I am just getting back into the CCW world. Carried as a cop in the 60s and 70s - S/W Model 19. Have carried a Glock 22 lately; but I am considering adding a red dot sight and perhaps changing from an outside hip carry to inside hip or belly. I have had several people say that Red Dot sights are better for quickness and accuracy.
A lot of things to consider. Right now looking at a Trijicon RMR, 3.25 MOA; but wondering if concealability might be difficult. So, is the solution to switch to a Model 23 or 27? I have always thought a 4" bbl was best for accuracy; but concealability is important. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
It really depends on what you consider concealed, your body, and what you wear. I’m 6’4" and 265…I can hide my xdm osp with attached light and venom rds under a hoodie and not even my wife sees it, however, if I just had it under a t-shirt, while it is concealed, the grip will print. With the size of rds for pistols, the addition of them to most systems is negligible imo. The sight will blend with the beltline.
It take a lot of training to get good with a red dot. Especially when you have been shooting irons for over 60 years. Take a look at the Leupold Deltapoint Micro. Replaces the rear sight and acts as a ghost ring if you lose power. More intuitive. No special holster required. Fully enclosed. I have one on my G19. I have a window type on another gun and not especially fond of it.
I wouldn’t recommend a G27 unless you have shot one and are confident in your on the clock proficiency with it, some say the little sub and .40/.357 can be snappy and slow one down with the sight rise/recover
Welcome to the Community @Robert_K. I currently carry a Gen 3 Glock 22 with a Holosun 507C X2, with a flared magwell, and I have no problem concealing it. I appendix carry it in a T-Rex Arms Sidecar 2.0 holster. I am 5’ 10", 212 lbs with a bit of a pudge . I do not wear oversized shirts, but don’t wear tight shirts either: just my normal Large size.
Here is a picture of mine. Don’t judge me, I have not put my suppressor height sights on it yet.
So, what’s this Gen 3 stuff all about? I see references to Gen 3, Gen 4, Gen 5, etc. My Glock 22 doesn’t have any “Gen” stamped on it. I guess I’m an orphan.
What we can conceal and not conceal is very subjective and varies from person to person. There are many who conceal full size pistols with optics on a daily basis. Length of barrel usually doesn’t affect the concealment, but the grip length does. I personally carry a Glock 45 inside the waistband, tucked in 90% of the time. I have no issues concealing the full size grip. I have been using a Phlster Pro Series for over a year now and it is a great holster that makes it much easier to conceal the gun, but that’s just the setup I like personally. There are a lot of great holster options out there to choose from. I carry strong side with the full size gun also, so that is doable, albeit not always as easy as appendix. I have in the past carried an optic for a pretty good length of time and it has no affect on concealment for me personally. At the end of the day, it really comes down to body type, holster selection, and mode of carry. Those are usually the biggest factors in whether or not we can conceal a particular firearm. Hope that helps a little.
I personally like red dot sights. I have them on a few of my guns. I like Glock guns, but after injuring my shoulder they don’t point well for me anymore. It is a learning curve with red dots. Being 67 YO it’s simpler for me to put a dot on the target then aligning 2 sight planes. I personally like a larger dot for handguns. If you have the opportunity to check a gun with optics try it. I recommend any of the current decent optics and honestly find one that suits your needs. Best luck.
The new Cuda RX-795 red dot sight automatically turns off when it’s holstered to save battery life, and instantly turns on when you pick it up. That’s like a million times better than Shake Awake which has to be completely still to turn off and stay off. I have one for my G17 MOS Gen 5. It even has a battery check so you know the level BEFORE it dies. cudaoptics.com
. I do not wear oversized shirts, but don’t wear tight shirts either: just my normal Large size.
