Every week, I talk about topics varying from situational awareness, holster choice and gear options for carrying concealed. All those are extremely important but sometimes it’s fun to take a step back and look at what pop culture decides to carry in movies. One of my favorite reality-based movies has to be the 2004 classic Collateral. in this movie, the main character (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver going along with his day when a hired gun (Tom Cruise) pays him for a night of driving around. This film is directed by Micheal Mann who has done other classic like the TFB favorite Heat, which we’ve done a number of articles and videos on. Let’s take a closer look at some of the carry guns of Collateral, a classic gun guy movie.

The micro-compact space within the firearms market is packed with great options. Small, light, comfortable, and full of features, these small firearms have changed the concealed carry game. One feature that has come to be a given is a slide that’s ready to accept a pistol-mounted optic. Coming to market with an anticipated update to their already successful M&P Shield Plus, Smith & Wesson has introduced the Shield Plus 3.1″ Optics Ready pistol.

When I get a new gun, I want my holster NOW! Wait times for custom holsters can rival the drive-through at In-N-Out on a Saturday night, but I also want to make sure I get what I want. Fortunately, Blackhawk has introduced a new option for reasonable holster wait times. Just unveiling the Blackhawk Custom Holsters Shop, the company is promising to build and ship your custom holster within 72 hours.

Beretta USA have announced the launch of the new APX A1 Carry pistol. Available in four frame colours and with an optics-ready slide, the pistol has an MSRP of $449. The new pistol debuted last weekend at the 2021 USCCA Concealed Carry and Home Defense Expo. The APX A1 Carry has a 3 inch barrel and is available in Standard Black, Flat Dark Earth, Wolf Grey, and OD Green frame colors. It has a 6 or 8 round magazine capacity and weighs in at 19.8oz.

I don’t know about you, but carrying a rigid, metal gun in a rigid, plastic holster can sometimes be uncomfortable. Depending on the position in which you carry your firearm, your setup can rub against your bones or skin. To help alleviate some of the discomforts of everyday carry, Galco Holsters has entered a new solution. Meant to be used as padding between you and your firearm, this is Galco’s MyCloud accessory for inside-the-waistband holsters.

When we start concealing a firearm on a daily basis, there are certain rules you need to follow for your safety as well as the safety of others. Sometimes these rules get broken, and you start to get all types of issues. There are certain risks and responsibilities that come with carrying a concealed firearm, and it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Call it the Darwin awards, let’s take a dive into various examples of carrying choices and consequences that followed these terrible choices.

As winter approaches, new challenges enter the concealed carry arena. Heavy clothing on a bad guy and four-legged predator attacks while hunting means that many of us opt for more potent calibers. The ebb and flow of 10mm’s popularity aside, there is no debate that the caliber’s power can solve most problems. With these capabilities in mind, Springfield Armory has introduced a 10mm compact pistol option for those of us looking for that added punch. This is the Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 3.8” Compact OSP 10mm pistol.

Last week, I talked about the importance of having a different type of firearm to carry concealed when you’re out west. As a result, last week’s article started some great debates and conversations in my inbox about having a powerful handgun vs having a handgun with capacity. The old-timers came out of the woodwork last week to defend their holy grail 1911 handed straight down from the heavens by John Browning himself. So after a fair amount of debate, let’s dive into what’s a better application when talking about concealed carry handgun choice.

Welcome to TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner, where we cover all sorts of topics on carrying firearms in every way as it pertains to everyday life. A few years ago, I covered the broad topic of concealed carrying while running, what sorts of dangers runners (and pedestrians, regardless of speed) could face, as well as various ways to carry a gun while jogging. In this week’s edition, I’ll focus more on what has worked for me and how my tactics for concealed carry for running has evolved.

Recently I spent some time with friends out in the Wyoming and Montana area for a get-together trip. One of my buddies was late to the airport because he stumbled on a Glock 20. He kept going on and on about how exciting it was to see one in a gun store finally and how hard it is to find a stocked dealer in the area. It was rather puzzling to me since oftentimes the 9mm variants are always sold out in the Midwest and the larger caliber handguns are oftentimes the guns that sit in store counters. I started to look at the factors of carrying concealed and after talking with locals, there’s a fairly large difference in mindset between different parts of the country. Let’s take a deeper look into how carrying concealed out west is different and why that is.

CZ has just announced their newest version of the P-10 pistol, the P-10 M, which is configured as a “micro-compact” pistol marketed for concealed carry. The CZ P-10 M is imported from the factory in the Czech Republic, which released this model last year overseas. The M model of the P-10 family has a capacity of 7(+1) rounds. Interestingly, CZ opted to omit the usual external controls such as a slide stop and safety, save the trigger and magazine release. The new CZ P-10 M is also marketed as being very simple to disassemble for cleaning, just by removing the take-down pin. CZ also reduced the P-10 M’s width to one inch, which is a quarter of an inch slimmer than the rest of the P-10 series. CZ’s description of the CZ P-10 M can be read below.

Carrying in a vehicle is a part of everyday life for most of us. Whether it’s running errands or heading out on a road trip, having a firearm while in your vehicle is a fairly important part of carrying concealed on a daily basis. I’ve made a few mistakes over the years and it’s fairly common to not think about certain aspects when starting out or even after carrying for a decent amount of time. Let’s dive into some of the vehicle carry mistakes to avoid when carrying a firearm.

Welcome to TFB Podcast Roundup 8. This week we’re going to focus mainly on concealed carry. I recently got back from a trip where I received some really solid instruction on being more consistent, accurate, and quick when it comes to shooting semi-auto pistols. Concealed carry has become one of my favorite topics since I started writing for TFB and I think as Americans it’s possibly one of the more important subjects that don’t get talked about quite enough. Luckily for us, there are a ton of podcasts out there that have many experienced individuals who all have their own two cents when it comes to the subject. So crank up the volume, sit back and enjoy this week’s selection of podcasts focused on concealed carry.

Earlier this year, Blackhawk released their new Stache IWB holster. Obviously targeted for concealed carry, they wanted to make a rigid and modular inside the waistband option. Initially only available for a few popular handguns, Blackhawk now expands Stache to fit emerging contenders in the concealed carry market, including the Springfield Armory Hellcat and the Taurus GX4.

Welcome to TFB Weekly Amazon Deals 9: Essential Gear Edition. This week I’ve gathered a handful of items that I consider to be “essential” when it comes to shooting or everyday carry duty. We’re lucky enough to have an absolutely staggering amount of high-quality products available to us in the gun industry but it’s always nice to have those things when we also get a bit of a discount (especially during these trying days). This week we’ve got a few lights, a knife, hearing protection, and even some sight-in targets. Are these the only things you’ll be needing at the range? No. However, I find myself using these items more often than not and every item on this list is something I more or less carry with me to the range every time,. Everything else just depends on what kind of shooting I plan on doing for the day.

Over the last few months, I have gotten countless messages about people wanting to train for concealed carry but aren’t sure what to focus on right away. Combine the fact we had a significant uptick in new conceal carriers, the fact ammo has gotten so scarce, it can be tough to really train using minimal ammo. With certain people dealing with one or both of the issues above, it can be tricky figuring out what to work on when it comes to practicing for concealed carry. Let’s dive into the top 3 shooting mechanics to practice for carrying a concealed handgun.

Kimber is well known for making 1911 pistols. It was only recently they started to make striker-fired pistols. They started with the Solo and then the Evo SP. However, the Evo SP is a single stack pistol and people love more capacity. Well, your desires have been met. The R7 Mako is the Kimber subcompact you have been wanting with a healthy amount of capacity.

If you go through all the various blog sites, there are a ton of articles about various tips and tricks you can take away from concealed carry courses. In the past, I’ve written everything from my favorite carry handguns to accessories and even mindset articles, but I’ve never really talked about the certain tricks you learn after you’ve carried for a while. When you start off carrying a gun, people always talk about being proficient, concealing properly and training with your firearm. What they don’t talk about are the simple tricks that will help you be more confident and help with having a firearm on your person every day. Let’s dive into the things I’ve learned after carrying over time.

Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to carry SIG’s new P365X pistol and put a decent amount of rounds through it. SIG has been trying to make a number of variants of the P365 line which I wrote about earlier this year. This P365X is a newer variant of the lineup with a couple new features. Let’s take a deeper dive into SIG Sauer P365X and how it performs.

When looking at all the different aspects of carrying concealed, there’s a wide variety of opinions of carry ammo. Depending on who you talk with, certain people like a specific type of defense ammo for one reason or another while others don’t even think it’s an important aspect to think about. Besides the actual handgun, having the right self-defense round will be a crucial component to defending yourself in a given situation. Let’s take a deeper dive into why self-defense rounds are necessary and a brief rundown of a few popular models of carry ammo.

Over the last few months, I have started going on hikes daily typically with a larger hiking pack. Hiking park trails is a great alternative exercise to running while making your body work harder. Like many others, I gained a few pounds in the days of Covid lockdowns, so this summer I really put forth an effort to shed the extra weight and get in better shape. While carrying with a large pack, it can be difficult to carry a handgun comfortably, especially if you start to get tired and fatigued. Depending on where you live and where you’re hiking, there are a few different options for carrying concealed while hiking so let’s take a deeper dive into it.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office recently took to their Facebook page to inform the public of gun thefts and to share their disgust regarding people leaving unattended guns in unlocked cars. In less than a week’s time, they took seven reports of vehicular burglaries in which seven guns were stolen, and all of the vehicles were unlocked. We’re well aware that not every gun owner is as enthusiastic about guns as we at TFB are, some people simply see guns as a tool and nothing else, and that’s perfectly fine, but every tool has a different value to different people, especially to people that aren’t supposed to have them.

Customizing carry guns can be a debatable topic, but the market is filled with all sorts of options for those who want to mix and match to find what works, for those that want to veer from a stock carry gun. Redditor, AlaskanMooCow, ended up with a rare combination for his SIG Sauer P365XL and an Icarus Precision metal frame. AlaskanMooCow took a round-about way to get here though, which he explains below. For those who aren’t as familiar with the SIG P365 family, I’ve added links into Alaskan’s description in case it’s easier to follow along.

Everyone who carries has a different experience. However, one experience that we all share is the seemingly neverending search for the best belt and hoster. That perfect holster means nothing if you don’t have the perfect belt to hold it up. Belts have a surprising number of boxes they need to check. Before I started carrying, I thought all that mattered was that they held your pants up. Gun belts can be thick, heavy, stiff, tall, and can begin to droop regardless of which of those qualities it maintained. Fortunately, gun belt technology has been advancing at the same rate as holsters. We’ve seen a shift from leather to nylon, and now to some pretty cool polymer materials. Innovation doesn’t stop at materials. As you’re about to see, there is more than one way to close a belt. This is the Apogee Belt from Boxer Tactical.

In the past, I have written a few different articles about how to maintain your firearm as well as your equipment. I have been traveling around various states these last few weeks and have been carrying in the South Carolina heat. During my time down there, I realized just how much you can sweat when the summer heat is in full effect. This amount of heat can cause you to sweat an impressive amount which ultimately finds its way into your holster and onto your gun. Over time, the sweat will find any piece of uncoated metal as well as start to work the coating away. It’s important to maintain your summer carry gun so let’s take a look at a few different options to consider.

It’s not often that you see products in the gun industry that make you take a second look. Or at least, not often that you take the second look for a good reason. The  Vuurwapen HMC9 is one of those products.  Vuurwapen is a new company in the gun world, having only entered the scene in 2020. Their HMC9 caught my eye, first for its kinda goofy look, and then because it’s actually pretty cool. While the HMC9 has not hit the market just yet, it is a really interesting product, and I’m eager to see how well it performs. So without further ado, let me introduce you to the Vuurwapen HMC9.

Over the last week, I have been down in Myrtle Beach visiting friends and seeing the various sights there are down in the southeast part of the country. Every time I head down to the boardwalk or any other touristy place around the area, I started thinking about the pros and cons of carrying when there’s a ton of people around. For new carriers, carrying in a crowded area can be extremely stressful just on the fact there are so many eyes that potentially could see your firearm. This is typically a fairly common fear among new conceal carriers, but crowds aren’t always your enemy. Let’s take a deeper look at carrying in crowded areas.

Wilson Combat has introduced a new model to their SFX9 pistol lineup. The new SFX9 has a 15 round capacity and a subcompact 3.25” barrel.  The frame is solid milled T6-7075 aluminum allowing it to be light enough to carry for long durations.  The enhanced grip shape significantly enhances recoil control during rapid fire and long shooting sessions.

Raven Concealment Systems has been cranking out holsters, magazine carriers, and related products for over a decade. Some of their noted prior offerings include items like Eidolon holsters and the Vanguard series, or their Copia mag pouches. Now they’ve released a new mag carrier, originally designed for low-profile usage to conceal AR/M4 mags under plain clothes. The main use case for the style of Raven’s new Lictor AR Magazine Pouch would be in the context of a personal security detail or armed bodyguard situation, which is where the Latin-origin name “Lictor” comes from. Check out the press release below for product details.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve gone over my personal setup and various ways to carry on the body. Carrying on the body is by far the most secure way to carry but a number of people messaged and commented about off-body carry. Since someone brought it up a few weeks, I have been rattling around the idea of carrying off body along with taking a look at how it can be beneficial in certain situations. In my eyes, there are a number of things that can be carried off body that really give you more options. Let’s dive deeper into what and what not to carry off body.