A-2 and CCW - is it possible?

[Grinder]

For a start this does not yet affect me - I live in Ireland and the only way to get CCW is to join the Police Force and get assigned to armed duty.

Secondly this is not outerwear but I don't know where else to post it.

That said, there is the possibility that we might emigrate. Although Canada is on the cards the US is also a possibility.

I've also had a long standing interest in side arms and if I lived in a country that allowed ownership I would probably invest in the best 1911 variant I could afford - probably a Kimber or the Springfield Bureau model.
I also fully understand the premise "beware the man who owns only one gun".

So, if I'm wearing an A-2 where and how do I wear a 1911?

maybe I should get an Indy jacket for such occasions...

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

If you mean out in the open, I think a shoulder holster like the ones used by US pilots in WWII would be the thing. I don't know about concealed.

For a cool 1911, how about the new Colt 1911 WWI reproduction?

Or one of the new Auto ordnance guns?

Both pistols would be in line with a classic vintage look, and the Colt especially would be a very reliable pistol.

Kimbers and Springfields are decent guns, but I had to put in the plug for vintage style.

 

[Peacoat]

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.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

.45 acp is also my favorite handgun. I carry an alloy framed Paraordnance P-12 (pic below..bottom). It is a smaller Colt Officer's Mo. sized 45..but wider grip/magazine that holds 12 rounds...made in Canada. With only a few mods(trigger...throat ramp polished) it can be quite a smooth tack driver. In my view the flat sided smaller auto frame carries well. I usually use a Don Hume highride holster.
HD

 

[Fiver64]

smith 1911..........

I carry mine in an IWB holster (usually cross draw, hammer down) with an A-2...........or most anything else. I can even tuck in my shirt over the gun and still have it easily accessible. Inexpensive, easy to conceal and doesn't feel like a huge goiter under your armpit like a shoulder holster does! In the end, whatever fits and hides well is best. Very personal choice with many variables.

 

[Corky]

I suggest an ANJ-3 and a snub nosed S&W .38

I suggest an ANJ-3 and a snub nosed S&W .38.

I seldom carry a firearm, but when it becomes necessary, the ANJ-3 has an inside pocket which is useful for that purpose.

Introduced in April 1943, the (Army Navy Jacket) ANJ-3 was designed to replace the standard A-2.

The ANJ-3 can be described as the US Navy G-1 flight jacket minus the mouton collar.

It has a smaller collar than an A-2 and no epaulets, but has a more comfortable bi-swing back and inside pockets.

The ANJ-3 has an inside map pocket on the left which fits a snub nosed .38 perfectly.

Best of luck

 

[JimWagner]

I have to second the motion that a 1911 is just too heavy to carry in a jacket pocket of any kind. I have carried mine in a G-1 inside pocket, but it really drags the coat down. Doesn't print through much, though.

My A-2 clone is much too thin and has no inside pocket anyway. IWB holster is much better with that.

 

[HDRnR]

Its doable with a shoulder rig I'd say but Im basing this off of my Colt Combat Commander which is a shortened 1911. BTW if you move to the states make sure you choose a state that has CCW, not all states do, there are still a few controlled by fascists.

 

[1911 Man]

I carry my 1911 concealed all the time. Under an A2, I used a regular Galco IWB holster, worked fine.
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterPG3.asp?ProductID=3595&GunID=28

 

[jon z]

Why?

Living in England where guns are relatively scarce, are carried by a very few of the criminal element & certain branches of our Police Force I'm intrigued to know why you Americans carry concealed weapons? Presumably you're not using them so they aren't they just an inconvenient burden?

 

[HDRnR]

Living in England where guns are relatively scarce, are carried by a very few of the criminal element & certain branches of our Police Force I'm intrigued to know why you Americans carry concealed weapons? Presumably you're not using them so they aren't they just an inconvenient burden?

We have the right of self preservation while your government denies you that right. (Although there are states here like New Jersey which denies it also, CCW that is, although you can own firearms of course). There are many other political/philosophical reasons that go back to that little skirmish on the bridge in 1775.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."
Thomas Jefferson

 

[JimWagner]

Having the right and permit to carry a concealed pistol is not the same thing as routinely doing so.

Additionally, in most states here having a loaded pistol in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle is considered a concealed weapon and illegal without a concealed carry permit.

Most people I know with concealed carry permits actually don't routinely carry a pistol. I certainly don't. But it's nice to know that as long as you have the permit you won't fall technically afoul of the law when transporting your weapon from A to B as much as any other reason for having it.

That and exercising your rights.

 

[RLM]

Living in England where guns are relatively scarce, are carried by a very few of the criminal element & certain branches of our Police Force I'm intrigued to know why you Americans carry concealed weapons? Presumably you're not using them so they aren't they just an inconvenient burden?

In most states I think its illegal to carry an exposed handgun, so concealed is the only way. I have a CCW permit but rarely have a gun on my person. I'm in and out of government courthouses a lot for work, so its just not feasible to carry one. I do, however, keep one in the car. In GA you're allowed to carry a handgun anywhere in your vehicle, hidden or not, without a CCW. Before we moved to our present location, I did carry regularly when not at work because we lived in a farily high crime area. And I mean serious violent crimes, not petty stuff. Now the area we moved to is seeing a rise in violent crime, so I may have to consider carrying more often again. I'd rather have it and not need it than the other way around. The police can't be everywhere at once, and are usually of no help when a crime is in progress. By the time they get there, the crime has usually been committed and the perpitrator(s) are gone. I'll be damned if I'm going to let some thug take what I've worked hard for without a fight. We should all have the right and the means to be able to defend ourselves.

 

[RLM]

And to Grinder, I agree with Peacoat, the 1911 is my favorite also, but for concealed carry its just too big and heavy. Some can do it, but I cannot. Even my Commander sized 1911 (a NighthawkCustom Talon II) weighs over 3lbs fully loaded. For me a smaller lighter handgun is the way to go for a carry weapon. I usually carry an inexpensive .380 Makarov. Its accurate, reliable and cost me less than $200, so if it gets confiscated by the police after an "incident" or stolen from my car or damaged in some way while carrying, I'm not out a lot of money. I had a rather expensive H&K USP Compact .45ACP in my car a few years back when we were involved in a serious automobile accident. The ploice confiscated it because we were taken to the hospital and they couldn't leave it in my car. When I went to retrieve it from the police, it had been fired and the slide was badly scratched. I had recently cleaned it and there were no marks on it when I handed it to the police officer at the scene, hence my reason for the Makarov. My US Authentic A-2 is a little large on me since I've lost weight, and could probably easily conceal a 1911 in a shoulder holster, but I'm not a fan of shoulder holsters, the ones I've tried have just not been comfortable to me. I pretty much only use high ride belt holsters, as IWB holsters are uncomfortable to me also.

 

[Edward]

We have the right of self preservation while your government denies you that right.

This really gets into the politics of gun rights / gun control, which isn't appropriate for discussing here (as opposed to the practicalities of CCW etc), but simply on a point of information I would suggest that it is inaccurate at best to describe the status quo of the UK or Irish gun laws as a 'denial' of rights: the reality is that there is simply no significant desire among the general public to have the sort of access to firearms that clearly is a part of US culture. Different strokes for diffrent folks, and all that.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I don't know that you could get a gun (at least not for a long time) without being a citizen. Maybe depends on the State.

bk

 

[Creeping Past]

simply no significant desire among the general public to have the sort of access to firearms that clearly is a part of US culture

An assumption that's as untested and unfounded as it is sweeping and general, Edward.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

On other forums I have heard lots of Europeans voice their wish that they could own a firearm. Firearms were once part of Europe's culture as well--I hope they will one day be part of their culture again.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

They're not gone. You can still get a gun if you have a legitimate purpose (hunting). Just not a handgun - at least in the UK

bk

 

[Creeping Past]

They're not gone. You can still get a gun if you have a legitimate purpose (hunting). Just not a handgun - at least in the UK

bk

You're right on the latter point. But one's legitimate purpose is another's anathema, as we saw with the UK Hunting Bill some years ago.