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NOOB here...greatly enjoy reading the forums and all of the input!

I do not see very much talk about carrying in the Small of the Back. What are the prevailing thoughts out there about this style of carry? I have read these forums enough to know that all of you have an opinion and I am curious to hear them.

Thanks!

1. It is hard to draw without sweeping yourself.

2. Uncomfortable while sitting.

3. Gun grab is easy

4. Impractical while driving.

5. Chance of spinal injury if you fall on the gun.

6. Did I mention sweeping self while drawing? Gun grab? Spinal injury?

Welcome!

Yes, there are many opinions about small-of-the-back carry.

Mine: It is not very comfortable. I have a 30+ minute drive to the nearest store (of any type). It hurts like heck when driving. Even if I remove it when driving, the holster alone is still not very comfortable. I prefer OWB at about 8:30 (I am left handed). If necessary, IWB at the same position.

I like small of back carry for a backup gun.

That about sums it up.

Thanks for all of your input. I was really just curious as to why most people don't carry SOB. I enjoy the opinions of others more experienced than me.

For me, SoB is near useless as a concealment method because as soon as you bend over or squat down, it'll be obvious that something's there. Maybe if I knew I wouldn't have bend at all, it'd be handy, but that pretty much never happens to me... There's not a store that I go to that doesn't have a bottom shelf, I'm moving stuff around and picking things up all the time at work, and I'm not interested in having a separate "social occasion" carry position.

I've experimented with various carry positions and I have settled on 3:30-4:00 IWB (very easy to conceal my M&P ) and about 3:00 OWB. Not only is SOB dangerous (you fall into it and you have health issues) , it's uncomfortable.

JKB67 wrote:Thanks for all of your input. I was really just curious as to why most people don't carry SOB. I enjoy the opinions of others more experienced than me.

It covers up their tattoo.

Of course I could be wrong, but I think the risk of back injury due to SOB carry is an urban myth that has been perpetuated by lots of conjecture and speculation. I have never heard of an actual incident where this occurred. Maybe the LEOs have a larger sample pool than CHLs to show that this is true.

MoJo wrote:1. It is hard to draw without sweeping yourself.

2. Uncomfortable while sitting.

3. Gun grab is easy

4. Impractical while driving.

5. Chance of spinal injury if you fall on the gun.

6. Did I mention sweeping self while drawing? Gun grab? Spinal injury?

While I respect your opinion, I disagree with every one of these. I carry SOB every day. I've never swept myself or anyone else. I find sitting to be very comfortable, even while driving. And as for someone grabbing my gun, Pawpaw tried and nearly jerked me off my feet... But he didn't get my gun.

BTW, my EDC is a Kimber Stainless II (1911 w/ a 5" barrell) in a Galco SOB.

WildBill wrote:Of course I could be wrong, but I think the risk of back injury due to SOB carry is an urban myth that has been perpetuated by lots of conjecture and speculation. I have never heard of an actual incident where this occurred. Maybe the LEOs have a larger sample pool than CHLs to show that this is true.

johncanfield wrote:I've experimented with various carry positions and I have settled on 3:30-4:00 IWB (very easy to conceal my M&P ) and about 3:00 OWB. Not only is SOB dangerous (you fall into it and you have health issues) , it's uncomfortable.

Although its not a primary method of carry for me, I feel SOB does have its place. I really don't understand why folks believe it is dangerous.

I carry a big ole Beretta 92FS SOB IWB in a big ole Uncle Mike holster. These nylon holsters come with a lot of padding. I have a troublesome back and don't look forward to falling on it under any conditions. .. It seems to me my holster and and gun, might offer some padded protection in case of a fall, it wouldn't be more dangerous than a backpack.

The other issue commonly brought up is the danger of sweeping oneself. While I suppose its possible I don't understand why this would be any more likely than strong side holstering. I suppose if I were running I might sweep a foot or calf for a momment .. The same might be true, if one were moving laterally while drawing strongside.

The reasons one might wish to carry SOB:
It is an easy place to conceal carry a large gun.
It doesn't rub or chafe
Guns conceal real well if you are facing people all day such as behind a store counter.
Most comfortable if one is on their feet a lot.

Disadvantages are:
Slow to present
Uncomfortable to drive or sit for a long time.
Can result in a bulge in a most peculiar place.

People who carry guns all the time for serious social purposes and who often go into harm's way tend to experiment a lot with a variety of concealed carry methods. They eventually figure out what works for them and then stick with one or a very small set of options for years.

In my experience, very few LEO's (I can't think of any right now) go with SOB carry as the method that worked out best. They all know about the technique - they just don't use it.

There's a subtle clue here that the method may have more real world drawbacks than advantages.

That's not to say that it might not be a viable choice for some. What I can say with certainty is that it's just not popular in the LEO circles I've been part of, and those circles contain a lot of true "gun guys.".

Excaliber wrote:People who carry guns all the time for serious social purposes and who often go into harm's way tend to experiment a lot with a variety of concealed carry methods. They eventually figure out what works for them and then stick with one or a very small set of options for years.

In my experience, very few LEO's (I can't think of any right now) go with SOB carry as the method that worked out best. They all know about the technique - they just don't use it.

There's a subtle clue here that the method may have more real world drawbacks than advantages.

That's not to say that it might not be a viable choice for some. What I can say with certainty is that it's just not popular in the LEO circles I've been part of, and those circles contain a lot of true "gun guys.".

LEOs probably don't carry because they tend to spend a lot of time behind a desk or a windshield. SOB can be uncomfortable when one spends much time on their buttocks.