Conceal carry flask?
 

I was thinking about places to hide a conceal carry, to put a very small handgun (derringer/NAA mini sized) that wouldn't look conspicuous.

I had thought if there was a fake flask, a normal metal hip flask, this size...

http://www.creativediscountdesign.co...el%20Flask.jpg

...That had a false bottom that raised edges to hide it in and snap in place that held the weapon and maybe extra rounds. It would be safer than a concealment holster, which could potentially be shot THROUGH, as it won't shift and the interior is metal, and if it is found (police have a tendency to search people at random when they're pulled over locally), it'll just look like a flask, which isn't illegal. In fact, if it's empty, no one would even suspect it to hold anything other than liquor, so they wouldn't give it a second glance after shaking it our pouring it upside down produces no liquid.

It seemed like a neat little idea, and fairly simple. Has anyone ever seen one?

I bet this violates some kind of statute.

And hiding it from the police??? why?

How so? A conceal carry is a conceal carry.

Even with the permit, you're likely to be on the ground and harassed for a considerable amount of time if they find a weapon in this area.

There are three potential problems I see with this idea...

(1.) I think of a flask as something that is HIGHLY likely to draw attention from police, whether they see you carrying it while walking, or if they spot it in your car. Since flasks are typically used to carry liquor, it's more likely that the officer will want to look at it. Flasks may not be illegal, but they are quite suspicious. I once had a cop who briefly questioned me over a plastic water bottle (of course, this is because I was on a university campus where people have tried to hide mixed drinks in water/soda bottles).

(2.) The gun would probably rattle around in the flask, which is sure to make any police officer suspicious. Of course, you could put foam or even paper towels inside to prevent this, but it might make it more difficult to draw the gun in a hurry.

(3.) Not sure how tough it would be, but I'm pretty sure most flasks can be penetrated fairly easily by almost any of the most common handgun calibers in the U.S. (.38, .357, 9mm, .40, .45). And of course, it goes without saying that a rifle of almost any caliber will also penetrate easily.

And personally, a Derringer isn't really my idea of a good conceal carry piece. I'd rather have something more like a sub-compact Glock, and I'm pretty sure that would be too big to fit in a flask by itself (let alone with an extra mag).

What if the person mugging you decides to try and take a swig of that flask?

If someone was robbing you, I doubt you could be like, "Hold on one second kind sir, I must take a swig from my flask!" before he either robbed you, stole your shiny and expensive looking flask, or just shot you.

And a derringer in short, sucks. You can barely fit them in your hand, and they put out less than powerful rounds. I wouldn't suggest carrying one unless it's a last defense backup gun.

I'm with Matt on this, something like a subcompact Glock or even a standard handgun usually tends to be the best carry gun, and as for being searched by the cops, if you're legally carrying, all you can do is bite the bullet and put up with their shit.

Clap.
"Gimme all your flask!"
Yeah, I'm gonna have to say this sounds highly suspect.

1. If it's empty when they screw off the top and tip it over, and I'm sober, who cares?

2. Foam fitting. When the bottom slides out, the foam would come out in one piece that you can quickly toss.

3. Not a .22. It's a lot heavier shielding than a leather holster.


And what if I'm in a gun fight and I expend two guns and need a third backup? Be realistic here. I doubt I'd ever use the damn thing in the first place, but it'd just be nice to have. Also, see question #1 above.

Actually, I think this idea has some potential. It might make better *movie* kit than practical, though. Think about it. Trip the false bottom, the pocket pistol slides out (already attached to a Pocket Slipper LAM), you pull and fire. I can imagine how impressive that might look on screen, especially if a really good Hollywood armorer can rig it up as spring-loaded. The trick would be the placement of the gun - does it come out with the grip facing down, or left/right? Can the dimensions of the flask be retained and still fit the weapon snugly enough that it slides easy and doesn't rattle around? might a "flip wall" be easier, than a bottom drop? For practical use, I can see a few non-criminal niches this might fill, especially if one can keep the flask working as a flask.

Maybe I should have mentioned... I was looking for a usable movie prop. heh.

If you find some ammo for this...

Mitralleuse Gaulois
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1l-7rUoBD8...0/Gaulois2.JPG

I found this reading an old hunting magazine a few years ago. Looks nice, but the ammo is too hard to find.

(1.) Why would it be empty? I thought the point is to carry a gun in it?

(2.) Might work, but it sounds unwieldy to me.

(3.) I can't remember the stats, but .22 is not the most common caliber used by criminals. I believe .38 and 9x19mm are. I would plan for what you're most likely to be up against.

Ah, I see. Well, I guess it wouldn't be the most absurd thing I've seen in a movie. But you made it sound like it was for use in the real world.

1. Empty of fluid. IE, liquor.

2. It's... a flask. It's one solid piece with a false bottom. Then the firearm would be inside it, and the insides lined with foam. Simple stuff here.

3. Who claims I'm a criminal? I get what you're saying, if they've got it, you should, but NO ONE wants to get shot. This macho "girly gun" stuff is tiresome. If someone pulls a gun out of me, whether it's a .22 or a 10-gauge shotgun... I'm not going to say, "please, no, don... Wait, that's only a (smaller calibre than I have), go right ahead, make my day." Give me a break.

Well, after being used as a prop... I'd continue to own it.

(1.) But I thought the point is that you still don't want cops to know you're carrying a gun. In which case, you don't want them to try and empty it to find what's inside.

(2.) It sounds like it would be a pretty tight fit. The foam could get in the way of reaching inside to pull out the gun...I just can't picture it.

(3.) Uh, you completely mis-interpreted what I'm saying. Remember when you said this:

In other words, implying that you expect the flask to protect your gun if for some reason a street thug shoots and hits it. My point is, since it's likely that a criminal (meaning, NOT you) would be carrying a larger caliber than .22, then IF your flask got shot, it would most likely be penetrated. Of course, this is a highly unlikely scenario, but I'm only responding to what you said earlier.

As for the caliber, .22 is just not such a good caliber for self-defense. It isn't because it's a "girly gun" or because I'm being macho. I prefer 9x19mm pistols myself, even though many people I know think 9mm is "weak" and think I should be using .40 S&W, .357 SIG, or .45 ACP. But .22 is basically the opposite extreme. Especially if you're getting jacked by some crackhead who's too high to feel much pain.

Fair enough, but I wouldn't risk using it in real life if/when you do get a carry permit. It just doesn't seem that practical to me.