5 Concealed Carry Essentials

As a concealed carry instructor, I see a lot of newbies coming in to the concealed carry world. I   often see is the same mistakes made repeatedly. A lot of them have to deal with how to carry comfortably. Since I’m seeing these basic mistakes made over and over I figured I could offer our fine readers some basic concealed carry essentials.

1. A Gun (Duh)

Of course, you need a solid concealed carry gun. A mistake I see a lot of people make is either going too small, or too big. Too big of a gun is hard to conceal and hard to carry. Too little of a gun is hard to shoot. Somewhere in the middle is a comfortable balance between easy to shoot and comfortable to carry. The Glock 26 and S&W Shield 9mm immediately comes to mind as easy shooting and easy carrying guns. Both are from reputable manufacturers and have a great history of reliable function.

2. A Good Belt

One of the most overlooked pieces of gear is a solid gun belt. Guns are often too heavy for a simple leather or textile belt. They tend to make them twist, sag, and generally make carrying a gun uncomfortable. A good, stiff belt is what you need. This can make all the difference when it comes to carrying a gun. Belts by companies like Daltech, Magpul, and Bigfoot belts are designed specifically to tote guns.

3. A Comfortable Holster

Too often another flaw I see is investment into a cheap holster. Those 10 dollar big box nylon specials are terrible for concealed, or even open carry. These holsters have issues with retention, are slow to draw from, and not exactly durable. Invest a little money in a holster and it’ll pay off. A good holster is easy to conceal, works well with your belt to support your weapon, and allows you to draw fast.

4. Good Sights

Stock handgun sights often leave something to be desired. While they work great at the range, where the conditions are controlled, and the lights are always on, how do they work in real life? Can you see them quickly? How fast can you get the sights on target? What if the lights are low? All questions you need to consider regarding your sights. What kind of sights work for you?

We are a night sight company, so as you’d imagine we are going to say night sights. Night sights that glow bright and clear. You still want to be able to use them during the daytime, so just night sights are rarely the best go to. Our night sights feature bright tritium vials, surrounded by a high visibility ballistic polymer rings. This high visibility rings acts as your day sights, and the glowing tritium vial is your night sights.

5. Training and Practice (Lots of it.)

Lastly, once you have a good gun, a good belt, holster, and of course night sights you need to get out there and use it. You need to invest in ammo, training and range time. Having all the goodies doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how to use them. A little training in proper draw from concealment, safety, and defensive use can go a very long way. If you get the training, you need to keep it up with practice.

-Tommy Tips