Your Carry Pistol and Carry Style??

[Mata-Leão]

Just curious what you guys are carrying, brand of holster and method of carry you use.

First off, I carry an H&K USP .45acp full size (12+1). Obtaining high capacity magazines in Costa Rica is not available, so I had to buy my 12 round mags in the states. I had no issues coming back through customs...thank goodness. I was not able to locate Hydra-Shok .45 here.

Monday - Thursday:
I am wearing a suit in which carrying in several different positions is very simple. I, like many of you, have blown serious money on various holsters. At this moment my preference is a Galco Fletch w/ thumb break holster. I carry just behind my right hip, but have the holster laced through my belt loops in a fashion that allows me to change/slide its position to my right side while driving.

Friday - Sunday:
I am in plain clothes and carry a custom Roper Holster IWB (inside waist band). Again, I carry just behind my right hip. It is a holster that Cecil Roper made specifically for me to ride a little higher than his normal IWB holsters. It is VERY thin and made of Ballistic Nylon. It has an internal skeletal structure of plastic that keeps the holsters shape. I have only TRIED the Blade-Tech IWB holster once, and still really like the Roper IWB holster. It only cost me 16 dollars I believe. If I was needing to re-holster my pistol on a frequent occasion, I would probably choose the Blade-Tech holster or some other kind of Kydex IWB.

For an extra mag carrier/holster, I carry a ballistic nylon Roper mag holder w/ Velcro closure that can be carried in the Horizontal position (my preference).

I used to carry a Sig Sauer P229 9mm and really enjoyed it. When I first got down here, I was looking for a Sig P226, the full size 9mm but the price was $1,700. Ouch! I was able to buy my HK USP from a private seller for only $1300 - which was a steal in this country. Just to give you guys an idea of how high the prices are, ANY GLOCK here is $1,300.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/HK.jpg

[SCBA Admin]

I cant believe glocks are SOOO expensive down there...

How about the rest of the economy? How much is housing - rent - own - etc...

how about the price of food, gas, etc?

how is the health care system down there?

Is the american dollar strong?

(can you see i am doing some advance work? this would be a great section topic for advance work... hmmm)

[Mata-Leão]

The normal guy here makes $400 dollars a month. Costa Rica lately has been ranked as the 2nd strongest economy in Central AND South America. 1st is Peru. The economy is only strong within the capital. Once outside the city, your average income will drop and the availability of general "things" and even jobs will become very sparse.

Housing to buy in a safe/gated community with a 24 hour guard service (which is more inadequate than a team of baboons) is going to be around 150,000 dollars. I live in one of these places and my rent is $1,200 a month. Electricity is around $80, and water is VERY cheap. Like, $6 a month.

My house is typical. Here are a few pictures to see what "typical" means:

This is the front of the house with the garage door up. Everyone has tile inside and out. Even in the garage. I love this aspect of the homes because you can really keep the floors clean. I despise carpet.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/frontright.jpg

This WAS my living room before I got couches, entertainment center and such. If it was up to me, I would still have Jiu-Jitsu mats in my living room. It is spacious. My home has 3 bedrooms (small) and 2 baths. If I was to buy it, it would cost me $160,000.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/livingroom.jpg


Food is very expensive compared to the prices of Wal-Mart. Even though, Wal-Mart owns most of the grocery stores down here. To make an educated guess, I would say that the normal price of food increase would be between 30% - 35%. Some items exceeding this. A REGULAR bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese will run you 4 dollars (not the super size...we don't have that stuff here). An 18oz jar of Jif Peanut Butter is about $5.85.

Last time someone did the math from liters to gallons and then from Colones (Costa Rican currency) to Dollars, it was about $4 dollars a gallon. I think it is closer to the low 3's now.

Health Care? HA! You have a VERY select few hospitals to choose from if you are interested in getting taken care of better than a Vet Clinic. On average for a surgery, it is said that the same surgery in the states will cost you 3 times more. So, many women from the states are getting plastic surgery here. The business of Medical Tourism is growing also.

Dentistry is very cheap and the best dentist I have ever had is a 24 year old girl here who works out of a single room and answers the telephone WHILE drilling on your teeth. That is nerve-racking.

American dollar fluctuates very frequently. It was 560 colones to 1 dollar two months ago but dropped to 517 to 1 dollar last week. I get paid in American Dollars and pure un-cut Colombian Cocaine...just kidding - I don't get paid in Dollars! haha.

It looks as though I, with the help of socalbodyguard, severely thread-jacked my own thread.

[Mata-Leão]

Nice reply Stealth!

Your last statement, "The tactics evolve as the mission changes and mission objectives dictate tactics....

adapt, innovate, overcome

Prepare, Prevent, Protect

Recognize, Avoid, Counter" ...was very Sun Tzu, "Art of War" worthy. Nicely put.

Loved the "Turd World Country" comment! haha!

Nice to see input from such a highly experienced fellow, thanks!


So, what happened to Stealth, Socal?? Did he delete his account along with his posts?

[Mata-Leão]

:eek:Wow Stealth!! Your are gorgeous! I mean, those breasts must get in the way some of the time and I am certain that...hold on...there are more pictures,

:confused:


Well, I was about to ask you to come back to Costa Rica - then I saw this Mercenary-like character sitting on some beach.

I must say, you don't look like the safest person to be locked in a closet with!:D

Beautiful sunsets here for sure. The only thing I would change about the beaches in Costa Rica are the rocks. Some beaches are rock free (like Playa del Coco in Guanacaste), but others are just inundated with rocks making it unpleasant for the feet. I was surfing in Dominical and fell onto a large hidden boulder in the water that cut my foot up quite bad.

Thanks for the pics stealth.

[SaLami]

Call a broker. Tell them youre getting screwed around by your current carrier. You have a car, house, and a Jeep to be insured - what can you do.

[Mata-Leão]

Call a broker. Tell them youre getting screwed around by your current carrier. You have a car, house, and a Jeep to be insured - what can you do.


*sigh* God...you are so RIGHT SaLami. I mean, I'm trapped in this financial pitfall of an insurance policy. I scream myself to sleep at night and shoot holes in the ceiling when I wake up.

Your post has empowered me to go forth and cancel my policy! When they ask why, I will tell them, "Life-Guru SaLami told me so..."

By the way SaLami...Is this YOU in the video below??

YouTube- Greatest freak out ever (ORIGINAL VIDEO)

[Local Talent]

Well, I wasn't going to touch that one, as I had promised myself to keep weaponry specifics on a strict need-to-know basis. The whole world shouldn't know what I do and how. But seeing how I couldn't help copping to being a 1911 guy in another thread... :rolleyes:
So I'll give you my personal take on carry set-up in relatively general terms.

Firearms: for simplicity's sake, I limit my toys to one platform and one caliber. This way, no need for various mags, holsters, and training protocols. I picked what I believe to be the best all-around compromise for me, operating as an EP agent. Because it's all to easy to get lost in the what-ifs and far-fetched scenarios.

As far as other firearms are concerned, I don't know much about rifles or subguns (have fired a few), as I've never used them on the job.
I was issued a 12 gauge pump twice, though, and owned three. I absolutely LOVE shotguns and am partial to Mossbergs, but I'll leave my reasons for another thread.

Ammo: I also dropped all the "gimmicks" like dutch loads or frangible ammo - they're just attempts to solve software pbs with hardware. I use premium LE-grade HPs. The top ones are all pretty much the same, and I load what I happen to have at a given time.

In a shotgun, I'd go to buckshot or slugs, and no reduced ("tactical") loads, for the reason listed above (no gimmicks or over-thinking).

Holsters: that's where I do show flexibility in order to adapt to the various dress codes and circumstances we encounter on the job.
I've had to work in uniform, suits, casual wear, and even worked a detail where I was expected to play with the kids and jump in the pool upon request (dodged that bullet, thankfully...)!
So although the universally-recommended strong side belt rig is also my preference, I own OWBs, IWBs, and a shoulder rig on top of a number of fanny packs.

I favor leather for its natural retention capabilities (crucial without thumb break*), ability to keep its shape (unlike nylon), comfort and quietness (unlike kydex), and tradition/beauty (unlike anything else :)).
And I prefer horse hide for its rigidity and resistance to humidity. If I had dough to spare and wanted to pimp it up a bit, I'd go with shark, an even more resistant natural skin.
Now were I to work in a very hot/humid climate, like our friend Mata-Leão for ex., I'd probably turn to synthetic materials b/c leather rots. And in dusty environments, they can be washed, a necessity.

*I keep a few rigs with thumb breaks for exposed carry (uniform) and training courses that mandate them. Otherwise, all my gear (except the darn gun packs!) is picked with speed of presentation in mind.
That would be a topic for a "tactics" thread, but IMHO, speed is paramount for us civvie defenders. Weapons will not be produced until the very last moment, so they'd better come out fast. And we purposely avoid trouble and confrontations (never worked clubs and won't), so I'm not losing much sleep over retention issues.

There. That's where I'm at, but it's only one man's opinions. A lot of that stuff is of course of a very personal nature.
I try not to judge others too much, but when I do, it's not based on their equipment choices as much as on how they use it.

[Mata-Leão]

So, Captain 'Never Happy' - I pulled it out of you, thanks for sharing!!;)

As far as ammo goes, I am about to purchase some Black Hills HP from Cabelas and have someone in the states ship it to me in CR since quality ammo here is very limited and the same price as a baby unicorn.

Man, holsters absolutely demand a flexible outlook. I have owned many different holsters and re-sold them after I found out they just did not function well for me. I have owned two shoulder rigs and gotten rid of both. One Galco rig and one kydex rig. I still prefer to carry on my hip.

I also have a 'fanny-pack' and use it frequently BECAUSE...here in Costa Rica, you see fanny packs like crazy. This is good for me. In the states, when you see a guy with a fanny pack and you can identify that it is packing some weight, he is 'strapped' - as our brothers in Compton and Detroit say. So, in CR, you see fanny packs on 7 out of 10 guys.

My preference is to get the highest possible ride holster that is available. I am considering getting the Galco Silhouette ll for my Sig p226, but I am also looking at some other custom holster makers that have some interesting ideas on high ride holsters that lean TOWARDS your body. But those holsters can cost 90+ dollars and I always like buying items of that nature based on user reviews.

Here is the holster - for those of you who don't exactly know how to judge what would be high ride, super high ride and what would be normal, look at the trigger guard placement in relation to the belt.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/galcoholster.jpg

I have a BlackHawk CQC w/ Serpa retention that I like very much AFTER I altered the holster greatly to ride higher. I should make a separate thread just for this. The BlackHawk holsters are good for exposed carry and the range, but to conceal that bad boy is difficult. Not only does it sit low, it hangs out.

I have never touched a Shark skin holster LT, but the price must reflect superb quality. Over $200 :eek:

After looking at Wilson Combat's custom leather shop, I am sold that they are producing the finest holsters in the world. Those holsters are DIVINE! I would guess that if God had his CCW, He would use a Wilson Combat Custom Holster.

Like this one:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/wilsonholster.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/wilsonholster1.jpg



(we really have baby unicorns here)

[Local Talent]

You illustrate well how there's no universal answer when it comes to rigs.
Too many factors are personal - climate, dress code for your particular locale (as you pointed out with FPs), type of work and threat level (try IWB while wearing armor), body types (no IWB with "love handles", no shoulder rigs for barrel-chested guys), drawing technique, etc.

To show you how different people are, I dislike high-ride rigs: they cause me to lift my elbow uncomfortably high for a draw. So for exposed carry, I like a low-ride (that I find faster as well), and for CCW, I switch to IWB to prevent the slide from showing under short over-garments.
Degree of cant is another area where people's tastes vary wildly.

So a good rig is one that works for you and your situation, period.
But generally speaking, you should expect to spend $80-100 minimum.
And since you mentioned Galco, I'm no hater b/c, being a holster factory, they have a HUGE selection and have a widely distributed and available product. A clear advantage if you don't want to wait for the 6 months to 2 years that custom makers usually require...
BUT, what you get is a mass-produced rig at the same price (if not more) as the real good stuff. Over-hyped and -priced, IMO.

What is the good stuff? Well, in no particular order so as not to hurt anyone's feelings, you owe yourself a look at Milt Sparks, Mitch Rosen, Lou Alessi, Matt Del Fatti, Horseshoe Leather (Andy Arratoonian, GB) and Alex Nossar (Peru).
Nossar might be more easily available for someone operating in South America; I'm not sure. But some of the masters above have stocking dealers like Brownells, Dillon, Lightning Arms Sports, etc., and that makes them easy to get and with little to no wait for us stateside.

I'm also partial to Kramer leather in good part b/c they're horsehide specialists. Others, like Ken Null, Tauris, High Noon, Bullman, Brommeland, or Andrews, have also a great rep. and following, but I have no personal experience there.

Most bodyguards, esp. those with a LE background, are much more familiar with Galco, Aker, Gould & Goodrich, Don Hume, Safariland, De Santis, Bianchi, etc.
Their products are mass-produced, with price-cutting shortcuts (metal clips, screws, plastic) and therefore affordable enough for .gov contracts or to ride on most cops' belts, but they're a little lacking in quality (materials & execution). They're often copies of the masters' designs.
Serviceable stuff, though - I don't wanna sound like a snob.

I'd take a complete pass on Uncle Mike's and Fobus. ;)

Wilson, since you mention him, is not a holster maker. He just buys from them (I've read a couple of decent names, but can't remember which), like Dillon Leather is actually Rosen's. So it's good stuff, but over-priced and I'm not impressed.

On the ammo you mentioned, Black Hills aren't issued on a wide scale to LEAs stateside (for handgun use, and AFAIK), but they're known for their high quality, consistency, and accuracy. :cool:

OK, I'll break out some pics for ya...
You'll spot a Sparks Summer Special, Rosen Premier, and even Galco Explorer (very decent).

http://www.socalbodyguards.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=5&pictureid=48

http://www.socalbodyguards.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=5&pictureid=46

http://www.socalbodyguards.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=5&pictureid=45

[Local Talent]

And God don't need no stinkin' CCW to exercize His Self-given right, but if He's packin', I'll venture that He probably skinned a baby unicorn Himself to make His own rig... :D
A 1911 rides in it, of course... :p

[Mata-Leão]

And God don't need no stinkin' CCW to exercize His Self-given right, but if He's packin', I'll venture that He probably skinned a baby unicorn Himself to make His own rig... :D
A 1911 rides in it, of course... :p

:DHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!:D

I wasn't ready for that. PETA is going to be all over you like cheap perfume! Haha.

Man, I have to get back to work here in the next 30 minutes and don't have time to adequately respond to your very compelling recent posts. Thanks for sharing...enjoy your Friday evening.

[Local Talent]

25
You too, man. And stay safe.

[Mata-Leão]

What is the good stuff? Well, in no particular order so as not to hurt anyone's feelings, you owe yourself a look at Milt Sparks, Mitch Rosen, Lou Alessi, Matt Del Fatti, Horseshoe Leather (Andy Arratoonian, GB) and Alex Nossar (Peru).
Nossar might be more easily available for someone operating in South America; I'm not sure. But some of the masters above have stocking dealers like Brownells, Dillon, Lightning Arms Sports, etc., and that makes them easy to get and with little to no wait for us stateside.

I'm also partial to Kramer leather in good part b/c they're horsehide specialists. Others, like Ken Null, Tauris, High Noon, Bullman, Brommeland, or Andrews, have also a great rep. and following, but I have no personal experience there.

Most bodyguards, esp. those with a LE background, are much more familiar with Galco, Aker, Gould & Goodrich, Don Hume, Safariland, De Santis, Bianchi, etc.
Their products are mass-produced, with price-cutting shortcuts (metal clips, screws, plastic) and therefore affordable enough for .gov contracts or to ride on most cops' belts, but they're a little lacking in quality (materials & execution). They're often copies of the masters' designs.
Serviceable stuff, though - I don't wanna sound like a snob.

I'd take a complete pass on Uncle Mike's and Fobus. ;)

EXACTLY the information I wanted to see. Huge thanks. I would rather spend 100+ bones on an incredible holster rather than waste $150 on three holsters that I dislike.

That's funny how you can appreciate a low ride so much and I can appreciate a high ride more than anything. It also comes down to body style, dress style and where you personally wear your pants.

Holster availability for me is not really an issue since I can buy it there in the States, have it shipped to a friends house, and then him take it out of its original package and send it my way via ship...NOT AIR. If it is in a box that presents itself as a new item purchased from a company, I will get taxed. If it is sent via AIR, I will get taxed. But, if I have patience and send it in a plain brown box on a ship (ports out of Miami) with a particular company here, they just pass the box to me without trying to tax me. Sometimes it takes 3 weeks to get here, but I am not subject to some horrendous import tax and handling fee.

For instance - I shipped two pillows from Wal-Mart . com to CR that cost $16 shipped. For me to get them out of the import agency here, it cost me 18,000 colones. Which right now is, $30.92. That money went to CR and the agency for me to pick up two pillows that cost HALF of my import charges. Next time I pay them money for an item, there will be a middle finger attached to the cash.

I wanted to try Black Hills since the price is very good for a quality ammo. When I had my Remington 700 .308, the Black Hills BTHP gave me some seriously tight groups. I have recently seen them grouped together along with Golden Saber, Hydra-Shok, Hornady T.A.P and Sierra in comparison charts. This is kind of a stamp of approval to me. I just want it to feed perfectly and go bang every time.

If this was a perfect world, we would all be shooting Wolf ammo anyway.:D:D

Thanks for the awesome pics. Very cool shots. Looks as though you might be an Ed Brown fan. I have never tried to carry a shoulder rig in the vertical position - only horizontal. Maybe this is why I did not like it. Although, that 1911 there is quite slim compared to the Thompson Contender I was trying to carry.:mad:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f390/ebbylyn/TC.jpg

:p:p:p:p

[Local Talent]

I would rather spend 100+ bones on an incredible holster rather than waste $150 on three holsters that I dislike.
Well, expect some trial-and-error no matter what... We all have that drawer full of holsters!
One way to limit the damage is to peruse gun forums. They all love to discuss pros and cons of guns, gear, & ammo ad nauseam.
But eventually, you have to make the plunge yourself. Sometimes a rig feels great when you put it on, and it's only after a few hours or days that issues crop up. Most guys re-sell their stuff on eBay and don't take too much of a hit if they bought quality.

I never used Black Hills, but this ammo has excellent accuracy reports in rifles. For handguns, and in .45, I completely agree with this:
I just want it to feed perfectly and go bang every time.
Terminal performance should be adequate, no matter what. When I feel like splitting hairs, I look at bonded/non-bonded, +P/reg. pressure, flash-suppressed powder, etc. See gun forums for endless and academic discussions on this.
But there really is no bad choice is this caliber, if you don't go lighter than 185 gr. anyway.
I'm pretty sure that your HK eats anything, BTW - with 1911s, there's a little more testing involved before trusting ammo, though. :)

The vertical shoulder holster is slower on the draw. If ya want speed, like I normally do, you go horizontal or upside-down. But the thing is, those things are slow and awkward regardless, and have only very limited use for me.
The skinny bastard that I am prefers vertical for concealment and retention issues. You'll notice on the pic that I took off the retention strap - even w/o it, the gun is held very securely, due to gravity and a strong spring. I'd be constantly checking on a horizontal one and afraid that the gun would fall out.
Galco and Alessi are among the few still selling that style, and an Alessi Fieldmaster would have been about 2 years away, I was told at the time. So with Galco, I got a rig and accessories (like that quad pouch they made for the sandbox and I keep for SHTF days) in a couple of weeks. Mass-produced leather does have its advantages.

And a Brown fan I am, but it's too much $$ for me in a work gun. All guns are work guns, AFAIC. It's actually a Dan Wesson in the pics.

It seems that your situation ain't that bad in CR. There's a guy posting from Guatemala on 1911forum.com, and boy, is it another story... I don't think he can even receive anything from the U.S.. The pkgs would be opened and the merch stolen anyway... :(