There were Ankle Holsters, then so-called ‘Tuckables,’ but Nothing Beats a Pistol in your Pocket!
I began thinking about a deep concealment rig when I watched “The French Connection” for about the fifteenth time, just to watch Gene Hackman dive behind a tree to duck rounds fired by a rooftop sniper while reaching down to draw a snubbie .38 Special revolver from that holster on his ankle.
Later on, I carried an old Chief’s Special in an ankle rig that fit very well inside of my cowboy boot while working as an editor at a small weekly newspaper. I occasionally carried a flatter .32-caliber Beretta semiauto the same way, and the notion of having a pistol that nobody could detect in a place they wouldn’t be looking was both intriguing and very practical.
Such pistols are handy, within reach at all times, and unnoticeable because most people don’t walk around staring at someone’s ankles…and the holster allows you have your gun in an emergency. I knew a female attorney who carried a revolver in an ankle holster, and with the proper slacks, one could not tell. Ditto a female cop.
CONCEALMENT FOR WOMEN
There are a couple of companies that build handbags and purses with special compartments for handguns. Such bags are worth the money when balanced against one’s safety. And, as noted earlier, most people don’t look for a hidden handgun—the average scumbag is surprised when an intended victim turns out to be armed and willing to shoot.
Some time back I chatted with a lady in real estate who tipped me to the fact that several of her female colleagues carried pistols on the job. There have been cases of real estate agents being robbed or murdered, and female realtors are often concerned about sexual assault, too.
Over the years, there have been some interesting products for women, including bra holsters and thigh holsters for very small pistols.
THE “TUCKABLE” HOLSTER
Years ago, a guy asked me to build a holster over which he could tuck a shirt. I diddled around with the project and it eventually turned into something copied by several other people; somewhere along the way it was dubbed the “tuckable.”
This was, and remains, a rig built for small handguns. The original prototypes were for a J-frame and a Walther PPK. I’ve had guys ask me to make them for Government Models and I turned them down. The biggest gun I’d ever suggest for such a rig is maybe an Officer’s Model or similar Kimber or Springfield compact.
Integral Holsters
One of the more intriguing options for pocket carry includes the integral pocket holster, like the Pocket Shot made by DeSantis. These holsters fit to your pistol semi-permanently, meaning that you can remove them when you want, but they’re intended to allow proper firing, cycling, and reloading, with the holster affixed to the gun. They don’t provide auxiliary protection for your trigger—like most traditional holsters—and won’t keep out the lint and grit, but they serve a larger purpose: to provide a low-drag, integral method of concealing the shape of your handgun for pocket carry! --Editor
For more information: www.desantisholster.com
Wallet-Printing
Most pocket holsters are designed in a rectangular size and shape that fits your pocket—and their purpose—quite well.
When you sit down, the contents of your pants pockets “print” through the fabric, clearly showing their outline—keys, a phone, a pocket knife… If you intend to sit down in public, your gun will “print” its unmistakable outline unless you have it in a holster.
Pocket holsters are designed to approximate the size and shape of a wallet, so that even the most intent observer will think you’ve merely placed your wallet in a front pocket. --Editor
Workman’s deep cover rig has generically been called a “tuckable” because you wear it with a shirt tucked over the hidden sidearm. This is Mitch Rosen’s superb rendition.
I began thinking about a deep concealment rig when I watched “The French Connection” for about the fifteenth time, just to watch Gene Hackman dive behind a tree to duck rounds fired by a rooftop sniper while reaching down to draw a snubbie .38 Special revolver from that holster on his ankle.
Later on, I carried an old Chief’s Special in an ankle rig that fit very well inside of my cowboy boot while working as an editor at a small weekly newspaper. I occasionally carried a flatter .32-caliber Beretta semiauto the same way, and the notion of having a pistol that nobody could detect in a place they wouldn’t be looking was both intriguing and very practical.
Such pistols are handy, within reach at all times, and unnoticeable because most people don’t walk around staring at someone’s ankles…and the holster allows you have your gun in an emergency. I knew a female attorney who carried a revolver in an ankle holster, and with the proper slacks, one could not tell. Ditto a female cop.
CONCEALMENT FOR WOMEN
There are a couple of companies that build handbags and purses with special compartments for handguns. Such bags are worth the money when balanced against one’s safety. And, as noted earlier, most people don’t look for a hidden handgun—the average scumbag is surprised when an intended victim turns out to be armed and willing to shoot.
Some time back I chatted with a lady in real estate who tipped me to the fact that several of her female colleagues carried pistols on the job. There have been cases of real estate agents being robbed or murdered, and female realtors are often concerned about sexual assault, too.
Over the years, there have been some interesting products for women, including bra holsters and thigh holsters for very small pistols.
THE “TUCKABLE” HOLSTER
Years ago, a guy asked me to build a holster over which he could tuck a shirt. I diddled around with the project and it eventually turned into something copied by several other people; somewhere along the way it was dubbed the “tuckable.”
This was, and remains, a rig built for small handguns. The original prototypes were for a J-frame and a Walther PPK. I’ve had guys ask me to make them for Government Models and I turned them down. The biggest gun I’d ever suggest for such a rig is maybe an Officer’s Model or similar Kimber or Springfield compact.
Integral Holsters
One of the more intriguing options for pocket carry includes the integral pocket holster, like the Pocket Shot made by DeSantis. These holsters fit to your pistol semi-permanently, meaning that you can remove them when you want, but they’re intended to allow proper firing, cycling, and reloading, with the holster affixed to the gun. They don’t provide auxiliary protection for your trigger—like most traditional holsters—and won’t keep out the lint and grit, but they serve a larger purpose: to provide a low-drag, integral method of concealing the shape of your handgun for pocket carry! --Editor
For more information: www.desantisholster.com
Wallet-Printing
Most pocket holsters are designed in a rectangular size and shape that fits your pocket—and their purpose—quite well.
When you sit down, the contents of your pants pockets “print” through the fabric, clearly showing their outline—keys, a phone, a pocket knife… If you intend to sit down in public, your gun will “print” its unmistakable outline unless you have it in a holster.
Pocket holsters are designed to approximate the size and shape of a wallet, so that even the most intent observer will think you’ve merely placed your wallet in a front pocket. --Editor
