There is no perfect set-up for everyone, only what works for you. Sadly the way to find what works is often trial and error.
Having a sturdy, high-quality gun belt is step one if you plan to carry either outside (OWB) or inside the waistband (IWB). I am almost exclusively an OWB guy these days.
In my experience knowing where on the beltline is most comfortable is more important than the type of holster. I started out with the typical strong side behind the hip at 4 o'clock. These days I usually carry strong side in front of my hip at 2 o'clock. It gives me some of the same benefits of appendix carry, but more comfortable for me and I'm not pointing my pistol at my daddy parts. I can carry a full sized pistol this way all day with no problem and very little printing. But I'm 6'2" and 250 lbs. Someone 5'7" who is 160 lbs might not find that comfortable.
I carry a gun for a worst case scenario, so personally that means having the highest capacity and biggest gun I can conceal and fight with confidently should the need arise. I carried a Glock 19 for years and that's a great CC pistol. I have moved onto an H&K VP9 which is slightly larger, but I shoot it better and have many hours of training time with it.
Small guns are easy to carry, but when used with a IWB holster it can be difficult to get a good firing grip on the gun before the draw stroke. A gun that's easy to carry won't mean much if you can't consistently get it out and into the fight should you need it.
I'd recommend taking a few basic pistol or defensive pistol classes. Find a gun you shoot well and then figure out how you think you want to carry it. Try it for a while and see how you like it. Just be prepared to make changes along the way until you get your set-up really dialed in.
Having a sturdy, high-quality gun belt is step one if you plan to carry either outside (OWB) or inside the waistband (IWB). I am almost exclusively an OWB guy these days.
In my experience knowing where on the beltline is most comfortable is more important than the type of holster. I started out with the typical strong side behind the hip at 4 o'clock. These days I usually carry strong side in front of my hip at 2 o'clock. It gives me some of the same benefits of appendix carry, but more comfortable for me and I'm not pointing my pistol at my daddy parts. I can carry a full sized pistol this way all day with no problem and very little printing. But I'm 6'2" and 250 lbs. Someone 5'7" who is 160 lbs might not find that comfortable.
I carry a gun for a worst case scenario, so personally that means having the highest capacity and biggest gun I can conceal and fight with confidently should the need arise. I carried a Glock 19 for years and that's a great CC pistol. I have moved onto an H&K VP9 which is slightly larger, but I shoot it better and have many hours of training time with it.
Small guns are easy to carry, but when used with a IWB holster it can be difficult to get a good firing grip on the gun before the draw stroke. A gun that's easy to carry won't mean much if you can't consistently get it out and into the fight should you need it.
I'd recommend taking a few basic pistol or defensive pistol classes. Find a gun you shoot well and then figure out how you think you want to carry it. Try it for a while and see how you like it. Just be prepared to make changes along the way until you get your set-up really dialed in.
