Winter time CCW

[xMINORxTHREATx]

Winter time is around the corner, and for those of you who live in areas that actually have a winter, I have a question.

Do you do anything different for in the winter time in regards to your CCW?

I saw someone's signature that listed their summer and winter carry firearms (I can't recall the name or I would mention him/her)

I was also thinking, since you have more layers on, does anyone switch from IWB to OWB?

And does anyone practice either A: Drawing and shooting with thick gloves on, or B: Removing gloves, and then transitioning into drawing and shooting.

I've messed around a bit and noticed that it seems easier for me to draw with a hooded sweatshirt on than with just a T-shirt or Polo. I think it's because the thickness of the material makes it easier to manipulate.


Questions? Comments? Concerns? Technical difficulties?

[egor20]

When I'm wearing a parka I tend to just throw a revolver with a bobbed hammer in my right hand pocket.

Oh and my riding gloves are also my shooting gloves, so its not a problem.

[kraigwy]

Now I do no different winter or summer. I still carry my 642 in my pocket.

I worked 20 years with the Anchorage Police Dept. We had parka's for the winter cause it did get a bit nippy. The parka's we were issued had a zipper on the side that was suppose to allow access to one's duty revolver. Still a bit awkward so I carried a snub nose in my parka pocket. I could keep my hand on my revolver and no one knew.

[Straightshooter629]

My summer and winter carry never change...my Rossi 462 in a Done Hume OWB worn at the 10:00 position (cross draw) with two speed strips in an Acumold pouch. The pouch can either be worn on my belt or slipped in my right hip pocket.

[SwampYankee]

When I wear a coat, I carry a Speed Six OWB. When I don't wear a coat, I carry a Kahr P380 on my back pocket. If I happen to be in a place where I will be taking my coat off, I either carry the P380 or I pull my shirt out of my pants to cover the Speed Six. I always wear button down shirts or a sweater regardless. If I plan on drinking, even a single beer, I go unarmed (the law is what it is). I am in the process of finding a nice IWB holster for my Ruger Sr40c.

[C0untZer0]

Yep,

Winter is here... the Seacamp goes into storage, now its time to break out the Desert Eagle.

[icedog88]

I do switch from inside to outside and almost exclusively carry my .45(except when playing league pool, p 238 for that). If I know the leather jacket isn't coming off when I'm out, shoulder holster. Accessorize!:p:D

[Stressfire]

I won't be as worried about weapon size, for sure, due to thicker clothing. Presents a problem of its own, however, as there is more fabric to dig through should on need to get to their weapon.

Will likely switch to full size Beretta 92, fewer sharp angles to get caught, large grip, etc. I carry SOB usually, and am stick skinny, just about any size weapon disappears.

I do not practice with gloves as I tend not to wear them, if I do they are fingerless.

[Don P]

Yep winter is coming so a button up shirt. Its almost to the point here in FLA that like in other southern states we have 2 seasons hot and hotter.:eek:

[xMINORxTHREATx]

Hot and Hotter

Darn you global warming. Haha


Interesting posts.
Desert Eagle, huh C0untzer0? Lol

[BlackFeather]

For anyone who carries a knife there is the consideration of being able to cut or stab through the heavier winter clothes an assailant may be wearing, some think serrations cut through better, others would rather thrust. That being said, not much changes for me, I wear gloves at times, but it doesn't hinder me much.

[Stressfire]

For anyone who carries a knife there is the consideration of being able to cut or stab through the heavier winter clothes an assailant may be wearing

If only, Ohio knife laws are pretty vague...and yet strangely specific at the same time, and our carry permits do not cover weapons other than pistols. Rather unfortunate, I would actually prefer a dagger to a pistol in many cases - such as heavy clothing, distance from assailant, bystanders, etc.

[BlackFeather]

I don't carry concealed, the knife always shows. While I know I tread on ice when doing so, I've never had a problem. That being said, I've looked into knife laws in Ohio, they don't seem to mind open carry, unless in Cleveland. As far as concealed, I don't know. But, I've never talked to any LEOs there and I don't live there, so I wouldn't know. Here: http://knife-expert.com/oh.txt

Depending on what you practice as far as knives go, there are always pocket knives that work with it. I'd either get a Heiho or Spyderco P'kal. The P'kal would be for when a firearm is carried, left side pocket. Hissatsu folder for the cold days. But I'm a fan boy...

[xMINORxTHREATx]

In regard to knives, I've been a big fan of SOG for a while now. A buddy got me into them. He spends more money on knives than he does guns, and we all know how expensive guns are. So just imagine his knife collection. :eek:


But going back to firearms, do you guys think it would be wiser to wear loose enough fitting gloves to be able to fling them off, or just practice with them on?

[Drock]

I think you should practice with the gloves on. You may not have time to take them off.

My carry doesn't change in winter with a coat, but I wear a short jacket. People that I know that are outdoors more and wear heavier coats sometimes switch from 4 o-clock to appendix carry and that looks like a good winter option if you keep up with your practice.

Dave

[Doublea A]

My carry choice doesn't change during the winter season but my ammo choice do. I use the Hornady Critical Defense because should the need arise it will not be affected by the thick and heavy clothing, including the denim and leather of the perpetrator. I also practice at the range shooting with gloves and practice my draw while wearing heavy clothing as well.

[egor20]

Noticed a few comments about gloves, I wear SSG Unlined Riding Gloves.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/ssg-work%92n-horse-unlined-riding-gloves/p/X1-3929/cn/2045/

I like the fact they're unlined, It just feels better, but you may like others.

[egor20]

In regard to knives

Expect to be cut if you ever pull a knife or get one pulled on you.

I've been in knife fights before.

#1 don't get one
#2 carry a gun
#3 carry QuikClot
#4 see number 2

[bikerbill]

We don't really have much of a winter here, but when it starts getting cold enough to wear a jacket or pullover and switch from cargo shorts to jeans, I switch from pocket carry to belt carry, either my regular EDC PM9 or my Kimber UCII. I also remember to practice my draw daily, since drawing from a pocket is far diffferent from drawing from a belt holster.

As for knives, I always have a 3-inch folder clipped to my weakside pocket. I always use the clip so the top of the knife is visible. I've carried a knife everywhere for probably 40 years and I have never been questioned about it. On a recent trip to Missouri from Texas, I was stopped in Arkansas. The officer asked where my gun was -- door pocket -- and then asked if I had any other weapons. I indicated my folder, he said "don't worry about it." Then, he had me sit in the patrol car next to him while he ran my license, the knife easily accessible. Left with a warning and wondering if police now feel they are invulnerable to sharp objects.

[Dwight55]

Same carry in winter as any other time, . . . less problems for the 66 yr old mind to process at a crucial time.

Only change is the IWB is down under one or more layers.

As for gloves, . . . years ago I gave up tight gloves in favor of loose gloves, . . . and I can fling it off in the same movement as I use to reach for my weapon.

Again, . . . KISS, . . . (Kepp It Simple, Soldier).

May God bless,
Dwight

[MonsterB]

I pretty much do the same thing winter or summer...Glock26 owb at 3-4o'clock. Summer time may include a bit of iwb or very occasional pocket carry with the same gun in cargo shorts, but iwb bugs me and I feel much more comfortable with owb carry. Im 5'9 and 190lbs, so owb isnt too much of a problem to conceal. While I have tried alot of other guns for carry, like a full size 1911, an lframe S&w 357, a glock 23, a Sig 9mm, and even a lcp, I always went back to the g26 and have stuck to it now for close to 2 years. I am openminded but have not found a better alternative (for me). I am so much more proficient with that gun, whether its draw and shoot, slow accuracy shooting, rapid fire, reloading or takedown, I can do it faster and like it was second nature. I believe in carrying what you are most proficient with, and also what you can carry and not care if it gets scatched, dropped, beat up, or God forbid taken away after you use it. If I use my glock, and it gets taken away for whatever the po po does with it, I can go get another one in 10 minutes down the street. I have put probably about 15-20k rounds through my g26's (I stopped keeping track long ago), so thats what I carry, all 4 seasons.

[Indi]

The only thing I changed last winter was the ammo I carried. I carried federal hydroshocke prior to last winter. Then I switched to critical defense ammo. Now I carry critical defense ammo year round.

[Dennis1209]

It's "Power Ball" time, and I don't mean the lottery. Pretty much the same as Critical Defense ammo. My Kimber .45 remains OWB at my 8:32 P.M. position regardless of the season, because a Kimber doesn't even have the sense to get out of the rain, much less know how cold it is :rolleyes:

[xMINORxTHREATx]

ORIGINAL POST BY egor20

#1 don't get one
#2 carry a gun
#3 carry QuikClot
#4 see number 2

I don't plan on getting in a knife fight, trust me. But at the same time, I don't plan on opening up one of those annoyingly thick plastic packages with my Smith & Wesson either. (Not in public anyways :D ) THAT is why I carry a knife.

[Stressfire]

Expect to be cut if you ever pull a knife or get one pulled on you.

I've been in knife fights before.

True enough. Have carried a blade of some sort since I was 14 (except to school), but in my teens any fights were still "fair." Once I got to college on the other hand, fist fights stopped being fist fights once an opponent was either losing or too trashed to care.

Never had anyone that actually knew what they were doing, but had a couple wild slashes that couldn't be evaded - no one "wins" a knife fight but when you can't carry a gun its better than nothing. Around sophomore year I switched to an expandable baton - worked much better

[BlackFeather]

Some of the posts here bug me, so I'm going to bring this thread back up. Not sure if it's "necromancy" yet, or if I'm changing the subject too much. I know it's a gun forum, but I feel it's relevant to self defense and training for knife threats, or threats that should be met with force when a firearm is not available.

Bringing a knife into play, whether it's you or your opponent, doesn't always mean you'll get cut. If a guy swings at you, and you hit him a couple times in response, would you notice him reaching for a knife? You should.

If a guy is getting cocky, are you going to stay there anyway? Not likely, especially if there's a knife present.

Most knife attacks aren't noticed, this may be true. However, if someone decides halfway through to reach for a knife, and you don't catch it, you're doing something wrong. Either you should have gotten out of there or you should have noticed the hand retract for a weapon. Lastly, if you are not prepared to defend against a knife in such a situation, why bother even carrying a gun you'll likely never get into play? Why bother knowing any form of defense that won't stop a knife wielding lunatic?

A knife fight is rare, dueling left modern culture over a hundred years ago. While most knife styles present this idea, it's false. If you stand there and whip out a knife because they did, you have had your chance to run and deserve your cut, don't be foolish. I carry a knife to be used when I am at a disadvantage, and no other option is presented. Mostly, against an impact weapon, not another knife. Could I reasonably disarm someone wielding a steel pipe? Yeah, with my skills MAYBE, but could you? A knife can solve this lethal force issue, when a firearm isn't able to be presented.

A cut is better than a stab, in defensive action. It's easier, it's less lethal, and it has the same effect on their reaction. "Stopping power" has been observed in firearms to be uncommon, same goes for a knife. But cut or shoot someone, the reaction to retreat is the same. Drugs involved? Cut twice, don't forget you have a fist and knees to be used. If you use a knife, and the person you cut continues to attack, I see no reason to stop. Same goes for a firearm, if they continue after a round or two, why wait for an effect? Lastly, a baton is better than a knife in many ways, but I don't like weapons my opponent can grab.

[rem44m]

To answer the original post, here in Utah where we have a real winter, I like to carry ammo that I'm confident will penetrate multiple layers. The gun does not change though.

[PADefenseTrainer]

I do tend to let the weather and/or activities dictate my carry gun to a certain extent.

While there are no guarantees in life, certain areas I feel are more likely to offer a self-defense situation than others.

So in the summer heading to the store it's a Kel-Tec .32 or Walther .380. And in the fall/winter, heading to a "questionable" area, I may go with my full-size sw1911 in a SOB holster with 2 extra magazines.

[waddy]

My gun and method of carry do not change. To those who depend on larger, bulkier outergarments to conceal a larger weapon than their summer carry one, I have a question. Do you plan on staying outdoors ALL the time? What happens when you have to take that large coat off and have no way to conceal your mega blaster? :eek:

I carry a 1911, used to always be a 4 1/4" barrel, but lately a full size one most of the time. I carry all my waking moments, so my concealment garments must conceal in all situations, both inside and outside. Only in very difficult situations (for concealment purposes) do I revert to a Ruger LCP in a pocket holster. And that's the way it is at MY house!:)

[C0untZer0]

I can't carry in Illinois, but one of the issues that I wonder about is having to take a coat off when you go indoors.

I wear a pretty big coat and it will hide anything. I can drop cans of soda in the pockets of the coat and you can't tell.

But anyway, when I go indoors I can't keep the coat on. If I am relying on the coat to conceal a firearm, what happens when the coat comes off? Now I have a firearm in my coat pocket...

I've found this to be common, I don't know if you guys run into this, but a lot of places I go - they don't have or use coat racks or coat closets. They usually have a guest room where they pile the coats on a bed.

Have you guys run into that?

So if I have my gun in my coat, now it's on a bed in a pile of other coats, so I have to worry if kids go into that room, or if a gues leaves early and they are rumaging around in the pile of coats and they feel something heavy in my coat...

So then, I could either not go armed to that party, or I could leave the firearm in the car...

But the same thing applies to almost any indoors situation - going to the grocery store or work, or going to a class at school.

What do you do when you are separated from your winter coat?

[TexasJustice7]

Winters in Texas where I live just don't get cold enough for me to wear more than a light coat no longer than I am out in the cold. I don't like wearing it because it might slow down my drawing my CA 44 Bulldog, but my pocket 642 S&W 38 will still be in my front pocket.

As for fist fights and knife fights, as for either, as an old man, I have to go for my gun because too old and out of shape for that. Can't carry a knife with a blade longer than about 3 and 1/2 inches in Texas anyway, and handguns are the only weapons allowed with the CWP. Only fights I will have at my age would be a gunfight regardless of what the attacker comes at me with. And if my disabled daughter is with me retreat is not an option unless I am already in my car.

[C0untZer0]

My thinking is I have to have a weapon that is concealable and it can't depend on the heavy coat.

As far as deploying any kind of weapon besides a firearm, I've said this on a black-jack thread. I don't plan on engaging in unarmed combat with anyone. There are well known cases of people being beaten to death where the murderer used only their fists and their feet, of course there are well documented cases of people being killed with knives or even pointed instruments - like screwdrivers. There are myriad endless scenarios that can be gone through but in general I try to avoid, evade, escape the situation and only deploy a firearm as a last resort, but I'm not going to deploy a baton because a guy is weilding a pipe, or pull out a knife because a guy is weilding a knife. If I can't get out of that location, I'm pulling a firearm.

[farmerboy]

I am a Leo and have a right to open carry off duty but I still to choose conceiled. I carry same firearm (glock 22) with my badge nag carry under a light jacket or under a button shirt not tucked. Alot of people carry for they wanna look manly but i choose to carry not I'n open not to distract but to carry for protection and even for ones who may not be happy with their consequences from when I had to deal with them on earlier terms. But winter/summer no change I'n firearm or ammo. Ps- ammo is hydra-shocks

[output]

The politicians here in Illinois have made it real simple for us. My winter and summer carry are exactly the same. They recommend carrying keys for self-defense:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAE0ev_g6qL0w_0cZJH7A-xXxdhQaiPFH2l8pHTyopXNdJuYJ1

I try to carry a backup set just in case. :p

[Shadi Khalil]

CountZero, the very same thing happens to me last weekend. I went to a friends for a dinner party with a revolver in my pocket, right when I walked through the door his wife took my coat. I had ment to slip it in my pocket but I was carry a bunch of tupper wares for the potluck. I was quickly able to get it out of the coat and into my pants pocket but had it been a larger gun it might have been a problem.

[DBLAction454]

If only, Ohio knife laws are pretty vague...and yet strangely specific at the same time, and our carry permits do not cover weapons other than pistols. Rather unfortunate, I would actually prefer a dagger to a pistol in many cases - such as heavy clothing, distance from assailant, bystanders, etc.

The following was obtained from Buckeye Firearms.com a reputable group of people that fight for gun rights in Ohio and share the enthusiasm for weapons with everyone in the gun nation

"Myth: You are more likely to be injured or killed using a gun for self-defense
Fact: You are far more likely to survive a violent assault if you defend yourself with a gun. In episodes where a robbery victim was injured, the injury/defense rates are:

Resisting with a gun 6%

Did nothing at all 25%

Resisted with a knife 40%

Non-violent resistance 45%"


Id take a gun over a knife anyday

[orionengnr]

For a number of years, I used winter as an opportunity to experiment and (incrementally) carry a larger handgun for a few months. It has worked, as I am now carrying a steel Commander-sized 1911 year round.

While I still enjoy my 4" N-frames (took the M25 to the range today, as a matter of fact) I am of the opinion that switching back and forth seasonally between a point-and-click revolver and a manual-safety 1911 is not necesssarily a good idea.

So I am sticking with 1911s year round. If I can find a Scandium framed S&W Commander sized 1911, I will grab that and enjoy the weight loss. If not, I'll stick with what i have, because I shoot it reasonably well and I know it works.

[secret_agent_man]

Id take a gun over a knife anyday

Inside a ten-twelve foot radius, that is debatable. A fixed blade knife in the hands of someone who knows where to put it and is physically capable of fighting, well, I put my money on him. Or her.

A folder is like a Christmas tree ornament. Pretty covered in misletoe, but useless if you lose motor control when shtf.

[BlackFeather]

A folder is like a Christmas tree ornament. Pretty covered in misletoe, but useless if you lose motor control when shtf.

That's not always true. Between assisted open, waved, and those who practice with folders specifically, they can be just as dangerous.

[Stevie-Ray]

Long winters here in the Great Lake State. But the only thing that changes for me is to generally wear my shirts tucked in, as my Kimber UCDP still rides in it's Don Hume JIT slide at 3:30 along with it's P32 counterpart in rt back pocket. Coat covers all.

[paranoia911]

though my clothing may bulk up a little during cold weather, my CCW's do not change. It just makes it easier to hide my shoulder holstered S&W 686plus (back up CCW) for some time now my 2 go everywhere knives are a Benchmade folder in my strong side front pocket and a Cold Steel Double Agent neck knife fixed around my neck w/ gutted 550 cord. You can't go wrong with 2 firearms and 2 knives. A nice heavy leather jacket (strechy waist especially) really makes my back up 357 dissappear by the way.

[NCSU08MS3]

This is my first year carrying, I've got an XDM9C. I carried it in the NC summer w/ a polo style shirt in my Crossbreed Supertuck IWB (I never wear just a T-Shirt), ironically I found that most of my winter sweaters fit a bit more fitted than my polo's and buttondowns that I wore in the spring/summer/fall and are posing a problem with carrying concealed, so I've resorted to wearing the same shirts in the winter plus a Jacket/Coat (we've had a pretty mild start to winter so far) or hooded sweatshirt. I plan on purchasing some new "winter" clothing this year to dress around my Carry weapon, just like I had to do with my pants when I first started carrying, however I'm looking to expand my gun "collection" and get something a bit thinner and smaller (Kahr CM9, Beretta Nano are the top of the list) in 2012 just to have options.

Phillip

[Ben Towe]

Just started carrying concealed so all of it has been in cool weather. Full sized 1911 in a Galco FLETCH High Ride completely disappears under even a light lined shirt, as well as my new presentation jacket and my heavy winter coat. I am contemplating purchasing a Crossbreed IWB setup as well.