Concealed Carry

[Poseiden]

Hey guys!

I'm looking for a holster that will have a slim profile with a 97B. I've looked at all the websites that usually come up here and was wondering if you guys had some practical experience.

I want to carry my 97B. Any type of holster will work, I just want a low profile. Suggestions?

[KingPolymer-III]

Are you an LEO?  otherwise I believe the 97B is too large for a concealled carry weapon (the title of your thread).  For concealled carry,  I prefer the Rami in 9mm or .40SW.  I use my 97B for recreational/competitive combat shooting and for home defense.  The 97B is not meant to be a concealed carry weapon, but rather what I mentioned above and as an open carry for LEOs. IMHO.

 

[Walt-Sherrill]

Whether YOU can carry a 97B concealed or not depends on whether you've carried a lot before, whether you body is built right, and wether you find a holster compatible with your body.  

If you haven't carried much, and are considering the 97B as  your first carry gun, I think you'll end up disappointed.

The 97B is a big gun.  Its wide.  And its not light.  All three of those characteristics make it less than optimal for concealed carry.

Check with Eric (www.hbeleatherworks.com) to see what he has that is suitable.  Some folks do it.  They are the exception, though, and not the rule.

I found the "Compact 75B" to be bigger and heavier that I really like.k

[BigGun97B]

The 97B would indeed be on the bulky and heavy side for carry. But it can be carried with no printing if you want to spend the money to buy the right rig. Full size .45's have been carried out of sight for ages.

[Boricua]

I carry mine with no problem.

1.  Cen-dex IWH
2.  1.75" Wilderness belt

With the above I have carried mine for a long time with no problems of any kind.  The most important thing is the belt, it needs to be strong and ridged.

[ManChicken]

Is that a nylon belt, Boricua?

[skucera]

I carry mine just fine, but I have to be very careful not to print.  That in mind, I never carry it under just a single layer of cloth, and never under anything even the least bit svelte.  So, you can see where I'm going with this, I bet.

In winter I have a lot more latitude with how I pack my CZ 97.  I have one of Eric's Com2 IWB holsters, it is great.  I wear it under dress shirts when I'm also wearing a ski vest, rain parka, or fleece jacket.  I wear it over shirts with these too, but I have be just a little more careful about printing.  I also have one Hawaiian shirt that is baggy enough and stiff enough that it doesn't print, but it's the only one of my Hawaiian shirts that I can hide a CZ 97 under.  The rest require a smaller pistol, especially with my "stout" frame.

I have a Falco shoulder holster that I wear with suits and blazers.  It is far more comfortable for all day wear than the IWB holster, but a lot more limited for the wardrobe I can wear it with.

For the rest of the year I have an old fanny pack.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone wearing a fanny pack, and about one in ten are designed to carry pistols.  Yeah, you can identify the ones designed for packing heat, but most of the workaday public can't and don't care.

Scott

[Poseiden]

I usually wear loose fitting shirts, untucked. I'm 6'2" and about 230 lbs. I can conceal the pistol under my shirt but anytime I bend or stretch the pistol will print. The holster I'm using is an Uncle Mikes cross draw paddle holster. It just doesn't hold the pistol close enough to my side. I think that Cen-Dex IWB looks pretty good.

Any others?

[KingPolymer-III]

Very good point gentlemen,  I never factored in climate and the size of the individual.  I live in Florida and am average build, so its jacket time only about 3 weeks out of the year,  for the most part, its more practical for me to have a smaller weapon like a Kel Tec P11 9mm,  A CZ Rami in 9mm or .40SW.   Climate and physique has alot to do with it, not to mention wardrobe, all important considerations.

[Boricua]

Manchicken, it is a repelling belt of sorts.  Check Cendex as they have them for sale.  I have had mine for 2 years now and it shows no signs of wear.  Not to mention it is one Stout belt.

I live in Arizona and wear a t-shirt under my outer shirt and have no printing problems at all.  I am 6' 180 lbs. and with the right gear you can hide just about anything.

[KingPolymer-III]

I am curious as to what else you gentlemen conceal carry.
I like to mix it up and alternate between the following:

  Kel Tec P11 in 9mm
  CZ Rami in 9mm and .40SW
  Glock 26 in 9mm
  Kel Tec P3AT in .380ACP
  CZ83 in 9x18 MAK
  Russian Makarovs in 9x18
  North American Guardian in .380ACP
  Beretta Tomcat in .32ACP.

[Boricua]

Well I don't normally alternate but have carried the following at one time or another:

CZ97B
CZ85B
Beretta 92F
Beretta 21
Ruger SP-101
Ruger Redhawk
Taurus 38 spc.

[KingPolymer-III]

Nice, but those would be too big for me,  I own most of them, but cannot conceal them well, for a small guy in Florida. LOL

[skucera]

Well, my pistols tend to get smaller as the weather gets hotter.  In cooler weather, or working indoors in hot weather I pack my CZ 97.  In spring and fall outdoors I often pack my Makarov under a vest, or under an unbuttoned flannel shirt.  It warm weather I've been known to simply slip my little Beretta .25 in a pocket (on the theory that it's better to have anything rather than nothing... and surprisingly it is my most accurate pistol despite its tiny sights).

Hiking in the woods or in the desert, I'll open carry my CZ 52, but that's more out of fun than anything else.  Its over-penetration is just too daunting to pack it in town.

Scott

[KingPolymer-III]

"Its over-penetration is just too daunting to pack it in town."
  I agree, the 7.62x25 TOK is an amazing round.