One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is constantly talking with like-minded individuals about carrying concealed. You wouldn’t believe some of the crazy things that get brought up when it comes to carrying a firearm in public. Whether it’s figuring out the perfect gun and holster combination for a situation or just talking about your favorite carry positions, it’s never a bad day talking about guns. When it comes to new people carrying, I’ve had some crazy questions for certain situations but I think they can apply to a wide variety of tough situations. Let’s take a deeper dive into some tips for carrying in tough situations.

Every week I sit down and look at the number of topics I have written down for the Concealed Carry Corner articles. One thing that blows me away is seeing the vast differences between people willing to upgrade every aspect of their carry pistol on one end, and on the other people not spending money and continuing to use the same gear they have for years. These are two very different ways to look at carrying a concealed firearm but each attitude has its merits. Whatever side you agree with, it’s always interesting to look at what is considered good enough gear.

With summertime hitting the Northeast and Midwest states full force this week, there’s no better time to look at carrying smaller guns. Individuals who live in the great north have lost their security blanket of layered clothing and heavy coats with the rush of hot summer weather. For most, the general trend is to carry the smallest handgun possible in an effort to make carrying more comfortable. There’s no denying that carrying a smaller pistol does make life easier in the hot summer months, but there are also disadvantages to really small carry guns. Let’s take a closer look at why smaller isn’t always better when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm.

When it comes to training for self-defense, there are typically three vital parts to successfully protecting yourself. The biggest step is avoidance at all cost, you win every fight you’re never in so that’s the biggest step to remaining safe. The second step is draw stroke and ultimately if things get bad enough the third is shot placement. Pulling your firearm should be absolutely the last resort but there are occasions when there’s no other choice. We’ve talked a few times about certain drills for shot placement and working on your pistol accuracy under stress. One thing we haven’t really looked at is draw stroke and some tips to give you the upper hand when it comes to a faster draw stroke. Let’s take a closer look at ways to draw faster.

There are plenty of weeks when we talk about the latest gear and training techniques when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm. Typically every week there are discussions about the topics down in the comments below. But what you guys don’t see is we will have random conversations about carry guns in a TFB group chat as well. Whenever someone gets a new carry gun or sees something interesting, we will typically send it to the group chat to have a discussion on a certain firearm. After some conversations, I decided to go through the various firearms most of us at TFB carry on a daily basis. Let’s take a closer look at some of the carry guns of TFB.

Over the last few weeks, I have done my fair share of traveling across the country doing various events and seeing friends who shoot. Throughout my travels over the years, I have met a ton of people who have been great but if I’m honest, there are some similarities between people in our community. Let’s take a closer look at the different personality types of carrying concealed.

Over the last few years, there have been a few trends that emerged in the gun community. The older generations love to talk about their 1911s and leather holsters, while the young whippersnappers love plastic holsters and aftermarket attachments on their carry guns. Younger shooters like to give the older generations a hard time about certain carry items. If we are completely honest, there are a few that will always be a trend no matter how much time goes by. Let’s take a closer look at some timeless concealed carry trends.

When the weather starts to finally become warm in the great north, it’s always time to start thinking about your carry options. Here in Michigan, you can typically carry a larger-sized pistol roughly 8-10 months out of the year, but on a rare occasion, it does actually get warm here. With the warm weather arriving, it means fewer layers and ultimately a smaller pistol to carry for most people. The change in weather is typically a great time of year to do some regularly scheduled maintenance on your firearm to make sure it’s in tip-top shape. You may still have your winter dad bod, but at least your gun and gear will be squared away. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top maintenance items for concealed carry.

Oftentimes, when people ask me various concealed carry questions, I get asked about what’s best when it comes to carry permits. With a number of states passing Constitutional Carry, more and more people are starting to wonder if going through the extra steps of carrying with a permit is worth it. Depending on where you live, you may have several states around you that have constitutional carry while others will have only permit carry so it can be tricky to figure out what the best option is for you. Let’s take a closer look at Constitutional Carry vs Permit Carry.

Over the years, I have changed my overall carry gear one way or another countless times, but through the years I have developed preferences. Finding what works best for you over time is no easy feat and although there are shortcuts for certain items like holsters, some of this gear physically takes you carrying it to see if that particular item fits your lifestyle. There’ve been a number of items I have gotten pushback on or people have recommended certain items for daily carry. I’ve picked a few of the most common items that people have talked about in past articles and we will take a closer look at why I choose various items to carry on a daily basis. Let’s take a closer look at what you should carry daily.

One of the best ways to look at common trends in the gun community is lurking around your local gun shop. Like a small troll sneaking around the gun shop, one of my favorite things to do is eavesdrop on what people say about new conceal carry options. Whether it’s gun or gear, I’ve heard a number of interesting perspectives on a wide variety of gun topics. Everything from “10mm is more reliable than 9mm” to “people should carry two guns instead of a spare magazine“. Throughout my time listening to other people, there are a few things people should try that may make their life easier in the long run. I’m not saying these options will be the best thing around but they may help you out. Let’s take a closer look at some new items to start carrying.

Recently, I went through a workplace violence training seminar that was mandatory. During the video, they talk about evading threats and knowing the difference between cover and concealment. This concept is nothing new but can be rather tricky for people to determine the difference in a stressful situation. In a self-defense situation, knowing the difference between cover and concealment can save your life. Let’s take a closer look at cover vs concealment.

It’s always fun going to see some of my friends who are in the instructing world. Trainers are always evolving and trying to make their classes better whenever possible. After a year and a half, I had the opportunity to sit down with an old friend of mine named Cody. Now Cody has worked his tail off and ended up building one of the largest training programs in southwest Michigan. Hanging out with other people in the gun community can twist your perception of what’s popular and what new concealed carry trends people are doing.

With the recent explosion with micro carry guns, there has been a growing debate on whether or not they are beneficial for carrying concealed. Depending on who you talk to about small carry guns, they will either be the greatest thing since sliced bread or they’re a direct descendent of satan. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, with a number of benefits and cons depending on how you look at it. Although somewhat challenging when it comes to shooting quickly, micro carry guns can offer a ton of benefits in certain situations. Let’s take a closer look at micro carry guns.

When thinking about potential situations, we oftentimes think about the bad guy lurking in the shadows while you’re walking to your vehicle late at night. We think the biggest threats will be out in shopping malls or parking lots. However, one of the biggest threats to people is road rage events. Over the last 20 years, there has been a number of cases where individuals have had to use their firearms in self-defense as a result of road rage. A quick google search will show just how many cases have been reported over the last few years. From these incidents, we can learn a few things and try to look at solutions for safely getting away from a situation. Let’s take a closer look at self-defense in road rage cases.

One of the most commonly asked questions from people is how do they become a better shooter. Whether that’s starting off as a brand new shooter or working on shooting more accurately faster, there’s always room for improvement. Plenty of people think it’s just a simple matter of picking up the pace and shooting faster, but it’s not as simple as that. Going as fast as possible oftentimes leads to your accuracy falling apart just to be a bit faster. There are a number of ways to improve yourself while maintaining your accuracy so let’s take a closer look at becoming a better shooter.

For the vast majority of my time, a belt-mounted holster is the way to go. Whether it’s inside or outside the waistband, a belt-mounted holster is a great option for everyday use. There are a decent amount of times though, I run into a situation where I want to carry a gun without having pants with a belt look. Whether it’s board shorts or a pair of sweat pants, having a lack of belt support can be a real issue if you carry a belt-mounted holster for the majority of the time. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been asked a handful of times about the best way to carry with no belt. It’s also something I’ve dealt with over the years so let’s take a closer look at how to carry without a belt.

The world of carry guns has changed wildly in the last 20 years and it’s always interesting to look at where we started and how far we came in the last two decades. There were a number of good carry guns like the HK USP and Glock 19 and although there were a few small carry guns chambered 9mm, the small 9mm pistols didn’t really start to come into the market strong until the 2000s. I’ve bought and carried almost every single gun on this list. Let’s take a closer look at the evolution of micro carry guns and see where things began, the progression to modern day and what the micro carry gun market is turning into.

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week we talked about creating a tier system instead of carrying everything on your person. This week we will be taking a look at some ways to make carrying concealed more comfortable. There are a number of situations when I personally remember being extremely uncomfortable either from a poor choice in clothing or not carrying the right handgun during a particular season. There are a number of ways to immediately improve your overall comfort level when carrying for a full 8-10 hour day. Let’s take a closer look at some tips for comfortable carry.

A fairly common topic I get asked about is deciding what to carry on your body every day and what’s considered excessive. The last couple of weeks I have gone over what I personally carry and some of the accessories I like to carry on a daily basis. What the problem turns into is having everything you may need on your body which becomes extremely fatiguing over a full day. There are a lot of people who are “prepared” and carry several knives, a medkit on their leg and multiple firearms. It’s important to prioritize based on certain items. Let’s take a closer look at some concealed carry priorities.

In last week’s article, I talked about the three firearms and holster styles I use during the wintertime. We are going to keep this train rolling with some of the accessories and things I enjoy carrying to support my carry lifestyle. Everyone is different when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm, but it’s always good to look at what people carry personally to see if there’s a better method out there. The spectrum of carrying accessories goes from excessive to minimalist with everything in between. Let’s take a deeper look into some of the accessories I use in my winter carry.

Throughout my time at TFB, I cannot tell you how many times people have asked what guns I carry most and what I personally like to carry. I usually will give them a short answer talking about how my carry choices depend on the time of year and where I’m going. After being asked repeatedly about my personal carry choices, I figured it would just be easier to write up my choices and explain why I carry the items I do every day. Let’s take a closer look at my personal winter carry choices and gear I use daily.

Being in the firearms world, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest when it comes to firearms and gear. It’s my job to get caught up in what new firearm or piece of gear can make life easier to carry a concealed firearm. I can’t tell you how many articles I have written about various new guns and gear but we don’t focus on a ton about the mindset of carrying a concealed firearm. There’s a number of things that should go through an individual’s head before even considering pulling their firearm. Let’s dive into the basics of how to survive an attack.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about carrying in winter and some things you need to consider when it comes to holsters and accessories. A few of you beat me to some of the tougher parts of shooting in winter time when it comes to training and drawing with gloves on. There’s a number of things about winter that seem simple, but can be rather tricky when taking a deeper dive into the subject. Let’s take a closer look at some helpful training tips for winter carry.

When it comes to inside the waistband holsters, there are countless options on the market today. Whether it’s the latest minimalist holster made from the footsteps of the latest tier one operator or a quality holster it can be hard to pick the right holster for you. There are a number of different holsters on the market today with variations between all of them. For new shooters, it can be rather challenging to understand the various types so let’s dive into a few of the most popular IWB holsters on the market today.

It’s crazy to me how often I get asked if there are any tips that can make carrying a concealed handgun easier. I’m probably asked this three or four times weekly from new concealed carriers. With Covid and everything else going on in the world, there are even more new individuals to the concealed carry market so naturally people are asking for tips to become more comfortable. There are a few tips I’ve found to be extremely helpful to keep in mind when carrying a concealed firearm. Let’s take a look at a couple of things that are easy tips to make carrying concealed easier.

With Christmas right around the corner, it means wintertime for half the country is upon us. Being from Michigan, I understand the difference in clothing and what it means to switch over to a wintertime carry mindset. Having extra layers on your body definitely presents some challenges when carrying a concealed firearm on a daily basis. There are a few options people prefer in the winter months. Whether it’s changing your carry style or even changing your concealed firearm, there’s a number of things that people do during the winter months. Let’s take a closer look at what options you have when carrying in the winter months.

In last week’s article, I talked about a number of accessories for carrying a concealed firearm – aftermarket sights, slide cuts and adding red dots to your handgun. If you haven’t checked out the first part of this guide, feel free to check it out by clicking here. There’s a number of both good and bad upgrades you can do so let’s keep this train rolling with a few more accessories you should either consider or steer clear from. Let’s dive into part 2 of the carry gun accessories guide.

Navigating the world of aftermarket parts, you can find just about anything for a carry pistol. Whether it’s new sights or a mini knife bayonet, the internet has you covered. Obviously, we all know having a mini bayonet on your handgun is a complete waste of time and if you think it’s a good idea, this article is not for you. Over the last 3-4 years there have been trends where people continue to add onto their guns to the point where it’s nearly double the weight. There are a number of great upgrades to make, but there are also a few to avoid. Let’s dive into the first part of our carry gun accessory guide.

With Black Friday right around the corner and Christmas not far behind that, it’s important to start looking at gift ideas for that shooter in your life. There are some great Black Friday deals out there with various companies planning on discounting products that otherwise may not get a discount throughout the year. Even if you’re just picking up some new gear for yourself, purchasing on Black Friday can save you some serious cash. Let’s look at some gift ideas for the concealed carrier.