concealed pistol holster

[steve1 5]

I bought a couple of concealed holsters a while back. I thought I'd see what you guys thought. I've got some great advice here, over the years.

This is for gun enthusiasts only.....I don't give a rip what anti-gun crazies think.

I'm figuring out that a Glock is a wonderful pistol, but sometimes hard to conceal.

The first holster I bought was a Bianchi cross draw holster. It's super easy to reach, either sitting or standing. I love it. Maybe I should have got one with a thumb snap. This one doesn't. A small screw can be tightened on this holster to hold it more securely.

I think one of the draw backs of the cross draw, is that your gun might be taken away from you, if you are physically assaulted.....but it sure is handy. It would take a coat or vest to hide it. Even with that it might still be visable. This probably isn't the easiest holster to hide. I still like it.....

The other holster I bought was a Black Hawk holster. This is a rigid holster that has a trigger finger release on it. It holds your pistol tightly, and securely, til your trigger finger releases the button. The pistol can be drawn very quickly, once you get the hang of it. With a screwdriver you can adjust the angle the holster will sit. I really, really like this holster too. I've seen a lot of cops with this holster, so it must be a good one.

Nothing is perfect though. Both of these have some draw backs. Neither are very easy to hide.

I thought I'd add that I bought a new Glock 19(gen 4). I know they had some ejection problems, in the beginning, but I think they now have the bugs out. It shoots like a dream. Malfunction free, so far....
The new Glock seemed to group slightly to the left, for me. I read one review where that shooter noticed the same thing. The back sight is windage adjustable, so I moved it slightly. It should be on the money now. I love the feel of that GEN 4 grip, and heft of this pistol. It seems perfect!

Both my Glock 26 and Glock 19 will fit in both of these holsters.

I tried a couple of other holsters. I'm sure there are more concealable ones on the market. I like these because you can draw fast, and they are comfortable to wear.

I was curious what your ideas are on all this....

[oldwomanc6 38]

Quote

This is for gun enthusiasts only.....I don't give a rip what anti-gun crazies think.

If you don't want this to devolve into the same ol'-same ol', then you might want to go back and edit your thread title and add "[On Topic]".

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[angryelf 0]

Try Blade Tec's IWB. They're about $60. Cut the sweat flap to fit so it doesn't dig into your hip. Awesome way to go. I'm a thin guy, can conceal a glock or 1911 comfortably with this.

"Sometimes you eat the bar,
and well-sometimes the bar eats you..."

[fpritchett64 0]

I use a Bianchi iwb (inside waistband holster) for my glock 27. It'll fit all sizes of the glock. Has tons of padding and I hardly know its there. I wear a pair of blue jeans a regular sized t-shirt with no issues. I can't remember the model but I'll get that for you when I get home tomorrow sometime.

I'll attach some pics if I can shrink the size.

The holster is a Bianchi model 135 allusion.

Edited to add pics and holster model

[AggieDave 6]

I hate Blackhawk's Serpa line of holsters. I hate their retention and I hate the trigger finger button. A number of people have had negligent discharges while drawing out of those holsters.

Blade Tech IWB is a top quality product, so is Raven Concealment. I have a Blade Tech IWB that I use every day with a full frame 1911. It basically disappears on me, but then again I'm a bigger guy. If you dress correctly and have the right holster, you can even make a Glock 21 disappear on your person. I know I do.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Quote

This is for gun enthusiasts only.....I don't give a rip what anti-gun crazies think.

If you don't want this to devolve into the same ol'-same ol', then you might want to go back and edit your thread title and add "[On Topic]".

this would be a very good use of the option. But he's started a couple of these sort of topic questions before and people have been pretty good, if memory serves.

[rushmc 18]

I finally got may Springfield XDs. I purchased and inside the waist White Hat holster for it

Want the gun more secure, tighten your belt

Very comfortable, easy draw and well made

Expensive IMO

At about $100

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[beowulf 1]

I use a Galco King Tuk for every day concealed carry. It's very comfortable. I mostly carry it with my shirt tucked in over the top of it. That reduces the ability to draw the gun quickly, but it's virtually undetectable and that is very important when working in an office. My everyday carry gun is a Glock 26.

[wolfriverjoe 1,351]

Well...

I said in the thread about carry guns that the best gun for you is the one you like best.

This is even more true for holsters (and placement of them).

Body shape plays a part, so does your flexibility. The type of gun and it's size, the clothes you wear, and the position you spend the most time in all factor in.

And everything is a tradeoff. Speed, comfort, concealability

Personally, I don't like the "retention gimmick" holsters for civilian carry. For a cop, who is carrying open, who has to interact very closely with (and often ends up wresting with) less than wonderful segments of the population, that extra retention can be valuable. For the average civilan, it breeds complacency. Preventing take aways is more in how you behave than how your gun is secured. Don't let unknown people close in on your "gun side", keep an elbow down over the gun when someone is close, that sort of thing.
Because anyone who has worked with the holster can get the gun out without any difficulties.
I had a guy at the range showing off his Serpa to me, telling me how secure it was (and this was the one with the hood over the back of the slide too). He let me get close enough that I grabbed his wrist with my left hand, yanked it forward and used my right hand to draw the gun out (I was standing facing him, just behind his right hip, perfect snatch position).

Crossdraw can be useful, but it's harder to hide, and you have to practice your draw motion a lot to make sure you don't sweep the muzzle across your weak arm while getting the gun out. There are numerous cases of a cross draw resulting in the person putting a bullet into their own elbow (shoulder holsters have the same issue).

Personally, I prefer behind the strong hip (FBI style). It is fairly fast, very comfortable most of the time, fairly secure (it's behind my body, so anyone in front of me has a hard time getting it) and very well hidden unless I bend way over.

With and inside-the-waistband rig, I can get away with just a loose t-shirt. But I can't wear a "button up" shirt that's tucked in.

And behind the back doesn't work very well on my motorcycle (crotch rocket) or bicycle because I'm bent forward.

Different solutions for different situations.

One of the more amusing sights I've seen out on the road was a guy carrying a 1911 on a crotch rocket. He had it behind the hip, IWB, covered (he thought) by a t shirt. But the shirt had blown up the way they do on those sorts of bikes, and the grips of the gun were sticking out of his pants.

And concealablity seems to be more dependent on the thickness of the gun than the height or length. I've seen full size Government 45s disappear very nicely with the right holster, clothes and body type. But most double stacks (even the "Baby Glocks") are harder to hide because the grip is so wide.

But how well hidden it needs to be often depends on where you are. There are places where I don't care if anyone knows it's there. There are others where I really, really don't want to advertise.
And I choose what, how and where (and even "if") I carry accordingly

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[kawisixer01 0]

A local guy makes these. Very good quality and workmanship. I have one, being a pretty skinny guy I had a hard time finding a comfortable way to wear it. But once it was broke in and I got the angle right it's great. I also carry a single stack walther PPS IWB in the small of my back sometimes. For that I use one of those simple versacarry plastic clips.

https://clevelandsholsters.com/

http://www.versacarry.com/

[steve1 5]

I'm going to read all these posts again. I appreciate your input.

A lot of what I know, on this subject, is from reading or just watching videos. I'd like to lay out the money to go to a defensive training course, like "gun sight", but I'm even learning a lot from your opinions on this.

Gun safety has been drilled into my head since I was five. I'm just not used to carrying a bullet in the chamber of a pistol. That takes a ton of extra care. I've heard some say you're not armed unless you have a bullet in the chamber, or it will take too much time to put one in, when you need to fire.

Drawing or holstering a pistol, with one in the pipe is dangerous stuff. You really need to be careful.

On that cross draw holster, I'm practicing throwing my left hand to my chest, as my right hand goes down for the pistol. I don't want a bullet going through my free arm.

I'm also super careful that this pistol doesn't cross any part of my body, even for a second. It's probably no wonder that all kinds of people get shot, each year just practicing this stuff.

I know that Black Hawk pistol could be very dangerous. I think the most dangerous time is when a guy tries to reholster with a round in the chamber. If that trigger hits a rigid part of the holster it could easily go off.

Getting used to that button release can be tricky. I can see how some don't like it. I'm still making up my mind on that.

I try to practice reholstering very slowly and carefully, without pointing the muzzle at any part of my leg. There's no reason to practice a fast reholstering job. That will just get you shot. Particularly with that Black Hawk holster.

I plan on doing this a few hundred more times, before I ever practice with live ammo, at a range.

As far as drawing quickly, I try to think slow is fast. I need plenty more practice at this.

I sometimes carry a round in the chamber of my Ruger 380. It has a long trigger pull and is safe enough.

I still don't feel safe, enough, to do that with my Glocks. I need more practice.......drawing and reholstering, and dry firing these weapons. Safety is my biggest concern right now. I'm getting there.

I just finished reading the Modern Day Gunslinger. I'd recommend it if you are into combat pistol shooting. It's written by a former Navy Seal.

Please correct me if I said anything that you don't agree with.

[blueblur 0]

I've enjoyed carrying in a Comp-Tac MTAC Minotaur holster. It's IWB, leather and kydex hybrid that puts the belt loops outside the profile of the gun so it makes for a slimmer profile. I've carried full-size 1911s and Springfield XD doublestacks (same dimensions as your Glock) and they are very comfortable. It starts to mold to your body shape after a while. Plus, you can get different kydex shells to hold different pistols with the same leather backing.

In every man's life he will be allotted one good woman and one good dog. That's all you get, so appreciate them while the time you have with them lasts.

- RiggerLee

[blueblur 0]

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Gun safety has been drilled into my head since I was five. I'm just not used to carrying a bullet in the chamber of a pistol. That takes a ton of extra care. I've heard some say you're not armed unless you have a bullet in the chamber, or it will take too much time to put one in, when you need to fire.

Drawing or holstering a pistol, with one in the pipe is dangerous stuff. You really need to be careful.

To me, carrying with a round chambered was more a mental thing than worrying I would have an ND. You're right to think that it will take too much time to chamber a round when you need it. "Excuse me Mr. Badguy, I need a few seconds to rack this thing..." Just keep the booger-hook off the trigger! The Glock will not fire without you pulling the trigger consciously.

I'm not saying carry it chambered before you're ready, physically and mentally. But that is part of the game of carrying a weapon. You have to be prepared all around.

In every man's life he will be allotted one good woman and one good dog. That's all you get, so appreciate them while the time you have with them lasts.

- RiggerLee

[steve1 5]

Thanks Blueblur, that's some good info.

I might add, I did buy a couple other holsters that I like. When I bought that little 380 (Ruger LCP) pocket pistol, I bought a pocket holster. It's rigid enough to protect the trigger. It just slides into your pocket like a wallet.

I liked it so well, that I bought another one for my Glock 26. It takes a bigger pocket for a pistol that size.

It would probably be smart to train with one or two of these holsters, rather than have to many varieties. I want muscle memory to work when I need it. If I have to think, where my gun is at this time, It may be wasted seconds.

But as others have said, it's kind of hard to carry a large sidearm on your hip if it's 100 degrees out. A smaller weapon, in a more hidden place, may be the only option.

[wolfriverjoe 1,351]

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Gun safety has been drilled into my head since I was five. I'm just not used to carrying a bullet in the chamber of a pistol. That takes a ton of extra care. I've heard some say you're not armed unless you have a bullet in the chamber, or it will take too much time to put one in, when you need to fire.

Drawing or holstering a pistol, with one in the pipe is dangerous stuff. You really need to be careful.

To me, carrying with a round chambered was more a mental thing than worrying I would have an ND. You're right to think that it will take too much time to chamber a round when you need it. "Excuse me Mr. Badguy, I need a few seconds to rack this thing..." Just keep the booger-hook off the trigger! The Glock will not fire without you pulling the trigger consciously.

I'm not saying carry it chambered before you're ready, physically and mentally. But that is part of the game of carrying a weapon. You have to be prepared all around.

Just like everything else, opinions vary on this. Although I fully agree that carrying requires being fully prepared, physically and mentally. You have to be "switched on" any time you are dealing with loaded guns (or empty ones for that matter).

There was a training fad a few years back, "Israeli technique." Mostly garbage, but it had a few useful things.

One of them was effectivly carrying with an empty chamber. It is safer. And if you train for it, racking the slide as you draw the pistol can be accomplished with very little loss of speed.
You are already bringing your off side hand up to the pistol as it comes up, it's just a matter of retraining to grab the back of the slide and pull it before you wrap your hand around the grip.

And the concept of a "fast draw" is highly over-rated. If you need to draw the gun out that fast, you really messed up.
I've heard it said that the fastest draw in the world starts with the gun already in your hand and out of the holster.

And that's where a pocket holster really shines.

How provocative is is to put your hand on a gun? If it's in a belt or shoulder rig, it's a move that pretty much tells the whole world "I'm going for a gun."

But putting your hand in your pocket is perfectly normal. No one (except maybe a cop) will think twice about it.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[beowulf 1]

I really question the effectiveness of the "Israeli Technique" in carrying with an empty chamber. In a high stress situation I think it's highly likely that it wouldn't work well no matter how much training is spent on drawing and chambering a round. I carry a Glock 26 with a round in the chamber. It requires me to be more careful with handling the gun. In a high stress situation chambering a round is just one more thing I don't have to think about. A good holster and belt is a must for anyone carrying a gun especially carrying with a round in the chamber.

[steve1 5]

In a recent video, that I watched it mentioned the Israeli technique as well as a few others. One of those techniques involved putting the trigger finger on the trigger as soon as the the gun is pointed down range. Then as the gun goes out to full extension you take the slack out of the trigger, and then firing as soon as the gun is fully extended.

I had an early discharge using that method. I was just taking the slack out of the trigger and moving my arms out, and bang. I decided to rethink that idea.

I now wait til my arms are extended and I'm locked into my shooting position, then squeeze the trigger, slack and all.

I do practice shooting with the pistol close in also, using no sights. Just point and shoot. Its a fun way to practice.

[blueblur 0]

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A good holster and belt is a must for anyone carrying a gun

Added emphasis on the belt... I was amazed at what a high quality carry belt did for comfort and drawing/re-holstering the weapon. Can spend as much on a good belt as the holster

In every man's life he will be allotted one good woman and one good dog. That's all you get, so appreciate them while the time you have with them lasts.

- RiggerLee

[beowulf 1]

I agree with you. A quality belt is just as important as a quality holster.

[AggieDave 6]

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I agree with you. A quality belt is just as important as a quality holster.

I would argue that it is more important.

A crappy holster will work OK on a good belt. A great holster will work like crap if on a bad belt.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[beowulf 1]

I don't think I could disagree with you.

[airtwardo 6]

For comfort and accessibility IMO nothing beats a pancake up high, right behind the hipbone.

I have a couple 'Roy Baker the Pancake Maker' holsters that are 2nd to none.

Roy passed away, but you can get similar types...just not a REAL pancake.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[steve1 5]

That Black Hawk holster also came with a pancake attachment. I might have to give it a try.

The thought of having a pistol fall out of the holster bothers me. I about lost a pistol two years ago in the deep snow. The snap that held it in, came unsnapped. I had it set up for a cross draw. When I bent over to build a fire, it fell out. I was sick. I figured I lost that pistol forever. Finally I found it there next to the fire.

If a guy was in an altercation, I wouldn't want my pistol falling out either. I was wondering what is the best way to keep your pistol safe?

That push button on the Black Hawk holster may have it's draw backs but it sure holds a pistol in well. It also trains you to have a straight trigger finger, away from the trigger.

I've seen videos of guys drawing with that kind of holster. They don't seem to ever have a stuck pistol in the holster. It sounds like that kind of release has it's draw backs too.

Do you prefer a thumb break holster? A thumb break with velcro, or a snap? Or a holster without any type of retaining device? My Bianchi holster has a screw you can tighten to make the leather tighter around the trigger guard. (that makes a huge difference).

I would imagine that most concealed carry wouldn't have anything holding the pistol in. I imagine all this is a trade-off, and everyone finds what works best for them.

[AggieDave 6]

Well made kydex rigs will have tension/retention built into the mold and fit. External locks and snaps can help, but those take significant practice to build the muscle memory. My work holster is a level three and it took some time to build the muscle memory (after we all were upgraded over the past few years).

Civilian weapon retention in a CCW rig is all about being discrete. Why would you be in a wrestling match with someone? Retention starts by being able to defuse a situation with your words or avoiding the situation completely with situational awareness. There are times in which neither can prevent an incident, but by then you're not going to be worried about your holster retention beyond defeating it to break leather.

A top quality holster will retain your weapon when worn correctly. Sub-par holsters won't.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[steve1 5]

Thanks Dave. I always welcome your thoughts on this, (because you know your stuff).

It seems like a lot of thugs have a game plan, to nock you down and then take your wallet, watch, etc., while they're on top of you. I'd hate to get nocked down, and watch my gun go flying because it wasn't secure enough.

Being situationally aware is important, though. Often times you could see this coming, or feel something isn't right.