Nemo said:
I would like to try some IWB's but don't want to end up with a collection of holsters that I'll never use again. Guess my main concern is the bulge and print. However, the Rosen Workman concept kinda' intrigues me. Does it work?
There
really needs to be some re-thinking in this thread… in my never-quite-humble-enough opinion!
Play along with me for a moment…
Why do we carry a handgun? (Okay, most will get that one right.)
What value a secure, real concealed handgun if you can't access it and get into action in 1.5-2.0 seconds? (And before someone opts out with "Better to have
that type of PDW than no PDW at all," here's your butt back, thanks for playing.)
I know Dave Workman (it's hilarious that when Galco first knocked off the Rosen Workman, they didn't realize that it was a proper name!) and it's an ingenious design, #1, and, #2, I haven't seen anyone who makes better quality leather than Rosen (and Gorden William Davis).
But the problem with rigs like the Workman (and PagePal and Thunderwear, etc.) is the time (and effort) required to get into action. It's a whole 'nother manual of arms, and invariably a two-handed one at that… never mind the related Thunderwear issue of the proximity of Mr. Muzzle and Mr. Johnson!
People can practice
Practice PRACTICE (as they should with
any system!) and get it down to smooth and fast… but you're still not going to present smoother and/or faster than a strong-side carry and for the purposes of this discussion I add the qualifier, IWB.
Secure shoulder holsters are relatively clumsy, and slower.
Ankle rigs are really best left to back-up or tertiary weapons because if you gotta deploy, that's a very awkward action… almost an "Excuse me a moment, I gotta get this out… be right with you!" kinda thing.
The local CLEO just got an S&W 340 on a 30-day T&E and wanted to get a couple of rounds of .357 Magnum yesterday to see how it handled. (I made him a liitle C*A*R*E package of five each Federal 125 JHP, Geco 158 SJHP and IMI 170 FMJ… I'm predicting I get 9-10 of those back
virgo intacta, mebbe as many as 14 if he starts with the heaviest round.)
We discussed carry options, and I wound up lending him my J-frame ARG for my "Black Tie" carry blued Model 042 (uncatalogued). We tossed around the ankle option which he felt was uncomfortable as well as slow, and I related my favorite "war story" on the subject.
The time frame was
circa 1989-90 and the venue was uptown NYC, perhaps even The Bronx. And off-duty MOS and his girlfriend entered an apartment elevator and were quickly joined by two mutts who put a gun in his face and punched the "roof button." He knew what was almost certain to happen when they discovered his shield and gun, and even though it was on his ankle and he was shot in the face and elsewhere, he got his J-frame out and was 5 X 5, serious enough that they required enough medical attention that they were quickly apprehended at the ER. I don't believe the female was injured, but the MOS died at the scene from his wounds.
Tragic! And I wonder at the size of the po' bastid's stones, or perhaps he immediately knew he was a dead man and was going to go out on his feet and try to take the two mutts with him… don't know the answer to that one. It was a nightmare situation, under the muzzle in an elevator like that!
But I also wonder the outcome had he been carrying SS/IWB, where he might have been able to better use his weak hand to block or deflect the mutt's gun while he made a much faster presentation from a more stable stance.
Substitute a "deep IWB" such as the Workman or a deep concealment such as the PagerPal or the Thunderwear, and you're at as much of a disadvantage as with an ankle rig.
So, the core issue for me… and, yeah!, I've tried them all over the decades… is:
- We "CCW" so we'll have the means to defend ourself if there's a hostile action necessitating deadly physical force.[/*:m:3tck3yv0]
- Having that weapon with us does no one any good if getting into action cannot be accomplished rapidly and efficiently… gross motor skills only, please.[/*:m:3tck3yv0]
If you rend the issue along those lines, your "carry options" should clarify, yes?
Unfortunately, what I see all too often is that many approach it along the lines of "I just want a gun with me," and never give a single thought beyond "O, and I need to be comfortable, too." They want the apparent means of self-defense, but they don't want to feel inconvenienced in any way, and they sure as hell don't wanna go to the bother of any formal training much less regular practice… m'Gawd!, sporatic plinking sessions are almost a luxury!