Concealed Carry
Georgia: Comprehensive Pro-Gun Law Takes Effect Today.
HB-60, the most comprehensive pro-gun legislation in state history, goes into effect today, July 1.
HB 60, signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal (R) on April 23, enacts the following pro-gun reforms for law-abiding gun owners in Georgia:
Spoiler:
Off-duty police officers and plain clothes detectives, as well as lawfully carrying civilians really need to pay heed to this. When you openly carry a firearm everyone knows that you have it. Like it or not your firearm will be the elephant in the room. It will get noticed. This is bad for a number of reasons reasons, and isn’t good for any reason.
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Introduction To The S&W Shield:
For a while these were highly sought after and nearly impossible to find. They are much easier to locate now.
The Shield uses single stack magazines to help create a much slim and easy to conceal frame. The magazines are not compatible with the other M&P pistols that use double stack magazines.’
The pistol is available in 9mm or .40 S&W.
The trigger has a very distinct reset (like a Glock) that is missing on the factory triggers of the full-size and compact size M&P pistols.
Smith & Wesson recommends that you limit your use of +P ammunition as it will wear out the pistol much faster (unlike a Glock in which you can use +P ammunition all of the time). S&W says not to use +P+ ammunition at all.
I recently bought a Smith & Wesson Shield in 9mm. I don’t normally get giddy about guns, but I can’t believe how great it shoots, and how easily is conceals in a Kydex in-the-waistband holster. It won’t replace the Smith & Wesson 642 J-frame revolver that’s been in my pocket for 20 years, or the Glock 26 that also rides in a Kydex IWB holster, but it will definitely be a frequent part of my everyday carry. Just like when you have another baby, you don’t love your other children any less. Your heart creates more love for the new child. My heart has created new love for the Shield.
The following YouTube videos provide some good reviews of the new S&W Shield pistol.
If you have carried a handgun for any significant portion of you life, then you probably have the ubiquitous shoebox in the closet full of holsters that you spent hard-earned money for, used for short time, and then vanquished to the shoebox.
After years of carrying I have found that a good pocket holster for my J-frame S&W .38 special, and in-the-waistband (IWB) holsters for the same J-frame and for a small or mid-size Glock will fulfill 99% of my carry needs. Occasionally I might carry a handgun outside the waistband on a belt type holster, such as when camping and hiking, but most of the time I want the deep concealment of a IWB type holster.
Several followers of this blog are shopping for IWB holsters at the same time. “J²” was generous enough to share his research into many of the IWB offerings from the major manufacturers, as well as some cottage industry companies.
Shown below are his findings, showing holster names, prices, and photos. Click on the name of the holster to take you to their website. Click on photos to enlarge.
Research by J²
The Savannah Arsenal Project 