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How do you open carry over your winter coat?

Kevin Jensen

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spurrit wrote:
Dork visits mall. Geeks at the cheap sword shop impressed.
My mode of carry makes me a dork??? That's very mature of you. (SGT Jensen smells a troll.)

trollbgon.gif
 

spurrit

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It was meant lightheartedly. Ya gotta admit, it's rather mall ninja-esque. :p
 

tarzan1888

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SGT Jensen wrote:
spurrit wrote:
Dork visits mall. Geeks at the cheap sword shop impressed.
My mode of carry makes me a dork??? That's very mature of you. (SGT Jensen smells a troll.)

trollbgon.gif

Kevin

Don't worry about spurrit, He/she/it loves our last resident troll and if you check out its posts on shoulder holsters you will see it has a foul mouth and a small mind and is not worth our interest.

Tarzan
 

Kevin Jensen

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tarzan1888 wrote:
He/she/it loves our last resident troll and if you check out its posts on shoulder holsters you will see it has a foul mouth and a small mind and is not worth our interest.
Also, according to the smart carry thread, the troll is also sexist.
 

dave_in_delaware

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I don't OC over my winter coat. I use my SERPA CQC holster (on my belt via paddle), and just simply tuck my coat behind the holster. There's enough "lip" to keep my coat out of the way (AND maintain totally OPEN carry here in DE), and keep the rest of my coat down far enough to not get chills.

As for keeping it dry, I haven't OC'd in the rain/snow yet. I would assume I'd not "cover" it at all, and just give her a good wipe-down once inside to avoid rust issues.
 

Schofield

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I'm actually running into a bit of a conundrum. I have a brown oiled cotton duster I wear in winter but unless I strap a rig to the outside of the coat, leave it open, or wear it inside... I'm not sure what to do. Obviously if I thought I really needed the pistol for a specific a reason, I'd simply strap it on over and be damned with how odd it looks. Same issue with CC. How do you quickly draw from the hip or from a shoulder position while wearing a long coat? As has been pointed out repeatedly, sometimes seconds really count. I either have to lift the coat up pretty far or pull it away from the bottom front. I'm thinking the option in the end might be a shoulder rig and just get really good at rippin the buttons open (double button type of coat) to gain access to the pistol. :? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. - Schofield
 

deepdiver

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Schofield wrote:
I'm actually running into a bit of a conundrum. I have a brown oiled cotton duster I wear in winter but unless I strap a rig to the outside of the coat, leave it open, or wear it inside... I'm not sure what to do. Obviously if I thought I really needed the pistol for a specific a reason, I'd simply strap it on over and be damned with how odd it looks. Same issue with CC. How do you quickly draw from the hip or from a shoulder position while wearing a long coat? As has been pointed out repeatedly, sometimes seconds really count. I either have to lift the coat up pretty far or pull it away from the bottom front. I'm thinking the option in the end might be a shoulder rig and just get really good at rippin the buttons open (double button type of coat) to gain access to the pistol. :? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. - Schofield
Just flip the duster behind the pistol (dramatically) and cue The Good, The Bad and The Ugly whistle ... the BG will run for sure :p

Seriously though, I usually carry CC because of local laws and I just avoid zipping/buttoning my coats whenever possible. I often wear sweaters in winter which cover my pistol when I don't have a coat on, but when I put on my coat, I pull my sweater up over the pistol and let the coat conceal it and then before removing my coat somewhere, I subtley pull my sweater back over my pistol. OC'ing in winter with a duster certainly has it challenges.
 

Schofield

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If you mean a crossdraw holster for my hip... Same issue with strapping it on outside or inside the coat. I don't carry a Schofield around if anyone's wondering. Yet anyway. M1911 works fine for putting big holes in things. ;)

Though I'm no cowboy, I was actually thinking of what Blondie did in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly that a lot of jackets do: An interim solution will be to cut a verticle slit a the entrance to one of the outside side pockets and bind the edges of the cut so nothing unravels and invisible to others. Do it right and it'll give me access to the pistol on my hip and my pants pockets otherwise inaccesible while buttoned up. Not perfect obviously unless I'm carrying a revolver that can be easily be drawn through a slit or fired inside the coat if absolutely necessary but nothing's perfect. - Schofield
 

Decoligny

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Schofield wrote:
If you mean a crossdraw holster for my hip... Same issue with strapping it on outside or inside the coat. I don't carry a Schofield around if anyone's wondering. Yet anyway. M1911 works fine for putting big holes in things. ;)

Though I'm no cowboy, I was actually thinking of what Blondie did in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly that a lot of jackets do: An interim solution will be to cut a verticle slit a the entrance to one of the outside side pockets and bind the edges of the cut so nothing unravels and invisible to others. Do it right and it'll give me access to the pistol on my hip and my pants pockets otherwise inaccesible while buttoned up. Not perfect obviously unless I'm carrying a revolver that can be easily be drawn through a slit or fired inside the coat if absolutely necessary but nothing's perfect. - Schofield
I was thinking the same type of thing, but have a nylon zipper sown in. This will stop the unravel part, and give you protection from the cold should you choose not to OC. Kind of like the security guard jackets that have a zipper on each side with a snap at the bottom to hold the jacket around the holster.
 

tarzan1888

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Schofield wrote:
I'm actually running into a bit of a conundrum. I have a brown oiled cotton duster I wear in winter but unless I strap a rig to the outside of the coat, leave it open, or wear it inside... I'm not sure what to do. Obviously if I thought I really needed the pistol for a specific a reason, I'd simply strap it on over and be damned with how odd it looks. Same issue with CC. How do you quickly draw from the hip or from a shoulder position while wearing a long coat? As has been pointed out repeatedly, sometimes seconds really count. I either have to lift the coat up pretty far or pull it away from the bottom front. I'm thinking the option in the end might be a shoulder rig and just get really good at rippin the buttons open (double button type of coat) to gain access to the pistol. :? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. - Schofield

I have opted for the shoulder rig.



I have one for my 1911 and one for my .357 Snubby. With the shoulder holster you have no need to mess with moving your coat and it is readily accessible in this cold weather.

Tarzan
 

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DreQo

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The trench coat that I have (for dressier occasions, nothing I'd wear on a daily basis) has a slot to access your trousers built in already, and it comes in very handy for accessing a belt-mounted side-arm.

I still thing the best option in the long run, however, is putting a shoulder holster over your coat, OR wearing a gun belt over your coat. Otherwise, you wont have immediate access no matter what you do.
 

ace1001

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Scofield: I'm thinking bandoleer holster over the coat. Are you carrying a topbreak? Ace
 

Schofield

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Nope, don't have a top break Schofield yet because they're so expensive. Before a $1000 single action revolver comes into my armory, I need to find a good .22 rifle and pistol for practice. Even if the revolver makes my heart go all aflutter.

The bandoleer would be an option but I'm not exactly going for the cowboy look, I just happen to wear a hat and duster since in Alaska it snows, rains, or shines on a whim. I've worn a hat a lot longer than I've had the duster though. - Schofield
 

concealed

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Best answer I've seen in this thread is to wear a short jacket, and you can get really warm ones. Check out the cops. Most wear heavy, short jackets with their sidearm completely exposed. Just let the grip hang outside the jacket.
 

tattedupboy

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Just purchase a nice thigh rig. So what if an anti gets frightened at the sight of a thigh holster? At least you're still exercising your rights in a lawful manner. Furthermore, having your gun sitting on your thigh makes for a more natural draw because the gun is sitting where your hand naturally hangs anyway.
 

ace1001

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I broke down and got the CCW. Now when I OC I don't worry if it gets covered or not. Just got tired of the hassle of being always visible. Looked too "in your face". Now I just go about my business. Also more vehicle rights here. Ace
 
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