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Sunday Shoot a Round # 241
Traditionally, big handguns were for carrying openly and smaller handguns were for concealment because — well, duh — smaller things are easier to hide (and they’re also less weight and bulk to carry). However, the wise concealed carriers ask themselves, “Why exactly am I carrying a handgun in the first place?” The obvious answer is, “Because I might have to shoot something to stay alive.”
If the purpose of the gun is not only to shoot but to hit the target when it is desperately important to do so — and since we know that, as a general rule, larger handguns are easier to shoot fast and straight — we have a definite collision of needs here.
Which brings us to the question of how to comfortably and discreetly carry larger handguns concealed.
There may be other reasons. In law enforcement, the rookie cop is generally a relatively young adult, often with no firearms experience, now in an occupation where they realize they are expected to take action when violent felonies occur in their presence — even when they happen to be off-duty.
While more police officers are issued compact handguns for off-duty carry today than ever before, the majority of law enforcement agencies still issue only one handgun, normally a full-size service pistol. The entry level officer is at the low end of the pay scale, often with young children and substantial life expenses, and purchasing another firearm and the attendant accessories can be a significant financial burden.
Finding the Balance
In the old days of the service revolver, young cops learned that buying an inside the waistband holster (IWB) allowed them to carry their four-inch barrel .38 or .357 Magnum concealed in ordinary clothing, and to be armed with the very same gun they were most familiar with through department training and qualification.
Let’s fast-forward to the concealed carry world of today. Even if you are at your peak earning years and you can afford a vast array of guns of all sizes and holsters of all types, you have to balance comfort with discreet concealment and, what we’ll call for lack of a better word, shootability.
If you shoot a helluva lot better with a bigger gun, perhaps one with an optical sight or even an attached flashlight, concessions are going to have to be made somewhere.
For decades, starting at a very young age before anyone pinned a badge on me, I carried a full-size 1911 .45 auto. I did so during a few decades as an active part-time cop whenever I was allowed by the agency to do so. There were periods when I had to carry a department issue double-action .45, full size, and of course did. For some of those years the mandated service weapon was a .357 Magnum revolver with four-inch barrel. In each case, I learned to carry and be comfortable with the department issue gun on my own time.
Here’s how.
Dressing Around the Gun
If I recall correctly, Detroit Police Lieutenant and gunfight winner Evan Marshall was the first expert to coin the term “dressing around the gun.” Your clothing was designed to fit you and make you look good. Now a couple of pounds of oddly shaped metal have been added. To dress around that requires changes in sizes and styles of clothing.
IWB means that a longer handgun is down inside your pants and you don’t need as long a lower hem on your concealing garment to cover it. There’s a price to pay, though: you bought your pants with a waistband to fit you, and for them now to fit you and the pistol — and probably a spare magazine — it will have to be larger. Figure two inches larger in the waistband dimension.
AIWB. If you want a full-length grip frame to accommodate a higher cartridge capacity magazine, you’ve increased the height of the gun, a measurement that encompasses the butt of the pistol to the top of the pistol. A modern optical sight will significantly increase that height.
This is one reason why appendix inside the waistband carry (AIWB) is now so popular: most people have a broader expanse across the front of their torso than their measurement from belly button to spine. The greater height of the fully equipped modern pistol is now better concealed — but a closed front concealing garment is now required. That means an untucked closed-front shirt, a hoodie, a pullover sweater, or something similar.
An excellent choice is the PHLster Enigma, an ingenious system that can hide a good-size pistol under a shirt.
I’ve had occasion to carry a four-inch barrel .44 Magnum revolver. The big six-shooter concealed well in a Milt Sparks Summer Special inside the waistband holster, with a sport coat or un-tucked open front flannel shirt hiding it. Not the most comfortable carry, but certainly tolerable.
FBI tilt – butt a bit forward, muzzle canted to the rear — is a distinct concealment aid if you carry strong-side hip. It helps keep the butt inside the fabric drape coming down from the lats.
Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast. Back in the 1960’s, Roy Baker’s patented Pancake holster popularized belt loops fore and aft instead of level with the holstered pistol. It helps to pull the holstered gun’s silhouette tighter into the body for better concealment. One such loop, as on the classic Askins Avenger designed by Richard Nichols, is good; loops front and back work even better.
And for the Distaff Side
For the ladies reading this, there are separate concerns. The average female is smaller than the average male, and a four-inch barrel striker-fired 9mm her big brother considers “compact” becomes more like “huge” for her. Most of the handguns and most of the holsters were designed by and for men. Moreover, your typical female has higher and more prominent hips than a male the same height. A concealment hip holster that puts the gun’s butt in his kidney area will put the same gun up into her floating ribs.
Solution? Instead of awkwardly rocking the shoulders sideways to clear a long-barrel pistol, incorporate hip movement into the draw. If you’re right-handed, drop the hips down and left as you draw, down and right if you’re a southpaw. Now, instead of the draw being all lifting a big gun out of its scabbard, the draw becomes part that and part your lower body pulling the holster down and away from around the gun. It’s also less of a flag movement than the shoulder rock: you don’t want to “telegraph your punch” by allowing an assailant to see you drawing any sooner than he has to.
By the way, this technique also works for males who like a very high-riding hip holster.
General Tips
There are going to be fashion sacrifices. Skin-tight clothing and concealed handguns simply don’t play well together. To conceal a full-size handgun, you want the concealing garment (un-tucked polo shirt, jacket, whatever) to be about one size larger than perfect fit without the gun. That gives you enough fabric drape for better concealment. The Fashion Police will probably only give you a warning instead of dragging you into Fashion Court, but no one is likely to look at you and scream “OMG, they’ve got a gun!”
If you carry on the hip, don’t reach for high shelves in public with the hand on the holster side. That tends to pull up the concealing garment and reveal the pistol. Use the other arm. Bending over at the waist causes “printing” of holstered guns at hip or small of back, so pretend you’re a back patient and kneel or bend the knees to prevent the printing.
Conclusion
My old friend Clint Smith is one of the all-time great instructors in armed self-defense. He’s famous for saying, among other things, “The defensive handgun should be comforting, not necessarily comfortable.” He practices what he preaches. Every time I’ve been with him, he was carrying a full-size 1911 .45, a full-size Springfield Armory XD45, or a large frame big-bore revolver with a four-inch barrel. And, you know something? He never said the gun couldn’t be comfortable as well as comforting.
If a larger pistol gives you more confidence in your ability to hit your target rapidly under stress, and/or a greater power level that you find more reassuring, and/or a larger ammunition reservoir that you think you might need … well, that’s comforting.
Following the above advice, I’ve found that it can be comfortable, too.
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M47 – The Most Boring Tank Ever?
Ballistic Coefficient (BC) is a mathematical measure of a bullet’s ability to overcome air resistance in flight. Think of it as an aerodynamic efficiency rating: a higher BC means the bullet cuts through the air better, retains its velocity longer, and drifts less in the wind.
If you are shooting at 100 yards, BC doesn’t matter much. But if you want to shoot past 300 yards, compete in PRS, or hunt ethically at extended ranges, Ballistic Coefficient is the single most important number printed on your box of ammunition.
Here is exactly how Ballistic Coefficient works, the difference between G1 and G7, and how to use it to hit your target.
How Does Ballistic Coefficient Work? (The Physics)
Once a bullet leaves the muzzle, two primary forces act upon it: gravity (which pulls it down) and aerodynamic drag (which slows it down). Gravity is a constant, but drag is a variable that depends entirely on the bullet’s design.
If there is wind outside and the bullet is traveling a notable distance, wind is another force acting on it.
To calculate how well a bullet fights drag, ballisticians use a simple formula: BC = SD / i
- SD (Sectional Density): This is the bullet’s weight relative to its diameter. For a given caliber, a heavier bullet will have a higher Sectional Density. Heavy objects carry more momentum and are harder to slow down.
- i (Form Factor): This is the aerodynamic shape of the bullet. A long, pointy bullet with a boat-tail has a very low (efficient) form factor. A short, flat-nosed bullet has a high (inefficient) form factor.
The Takeaway: To get a high Ballistic Coefficient, you need a heavy, long, and pointed bullet. A light, short, and flat bullet will always have a low Ballistic Coefficient.
High BC vs. Low BC: What’s the Difference on the Range?
Many beginners mistakenly believe that muzzle velocity is the most important factor for long-range shooting. It isn’t. A slower bullet with a high BC will almost always outperform a faster bullet with a low BC at distance.
To prove this, let’s compare two common .308 Winchester loads at 500 yards: a traditional 150gr Flat Base Soft Point (Low BC) and a modern 175gr Sierra MatchKing (High BC).
| Metric | 150gr Flat Base Soft Point (Low BC: ~0.314 G1) |
175gr Sierra MatchKing (High BC: ~0.505 G1) |
|---|---|---|
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,820 fps | 2,600 fps |
| Velocity at 500 Yards | 1,520 fps (Losing speed fast) | 1,750 fps (Retains speed) |
| Energy at 500 Yards | 770 ft-lbs | 1,190 ft-lbs (+54% more energy) |
| Bullet Drop at 500 Yds | -52.5 inches | -58.2 inches* |
| Wind Drift (10mph at 500 Yds) | 28.5 inches (Blown off target) | 18.4 inches (Cuts the wind) |
*Note: The heavier 175gr bullet has slightly more drop at 500 yards because it starts with a slower muzzle velocity. However, because of its high BC, it retains energy far better and drifts 10 inches less in the wind—making it vastly superior for long-range precision. Calculated using BallistX.
As you can see, wind drift is the real killer at long range. A high BC bullet acts like a dart cutting through the wind, while a low BC bullet acts like a parachute being blown off target.
G1 vs G7 Ballistic Coefficient: What’s the Difference?
If you look at a box of modern precision rifle bullets, you will often see two different Ballistic Coefficient numbers listed: a G1 BC and a G7 BC.
To understand the difference, you need to know how BC is calculated. Ballistic Coefficient isn’t just an arbitrary number; it is a comparison. It compares your bullet’s flight to the flight of a “Standard Projectile.” The problem is that bullets come in very different shapes, so ballistic engineers use different “Standard Projectiles” (drag models) to get an accurate comparison.
The G1 Standard (The Old School Bullet)
The G1 drag model is based on a standard projectile that looks like an old artillery shell. It has a flat base and a relatively blunt, short nose.
- When to use G1: You should use the G1 BC if you are shooting flat-based bullets, pistol bullets, muzzleloader projectiles, or blunt lever-action bullets (like a .30-30 flat nose).
- The flaw with G1: Because a G1 standard projectile is so un-aerodynamic, its drag changes drastically as it slows down. If you use a G1 BC for a modern long-range bullet, the calculator has to constantly adjust the BC based on velocity, which introduces math errors at extended distances.
The G7 Standard (The Modern Precision Bullet)
The G7 drag model is based on a standard projectile that looks like a modern long-range rifle bullet. It has a long, pointed nose (ogive) and a tapered boat-tail base.
- When to use G7: You should use the G7 BC for any modern, pointy, boat-tail bullet. This includes almost all bullets used in PRS, NRL Hunter, and modern long-range hunting (e.g., Hornady ELD-M/ELD-X, Berger Hybrids, Sierra MatchKings).
- The advantage of G7: Because the G7 standard projectile actually matches the shape of modern bullets, the drag remains much more constant as the bullet slows down. This gives you significantly more accurate drop data in your ballistic calculator at 600+ yards.
The Golden Rule: If the bullet has a boat-tail, use the G7 BC. If it has a flat base, use the G1 BC. (Do not let the larger G1 number trick you—they are simply on different mathematical scales).
Does Ballistic Coefficient Change with Velocity?
Yes. Ballistic Coefficient is not a static, magical number. As a bullet flies downrange, it loses velocity. When a bullet slows down and approaches the transonic barrier (around 1,200 fps), the way air flows around it changes dramatically, which alters its drag profile.
This is why advanced weather meters and solvers (like a Kestrel with Applied Ballistics) use custom drag models rather than relying on a single static BC number. However, for 99% of shooters engaging targets inside of 1,000 yards, using an accurate G7 BC in a quality ballistic app is more than enough to get first-round impacts.
How to Use BC to Hit Your Target
Knowing your bullet’s Ballistic Coefficient is useless if you don’t do the math. You cannot calculate wind drift and bullet drop in your head.
To get your exact scope holds, you need a ballistic solver. Input your bullet’s G7 BC, your muzzle velocity, and your current environmental data (altitude, temperature) into our BallistX Calculator. The physics engine will run the math and tell you exactly how many MOA or MRAD to dial on your scope to hit your target.
Frequently Asked Questions
AJ Deysel is a competitive rifle shooter in the PRS and NRL Hunter series, a lifelong hunter, and a recognized ballistics specialist whose load development expertise has been featured by industry leaders like Hornady. He is the founder and lead editor of LoadDevelopment.com