I need suggestions. I don't really wear a coat that often so I am wondering if there are any good holsters that will conceal the compact without one.

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"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

longbough

I prefer kydex inside waistband (IWB) holsters from blade-tech, sidearmor or comp-tac. Kydex is thinner than leather and makes for a positive snap draw. Blade-tech is my favorite but I do have a comp-tac for my .45 USP Compact. You can even tuck your shirt over the gun.

__________________
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

Digilogic

I was wary of kydex because I am afraid it will wear on the surface of the slide. What are you experiences with this?

__________________
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

dksuddeth

uncle mikes is supposed to have very good IWB holsters with good thumb breaks and they also make ambidextorous ones as well.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

cj2112

I find IWB holsters uncomfortable as a rule, but that really is just a personal preference, I have friends who swear by them. I used a JIT slide from Don Hume but that did require wearing a long shirt to conceal my Kel-Tec P-11. It was very comfortable, and it while it held my weapon very securely, it was also easy to draw.

Having said that, simply unholstering and reholstering your weapon, will wear on the bluing. If you bought this gun as a carry gun, you need to just accept that right now.

longbough

#1. Like cj2112 says, leather wears away finishes, too. You can't escape holster wear.
#2. It's a USP-C ... there is NO blueing anyway. It's a tough matte finish.
#3. You shouldn't "baby" your CCW gun. I'm going out on a limb here ... is this your first gun?
#4. If you get any holster - especially an IWB holster you ought to get a decent gun belt that can support it properly. You don't need some 2" basketweave cop-belt but a 1.25" gun belt does fine.

__________________
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

Digilogic

This is my fourth gun. I am just new to the world of concealed carry.

Longbough I noticed you own a uspc. Do you find it too thick to hide comfortably?

__________________
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

Mauser

I don't think that HK ever imagined that people would CCW their USP series of handguns. I suggest carrying a smaller 9 that won't print nearly as bad.

desal75

I have had an Alessi (sp?) for a few years now and I think it is a great piece of leather for inside the pants carry. I think it is a smaller company so it may be hard to find them but it would be worth the effort.

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The Man in Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.

Acetylene

http://www.smartcarry.com/
Nuff said.

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There's no justice. There's just us.

Slims

I have a USPC .40 that I have carried for years in an IWB thin kydex holster made by FIST. I couldn't be happier with it. It does not harm the pistol at all, it has a sweat shield to protect the top of the slide from direct contact with my sweaty skin, it adds nearly zero width, and it holds the pistol securely.

I think it is a FIST K1 something. They use super thin kydex molded for your pistol. It works really well, is far more comfortable than many other holster, and is super thin.

The USP is a great pistol, but it is big and clunky, so you need a holster that will hold it secure and stable without adding extra bulk to an already bulky gun. A lot of IWB holsters have a little clip on the front of the holster for your belt loop, I haven't had any luck with that method as the holster tends to rotate on me.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

shalafi

I've been meaning to get one of those and try it out forever.

longbough

It's not as bad as I expected - and I'm a relatively average built guy. The USPC in .45 is bulkier than the other calibers, too. That might have something to do with the cant of the Comp Tac holster which I carry IWB on the strong side. Sitting in a vehicle can be a little uncomfortable, though.

__________________
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

cuervo

Check out Glocktalk.com and look in the "Carry Issues" group. Lot's of discussion on the different forms of carry and the different holsters.

ziadel

Milt Sparks

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Ron Paul '08
Vote for Freedom
Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

sjb

Galco has a few CCW hosters I really like that I use with a PPK and 2 Glocks (not at the same time!) I also sometimes use a Don Hume, Safariland, or Fobus holster with a Glock. I'm very happy with them all, and they all have their place, but I use the Galco holsters on most days.

cj2112

While this may be the best you have tried, I'd say, considering that you're the first dealer that pops up on google, that your opinion is slightly biased, and may even border on violating the rules of this site.

Digilogic

Well I got a galco skyops holster for my uspc for christmas. I have tried it in the house some but I don't know how well it will end up working. When I wear it on my strong side it causes a huge bulge so I tried moving it more to my back and that works better but still with some bulge. I think it is going to take some real thought on my clothing choices.

__________________
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

longbough

Did he message you, too, with that ad?

__________________
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

cj2112

Yep...not only did he pm me, the post in this thread is his only post.

ziadel

concealed carry shirts are stupid.

__________________
Ron Paul '08
Vote for Freedom
Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

Digilogic

To anyone who has actually gone out in public concealing a uspc, what did you wear with it and where did you position it?

__________________
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

Slims

I wear my uspc .40 all the time.

I use my above recommended FIST Kydex IWB holster. I carry it IWB because it really helps to hide the width of that pistol far better than any pancake holster I have ever seen. Also I don't have to worry about the bottom of my holster being exposed when I reach for my wallet.

I usually wear an undershirt tucked in to keep the holster off my skin with a cotton button down outdoorsy (not a vest!) shirt. I can get away with a loose polo shirt though it isn't really my style. When it is colder concealing the pistol is easy as any jacket is sufficient. I wear the holster by my right kidney, slightly behind the centerline of my body.

When I wear my pistol on longer road trips I sometimes use my leather Galco pancake holster which is extremely well made and extremely comfortable (which is why I wear it on trips). It does an adequate job concealing the pistol, though it adds a lot of width and doesn't pull the pistol as tightly to my body as the FIST holster, so I have to be far more conscious of my movements when I have it on.

I tried several other holsters and have one of those gimmicky blackhawk holsters for work/competition but they are simply not concealment holsters and I had a hard time using one for a walk around the block in winter...it just stuck out too far.

You don't have to get a FIST holster, but I strongly recommend a thin, molded kydex IWB holster if you are really concerned about concealment.

Oh, and I got that PM too, wrote a nasty response the other day, though I tried to remain civil:

"You know, you should be a little less transparent if you are going to try to hock something over the web.

Perhaps more than 1 post on this forum would help you out.

Do you really think this kind of 'veiled' advertisement does anything other than make us less likely to purchase your product?

I may have considered buying your vest. Now... Not a chance."

I think it's probably what everybody else was thinking when they read his crap.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

Digilogic

Greg, with your IWB setup, do you use the extended mag floorplate or the standard? I heard that every uspc came with 1 of each but mine came with 2 extended and I have heard that this is now the standard. I am considering buying a standard floorplate online since my extended one seems to poke out a little but I have only found 1 site that even has any.

And that site plug was definately dumb. I posted on here for real life experience, not a sales pitch.

__________________
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso

ziadel

I really wanna get a full size tactical for field use out here in Montana...

I'm starting to run into some stuff that is making the 1911 just not suitable.

__________________
Ron Paul '08
Vote for Freedom
Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

Slims

I carry with the extended floorplate. I have a standard somewhere but it didn't really make much difference for me concealment-wise and I like the extra control the extended gives you. The standard was slightly more comfortable because when my pistol digs into my bag (sitting in a car, for instance) it is that little pinky rest on the extended magazine that I feel the most

Your pistol may have come with the two extended magazines because people overwhelmingly prefer them.

That sort of thing is going to come down to personal preference. There are a lot of different options out there. A lot of guys swear by leather (doesn't work for me, I'm too skinny) and you know how many different pistols are out there.

You are doing the right thing by researching your options before you plunge into this, but you are not going to entirely eliminate trial and error as you will have to find what you personally prefer.

Don't be afraid to make a few mistakes. Even if you buy a 'standard' magazine and don't like it, you can still use it for a dozen different things. I often carry mine as my backup magazine because it sits in my pocket better since it doesn't have that extra lip.

Old holsters will still be useful. I still use my Galco holster, though only for long road trips. Etc.

Good luck.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

fatbob

Ok I am ignorant to this issue being from the UK where thankfully we don't have the same gun issues as a lot of you guys.
Why would someone want to carry a concealed weapon? I thought the argument was that you carry handguns for personal protect and as a deterrent only? If your gun is concealed how does it act as a deterrent? Surely a concealed gun only becomes useful as protection when you take it out and show it which is a point that I thought no-one would want to get to?

I'm not trying to get into a big moral argument about the public's right to carry handguns, I am sure where I stand on that, just interested as to the pros and cons of concealed weapons.

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change happens when those who don't normally speak get heard by those who don't normally listen.

sjb

I'm sure someone else with more time can elaborate this more (or articulate it better), but generally here's the idea:

I'm a criminal in the UK (or one of many places in the US where it is illegal for most people to carry). I know nobody is armed. That means that everyone is an easy target. I have little fear that the intended victim (or a bystander) will kill me if I commit a crime.

I'm now a criminal in a place where I know people are carrying, but I don't know who. I have to think twice about where I commit a crime, because not only might the person I commit the crime against be able to defend themself with a weapon, but I won't know until it's too late. Plus any number of bystanders may also have a weapon and kill me. I'd rather drive up to Washington, DC where it's guaranteed that nobody is armed.

Slims

You aren't carrying to show off. You are carrying so that you have a means of defending yourself if someone attacks you.

Aside from the general deterring effect fatbob mentioned, your concealed weapon only comes into play if you choose to draw it. If you think you can make a mugger go away simply by giving him some money then you can do so while still being able to end the situation if he decides to hurt you. If you had the gun out in the open it would already be a factor and you would either be immediately disarmed (+1 gun for the bad guys) or they would shoot you first and then rob you.

Carrying your weapon concealed gives you additional options as well as an advantage should the situation escalate to violence since the bad guys don't know you are capable of defending yourself.

I will also try to avoid the moral aspect when I point out that some people panic at the mere sight of a pistol and, legal or not, will call the police every time they see somone not in uniform wearing one.

I guess the idea is to can take responsibility for your own well being...discretely and without alarming others.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

dksuddeth

The argument about concealed carry has a few different sides to it. Some people consider it a 'tactical' advantage, which basically means that they want to be able to surprise the bad guy attempting to make them a victim. Personally, concealed carry does nothing for me. I would just as soon have open carry legal in all 50 states, but in about 7 states here open carry isn't even an option. I can only assume that it is that way because there are too many people who panic at the sight of someone wearing a gun that doesn't wear a badge. All in all, carrying open or concealed is having the tool and ability to defend yourself or others in the event that someone wants to victimize you.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

fatbob

Well I can understand the issue a bit better now. I think were I to carry I don't think I'd conceal - reasoning much like you do with car steering wheel locks, that you can prevent trouble but you can divert it elsewhere, if someone is looking for trouble they'd be more likely to pick the unarmed victim than the armed one...

but I can honestly say that I am just glad that this is something that I don't have to worry about!

Cheers, F.

__________________
change happens when those who don't normally speak get heard by those who don't normally listen.

longbough

It is clear you don't understand the practice of the handgun in self-defense. Here's one of my old posts. Please read it with an open mind that you might understand the basic concept:

It seems, whenever I discuss the issue of gun-control in debate I spend most of my time addressing popular preconceived notion about gun-owners.

Here's how I was trained - and what I believe. I don't presume to speak for all gun-owners, but this is the way I was trained and it's what I consider basic to understand for people who don't.

1.) If someone wants to steal my wallet, car, briefcase etc. I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one) - I let him have it all. That's what insurance is for.
2.) If someone verbally threatens me, I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I try to talk to him and find a resolution.
3.) If someone verbally threatens my family, I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I stand between him and my family and try to talk to him to find a resolution.
4.) If someone verbally threatens my family AND he's holding a knife I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I stand between him and my family and try to talk to him to find a resolution.
5.) But if someone is charging at my helpless family with knife (or other weapon) in hand, clearly intending to do physical harm, - I WILL draw my weapon to STOP him.

*Note: I said STOP, not KILL. It's not just a euphemistic distinction - it's an IMPORTANT one. My intent is to STOP an act of violence directed against myself or a loved one ... that's all. The mortality/morbidity of my target is not the main issue.

You don't have to hate dogs in order to shoot a rabid dog charging at your child.

i.e. If I happen to shoot and miss but the aggressor drops his knife and/or runs away - the aggressor is STOPPED.
If I shoot him and the bullet lacerates the thoracic aorta but he is able to plunge a knife into a loved one just before he dies from rapid internal bleeding - the aggressor is NOT STOPPED.

My only concern is the protection of my family - the aggressor's health is a secondary consideration. That's why we say that a gun in personal defense is for STOPPING a violent act.

6.) Anger, anxiety, sadness or nervousness are not emotions conducive to proper use of firearms. The reason why professional training is so important is to keep your emotions or neuroses from confounding your ability to think rationally. Breath-control, meditation, education and simulations all play a role in this regard. The implicit truth is that, if one were to "justifiably" shoot someone - it would be a calculated, deliberate conscious decision conducted efficiently - not one provoked by anger, hatred or revenge.

It doesn't mean you should be cold-blooded and emotionless ... that's not true at all. Anger, fear, sadness and other emotions are all important (they make us human) - but they are incompatible with certain critical situations - self-defense is one of those situations.

For example, another situation where volatile emotions are inappropriate is in a physician working in the ER (that's what I've done in the past). Someone comes in requiring intubation (mechanical ventilation) but they're fighting everyone because you're shoving a big tube town their throat without analgesia or sedation because it's an emergency ... My emotions and empathy would have me concerned about his level of comfort - but that delay would certainly cost the patient his life. Basically: Intubate him in a few seconds or he's going to die .. period.

I've had many times in the ER when I have had to be functional through more than one patient tragedy - otherwise I'd be useless to the other patients who needed me. But while driving home I'd pull over just so I could cry/scream alone.

If I ever find myself shooting someone for the purposes of self-defense - I'd like to think clearly during the encounter - but also deal with the emotional, psychological impact only when it is all over.

**Note: I also don't believe in brandishing a weapon until the moment I decide to use it.

Some people believe that a firearm brandished in a threatening manner without shooting can stop a situation. It would make sense since, statistically, over 90% of confrontations have ended after presentation of the weapon. But I'd still have to disagree with "brandishing" as a threat for several reasons.

The ability to shoot another individual under the right circumstance requires training as well as mental and physical discipline. The decision to shoot takes place over a split second. When you brandish a weapon you have placed yourself in a "mental" grey zone where you can't account for all the possibilities at once. What if the person looks you in the eye and faces you - he doesn't attack - but he also doesn't run away? You'll notice many criminals don't quite cooperate even when facing several officers pointing guns at them. What do you do then? I'm not saying this will happen - but it does happen.

At that moment he has the moment to read your body language - (fear? confusion? anger?) - until you actually face the situation you don't know in advance how you'll truly react. A common trick is to confuse your senses by begging for mercy and holding their hands up while obviously advancing on you - Your ability to empathize gets mixed signals because your mind doesn't see any clear reason to shoot - it's extremely difficult to shoot someone looking at you begging for mercey while he's crawling toward you - even if you KNOW he's faking.

Let's say this was a confrontation in the home and he runs away. Now you have a criminal on the loose who knows where you live and knows you have a gun in the house. Most likely he won't come back. But sometimes they do ... If I were in that situation it'd be hard for me to sleep for a weeks/months knowing that someone might return.

Also, if you draw your weapon without the immediate intention to shoot - you are depending on some instinctual "trigger" to allow you to shoot as the situation demands. If the "trigger" isn't CRYSTAL CLEAR the delay will cost lives.

e.g. You have your gun drawn on a burglar who approaches you slowly with his hands in the air saying "Let's talk about this, buddy." You tell him to stop and talk from where he's standing - but he keeps approaching slowly calmly saying, "I'm not armed. I just want to talk." In your mind you know he's probably just trying to close the distance between you two - You keep yelling at him to "stop." but he doesn't..... at what point do you shoot (if at all)? When he's got his arms raised in the air and 20ft away? 15ft? 10ft? 5ft? ....

I don't want to be in that situation - that's why I don't brandish.
---------

__________________
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi

Moonduck

First note: Excellent post. I certainly wish more people who choose to be armed and support their decision in public were as well-written and reasonable as you are.

In regards to your point about brandishing, I've been in a few situations in my life where I was armed, and I could have legally drawn my weapon. I've been in one where I could have legally done so and then pulled the trigger. In each situation, my weapon stayed holstered. The simplest reason being that I decided that I had better tools at my disposal, and speech was the most common. It is far, far easier to disarm a bad situation without the weapon in view than with.

I've since made certain that I don't get into such situations any more. The best tool in the self-defense toolbox is avoidance.

And this sums up both why I would not be able to work in the medical field, and why I have the utmost respect for people that do. I can, and have, functioned perfectly well through tragedy and loss, but I really, deeply had trouble living with it afterwards.

This is another reason why the situations above resulted in me talking someone out of a bad choice of actions. I don't ever want to find myself staring at the ceiling realizing that I've shot someone. Whether it would be a prudent legal move at the time, or not, I don't want it on my conscience. It's just another reason why I am that much more unlikely to draw. Then again, I'm one of those people that becomes more nervous and worried when I am armed than when I am not.

As to the original topic, I have to agree with the majority of posters. Kydex is the way to go. It's awesome stuff. I wish it'd been around long ago. I would not have spent so much bloody money on leather products that my own perspiration destroyed so quickly.

Force 10

Kydex does wear on the gun much more than leather. I had a comp-tac C-T.A.C and I didn't like it much. It's a great design but it wears my pistol and isn't comfortable. I carry IWB 100% of the time so comfort is important. Although the kydex is thinner, it doesn't conform to your body like leather so the argument of kydex doesn't print as much as leather is, in my mind, bull shit. This I have proven to myself as I own kydex and leather IWB's. My Leather IWB is from K&D Holster - It's Cochise defender - and the other from Milt Sparks it's a versamax and the kydex is, like I said a c-t.a.c . I like the K&D the best as it ugs my body the best and is very good quality. The milt Sparks is built like a tank. It's not going to give on you at all. However that makes it more bulky. They Kydex I like the least. In fact, I'll never own another kydex holster...maybe a half breed...back side leather, front kydex...maybe.