Carrying a gun (much less keeping it concealed) while wearing business appropriate attire is a challenge most will not overcome. Today, I will share some options that have helped me!
Fashionable Concealment:
Our clothes are an extension of our personality. It speaks to our position at our jobs, our ideals and can even communicate certain values. That may seem grandiose, but keep in mind this is an article about carrying with a tucked-in shirt! So let’s not kid ourselves, this is for the gun-toting individual who cares about a dress code.
Accessibility vs. Conceal-ability
The first obstacle with concealing a handgun with a tucked-in shirt might come across quite obvious: Accessibility. Let’s talk about how we can strike a balance between those better.
Accessing your Handgun
Accessing your firearm consistently, and quickly from a tucked shirt poses a unique challenge. Most particularly when it comes to defeating the cover garment. “Defeating” has become somewhat of an overly used phrase. Put simply: The technique used to remove the obstacle (most often a shirt) concealing our gun.
Drawing a gun from a tucked shirt
Concealing or Covering your Handgun
The level in which we conceal is massively dictated by what clothes we choose and how we wear them. The cut, material and especially how our body position changes throughout the day play a vital role in striking that balance between conceal-ability and accessibility. All of this and we haven’t even talked about gear selection!
How to Carry with a Tucked Shirt
There are two ways I primarily carry with a tucked shirt. Both methods are the same idea, just different gear. Typically we use a shirt to cover the gun, utilizing it’s drape and size to conceal the outline of the gun. But there is another option…Using your pants to primarily conceal it. This is called Deep Concealment, or Deep Carry.
“Deep Carrying” a pistol is when the handgun is concealed below the belt line.
Deep Concealment/Carry Gear
My initial go-to when it comes to conceal carrying (especially when I know I need to have a dress shirt tucked in) is to Deep Carry. I’ll go into what deep carry is more in another article but in essence it is a method that keeps the gun mounted close to or beneath the belt line. This offers superior flexibility when it comes to outfit selection, more specifically tucking a shirt close to the stomach.
A big part of being able to deep carry well is to wear strong pants if possible, or pants with patterns/texture.
This carry position is achieved by the help of a few tools. The principle one being the gun is mounted separate from the use of a belt worn through our pants. So how do we do this and what are those tools?
The Phlster Enigma
The ability to Deep Carry is heavily dictated by a particular (and popular) piece of carry gear that many readers are probably aware of. The Phlster Enigma! That shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Enigma holster is being mentioned in an article dedicated to concealment and fashionable carry methods. There is a reason this piece of equipment has climbed the ladder of best carry solutions for many people over the years.
Phlster Enigma holster system.
This holster/chassis combo allows the user to carry their handgun independently of their clothing. Thereby disregarding or necessitating a particular belt or pants in oder to hold their gun where they desire. Of course we will still make specific choices on those clothing items, but no longer will we be limited to what horrid and unfashionable options are designed for carry by less than fashionable companies…
Carry Belt Underneath Pants
The Enigma is not the ONLY way to deep carry though. Another option is to simply wear a slim carry belt directly on your body underneath your pants. Although this is less purpose built, you can achieve much the same effect as far as concealment and accessibility.
The main difference is going to be ensuring your gun can cleanly draw from the holster without bringing the entire belt and holster up to your stomach along with it. You will also need to take great care to safely re-holster using proper technique and safety precautions when training.
When I use this method I affix a leg leash around the belt I’m using. This leash is a simple strand of shock cord with a buckle attached. This keeps the holster in place so that it does not shift or lift when I reach to draw my gun.
Hunter Constantine Carry belt with custom leg leash and an LAS Concealment Kaizen holster.
How to Conceal with a Tucked Shirt
Now we must discuss the basic options for how to tuck and stage your shirts. Keep in mind that the material, cuts and patterns along with many other factors will influence the ease of concealment/accessibility. The best thing you can do is to spend time putting together outfits and practicing your draw stroke with each complete outfit to know if it will work for you.
Carry Methods for Tucking a Dress Shirt
The main goal with tucking a shirt while carrying a gun is to ensure we look presentable, while maintaining safe access to our tools. We may take a look at how to draw from Deep Concealment in a future article but for today I will simply share two tuck options that have trade offs for concealment and access. You will need to determine which is best suited for your needs.
Tucked Behind the Gun
One smart method is to tuck your shirt first, and then mount your Enigma or slim carry belt + holster over. this ensures a clean tuck and no material will snag when drawing your gun. You will need to balance the depth your gun sits beneath your belt-line, and possibly give a slight blouse to your shirt on the gun side of your pants if needed.
Here is an example of tucking a shirt over the handgun. This limits access, but increases conceal-ability.
This is a very safe method and offers an easier draw-stroke. However, if done improperly it could have a less professional look or even worse, show the grip of your gun.
Tucked Over the Gun
Another option is to mount your gun to your body first. And then donning your shirt and tucking it over the gun. This is highly concealed and allows you to tuck your shirt as much as you want. But the trade off comes with knowing you will have to pull and potentially rip your shirt out of your pants in order to draw your gun if it snags.
You will need to experiment with how you wear your shirts, pants and belts. Concealment will be dependent on the gun you choose and what you want your outfit to look like.
I recommend when using this method that the shirt be tucked deep on the side opposite of where your gun is but again just like with the tucked behind the gun method, the gun side of the shirt should be staged in a way that bunches the material close to the belt line so there is less of a snag potential.
Practice Makes Perfect
There is a lot that goes into learning how to effectively carry concealed while dressing a tucked shirt. This is only a basic look at some of the options. Go out, try some of them for yourself and seek more information and training! If you need any additional insights just leave a comment and we will do follow-up articles. Additionally, you can check out our beginner’s guide on how to carry concealed here.
