Smart Carry/Thunderwear vs. Pocket Carry for SP101

Melissa5 · November 11, 2009, 06:30 PM

Is either one feasible for the SP101 or is it too big? Also, if you are female and use Smart Carry/Thunderwear, does it make you look manly, if you know what I mean?

dairycreek · November 11, 2009, 06:35 PM

I often carry my SP in a Sc (pic) with a large folding knife and two ammo strips (only one shows in the pic) and this is an absolutely terrific way to carry the little Ruger.

I have tried to carry the SP in my pocket (hammerless 2-1/4" barrel) and it is just to doggone heavy for successful, stable, concealed carry. Smartcarry Yes. Pocket carry no.

PetahW · November 12, 2009, 08:40 AM

Thunderwear, my fave, will never been seen/detected - unless the wearer has spray-on pants.

.

Melissa5 · November 12, 2009, 10:35 AM

Thanks for the pic, dairycreek. I will give it a try since I don't wear spray-on pants.

survyeor jr · November 12, 2009, 10:45 AM

how do you sit down with one of those thunderwear rigs? do you have to hike up your pants real high?

doc540 · November 12, 2009, 12:42 PM

If anyone really wants to know about the SmartCarry, just visit the website, read, and watch the vid's.

In answer to whether or not a woman might look "manly", it depends on several things:

1. Your body shape
2. What clothes you wear over it
3. The shape of your carry gun.

In order to minimize creating a perpetual "Mr. Happy" bulge, I had Jim Badger make a set of slender boot grips for my Colt D frame shown here:

The more "flat" the gun profile, the less "printing or "patterning".

Here's a S&W snub in a SmartCarry with suit pants:

It's worn much like a small carpenter's apron inside your pants.

It does not point at your privates.

It lays offcenter, either left or right across the top of your thigh, just under the edge of your pants pocket.

That puts the butt of the grip right under your belt buckle, helping to minimize the bulge made by the butt grip.

Very comfortable, safe, and deeply concealed.

It's a slower draw, (in my case about 3-3.5 seconds), but that's a trade off I accept for the deep cover concealment.

Hope this helps

Melissa5 · November 12, 2009, 04:28 PM

Thanks, Doc. That was a great explanation. I've been over both web sites, but I like to get opinions that are not on the the sellers sites.

Kendrickson · November 12, 2009, 04:41 PM

Furthermore, the draw from Thunderwear is so "unique" that a bad guy will often forget what he is doing and watch with great wonder until he figures out what is going on....that additional time compensates for the slow draw..

doc540 · November 12, 2009, 04:45 PM

hahaha...

"Pardon me while I whip this out!"

Wolfeye · November 13, 2009, 12:06 AM

Just thought I'd comment on pocket carry with the SP101. I'd say it's kinda-sorta feasible; the weight is manageable if you use a nice gunbelt, but the gun will print if the pants fabric isn't very heavy. Even if it doesn't print, it looks like there's something large & heavy in there. I also found that it wouldn't completely fit in all of my pants; I'd have to replace about half of the pants in my closet if I wanted to pocket carry all the time.

I'm not a big guy: 5'9", 145 lb. It might work out better for larger people. I'd reserve pocket carry with the SP101 for those days when other means aren't practical.

MrAcheson · November 13, 2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

It does not point at your privates.

It lays offcenter, either left or right across the top of your thigh, just under the edge of your pants pocket.

That puts the butt of the grip right under your belt buckle, helping to minimize the bulge made by the butt grip.

So it points the gun right at your femoral artery then? That doesn't seem much better.

Hedge313 · November 13, 2009, 08:56 PM

Mine actually sits right over my unit. I dont wear jeans that imprint my crotch, so I wear it a little low with boxer briefs. I dont wear my pants thug loose, but not travolta tight either. It misses my important stuff and ends up pointing between my legs, not at an artery. It is a slower draw, but balances so well in the thunderwear that after about 15 minutes, you do not realize it is there. I bought the thunderwear so I could carry under shorts, but it has turned out to be a year-round cc holster. I carry either my SP101 or Mod 60Both are virtually invisible.

doc540 · November 13, 2009, 10:31 PM

"So it points the gun right at your femoral artery then? That doesn't seem much better."

No, it doesn't.

Standing or sitting it points across the top of my thigh.

And inside a tight pouch, there's just no way my revolver is going to get the trigger pulled back, cylinder cycled, and hammer pulled and dropped.

I'm no foolish idiot. If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't carry that way.

doc540 · November 13, 2009, 10:33 PM

"So it points the gun right at your femoral artery then? That doesn't seem much better."

No, it doesn't.

Standing or sitting it points across the top of my thigh.

And inside a tight pouch, there's just no way my revolver is going to get the trigger pulled back, cylinder cycled, and hammer pulled and dropped.

I'm no foolish idiot. If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't carry that way.

I think it's safer than a DAO semi carried IWB.

Melissa5 · November 13, 2009, 11:28 PM

That leads to another question. Should I get the hammer bobbed or will it be perfectly safe without it?

gwalchmai · November 14, 2009, 07:30 AM

I can carry either a j-frame, a Kahr P9, or a Charter .44 Bulldog in a small Smartcarry without looking "glad to see ya".

I don't see how you could have an AD with one, but most CCW options point somewhere so I don't see that as an issue.

Bobbing the hammer is optional. I carry a 637 with full hammer in mine and it doesn't catch.

doc540 · November 14, 2009, 12:50 PM

Of course, bobbing the hammer helps prevent snagging when drawing from a pocket, purse, or deep carry holster, so it's not really a "safety" issue as much as a "utility" issue.

But it can affect single action use.

They guy that bobs mine is an ace at checkering enough of the remaining surface to make it safe for single action use. I get all my snub's bobbed.

If you're interested, shoot me a pm, and I can put in touch with him.

He does good work.

You can buy a shrouded hammer revolver or one with no hammer at all, but you sacrifice single action capability.

November 11, 2009, 06:30 PM	#1
Melissa5 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 210	Smart Carry/Thunderwear vs. Pocket Carry for SP101 Is either one feasible for the SP101 or is it too big? Also, if you are female and use Smart Carry/Thunderwear, does it make you look manly, if you know what I mean? __________________ GlocksnRugers

November 11, 2009, 06:35 PM	#2
dairycreek Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 1998 Location: North Plains, Oregon, USA Posts: 1,867	I often carry my SP in a Sc (pic) with a large folding knife and two ammo strips (only one shows in the pic) and this is an absolutely terrific way to carry the little Ruger. I have tried to carry the SP in my pocket (hammerless 2-1/4" barrel) and it is just to doggone heavy for successful, stable, concealed carry. Smartcarry Yes. Pocket carry no. __________________ ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR HEARING AND VISION GOOD SHOOTING Last edited by dairycreek; November 13, 2009 at 03:25 PM.

November 12, 2009, 10:35 AM	#4
Melissa5 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 210	Sold Thanks for the pic, dairycreek. I will give it a try since I don't wear spray-on pants. __________________ GlocksnRugers

November 12, 2009, 10:45 AM	#5
survyeor jr Member Join Date: May 6, 2009 Posts: 23	how do you sit down with one of those thunderwear rigs? do you have to hike up your pants real high? Last edited by survyeor jr; November 12, 2009 at 11:32 AM.

November 12, 2009, 04:28 PM	#7
Melissa5 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 210	Thanks, Doc. That was a great explanation. I've been over both web sites, but I like to get opinions that are not on the the sellers sites. __________________ GlocksnRugers

November 12, 2009, 08:40 AM	#3
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	Thunderwear, my fave, will never been seen/detected - unless the wearer has spray-on pants. .

November 12, 2009, 12:42 PM	#6
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	If anyone really wants to know about the SmartCarry, just visit the website, read, and watch the vid's. In answer to whether or not a woman might look "manly", it depends on several things: 1. Your body shape 2. What clothes you wear over it 3. The shape of your carry gun. In order to minimize creating a perpetual "Mr. Happy" bulge, I had Jim Badger make a set of slender boot grips for my Colt D frame shown here: The more "flat" the gun profile, the less "printing or "patterning". Here's a S&W snub in a SmartCarry with suit pants: It's worn much like a small carpenter's apron inside your pants. It does not point at your privates. It lays offcenter, either left or right across the top of your thigh, just under the edge of your pants pocket. That puts the butt of the grip right under your belt buckle, helping to minimize the bulge made by the butt grip. Very comfortable, safe, and deeply concealed. It's a slower draw, (in my case about 3-3.5 seconds), but that's a trade off I accept for the deep cover concealment. Hope this helps

November 12, 2009, 04:41 PM	#8
Kendrickson Member Join Date: October 28, 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 33	Furthermore, the draw from Thunderwear is so "unique" that a bad guy will often forget what he is doing and watch with great wonder until he figures out what is going on....that additional time compensates for the slow draw..

November 12, 2009, 04:45 PM	#9
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	hahaha... "Pardon me while I whip this out!"

November 13, 2009, 12:06 AM	#10
Wolfeye Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2008 Posts: 208	Just thought I'd comment on pocket carry with the SP101. I'd say it's kinda-sorta feasible; the weight is manageable if you use a nice gunbelt, but the gun will print if the pants fabric isn't very heavy. Even if it doesn't print, it looks like there's something large & heavy in there. I also found that it wouldn't completely fit in all of my pants; I'd have to replace about half of the pants in my closet if I wanted to pocket carry all the time. I'm not a big guy: 5'9", 145 lb. It might work out better for larger people. I'd reserve pocket carry with the SP101 for those days when other means aren't practical.

November 13, 2009, 08:56 PM	#12
Hedge313 Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 185	Mine actually sits right over my unit. I dont wear jeans that imprint my crotch, so I wear it a little low with boxer briefs. I dont wear my pants thug loose, but not travolta tight either. It misses my important stuff and ends up pointing between my legs, not at an artery. It is a slower draw, but balances so well in the thunderwear that after about 15 minutes, you do not realize it is there. I bought the thunderwear so I could carry under shorts, but it has turned out to be a year-round cc holster. I carry either my SP101 or Mod 60Both are virtually invisible.

November 13, 2009, 10:31 PM	#13
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	"So it points the gun right at your femoral artery then? That doesn't seem much better." No, it doesn't. Standing or sitting it points across the top of my thigh. And inside a tight pouch, there's just no way my revolver is going to get the trigger pulled back, cylinder cycled, and hammer pulled and dropped. I'm no foolish idiot. If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't carry that way.

November 13, 2009, 10:33 PM	#14
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	"So it points the gun right at your femoral artery then? That doesn't seem much better." No, it doesn't. Standing or sitting it points across the top of my thigh. And inside a tight pouch, there's just no way my revolver is going to get the trigger pulled back, cylinder cycled, and hammer pulled and dropped. I'm no foolish idiot. If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't carry that way. I think it's safer than a DAO semi carried IWB.

November 13, 2009, 11:28 PM	#15
Melissa5 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 210	That leads to another question. Should I get the hammer bobbed or will it be perfectly safe without it? __________________ GlocksnRugers

November 14, 2009, 07:30 AM	#16
gwalchmai Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2001 Location: outside the perimeter Posts: 333	I can carry either a j-frame, a Kahr P9, or a Charter .44 Bulldog in a small Smartcarry without looking "glad to see ya". I don't see how you could have an AD with one, but most CCW options point somewhere so I don't see that as an issue. Bobbing the hammer is optional. I carry a 637 with full hammer in mine and it doesn't catch.

November 14, 2009, 12:50 PM	#17
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	Of course, bobbing the hammer helps prevent snagging when drawing from a pocket, purse, or deep carry holster, so it's not really a "safety" issue as much as a "utility" issue. But it can affect single action use. They guy that bobs mine is an ace at checkering enough of the remaining surface to make it safe for single action use. I get all my snub's bobbed. If you're interested, shoot me a pm, and I can put in touch with him. He does good work. You can buy a shrouded hammer revolver or one with no hammer at all, but you sacrifice single action capability.