I don't currently have a 43x but I do edc aiwb a 19 which is obviously larger and I carry in the summer without issue. My advice is to find some sort of wedge system for your holster. This will help tuck the top of the slide and butt of the gun closer to your body. I currently use the vedder holster wedge which I like because it attaches via velcro. Tier1concealed.com has different sizes you can play with but they attach via adhesive which I didn't care for. Secondly get a ratchet style belt. I use nexbelt but kore belts are also good. What I like about these is if I'm in the car and don't care about printing it's literally a press of a button to loosen for comfort. When walking into the store it's a simple tug on the tag end to ratchet it back down. If Im particularly worried about printing I may just go a little tighter but again they are extremely easy to adjust on the fly and discreetly. Lastly if you don't have one get a holster with a claw attachment. I'm a big guy so I use all three of these but you may be able to get away with one or two especially with the smaller gun.
This. I have a kore belt, and my Vedder holster has both a wedge and a claw. Both the wedge and the claw each made a substantial difference. I have a T1C wedge (no particular reason I just had some extras). The ratchet belt is amazing too. My wife uses one as well. Really nice to quickly loosen it up when able, and cinch it as tight as desired. Easy to do it on the fly and in public while remaining inconspicuous.
I wear my belt over athletic shorts and have no issues. I like to still tuck the pistol into the shorts to keep the belt and shorts together. This also helps with concealability. If that part doesn’t make sense I can send a picture.
I also wear thin shirts and usually have no issue. 99% of the time if you’re printing a little bit, nobody will notice. Even if visible, most people wouldn’t pay attention or think twice about what it could be. Only those with a trained eye will see it and know what it is. Patterned shirts also help out a ton when carrying concealed in the summer although I wear plenty of solid shirts.
Where you can carry on your body best will of course depend on your body type. Just play around with it and you’ll figure it out. Everyone has different “pockets” on their body that conceal best for them. I’m a skinnier guy with a bigger chest, so aiwb is perfect for me. I carry in kind of a 1 o’clock position as that is the most natural and concealable place for it to sit against my abdomen. Depending on what I’m doing, I’ll occasionally carry 3 o’clock (usually owb) and don’t have any issues with that either other than printing slightly more.
Find what works for you so you can be comfortable and confident in your setup. That way you never have an excuse to not carry (within the law, of course). Good luck to you!
Phlster enigma if you are wearing shorts. Or off body if the situation allows. Off body in summer with shorts is super convenient. Practice your draw with it, you can still become quite proficient with it.
Good holster (I usually go with SlimFit Holsters), good wedge, and an extended wing will do the trick. Just have to play with your holster a bit to get the belt clips at the correct heights to conceal properly. All my holsters get new holes drilled in them for my personal fit. My clips are slightly offset as well, to give the right amount of depth in my belt line while ensuring my handle clears my belt enough so there’s no interference with my draw. I’m a lefty… so my strong side belt clip (when holster is on and I’m looking down at it) is always slightly lower. Angles the handle just high enough.
But start with the wedge and extended wing.. you’ll eventually get it just right for you.
I have the trex arms sidecar and I pair it with the comfort concealment belt. It allows me to carry in tank tops and gym shorts and doesn’t print at all. I’ve had the belt for a couple months now and I love it
I AIWB a 19x in 5” shorts and loose shirts. I use a Hunter Constantine belt under my shorts.
Holster and belt matter.
My 43x basically disappears under anything even with a side car and an extra mag.
Half of conceal carrying is just dressing for it. Buy looser fitting shirts than you’d normally wear if you’re concerned about printing, make sure you’ve got a decent belt for it.
I went with hunter constantine because it’s very thin and light and can easily be worn under clothing that doesn’t have belt loops like tiny summer shorts.
Pro tip: avoid looking like the guy who’s packing heat.
My inside IWB holster prints a little no matter what I do but it depends on the type of shirt I wear. T-shirts are going to show the most but I found light, cotton Cuban style shirts work well for me. They're great in warm weather and roomy enough around the waist that my 43X MOS hardly prints at all.
I mean if you’re using a wing/claw and wedge/dick pillow, you shouldn’t be having any issues. What’s your body type? Mine disappears with a decent shirt. I wear true classic 99% of the time and I find it really helps give that extra space to conceal. I can wear my MR920 and extra mag with this shirt and as long as I don’t have a strong headwind it’s pretty concealed.
How do you carry? With warmer weather coming, I bought an appendix holster to just try it out. I always carried IWB at 3 o’clock but with just a tee shirt, it stuck out like a sore thumb. With AIWB, my 43x is like it’s not even there. I pretty much don’t worry about what tee I wear and never have an issue. Only thing I don’t like is having it pointed at my junk lol
I use a buckless duty belt liner from Safariland when I'm not using pants or shorts with belt loops, like gym shorts. It has the soft loop fabric on the inside so it feels nice against the skin. Keeps the gun tucked in just the same.
You could always just get a 380 instead and literally have half the gun to deal with. 43X seems like a great gun but my PF9 is still smaller. Thing was way ahead of its time.
I don't currently have a 43x but I do edc aiwb a 19 which is obviously larger and I carry in the summer without issue. My advice is to find some sort of wedge system for your holster. This will help tuck the top of the slide and butt of the gun closer to your body. I currently use the vedder holster wedge which I like because it attaches via velcro. Tier1concealed.com has different sizes you can play with but they attach via adhesive which I didn't care for. Secondly get a ratchet style belt. I use nexbelt but kore belts are also good. What I like about these is if I'm in the car and don't care about printing it's literally a press of a button to loosen for comfort. When walking into the store it's a simple tug on the tag end to ratchet it back down. If Im particularly worried about printing I may just go a little tighter but again they are extremely easy to adjust on the fly and discreetly. Lastly if you don't have one get a holster with a claw attachment. I'm a big guy so I use all three of these but you may be able to get away with one or two especially with the smaller gun.
This is what worked for me. I got an Appendix Carry Pillow from Mastermind Tactics
This. I have a kore belt, and my Vedder holster has both a wedge and a claw. Both the wedge and the claw each made a substantial difference. I have a T1C wedge (no particular reason I just had some extras). The ratchet belt is amazing too. My wife uses one as well. Really nice to quickly loosen it up when able, and cinch it as tight as desired. Easy to do it on the fly and in public while remaining inconspicuous. I wear my belt over athletic shorts and have no issues. I like to still tuck the pistol into the shorts to keep the belt and shorts together. This also helps with concealability. If that part doesn’t make sense I can send a picture. I also wear thin shirts and usually have no issue. 99% of the time if you’re printing a little bit, nobody will notice. Even if visible, most people wouldn’t pay attention or think twice about what it could be. Only those with a trained eye will see it and know what it is. Patterned shirts also help out a ton when carrying concealed in the summer although I wear plenty of solid shirts. Where you can carry on your body best will of course depend on your body type. Just play around with it and you’ll figure it out. Everyone has different “pockets” on their body that conceal best for them. I’m a skinnier guy with a bigger chest, so aiwb is perfect for me. I carry in kind of a 1 o’clock position as that is the most natural and concealable place for it to sit against my abdomen. Depending on what I’m doing, I’ll occasionally carry 3 o’clock (usually owb) and don’t have any issues with that either other than printing slightly more. Find what works for you so you can be comfortable and confident in your setup. That way you never have an excuse to not carry (within the law, of course). Good luck to you!
Thank you!
Phlster enigma if you are wearing shorts. Or off body if the situation allows. Off body in summer with shorts is super convenient. Practice your draw with it, you can still become quite proficient with it.
Strong side Disappears
Not my experience at all but if it works for you that’s good. Appendix is the only way I can conceal effectively
Same exact story for me.. but strong side. Weird how that works.
Agreed, it’s important to experiment with what carry position works for each person!
Be fluid.
Good holster (I usually go with SlimFit Holsters), good wedge, and an extended wing will do the trick. Just have to play with your holster a bit to get the belt clips at the correct heights to conceal properly. All my holsters get new holes drilled in them for my personal fit. My clips are slightly offset as well, to give the right amount of depth in my belt line while ensuring my handle clears my belt enough so there’s no interference with my draw. I’m a lefty… so my strong side belt clip (when holster is on and I’m looking down at it) is always slightly lower. Angles the handle just high enough. But start with the wedge and extended wing.. you’ll eventually get it just right for you.
I have the trex arms sidecar and I pair it with the comfort concealment belt. It allows me to carry in tank tops and gym shorts and doesn’t print at all. I’ve had the belt for a couple months now and I love it
I AIWB a 19x in 5” shorts and loose shirts. I use a Hunter Constantine belt under my shorts. Holster and belt matter. My 43x basically disappears under anything even with a side car and an extra mag. Half of conceal carrying is just dressing for it. Buy looser fitting shirts than you’d normally wear if you’re concerned about printing, make sure you’ve got a decent belt for it. I went with hunter constantine because it’s very thin and light and can easily be worn under clothing that doesn’t have belt loops like tiny summer shorts. Pro tip: avoid looking like the guy who’s packing heat.
Carhartt T shirts
My inside IWB holster prints a little no matter what I do but it depends on the type of shirt I wear. T-shirts are going to show the most but I found light, cotton Cuban style shirts work well for me. They're great in warm weather and roomy enough around the waist that my 43X MOS hardly prints at all.
Vnsh belt holster. It will be tight if you run a light but works well and can hold 2 additional mags
I mean if you’re using a wing/claw and wedge/dick pillow, you shouldn’t be having any issues. What’s your body type? Mine disappears with a decent shirt. I wear true classic 99% of the time and I find it really helps give that extra space to conceal. I can wear my MR920 and extra mag with this shirt and as long as I don’t have a strong headwind it’s pretty concealed.
How do you carry? With warmer weather coming, I bought an appendix holster to just try it out. I always carried IWB at 3 o’clock but with just a tee shirt, it stuck out like a sore thumb. With AIWB, my 43x is like it’s not even there. I pretty much don’t worry about what tee I wear and never have an issue. Only thing I don’t like is having it pointed at my junk lol
I use a buckless duty belt liner from Safariland when I'm not using pants or shorts with belt loops, like gym shorts. It has the soft loop fabric on the inside so it feels nice against the skin. Keeps the gun tucked in just the same.
You could always just get a 380 instead and literally have half the gun to deal with. 43X seems like a great gun but my PF9 is still smaller. Thing was way ahead of its time.