HOLSTERS!
for snubbies and 1911s
vol.8, ISSUE 8 NOV/DEC 2011
THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE
FOR THE ARMED CITIZEN
WHY
CARRY?
MOBS, STAMPEDES
AND PUBLIC
DISORDER
INTRUDER!
CLEAR YOUR HOME
WHAT BOOKS
SHOULD BE ON
YOUR SHELF?
usconcealedcarry.com
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
33
FEATURES
Tuckable holsters for the
popular 1911.
44
Even more holsters...
for snubbies.
The Big Bang Theory
20
by Jim Fleming
22
True Concealment–
Methods and Mindset
The Thinking
40
Gunman’s Bookshelf
Inclement Weather Training
26
by Steve Collins
Holsters for Snubbies
44
by R.K. Campbell
Mobs, Stampedes,
28
and Public Disorder
Why Carry?
48
by Rob Pincus
by Ryan VanOrden
101 36 byHouseclearing
Jason R. Hanson
by Tom Givens
by Miguel Gonzalez
Tuckable Holsters
33
for 1911 Pistols
by Mark Kakkuri
Signed articles in Concealed Carry Magazine reflect the views of the author, and are not necessarily the views of the editors at Delta Media, LLC. Concealed Carry Magazine
and the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, Inc. are registered trademarks of Delta Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2004-2011 by Delta Media, LLC. Reproduction,
copying, or distribution of Concealed Carry Magazine is prohibited without written permission.
4
USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
13
03
TIM’S THOUGHTS
Publisher
Timothy J. Schmidt
03
ACROSS THE
EDITOR’S DESK
Managing Editor
Kathy Jackson
CCM PROFILE
Bert Rollen
by Oleg Volk
16
JUST ASK
Pocket and Ankle Carry
by George Harris
18
THE ORDINARY GUY
A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Show
by Mark Walters
51
REAL WORLD CARRY GEAR
by Duane A. Daiker
54
BEHIND THE LINE
Visualization—
Program Your Mind for Success
by Tom Givens
56
ARMED SENIOR CITIZEN
Reality Based
Defensive Handgun Skills
by Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.
59
IT’S JUST THE LAW
Book Review: After You Shoot
by K.L. Jamison, Esq.
61 Alan Korwin Responds
by Alan Korwin
62
BALLISTIC BASICS
Let It Drop
by Tamara Keel
06
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
07
TRUE STORIES
08
THIS IS USCCA
10
LESSONS LEARNED
11
DRILL OF
THE MONTH
12
STUFF WE LIKE
ABOUT THE COVER
FRONT cover
Photographer: Oleg Volk
Model: Dick Heller proudly shows off a Charter
Arms Bulldog in .44 Special. The gun is a “Heller
Commemorative” model, engraved to reflect the
historic win for gun owners in the Supreme Court
case, Heller v. District of Columbia. Although Mr.
Heller cannot yet legally carry a gun outside his
home, the case that bears his name successfully
overturned Washington, D.C.’s outright ban on
handgun ownership. In that ruling, the Supreme
Court wrote, “There seems to us no doubt,
on the basis of both text and history, that the
Second Amendment conferred an individual right
to keep and bear arms.” Thanks to Mr. Heller
and his persistent efforts over several years, he
and his neighbors can legally own handguns for
personal protection.
back cover - Full size XD-45 with extended
magazine rests alongside Tula .45 ACP ammunition and an Icelandic pattern knife made by Nikolay Yermolenko.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
STAFF
Art Director
Betty Shonts
Circulation Manager
Laura Otto
Assistant Circulation Manager
Nikki Bublitz
Copy Editor
John Higgs
Photographer
Oleg Volk
Column Editors
Duane A. Daiker • Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.
Tom Givens • George Harris
K.L. Jamison, ESQ. • Tamara Keel
Duncan Mackie • Rob PIncus
Mark Walters
Contributing Writers
R.K. Campbell • Steve Collins
Jim Fleming • Miguel Gonzalez
Jason R. Hanson • Mark Kakkuri
Ryan VanOrden
USCCA Inc. Board of Advisors
Michael Bane • John Farnam
Tom Givens • Rob Pincus
Published for U.S. Concealed Carry by:
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Concealed Carry Magazine (USPS: 022-302, ISSN:
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November 18, 2011. Published 8 times a year, monthly
except combined issues: Feb/Mar; May/June; Aug/
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5
right: The Smith
& Wesson 442 has
been the author’s
constant backup
over a decade.
The piece has
been holstered
in any number
of well chosen
holsters.
below: Bobby Mac
is a recognized
specialist in
snubnose revolver
holsters. This
pancake type
offers a good
balance of speed
and retention.
Holsters
for
[ BY R.K. CAMPBELL ]
snubbies
Among the most often carried handguns in my battery is
a well worn J-frame Smith & Wesson .38 Special with twoinch barrel.
W
hen I first became a peace officer more than thirty years ago,
most of us carried a J-frame
as a backup on duty and as a primary
off duty. The J-frame is the right combination of reliability, portability, and
power. In an intimate-range struggle the
revolver may be pressed against an opponent’s body and fired more than once.
A semi-auto would jam at the first shot.
This makes the revolver a top choice for
backup use.
But there is another advantage often left out in reports concerning the
J-frame: the two-inch barrel J-frame may
be brilliantly fast from leather. With a
properly designed holster, the J-frame
practically leaps into the hand. At close
range, the short sight radius is fast on target. I would never say the J-frame is easily
mastered, but the type may be used well.
44
I have noted that many shooters come to
my class with a handgun that is a non sequitur to the problem at hand. But some
come to the class with a good choice.
Among these are the young shooters
who have recently qualified near the top
of the class with a snubnose .38 revolver.
It can be done, and when you have mastered the J-frame .38 you are well armed.
During my last few years in police
service a rookie officer took a matter to
the chief that he and I disagreed on. His
wife had purchased a stainless Walther
PPK .380 automatic for off-duty use for
this officer. I did not allow him to qualify or carry the piece. The .38 Special is
little enough for defense use, but will
serve with the best loads. The .380 ACP
is another matter. This rookie asked the
chief to intervene. After all, the man said,
“James Bond used a PPK.” I was apt to
ream a rookie out when he compared
fiction to reality. The Chief laughed,
“Maxwell Smart was smarter than James
Bond.” The rookie was instructed to get a
.38 if he wanted a backup, and reminded
that nothing less than a .38 Special could
be used for (mandatory) off duty carry.
Maxwell Smart did indeed carry a concealed hammer .38 Special revolver.
There are three types of snubnose .38s:
Those with a concealed hammer, those
with an exposed hammer, and those
with a bobbed hammer. By far the most
suitable for concealed carry is the concealed hammer version. It may be fired
from a pocket and the humpback grip
frame is more comfortable to fire and
use with modern +P loads. Then there is
the choice of frame material. I find steel
frames most comfortable to fire and the
aluminum frame handguns more easily
carried.
When it comes to holstering the J–
frame, some folks just drop the gun in
their pocket. That’s not a good idea.
You need a good holster. The choice in
USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
left and inset: Firing a snubby .38 from the pocket
repeatedly is possible and may be effective. Two
discoveries: Most hollowpoints other than Hornady
Critical Defense plug with fabric; and you will need
a new pocket holster.
below: The Blackhawk holster, left, and the
Shooting Star Custom Leather holster, right, offer
good options for belt carry. Each is secure and fast
with a good balance between access and speed. The
DPX HEST folder is often carried along with the .38s.
The Gould and Goodrich ankle
holster was designed for rugged
police duty. Should you carry
anything less? This holster even
laces into boots if necessary.
J-frame holsters is wider than that offered by, say, Commander .45 holsters.
This is simply because the J-frame .38
will fit in places the larger guns cannot.
Belt holsters, inside the waistband holsters, tuckables, and pocket holsters are
all viable for the J-frame. Many of these
designs simply would not work well with
a heavier handgun.
The J-frame is packable, concealable,
and fast into action. But the J-frame also
packs enough power to be effective if the
shot is well placed. The holsters illustrated take advantage of the light weight of
the J-frame to enhance comfort and also
offer real speed in most cases. Others are
light, thin, concealable, and still maintain a balance between speed and access.
The first holster anyone should consider is the strong side belt holster. The
strong side holster offers a natural draw.
There should be a good reason for deviating from the ease of access of the strong
side holster. Among the most effective
I have used is a wrap-around pancake
style from Silver Star Custom Leather.
left: This Active Pro tuckable is
suitable for use with a number
of handguns. The author has
successfully concealed holsters
considerably larger than a
J-frame .38.
right: The Remora or “Sticky”
holster is an excellent holster.
This holster keeps the handgun tight
against the body with good retention
while also offering good concealment.
With the holster tightly held by a good
gunbelt you have good speed because
the gun butt is presented at the right angle for a rapid presentation from leather.
Another choice that is reminiscent of
the Berns Martin break front comes from
Blackhawk. The Blackhawk holster features an elastic band built into the holster that keeps the revolver secure, but
offers a good sharp draw. This one requires some practice in pushing the gun
butt forward on the draw to break out of
the elastic band, but it is a viable option.
Another strong side holster I sometimes use comes from Jeffrey Custom
Gunleather. This one is a very sturdy,
easy on and off design that features
a belt loop with a strong snap on the
back of the holster. The scabbard is kept
secure, but you may change the holster quickly if need be. The holster isn’t
quite as close-riding as some, but due to
the grip clearance it is among the fast-
est strong side holsters for the J-frame.
A true specialist with snubnose holsters including holsters for the Ruger
SP101 and Colt Detective Special is
Bobby Mac. Since many snubby .38s are
hammerless, Bobby understands the
need for good retention and also builds
a holster that is very fast into action and
comfortable. His pancake holsters are
sought out by professionals and the buying public. A few factory ready J-frame
holsters have been known to split at the
belt loop because they are thin and light
and folks tend to just pull them off the
belt without much care. The Bobby Mac
holster will survive such treatment.
An advantage of the snubby .38 is that
it is short enough that a strong side holster conceals almost as well under a light
jacket as an inside the waistband holster
(IWB). But when carrying under a sweat
shirt or sport shirt, the inside the waistband holster works well. There is no holster body below the belt line and with a
properly designed holster speed is good.
There are several preferences at work
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
45
HOLSTERS FOR SNUBBIES
right: This Side Guard
holster and J-frame .38
combination is worn by
a military intelligence
officer. It works well for
him.
far right: Among
the best designs
yet for the IWB/
snubby .38
combination
comes from Barber
Leatherworks. Note
the strong belt clip.
including clip to one side of the gun, clip
over the cylinder, and dual offset belt
clips. It is up to the end user to decide
which suits their needs best.
The NTAC IWB is a Kydex design with
dual spring steel clips. This holster may
be used as an OWB or IWB, so there is
real versatility. The Kydex construction
offers resistance to oil, solvent, and perspiration. The holster retains its shape
for years and offers a good, sharp draw.
The Barber Leather Works design is
one of my personal favorites. This one offers a tilt to the front for speed and concealment. The leather is top grade and
the holster is well molded for the individual handgun. There is a strong holstering
welt that prevents the holster from collapsing when the handgun is drawn. The
belt clip rides on the rear of the holster.
This works well with a light .38.
Sideguard offers two designs for the
J-frame that serve different purposes.
The first is a conventional IWB with the
belt clip over the cylinder. This makes
for a very compact holster taking up a
minimum of space on the belt and under
the waistband. This is a very handy holster that is secure, but fast to fit into the
waistband without unfastening the belt.
The second Sideguard design is thinner
for maximum concealment. The belt
clips are situated at the ends of the holster body and there is no reinforced welt
for holstering. The holster will collapse
after the revolver is drawn. This is the
flattest quality IWB I am aware of. The
IWB is probably the best choice for most
of us for carrying the snub nose .38, but
there are other choices.
Pocket carry is very popular. I am late
46
coming to pocket
carry, but I sometimes carry a backup
in the pocket. I have
used several pocket
holsters with good results.
The Gunfighters LTD pocket holster
is very light and inexpensive. This is the
one for casually dropping in the pocket. I
own several to protect my J-frames when
they are stored in the safe, but the holster also rides in the pocket with me, particularly when the J-frame is carried in a
jacket pocket. The DeSantis Nemesis is a
similar, but slightly heavier design that is
very popular.
Perhaps the state of the art at the moment is the Remora. Frankly the other
guys have a lot of catching up to do with
this design. The Remora is designed not
to collapse after the piece is drawn from
the pocket. The Remora is also designed
to work as an IWB without belt loops.
While it performs okay in this application with most handguns, and it is known
as the “Sticky” holster, I am still exploring
this use. (The Remora holster is available
for many types of handguns.) As a pocket
holster the Remora is a big step forward.
When the firearm is drawn, the Remora
stays in place and does not collapse.
Just remember to blade the hand on the
draw. Do not attempt to make a fist and
affirm the grip in the pocket or you will
not be able to draw the handgun.
The Tuckable holster allows a handgun to be carried under the shirt with
the shirt tucked in. This neatly solves
a number of problems, including concealing a handgun with dress wear, but
no jacket. The J-frame offers a num-
ber of possibilities for this type of carry.
When carrying concealed most of the
time you only have to evade the observation of people that you are not in contact
with for a significant amount of time.
Going into a store or restaurant or walking across a parking lot, you are not under intense scrutiny. It is quite another
thing to be armed about those that you
work with on a daily basis. I have carried for a considerable time in such an
environment when only I and my client
knew I was armed. I carried a handgun
larger than a J-frame, but the principles are the same. Carrying my Smith &
Wesson Military Model 19 with 2.5-inch
barrel in the Active Pro Tuckable was
neatly accomplished. I wore the revolver over my right rear pocket. The Active
Pro Tuckable was fitted into the trousers
and the shirt tucked in over it. To draw,
the shirt is ripped out first and then the
handgun is drawn. The shirt is ripped
out with the same hand that draws the
handgun, so some practice is required
to attain speed. The Tuckable is a compromise, but in this case a good one. The
Active Pro design isn’t made of cheap
fabric, but rather the material is thick
enough for the job and tightly woven. I
would prefer a metal hook, but the plastic belt hook is well designed and of good
material. While fabric isn’t molded to the
handgun in the same manner as leather,
the Active Pro design achieves good fit by
properly sewing each holster for the in-
USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
HOLSTERS FOR SNUBBIES
Ntach holsters offer good versatility with loops designed
for either OWB or IWB wear. They are good kit.
dividual handgun it is designed to fit. As
an example the trigger guard is properly
blocked off in the revolver types.
Ankle holsters are the natural home of
the backup .38. I do not recommend the
ankle holster as a good option for the primary gun unless there are overwhelming
reasons. The ankle holster is accessible
when seated and when the wearer is
driving. However, only the best quality
holsters should be chosen. The problem
is that when the body is traveling, the legs
move more quickly than the torso. There
is a lot of momentum built up with an
ankle holster. If you move quickly there is
CONTACTS
Active Pro Gear
www.activeprogear.com
(800) 479-8056
Barber Leather Works
www.barberleatherworks.com
(740) 404-2933
Blackhawk
www.blackhawk.com
(800) 694-5263
Bobby Macs
www.bobmacs.com
(646) 926-2622
is a marvel of design in many ways and
an option that civilians as well as peace
officers would be wise to explore.
A final option is the revolver-mounted
belt clip offered by Brownells. Brownells
offers a tune up kit consisting of premium springs, a set of Hogue grips, and the
belt clip. It is a minimal fashion, but then
so is the snubby .38. This belt clip will
prevent the J-frame from falling out of
the belt, but the firearm still rides against
the skin. It is a neat trick for the grab and
go to the stop and rob. When it comes to
the snubnose .38 there are more carry
options than with any other handgun type. Take care in selection and practice with the
holster you choose. The
life you save may be
your own. H
a real chance the handgun will
be dislodged from the holster. A twenty dollar pawn
shop holster simply will
not do the business. Gould
and Goodrich are among
the best factory production
holsters. This holster is constructed of quality leather. The
design elements are outstanding. The
leather strap that attaches to the leg may
be laced through boot loops as an example. The thumbreak is a folded over design not likely to be actuated unless you
intend to draw the handgun. This holster
Jeff Silvester is a new name in
snub nose holsters but his work
shows ingenuity, originality,
and good craftsmanship.
Brownells Shooting Supply
www.brownells.com
(800) 741-0015
NTac Holsters
www.ntacholsters.com
(586) 255-2856
DeSantis Gunhide
www.desantisholster.com
(800) 424-1236
Remora Concealment
& Security Products
www.remoraholsters.com
(239) 293-1165
Gould and Goodrich
www.gouldusa.com
(800) 277-0732
Gunfighters Ltd. www.gunfightersltd.com
(619) 482-1786
Jeffrey Custom Leather
www.jeffreycustomleather.com
(918) 306-2406
Sideguard Holsters
Sideguardholsters.com
(651) 263-1434
Silver Star Custom Leather
www.silverstarcustomleather.com
(559) 816-1698
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
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