Selecting the
Correct Concealment Holster
11-13-2006, by M.R. Hilton
Choosing the proper
holster for your home defense handgun is just as important as choosing the right handgun to fit
your needs and lifestyle. A correct fitting concealment holster is
important to acquiring your handgun during a home defense
situation or for your family safety. Now is not the time to get cheap, your
defensive handgun is only as good as the ability to bring it into
action when needed. Just as in handguns, all holsters will not fit
every need or carry situation that may come up. Unless you have
unlimited resources, many times you must compromise and purchase
the holster or handgun that fits most of your situations. Unless
you are one of the cowboys who wants people to know that they
carry a handgun, choosing the right concealment holster is
important. As you know our carry handgun is for your families
personal safety, not to thwart a restaurant hold up. If your
handgun is hanging out, you or your family could well be the first
target of the robber. Where as your concealed handgun is there to
use if your family is directly threatened, otherwise just be the
best witness you can be. When you start carrying it will soon be apparent that
one holster will not meet all your needs.
When you are
purchasing a handgun it is advised that you check into the
availability of holsters for the model you have chosen. It does no
good to get a great deal on a handgun only to find that the
industry just doesn't make a good variety of holster styles for
your handgun. If you are not interested in a form fitted holster
and a universal nylon holster is all you want, it doesn't make a
difference which handgun purchase, as long as it is a quality
handgun. Holsters are manufactured in a variety of materials
including leather, nylon, plastic, kydex and in a variety of
combinations.
Carrying a handgun
on the strong side hip is considered to tactically be the best way
to carry your handgun. Carrying strong side on the outside
although is the fastest to acquire it may not be as concealable as
an IWB (in the waistband, inside the pant) strong side carry.
Conversely should you spend most of your day sitting in a car the
seat belt will get in the way of a clean draw and the IWB will get
very uncomfortable.
Other common choices
are: Shoulder holster, ankle holster, in the pants, in the pocket,
small of the back, fanny packs, purses, concealment apparel, no
holster, each has it's place- benefits and draw backs.
Strong Side on
Belt or Paddle: Considered to be the fastest, most
comfortable and secure
of all carry methods the strong side holsters are available open
top, with thumb breaks or other retention methods. When wearing a
handgun on the belt, having a thick belt designed for handgun
carry will reduce the tendency to pull down your belt. Their are
too many mfg. of holsters to list them all. We have
collected a group of holsters that have proven themselves in the
field, and will not require you to get a 2nd mortgage. I have to
admit that I do own a couple of custom rigs including an Ostrich
skin belt holster that I never use, but it sure is pretty. The only
negative with strong side belt or paddle carry is that they are not as concealable when carrying this way
unless you wear an un-tucked long tailed shirt, longer jacket, vest or suit
coat.
IWB: In the waistband or in the pant
holsters. If you only plan to wear a
 shorter
jacket or T-shirt you may consider a strong side IWB holster.
Although some will wear this style of holster in the small of the
back or cross draw- strong side just behind the hip is considered
best.
When carrying inside the pants your belt will need
to be approximately 2" longer and make sure you are not already
taking up all the territory in your pants. Your belt offers
tension which aids in holding the handgun close to the body
improving concealablity and reducing the need for a retention
strap. The IWB (In the the waistband or In the pant) holsters are
available in Leather, Kydex and nylon, with and without retention
straps. Law Enforcement officers have an additional requirement
when purchasing an IWB holster. The holster will need to retain
it's form when the handgun has been drawn, as they may need to
re-holster one handed. Where a civilian won't have the need,
because the only time the handgun should come out of the holster
is if it is needed. At which time the police will confiscate it
until the shooting investigation has been concluded. Choosing
between a form fitted leather IWB holster or a soft nylon is up to
the end user, the leather will take up more room inside the pants
than the nylon rig such as the Uncle Mike's in the pants holsters.
Shoulder Holsters: Shoulder Holsters have an advantage if you
spend most of your day in a vehicle, as they ride
more comfortably and are easier to acquire than a hip or IWB
holster. Your seat belt will get in your way when attempting a
seated draw from a strong sided holster. Although the favorite of many TV shows the Shoulder
holster also has it's negatives, you must sweep the handgun across
your body to bring it on target. The shoulder holster is awkward
for big guys or busty ladies for the same reason. The shoulder
holsters comfort during extended trips from being suspended from
the shoulders and counter balanced by off-side magazines or speed
loaders are a plus. The added benefit of the extra magazines or
speed loaders increases the amount of ammunition the average
civilian carries, which could come in handy. We can only recommend
the use of a horizontal shoulder holster. The vertical shoulder
holster doesn't conceal as well or is less tactical when
attempting to draw your weapon.
Small of the Back: Not our favorite method
of carry. You have the least amount of security from begin
disarmed and the most amount of potential injury if you go down.
We have worked with a number of officers who carried a backup with
a small of the back holster who injured their back when falling on
the handgun. In fact I personally received permanent soft tissue
back damage from carrying in the pants just right of my spine. When drawing the weapon you have have an increased
chance of sweeping the muzzle past unintended targets.
In the Pocket: The in the pocket holster is
designed to break up the out line of a small pistol and aiding in
keeping the handgun in position. Not to mention protecting the
trigger from foreign objects and keeping dust bunnies out of the
barrel. Not the fastest draw, however when your dress or
circumstances dictate ultimate concealablity it works. If you move
up to wearing tactical pants such as the
5.11 Tactical Series pants, the
cargo pockets will hold a 5 shot J-Frame or Glock 27.
Ankle Holster: Are great for backup carry,
however we do not like this
 carry
method for your primary defensive weapon. Unless this is the only
method afforded, based on the situation ( a handgun in a weak
location is better than no handgun at all). Acquiring the handgun
from an ankle holster is slower and more awkward than the other
mentioned carry methods. (
Sometimes the situation requires unusual carry methods. On an
undercover stakeout I had to carry a small 25acp duct taped to my
butt under a swim suit! Not the best carry , however it was better
than nothing.)
Fanny packs: Once considered an excellent
method for concealing a handgun the fanny back stands out in a
crowd. In most areas everybody and his inbreed 2nd cousin knows
it's a handgun, Grandma on vacation or both. Once again this may
be the only method available to meet your needs, you must decide
which fits your lifestyle and needs. Remembering that there is not
one holster that will work for every situation, however there will
be one holster in your collection that you will usually go back
to.
Mexican Style (
no Holster): Just shoving the gun into your pants will work,
but not real well. You have no retention or security to keep it
from sliding out or down your leg, or keeping it in position for
read access.
Ladies and
Concealed Carry: The female form provides a whole new set of
opportunities for the holster industry. Most holsters are made
with the male frame in mind. For those of you that haven't figured out the
obvious, men and women are built different. Ladies generally have
an hour glass figure and shorter in the waist. The most frequent
complaints from women is that the holster rides too high to reach
comfortably and digs into their ribs or breasts. A number of
quality holster makers including
Del Fatti,
Kramer,
Chris Cunningham,
Sunrise Leather, and many others build holsters specifically
designed for women. For an excellent article on fitting a holster
to the female shape,
click here. The important lesson here is that women have
special needs in a holster and there are products out there which
address these needs. Don’t let a clerk at the local gun store
stick you with a holster that doesn’t work and digs into your ribs.
Purses, Bags, Backpacks, Brief cases: There
are a number of companies who make concealment purses, bags,
backpacks and brief cases for handgun carry. Usually the purse has
a hidden compartment in the middle seam of the purse. Again this
is not as good of a carry method as having the handgun on your
person. However it beats the devil out of leaving it in our glove
compartment or your house. These methods of carry offer a
potential security nightmare. Many times the bad guy will
snatch your bag and run, leaving you unarmed and another handgun
in the hands of a puke. Carrying around on of the above my not fit
the situation and look awkward or out of place- They may just
scream HANDGUN to the wrong person.
Regardless
how you decide to carry your defensive handgun, the key is to
practice your drawing and shooting from your normal carry method.
Once you have mastered the basic shooting techniques it will be
time to learn the correct drawing technique and practice until you
can do it instinctively.
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