17 September, 2009

I was asked 'that' question

No, not the one about my sexuality. I am straight. Not the one about Coke or Pepsi. Actually neither, I'm a Dr. Pepper kind of guy. I was asked the 'holster' question. What kind of holster should I buy? Damned if I know is my answer. The common wisdom says I'll end up with a box full of holsters. With that in mind, there are some questions that you need to ask yourself.

1. What will your carry piece be?

2. Will the holster be fitted to your gun or a generic holster?

3. At what cant do you want your gun to rest?

4. What side will you carry on, strong or weak?

5. Where will the holster sit? Inside the Waistband, Outside the waistband. Inside the belt, outside the belt or pocket carry? An ankle hoslter perhaps? In the small of your back. A shoulder holster rig?

6. Kydex, Leather, nylon or a combination?

I don't know how to answer any of the above questions for you. It's like asking what is the 'best' gun for (insert purpose here.) There is no magic answer. I did ask some people who were kind enough to point me at some resources so I'll list them here.

www.shop.customcarryconcepts.com

www.comp-tac.com

www.crossbreedholsters.com

www.desantisholster.com

www.donhume.com

www.fobusholster.com

All I can say is start going to your gun shops and start fitting holsters. The packaging can be opened up so you can try your gun in the holster. And if you end up with a box full of holsters, kindly refer back to this post. I'm just going to say it now, I told you so.

h/t to JayG, Unix Jedi, CJR, Sevesteen, & aepilotjim for their kind assistance.

5 comments:

Sevesteen said...

The problem is, the couple hundred holsters a gunshop can stock really isn't a very big selection, considering--just figure out how many holsters it would take to cover the variations you mention, without getting into variations in quality.

So far I have not been happy with a carry holster from a shop. So far I have not been disappointed with a holster researched and purchased from the Internet.

Top of the Chain said...

Taupe,

ROFL, yep that's him

Sevesteen,

I figure it's a start. For the guy that this post was created for, it took him like a year and a half to buy a new car and 10 years to move out of his house that Lambert International Airport wanted to buy for their runway expansion. However, I'll take your advice to heart when I go looking for a holster. Thanks again for responding to me the other night.

Sevesteen said...

Another really good resource is the defensivecarry.com holster forum. I have not been there in a while, but when I was, there were several very well regarded holster makers giving good advice. Also a lot of issues with insane wait times for custom holsters

Weer'd Beard said...

I'm with Seve, I've bought a few holsters from shops. The ones that "Looked good" were junk. The ones I'd read about online and just happened to find worked out as good as the ones I just bought online.

IMHO I think leather works the best in its ability to form fit, but still have some give that it won't rub your hide off on a long day of active work while carrying.

And given this I prefer a holster made for my gun (Being that I carry a 1911 and a J-frame EVERYBODY makes a holster for my guns) as you'll get a better fit and retention, as well as a smoother draw.

Cant? I can't! ; ] Carry in a horizontal shoulder rig and a pocket holster. No cants needed!

Mike W. said...

I carry strong side IWB and love the Comp-Tac MTAC for all my Sigs. Kydex holster body, leather backing, adjustable tension screws and fully adjustable cant.

I can even comfortably carry my full-size P220ST.

They're not particularly cheap, but you get what you pay for when it comes to holsters.