#Ccw

Unfortunately, we need to add the firearms industry to the growing list of data breach victims. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the agency that processes Concealed Weapons Licenses for Florida residents, just announced that a data breach exposed 16,000 licensee’s information to an unknown source. Another nearly 500 individuals had their social security numbers stolen, prompting free credit protection services.

During MILEX-2017 military exhibition, a Belarusian company called BSVT has introduced a new compact semi-auto pistol. The pistol is called PSN-V which is an abbreviation meaning “Vasilyev Concealed Carry Pistol” (ПСН-В – Пистолет Скрытого Ношения Васильева). It is chambered in 9x19mm and dedicated for undercover concealed carry use by law enforcement officers.

Remember the EAA Abdo Conceal Carry Rig post from a few years back? It was that conceal carry holster that looked like a smartphone on your belt, well here’s another product with the same idea that’s way more awesome. It’s called the Pistol Mask, because it’s a mask for your pistol. The front panel is spring-loaded with magnetic closures, the actual holster is an inside the waistband design with spacers and screws for various pistol sizes. It will fit sub-compact pistols with a thickness of 1.05” or less, and a height of 4.6” or less. The Pistol Mask allows for the user to draw their pistol while seated or when wearing a seatbelt.

With the Taurus Curve review I highlighted a sort of methodology that I consider central to carrying a handgun for self-defense. Namely being that one shouldn’t rely on a single handgun or holster but instead be flexible when it comes to the situation and attire at hand while still trying to provide as much capability when it comes to firepower and ammunition capacity. Particularly with the Curve we looked at deep concealment options with a handgun, but with the concealed carry shirt, I’ll be looking at deep concealment carry products. We mentioned the ankle holster earlier, but something that I don’t see much actual coverage of is the holster shirt. Many might immediately dismiss this sort of carry as unsafe or ludicrous. I would agree at face value but given a few modifications I believe the concealed carry shirt has its place among the deep concealment options out there on the market right now.

Remember the Kenai Chest Holster we posted about last year? Well the folks over at Gunfighters INC showed off their Gen2 Kenai Chest Holster over on their Facebook page recently. What’s new with the Gen2 chest Kenai Chest Holsters? They will now be made in house on their own CNC molds which they claim will improve production, this in turn should improve the holster retention as well as help make their holster flatter and sit closer to the users chest. From their Facebook post:

At the 2017 SHOT Show Beretta finally announced they are shipping their new PX4 Storm Compact Carry. This pistol is specifically aimed at the concealed carry gun owners, and was originally shown at last year’s SHOT Show by firearms instructor and design contributor Ernest Langdon. The Beretta Storm PX4 Compact Carry is an enhanced version of the original PX4 Compact, the mid-size PX4 between the Full size and Sub-Compact.

Concealed Carrie, makers of handbags, computer bags, briefcases, and other accessories offer stylish options for those times when you either don’t (or can’t) body carry or perhaps wish to carry an additional weapon.

To be honest the SHOT Show is full of a lot of the same stuff, cough AR-15s cough, but there are a few gems to be found. I stumbled upon a product from a company I think is going places. They’re called Ulticlip and they make a pretty ingenious way to secure your holster to yourself.

Browning has expanded their Black Label 1911-380 line this year. The standard Black Label and Black Label Pro pistols (with G10 handles and enhanced sights) will now come in a Compact version. The new Compact barrel will measure 3.625 inches, as opposed to the full size 4.25 inches. By reducing barrel length Browning has provided a more user-friendly concealed carry pistol in my opinion. The original full size 1911-380’s were nice, but just seemed a bit too long for CCW purposes.

Dara Holsters & Gear announced the company is now offering a leather texture appearance for its catalog of Kydex holsters. These textures are available with your choice of three colors: natural, black and cordovan. (Cordovan is typically a rich wine or burgundy color.)

Something that I think many who carry for self-defense have in mind, is that there is a perceived lack of reality when it comes down to what actually happens in violent encounters. Myself included, I think alot of us sometimes have the idea that any violent self-defense encounter that we could be involved in, will play out like a chess game, with us of course having the upper-hand, due to our knowledge, choice of firearm, holster, etc… etc… However the reality of the matter is that most civilian self defense encounters are over in a matter of seconds. There are all sorts of drills out there trying to get this point across. One of my favorite is the 6 second drill, with 6 rounds at 6 feet, drawing and firing within 6 seconds. In addition, to paraphrase the vast majority of self defense instructors/philosophies, when the time to act defensively has been decided upon, it has to be as violently and as swiftly as possible, until the threat is no longer present (not dead). There is no half way mark when defending your life.

Coming from the competition world, the concept of flared magazine wells and concealed carry has generally been viewed as incompatible ideas. What is good for every day carry and a street fight tends to be a bit slow for go-fast guns. And likewise, what makes magazine changes lightning-quick would typically not be concealable.

A quality holster choice can be just as important as the initial process of picking an individual’s handgun. As such, everyone’s needs, situations and environment are unique enough to support a very healthy holster industry. An industry that has seen dramatic growth in technology, materials and options in the last five years alone. Along with all the big contenders, several “boutique” operations have opened up allowing end users a wide selection of high-quality holsters for every day carry. Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Harry’s Holsters is one of those new companies making solid products at affordable prices.

When choosing a carry gun, most people have a number of factors they consider before taking the plunge. However something I feel needs to be addressed is what to do when you change your carry piece. In this video I run down a few ideas and considerations that seems pretty logical.

The second generaton R51 handguns have finally made it to the range, but how do they perform? One of the first to record his experiences is YouTuber RyeOnHam, whose video is embedded below: