A-2 and CCW - is it possible?

[Peacoat]

How are they for comfort when firing? I have a collector friend with a titanium (?) 357 Magnum. He says it will nearly break your wrist when firing.

I bought it for my wife as she was complaining about the Chief's Special 9MM being too heavy for her pocketbook! She sure can't complain about this one.

The recoil is certainly noticeable, but it isn't too much for her. It is harsh, but quick if a strong grip is held. And a strong grip must be held or it will jump out of the hand.

I put rubber grips on the handle, and that makes it much easier to control. It is loaded with Corban +P so that increases the amount of felt recoil. It isn't a weapon that is much fun to shoot anymore than just the bare minimum amount needed to stay current.

There is no comparison to an alloy frame .357, or even to an issue steel frame 4" barrel .357. The Air Lite is a picnic, even with the +P Corban, compared to those guys.

 

[JimWagner]

I have a Milt Sparks VM-2 IWB for my Ruger SP-101 .357 coming soon that's been on order since August. Should be produced this month (I hope). I'm hoping it will work well under my A-2, G-1, and just about anything else.

 

[Tim in Ohio]

You certainly couldn't carry a 1911 in the jacket itself, unless you had one with a specially made G-1 pocket. Even then, the weapon would be too heavy for the jacket. It wouldn't fit in one of the front pockets, and if it did, the weight would cause it to sag. So you are limited to a high ride hip holster, or a shoulder holster. Either one would, I think, give sufficient concealment to the 1911 if the A-2 weren't too tight.

Might be better, though, to do as most of us do, and pick a smaller and lighter weapon for concealed carry. The 1911 is my favorite handgun, but for my purposes for day to day carry, there is just too much of it.

+1 on this. For everyday carry, comfort is very important. Smaller is better. Also, I prefer to carry in a way that would allow me to remove my jacket altogether and still be concealed. Inside the waistband of the pants. Go that route and wear any jacket you want or wear no jacket... no worries

 

[carebear]

You can carry a full-size 1911 under an untucked t-shirt (not that you would for fashion's sake) with a proper belt and holster. Polo/bowling/guyabara's? Child's play. The A-2 being so short isn't "easy" but it's very doable.

Discreet carry is about not touching the gun every few minutes (a good belt and holster takes the weight and keeps it stable) and modifying some basic behaviors like squatting down instead of bending, not reaching up with the gun-side hand and such.

The biggest hurdle is mental, in the beginning you will be hyperconscious of carrying the gun, it takes a while to realize that most people are utterly unaware of their surroundings and don't even notice openly carried guns and that even if they do most people aren't really bothered by it or assume you are a cop or something. That varies a bit by region but people being unaware is endemic. What tips them off is you trying too hard to be discreet, we're hard-wired to notice nervousness.

 

[Diamondback]

Hence my strategy: go a size big and a little long (which doubly helps if you're so temperature-sensitive you never take your jackets off and favor shoulder-rigs, as I do) and you reduce the risk of both unsightly bulge or riding up and revealing iron, although this is always some risk unless you camouflage it with other gadgets like a belt-holstered cellphone, flashlight, pager or the like.

 

[norton]

I went with a G&B Expedition partly because I decided it would be better for CC. Its a little longer and doesn't have the elastic waist or cuffs(which I dislike anyway).

 

[Atomic]

I might be a little late to the party here, but thought I'd chime in. My full size 1911 is my favorite gun, but I don't particularly like carrying it, especially on my hip. Now I'm a fairly little guy (6 foot, 150 pounds) but I haven't found a holster I really like for hip carry. Some are better than others, but non great. I personally carry a maxpedition bag that has a CCW area on it for my 1911. Otherwise I carry a Sig P230 which is great in holsters, pockets, anything. I have a peacoat that covers things fairly well, but I usually have motorcycle jackets or similar cuts which are short and close (and usually thick heavy leather) like the A-2. Honestly, for that is all shoulder holster or that maxpedition bag when wearing those kind of jackets. Yes, I can carry my 1911 with those jackets, but its just not the ideal set up for me.