Glock 19 Concealed Carry

The Glock 19 is an interesting concealed carry option in that it’s a middle-of-the-road size gun, unlike its smaller counterparts, the Glock 43 and 43x models. 

On-body concealed carry hasn’t always been fun for me. I have an average to medium-sized build, and I never thought I’d conceal carry appendix. 

I’ve found with concealing for some time, and now I’ve realized that bouncing between different carry methods works best for me. 

Depending on which gun I’m carrying, most certainly a Glock but not always the same model, will largely depend on where I carry concealed that day. This article would apply to other polymer-framed pistols, such as the FN 509.

Let’s dig into concealing Glock 19’s specifically. If you aren’t carrying a Glock pistol, we have you covered head over to the best concealed carry holsters article.

The Glock 19 now has competition in its lineup, the Glock 45.

Benefits of Glock 19 Concealed Carry

Some of the benefits of carrying a Glock 19 over the Glock 43 or the Glock 43X are:

• Increased Magazine Capacity
• Control and Recoil Mitigation
• Aftermarket Accessories
• Light Mounting Optics

Here is a quick chart of the Glock 19 and the Glock 43:

	Glock 19	Glock 43
Weight w/ Magazine	29.4 oz	20.9 oz
Height	4.89″	4.10″
Overall Length	6.99″	6.26″
Grip Width	1.18″	.92″
Slide Width	1.00″	.87″
Magazine Capacity	15+1	6+1

The Glock 19 is a “have your cake and eat it too” gun. It’s big enough to give the full-size guns a run for their money in terms of controllability and magazine capacity, but it’s small enough to conceal.

But it’s also not unconformable for someone with smaller-sized hands (sheepishly raises hand) to shoot and feel comfortable carrying daily.

Glocks are known to be workhorses and take a beating and just keep on keeping on.

I like to compare them to the AK of the pistol world. Not the most accurate precision gun on the block, but it will always go *bang* when you need it to and still be accurate enough.

Performance and Reliability are key factors I look for when selecting a concealed carry pistol. Performance and reliability are why the Glock 19 is one of the most popular handguns on the market today.

The release of the Glock Gen 5 brings a whole new life to the Glock 19. If you want to know the difference between the Glock 19 Gen 4 and Gen 5 read our article.

Concealed Carry an Overview

Concealed carry can be a sore topic for some, literally. Carrying a firearm is not really the most comfortable proposition.

It’s a tool you want to keep on you to ensure you and your loved ones are always safe and secure.

Concealing a pistol really comes down to a few things that you’ll want to get right to make it as comfortable as humanly possible:

• Concealed Carry Holster
• Pants
• Belt

Most likely in that order, but everyone is different so I won’t start a war in the comments section, I’ll leave the level of importance as subjective.

Let’s start by looking at two different carry methods IWB, or inside the waistband, and OWB, or outside the waistband.

Both of these have their pros and cons and you’ll need to decide which method you’d like to carry before you purchase a Glock 19 holster.

Glock 19 IWB 

Carrying the Glock 19 inside the waistband can sometimes be tricky, depending on your body size and build. 

Personally, as someone who is 5’8” tall and 200 pounds, appendix carry can sometimes be a pain. But appendix carry is only one option when it comes to inside the waistband carrying. 

Inside the waistband, carry has multiple positions, but the two most popular are appendix and 3 o’clock carry, which is carried at the rear of the hip.

Appendix Carry

When I do carry IWB appendix I prefer to carry it with the Harry’s Holsters Infiltratior. 

I prefer the singleton because it is the most comfortable IWB holster for me. 

The piping along the trigger guard provides a relatively pain-free carry while sitting or standing for long periods of time.

With the Infiltrator, you can also wear it with a tucked-in polo shirt or an untucked shirt to aid in the concealability of your gun.

3 O’Clock Carry

Many people who have extra body weight like to carry at the 3 o’clock because it’s more comfortable, and the love handles tend to be much more forgiving than your gut.

I personally like the 3 o’clock carry with a 45˚ cant on the holster. I think it’s the perfect angle to establish a master grip on the Glock 19 while carrying at the 3 o’clock.

A big consideration for this concealed carry position is the type of shirt you’ll be wearing. This is not a good position for a tucked-in shirt.

If you are wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt or a light jacket this will work great for most people.

Sitting down with a gun at the 3 o’clock will likely not cause you any back or love handle pain. Which makes this carry position an extremely attractive option.

Glock 19 OWB

Carrying a Glock 19 outside the waistband is as interesting as concealed carry IWB. People fail to realize that nearly half the year, you can conceal carry outside the waistband.

Concealed carry doesn’t start and end with inside-the-waistband carry.

If you have a light jack or even often, a baggy shirt will get the job done for concealing some OWB carry options.

Tight OWB Holsters

I’m not a holster nerd, but I know a thing or just one thing about OWB holsters. The pancake-style Kydex holster design allows the holster to sit tight up against your body and not protrude out like a duty-style holster.

These holsters typically have belt loop slots that allow you to attach them to a belt, giving you the lowest possible profile while still being outside of your clothing/waistband.

Personally, I carry this type of holster every day, and it’s easy to conceal with an untucked shirt or even a lightweight jacket.

If the weather doesn’t call for a jacket, a t-shirt that’s 1 size larger than needed typically does the job. Just be mindful your Glock 19 may print on occasion using this type of concealed carry method.

Competition Holsters

I will lump any holster that can attach via a paddle or has any drop into this category.

These are not ideal for concealed carry as they accomplish the opposite of what you’re trying to do when purchasing a Glock 19 holster for concealed carry.

These holsters create space between your body and the gun, and the theory behind creating space between the gun and the body making it easier and faster to establish your master grip on the firearm and present it to the target.

This space to establish a better grip would be great for self-defense as well, but the problem is that to accomplish this, it limits or often removes entirely your ability to conceal carry the firearm.

Level 2/3 Holsters

You will likely only see level 2 or level 3 holsters as duty-style holsters for law enforcement and military carry applications.

If you are looking to conceal carry your Glock 19 do not purchase a level 2 or 3 holster. These holsters suffer from the same issues as the paddle holsters. They don’t sit close to the body and are hard to conceal even under bulky jacket.

Concealed Carry Belts

Belts are often key to making your concealed setup work. Some holsters utilize the ulti clip that will allow you to clip them to basketball-style pants for runners and athletes who need to carry them while active.

But I’ve found that carrying my Glock 19 using 1 of 2 belts works the absolute best for me.

My absolute favorite leather belt is the Mean Gene Leather “Reinforced” Shooters Belt. I wear this belt almost daily and have had the same one for 3 years, and it’s still holding up like an absolute beast.

I would never wear one of the reversible belts because the “reversible” mechanism on most of them is not made to have consent pressure put on them. Which causes them to fail eventually, and you do not want your belt to be your failure point in a life-and-death situation.

You’ll need the belt tight in case you ever have to draw your Glock 19. The belt will provide the appropriate force to hold the holster in place while the gun slides free.

The other belt I wear, largely due to being allergic to some metals, is a nylon tactical belt with a plastic tri-glide style closure.

Get whatever works best for your retention needs, and it may take some trial and error, but the above suggestions are some great places to start.

Concealed Carry Pants

No, you don’t need to buy a bunch of TruSpec or 5.11 pants to have a CCW.

I won’t harp on which pants you need to buy.

But what I would stress is waist size and the fit of your pants overall.

If you are carrying anything that’s an inch or more in width, you’ll need to make sure your pants will accommodate the additional mass being shoved in your pants.

The most forgiving area of the pants is typically the appendix area near your zipper.

While there’s no specific brand of pants or shorts for that matter, that will help you with better Glock 19 concealed carry, there are definitely things you want to keep in mind that will help you conceal better.

Also, keep in mind the tighter your pants are (I’m looking at you skinny jeans Chad) the harder it will be to keep your Glock from printing while carrying.

At the end of the day, the only person who can determine the best-concealed carry option for you is you.

Anyone who says otherwise isn’t looking out for your best interest.

This article is meant to show you a few of your options and give you a starting point for concealing your Glock 19.

Another consideration is getting concealed carry insurance. This is not a requirement and I don’t ever want it to be but shielding yourself from civil and criminal liability if the worst ever happens is an important thing to consider.

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