Many of you may not know it, but I love to saltwater fish in Florida. I try to go 4-5 times a year with my dad fishing around Tampa Bay or the Gulf of Mexico. There’s nothing more relaxing than dropping the boat off the lift and heading out for a day of sunshine and fish. I’ve always thought about the methods of concealed carry when fishing or being on the water.

In the last 10 years or so there has been a general trend among young shooters to customize every part of their pistol and make it as personalized as possible. This has been especially true with a few different types of pistols like Glock, Smith & Wesson, HK, and sometimes with the SIG P320 line of pistols. This phenomenon has calmed down in the last two years, but it wasn’t uncommon for a Glock Gen 4 or 5 build to cost well over $2,500 or more after adding everything into the total.

Some of you may recall I wrote a Concealed Carry Corner piece about Trigger Guard Holsters.  In that article, I mentioned doing a how-to Kydex article in the future.  Well, the future is now.  Also known as “minimalist holsters,” they offer a zero-profile way to secure that your trigger won’t get snagged on something in your bag, purse or inside the waistband.  The title image is of my daily carry Glock 22/27, however for this DIY pictorial, I’ll use the pictures I took while making a trigger guard holster for my friend’s Ruger LCP.

When I was younger, I heard a ton of different negative arguments about carrying a handgun inside your pocket. I decided to start pocket carrying about eight years ago and I’ve definitely have learned things along the way. Pocket carrying is like anything else and should be looked at as a tool in your toolbox rather than a single solution for all problems.

As we have discussed before, the beauty of SIG’s grip module system is that the frame of the firearm is not the serialized part thus legally it’s just an accessory. This feature allows the end users to easily acquire and swap frames of different colors and shapes on the same pistol. This is also the case with the SIG P365 pistol and apparently, the aftermarket parts manufacturers are catching up and you can now have an aluminum grip module for this pistol. This new frame is made by a company called Icarus Precision and it’s called  ACE 365 Grip Module (ACE stands for Accuracy, Control, Enhanced).

The longer you own firearms the greater your holster collection becomes. In my travels, carrying exploits, and writing for TFB I have handled a lot of holsters. Many really good and some that were not up to par. Many of which were specialty makes and models. We can all likely point to a specific favorite brand of ours for Inside-the-Waistband (IWB) carry or Outside-the-Waistband (OWB) or something else. It is rare to come across a brand that can create nearly all scenarios of carry well. My friend and fellow TFB writer, Miles Vining, turned me on to Front Line Holsters because he has had personal experience with them and spoke supremely high of them. I respect Miles and I respect his word so I decided to check them out. In this TFB Review, we will take a look at 4 different products from Front Line Holsters: 2 magazine pouches and 2 holsters.

When we carry a concealed weapon, there are many choices that we have to make. Pick the right gun, the right holster, find the clothes that won’t expose it, find a way around gun free zones and overly sensitive colleagues and relatives that don’t support your life choices. But there is one more choice that we have to make – should we carry a round in the chamber in our defensive firearm?

Carrying a handgun concealed can be challenging at first because you typically have a semi-heavy object riding around on your pants. Once you start to conceal carry a handgun, there are a few different ways to carry the gun daily. Now I know there are more ways than strong side carry or appendix. There’s also cross draw, small of the back, ankle carry, and a number of other methods. I’ve been getting a fair amount of questions of appendix or strong side carry, so I’ll focus on those for the time being.

With the advancement of technology, weapon lights and lasers have grown in popularity over the last decade. This has grown to the point where holster companies have started creating custom holsters for all kinds of light and laser attachments. Both systems have applications where they can be incredibly useful. If used properly both can help aid shooters one way or another.

Firearms instructor, police officer, Marine Corps veteran, private military contractor, and use of force expert Brannon LeBouef takes us through the what and why of his every day carry. A little more than a pocket dump, Brannon LeBouef of NOLATAC explains his gear selection for life in New Orleans, LA and the logic behind his choices. He also brings up some “bigger picture” mindset issues for the average person to consider as they make selections for their personal defense plan. He speaks about the importance of the ankles as a place to carry, having options in your response, and the huge role medical should play in your EDC plans.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves reviews the Full Conceal M3D, which is a folding Glock 19. Full Conceal has somehow managed to stir up controversy over this product because social media operators claim that the folding Glock concept is tactically unsound. We look past the debate in this episode of TFBTV and talk about the build, performance, and pricing, as well as the drawbacks of the Full Conceal M3D. We also discuss Full Conceal’s other models, like their Glock 43 folder.

One thing I’ve learned when working in various gun stores for a side job is the struggle left-handed shooters have to go through. Left-handed people have to either find a fully ambidextrous handgun or learn to manipulate the handgun with their wrong handed tactics. I am a right-handed shooter, but having helped dozens of left-handed people and shooting at the range with friends, I’ve put a list of guns together that are a great option for left-handed shooters.

Check out this review of the CZ Shadow 2 and the Dan Wesson ECP Tactical, both in 9mm. We shoot them for accuracy at 25 yards as well as just banging some steel for fun. Which one would you choose?

When it comes to the gun community, we all love talking about what’s new and exciting. While I love talking about the newest and greatest from the industry, training with your firearm is one of the most important aspects of concealed carry. I will be the first to admit it can be difficult to get out and shoot when you have responsibilities in life. With everything occupying our time, it can be easy to not make time to hit the range.

Holsters are one accessory that we can never get enough of. If you have been carrying for any decent amount of time you likely have an ample stash of holsters for different attire, scenarios, and seasons. For this reason, holster manufacturers like Galco Gunleather are constantly innovating in attempts to quell that need for more and more holsters. Their latest holster to debut is the Switchback belt holster. It is currently being made for different medium-frame revolver models from Colt, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Taurus in 15 varieties.

One of the best things about being a gun guy and traveling is having the ability to meet great people and go on some fantastic range days. I’ve had a ton of fun meeting new shooters and having different perspectives at different range days. I’ve also had the opportunity to shoot a few amazing guns I would never be able to if I didn’t travel. It can be a peace of mind to travel with your concealed carry firearm. This is especially true when driving with family across the country. There are a few things to watch out for though when you’re traveling.

Over the weekend, I figured out I hit the 10,000 round mark with my SIG Sauer P226. It made me think about my history with this gun over the last six years, and how well it has performed. When I first purchased the P226, it was a basic Enhanced Elite model with the E2 molded grip. It had an SRT trigger already installed along with night sights and I couldn’t have been happier. Up until that point, I was carrying a P220 in .45 ACP for two or three years prior, along with an older generation Glock 19. The feel and overall layout of the P226 were great when I started carrying it. One thing I had to get used to though was the weight compared to my older Glock 19. SIx years later, It’s still my daily carry and has easily become my favorite pistol to carry and shoot.

Welcome back to another Featured Deals of The Week. I’m your host Benjamin, and as always please leave a comment if you want to see more or less of any certain type of deals.

I’ve seen this debate online a few different times. People saying they either need little to no ammo or 17 back up magazines on their person at all times. Now I know everyone’s different and you may not agree with me one way or another. That’s okay though. We as a community can talk about things and give points of view based on experiences.

A few weeks ago I posted my review of the CZ SP-01 Tactical. The gun was silky smooth from the factory, but I kept hearing what amazing things Cajun Gun Works do to CZ handguns. Once I finished my review and had everything, I packed the gun up and shipped it down to Louisiana to get transformed. Now don’t get me wrong the standard SP-01 Tactical is a fantastic gun straight out of the box. It had a smooth double action and great single action for a stock handgun. I was very skeptical on how much Cajun Gun Works could improve my handgun, but then again I never had one of my guns customized by them before either.

When someone walks into a gun shop looking at their first firearm for concealed carry, it can be intimidating. The firearms market is full of great carry options for people. Over time people usually find what works best for them. When I worked behind the gun counter trying to help people find a concealed carry gun they were happy with, I always broke it down into two categories.

I often get questions from people about the best way to carry a spare magazine. I’ve struggled to find what works for me, but there are a few different ways of carrying a spare magazine concealed.  Before I started trying out different carry options, I use to carry a spare magazine in my pants pocket. This was never a great idea, and was always in a different position than when I put it in my pocket. The biggest issue with just carrying in your pocket is the fact rounds will come unseated out of the magazine. You’ll end up with a pile of random rounds in your pocket instead of being inside your magazine. And it isn’t ideal from a training or muscle memory standpoint either.

The debate over off body carry has been one that has been going on for well over a decade now. It’s still just as strong today as it was when it started. There are Pros and Cons to off body carrying and no matter what, people will have different uses or criticisms for this type of carry. It’s totally normal to have an opinion on its merits, so feel free to discuss your take on it in the comments below. 

In this episode of TFBTV’s NRAAM 2019 coverage, James Reeves visits with Desantis to talk about new holster designs from the company, which has been in business for nearly 40 years, hand making holsters in leather and synthetic materials for Glocks, 1911s, and many, many other pistols.

At the NRA Annual Meetings this past weekend, Full Conceal addressed a lot of comments from their customers by creating a lighter and more affordable version of their folding Glock, and unveiling the Full Conceal Aluminum frame. This is something that they alluded to accomplishing when we met with them at SHOT Show 2019 this past winter. Now at the NRA Show they finally had it for us to see in person.

This physical reference also helps ensure you feel the retention position every draw stroke and do not have to change your draw stroke in the event you would need a retention position.

Social media today is a strange beast. It brings everyone together especially the 2A community and is a massive learning tool when used correctly. In the last few years, there have been social media “celebrities” who try to shoot as fast as possible. These people don’t show targets or how they did but want to show how quickly they can draw their handgun from concealment and shoot. Whether this is for video views or self-confidence. I don’t think it’s a positive trend on the gun community and can turn downright dangerous if people who are untrained try to reenact the videos they watch online.

Many people have a hard time deciding what they prefer when it comes to Double Action/ Single Action handguns or Striker Fired handguns. They are two very different systems that both have their advantages, but often DA/SA guns take more time to master over striker fired guns. The market is filled with both options and most companies are making variations of both.

As many of you know, for the last few years I have carried a P226 Elite religiously. To me, the P-Series from SIG Sauer is biblical and some of the best handguns to use daily. When the 320 was released to market a few years ago, I was interested, but it seemed like another standard service pistol. I have no issues with guns that are common but prefer something that’s out of the ordinary. It has to be completely reliable, so I held off when it came to the 320 because I didn’t have much experience with them.

Since my early days of shooting, I’ve always felt like it was a struggle to find holsters for the guns I used daily. This issue started for me when I was 11 years old shooting in IDPA and USPSA. I was shooting an HK USP Compact and since it was 2003, the holsters were crude Kydex style plastic or leather holsters mostly. I used a Fobus for the first few years because I thought it was better than leather. It turned out the holster wasn’t very well made and beat up my gun up over time.