is buying a holster a pita?

[dieselbeef]

buy one..use it for a week..dont like it..buy another..cpl weeks later its not working out........buy a new gun...buy a new holster..it sucks..buy another holster

is it just me or is this the way it goes..cuz for between 25 -125 bucks for a holster of many various configurations to be using up room in the safe and emptying my wallet is getting to be rediculous..

gary

[CWKahrFan]

Yeah... Over the years this is what I've learned works for me:

Carry guns: Think small, thin, light...
EDC holsters: Think small, thin, light...

I liked the carry preference poll which ran on this forum a couple of weeks ago... The poll showed that the preference percentages were highest for the smallest guns and... in order!... lowest for the largest guns.

For carry, I figured out my minimums in both catagories and am much happier.

[dieselbeef]

its more about the holster than the gun..
i carry one of 2..but finding a holster thats comfortable is a pain...

they ride..dont stay...poke..wont release easy enough...dam sure cant reholster..alll the above

for the record..i carry a 640 or a charter 2000..realistically i could use the same holster for both...but in reality it dont work that way

so far ive got 3 for the charter til i found one i can live with ...a ross leather...and 2 for the 640..and both of them suck....both galco's by the way

totally iwb style carry also

gary

[Microgunner]

I think buying handguns is far easier than finding a good holster for them.

[dieselbeef]

hahah..yeah no kiddin..not like ya can try em before ya buy em...for any length of time i mean

[AK103K]

There are really just a few basic types. You have to settle on what you think or know works best for you, and go in that direction from there.

For me, IWB works the best 98% of the time. Its the most comfortable and concealable way Ive found to carry the full sized guns Ive always carried.

With the right gear, and reasonable dress, you can carry pretty much anything with little trouble. You dont have to scrimp on the gun.

Anyone whos been at this, even just a little while, has a "holster" box for things that didnt work out. I had a couple of them until EBay showed up, and I recouped a good bit of what seemed was wasted money. I also found a good resource for holsters I might be interested in at often, very reasonable prices.

[Jim March]

I'm a total weirdo. My daily-carry-without-fail is Ruger's sorta-copy of the Colt SAA - a New Vaquero in .357Mag weighing somewhere north of 42oz with the mods I've done.

That's a BIG gun, in the same ballpark an an N-frame S&W - made of real steel. And it's the only centerfire gun I own.

To carry it almost always deeply concealed, open-carry other times (here in Arizona) I had to make my own rig. Hell, I had to *design* my own rig.

With some success:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZAGpJr5RsU

[Brian Pfleuger]

That's why I researched holsters as much as I did the gun. Bought a Crossbreed Supertuck, love it, never looked back.

[BUFF]

I feel your pain. I've been looking for a carry holster for my Kel-Tec P11 for a while now. Kydex is too stiff and pokes me in the wrong spots. Leather sticks to my skin cause I don't wear two layers of shirts even when I IWB carry.

Right now I have a POS felt one that the dealer threw in when my wife bought her baby Beretta .22. So it doesn't exactly fit the gun well.

I want to carry at 4 o'clock or cross draw. Finding one holster to do both is tough.

[Pond, James Pond]

I gave up looking.

I was hoping to get a Blade tech for my Glock 19. In the end I found a generic nylon IWB holster. The brands of "better" holsters are grossly over-priced. To give you some idea, a Desantis over here is close to $100!! The Blade tech, a bit more. The generic one I got was about $30.

As it is not an EDC right now, I am satisfied. It is actually not bad, and quite comfy at 3 o'clock, even though I have only tried it indoors.

[CWKahrFan]

Yo Jim March... Thanks for the link to your video. I saw a pic of your gun on the net a few months ago... REALLY nice to see it in action...

At the end I was expecting Scotty to yell out something to Kirk about Dilithium Crystals...

[Jim March]

Sigh.

That's actually NOT the video I meant to post! This one is of the carry rig:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=57jf8yfPwoI

sigh

[Kreyzhorse]

I've bought a few holsters but eventually found a holster that I really like (the Galco Fletch) and I use it for all of my larger OWB carry guns. Not really too much of a PITA in my opinion.

[CWKahrFan]

JIM;
OK...OK... I watched "Suspenders of the Apocalypse" too... I can see you are an inventor who marches to the beat of a different drummer and I applaud that. I always enjoy seeing guns and carry rigs that are out of the ordinary!
Thanks for the links.

[dieselbeef]

iwb seems to be the big issue..owb is easy...pancakes are great fer that...easy on..easy off

gettin in /out of the car..iwb is a bitch. standing behind the car door doin my biz looks like im peeing or something. hard to wear it drivin so mostly i take it out. usually its the getting it out from under the belt thats a pita

[AK103K]

IWB takes a little getting used to. At first, it usually feels a little odd and uncomfortable. Once you find your "sweet spot", and your body adjusts to the gun being there, its very comfortable. For me, that spot is just behind the hip, at about 4-4:30, in that little nook under your rib cage where your arm naturaly hangs.

Its also about the most concealable, as nothing shows below the belt. With a short jacket or sweatshirt, you can actually raise your arms above your shoulders and have a decent range of reach without the holster popping out.

If youre wearing it right, there should be little need for "adjustment" getting in or out of the car, and the seatbelt shouldnt be an issue, as no matter what type holster you use, it should be released before you attempt to draw or access the gun anyway.

[PawPaw]

Originally Posted by dieselbeef

pancakes are great fer that...easy on..easy off

Agreed! I love a good pancake holster and most of my nice holsters are pancakes. Like everyone else, I've got a box of not-so-great holsters from over the years, and it's fun sometimes to sort through the box and look at what some folks thought was a good idea from several decades ago.

I tend to gravitate to pancake holsters.

[scottycoyote]

ebay and craiglist are your friend. Ive got a bunch of holsters (some of them i actually use lol), but only a few i actually bought and paid full price for or had made, the rest i picked up used for a fraction of retail. Like some of the other posters stated, you eventually find something you like and then you can go all out and have a nice one made if it pulls your trigger.

[MikeGunz]

First holster I bought was some generic pos for a m9. pistol would always fall out(lanyard saved my ass a few times) it was hard to draw, couldnt run in it with out it flailing every where and I cursed it every time i put it on.

I learned my lesson paid some more $ and found an awesome drop holster by blackhawk! that was a quick drawing thumb break and was very tight and comfortable. Used that for quite some time till I moved on to my next holster.

Then I got the saffariland which is a very expensive holster but also high quality! It was a drop holster that had a nice bail locking mechanism that made it very hard pressed for a bad guy to get hold of your piece. Only problem was that it was bulky and wasnt very comfortable for use in vehicles.

Next holster was a blackhawk cqc retenstion holster. if your not looking to conceal these are the ****. They can be mounted on kit or your hip or your leg. have an excellent locking mechanism thats really easy to draw from. But if you want to conceal they print alot unless your wearing baggy clothing

Current concealed holster is a galco king tuk. I use it to conceal a glock 22 and a glock 26. Comfortable, fast drawing, secure, low print, and good price at around $50.

[chris in va]

I've recently discovered this wonderful invention called...suspenders. My 97b is much easier to carry now.

[johnwilliamson062]

The only brand I have any luck with is crossbreed, although I am sure the minotaur and K-holster would be fine also.
I also keep my eye on all the classifieds pages and buy any holster I see for a gun I own. Usually at under half of retail.

Finding a good holster is a pain.

[Kimbertron]

I'm a total weirdo. My daily-carry-without-fail is Ruger's sorta-copy of the Colt SAA - a New Vaquero in .357Mag weighing somewhere north of 42oz with the mods I've done.

I have seen both of those videos but didnt realize it was the same person and that you carried that gun . I am amazed. I dont know what a bad guy would think if you pulled the steam punk phazer .357 on him . I must applaud you for finding a way to carry it!.

[BillCA]

Originally Posted by Jim March

To carry it almost always deeply concealed, open-carry other times (here in Arizona) I had to make my own rig. Hell, I had to *design* my own rig.

And it's an interesting design too Jim. Almost half OWB, half shoulder-holster. I may have to try it. My profile is beginning to look like yours, but you're a good half-foot taller.

For OWB carry of revolvers, I've found that the pancake holster is still a good choice. Preferably one with a thumb-break strap for retention so the weapon stays put, even if I get knocked down.

Yes, that's a Safariland pancake holster from long ago! Still going strong!

J-Frames ride in a Galco "Scout" IWB holster. If I had to do it again, I'd go with their "SC2" (Summer Carry-2) which incorporates a thumb-break strap. With snubby revolvers, it's easy for them to "work loose" in some IWB holsters and with the short barrel, they can fall out much easier.

For OWB semi-auto carry, I've actually found Galco's Matrix series to be very good. Easy on/off, sturdy, light weight, comfortable, positive retention, rides tight to the body and best of all, inexpensive. The M7X was new when I bought these for my 1911 and Glock 17.


Galco Matrix series holster - M7X

For IWB, the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 fits the bill nicely. Especially for pistols. The weight is spread over a larger area to reduce sagging and it has a sweat shield between you and your gun.



If you need to carry a heavier gun, without a doubt the most comfortable method I've found is to use a shoulder holster that spreads the load. Galco's "Miami Classic" (or "Jackass rig") works beautifully. I have the holster for the heavy stainless steel Springfield as shown, plus one for my S&W Metal framed pistols. I've worn this for 10 hours at a stretch without it binding in the armpits or causing neck/shoulder or back discomfort.

[Yung.gunr]

Yeah... I hate buying holsters.
I got an IWB holster for my birthday. It was some kydex one that cost like $50. I hate that thing.. Then I found a nice holster on here that I picked for half price. It's not too bad.

I also have. Cheap nylon OWB that I bought for some stupid reason and now I only use it while at the range.

My favorite one is a cheap nylon one that I use for my pocket auto. It works good to cover the trigger and keep the gun from printing in my pocket. The cheapest one of course is the one I like the best... Dur....

[CajunBass]

Not really. Some kind of OWB holster about 3:00-3:30 or so.

Works me every time.