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Maybe I'm doing it wrong...

2K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  Brad426 
#1 ·
Okay, I've been carrying for a number of years, sometimes OWB but for the last 5 years or so pretty much exclusively IWB. I have tried every conceivable holster style (mostly because I like to buy new holsters, not because I have been unhappy with any style, necessarily). What I have never done was had a gun belt. I frankly never understood how a reenforced belt would make carrying IWB any more comfortable (OWB I get... belt won't fold over on itself like it sometimes will with a cheap, flimsy belt).

Soooo after lurking around on this site for a year and reading from so many people about how the belt is the key I finally broke down and got one. After wearing it for about two weeks I have to say I don't see a difference. I've worn leather, kydex, and hybrids to give it a good test, and not once at the end of the day have I thought "Wow, that belt really made a difference". It's not any less comfortable, but I really can't tell a difference between that and the Levi's belt I bought at Target (or wherever). Any feedback?
 
#3 ·
Imo either Levi makes some great belts or you didn't get a beltman. I only have experience with his stuff. It is extremely rigid, almost heavy and just feels to be better quality. I noticed.a huge difference in just a little old LC9. So for me there was a huge difference. Mind telling us or even better showing us what you bought? I have seen things labeled as gun belts that came nowhere close to my bullhide one from the beltman.
 
#6 ·
.....

. After wearing it for about two weeks I have to say I don't see a difference. I've worn leather, kydex, and hybrids to give it a good test, and not once at the end of the day have I thought "Wow, that belt really made a difference". It's not any less comfortable, but I really can't tell a difference between that and the Levi's belt I bought at Target (or wherever). Any feedback?
What are you carrying? Full size 1911 will require more support than. Glock 26 etc. If it's a smaller lighter gun a belt may not make that much of a difference.

Sent via Tapatalk, and still using real words.
 
#7 ·
I'll see if I can do the pictures later, but right now I'm actually at the pool...

At any rate the carry weapons have been (not at the same time) a S&W M&P 45c and a Sig P220 (because I had several holsters for it and it's heavy). The belt is a BladeTech. I realize that might not be the Cadillac of belts, but it's very strong... I can't fold it over on itself using all my strength (and I have the strength of ten men).

I will say that I have always picked my regular belts based on their rigidity, so they were probably on the sturdier end of the non-gun belt spectrum.
 
#9 ·
Very good first post, Brad. You have challenged conventional wisdom with reasoning. Urban myths, like "the 2nd Amendment is all about militias" and "15 degrees is the perfect carry angle" survive because they make good sound bites and don't require actual thinking. Well done.

You are correct that a sophisticated iwb design does not need a special belt. And the least sophisticated of them - the old standby clip- ons - don't require a belt at all.
 
#10 ·
I can tell the difference, but everybody is different.

I dunno about your bladetech belt, but I've got a Galco belt and a Rock Steady belt by High Noon Holsters.

Both belts are marketed as gun belts, but they sure aren't the same. The High Noon belt's MSRP was about 30% more than the Galco, but it's a 100% better belt.

Sent from my Galaxy S2
 
#11 ·
IMO, the primary function of a properly effective "gun" belt is to hold the holster's position in place. Overall, that should yield the greatest reliability of having the gun where you'll need it, the greatest chance of concealment, and as good an opportunity as you're going to get for comfort. As for comfort, the a proper gun belt will tend to be stiffer, thicker and less forgiving, in a very real sense. From that perspective, it might even seem less comfortable. But it also moves around less, can keep the holster/gun combination in place and avoid it flopping around.

Comfort? IWB isn't the most comfortable method of carry, I'll grant you that. But to my way of thinking the primary role of the gun belt isn't for comfort improvement, it's for carry improvement.

As for "doing it wrong," the greatest change you can do to affect comfort level is: mode of carry, and position. Depending on where the bumps and curves are on your specific body, and how much padding you've got between the holstered gun and those bumps/curves, you've got a limited number of choices for positioning that'll be most comfortable. Via trial and error, pick one. That's about all you can do. The only other choice beyond uncomfortable belt carry would be: carry elsewhere (ie, shoulder holster).
 
#14 ·
Agree 100%. Also, if I may add to this, a thicker "gun belt" is less likely to result in your holster being drawn along with your firearm from the clip(s) not fully catching and holding on the belt. That wouldn't be good. :blink:
 
#13 ·
Is the Target belt still the original length? That's where I noticed most of the difference. Every cheap leather belt I bought stretched. Since I have been working with leather some and looking around I have realized that some "leather" belts are basically leather scraps glued together. Think press board wood. Now, if you got a solid leather belt you may not be having the same issues some of us have had. A couple of changes I noticed going to a webbing belt, no stretch, less bounce on the holster, and the gun stayed vertical instead of wanting to lean out. Overall, much better. I'm getting ready to make a leather belt too.
 
#15 ·
I've had a bladetech looper belt about a year and half now worn everyday, I noticed the difference first time I put it on. I dont snug my belt tight, so my pants do sag a little , but what I notice is the gun doesnt flop out away from my body and I dont feel all the weight in one spot pulling my pants down. This is my first leather gun belt and bought it because it was about $43 shipped,I gave up on nylon belts,nylon belts are stiff and work well but I couldnt get used to having it on snug tight.
 
#16 ·
I frankly never understood how a reenforced belt would make carrying IWB any more comfortable ...

I finally broke down and got one.

It's not any less comfortable, but I really can't tell a difference between that and the Levi's belt I bought at Target (or wherever). Any feedback?
Questions: What is this "gun" belt, specifically? If you can describe its features, perhaps it'll help in the diagnosis. What's the brand/model of belt? What is the material used (ie, bullhide, horsehide, leather/kydex blend)? What's its width (height), thickness? Does it have a stiffener insert between the layers? Does the stitching look like normal clothing stitching, or does it look like 10x thicker thread? Does it have a curve built into the length of the belt (to swoop along your hipline, vs being unforgiving at key spots)? What's the gun/holster combination you're finding uncomfortable?
 
#20 ·
It is a BladeTech "Looper" 1.5" leather belt reinforced with kydex (see link).

BLADE-TECH Reinforced Looper Gun Belt - Solid Color 1.5"-1.75" :: Belts :: Apparel, Belts & Multi-Media :: Blade-Tech Industries

And the gun/holster combos have been a Sig P220 with a Galco Royal Guard, a S&W M&P 45c with a BladeTech kydex IWB, and a Sig Pro 2022 in a Old Faithful hybrid (I have been trying all those combinations just to test this belt out... the M&P is the EDC). I don't find any of them particularly uncomfortable, I am just saying I don't notice a difference with the new belt over the regular old belt I was wearing in an IWB rig. I did try the 220 in an OWB holster I have and I see the difference there for sure.
 
#17 ·
Brad, first & foremost - ggggGGGGO 'Cats! Now that the important stuff is out of the way, the belts you wore before getting a dedicated gun belt may have been better than terrible. So the differences may be more difficult to immediately recognize. IMHO, the reason for a good gun belt is more than just a snug, repeatable holster position. It's partially insurance AGAINST belt failure. A broken (cast) buckle or popped stitches isn't too big of a deal if my belt is just holding my jeans up. But if it's packing a couple of extra pounds of pistol and spare ammo to save my life and I've just been knocked onto my back on an asphalt parking lot, that's a VERY INCONVENIENT TIME to discover that my cheap Levi's belt wasn't up to the task. To me, my gun belt is a link in my self-defense chain. Making sure it's a STRONG link isn't expensive. But a failure at the perfectly wrong moment sure could be.
 
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#18 ·
I'm going to toss my opinion out in favor of gun belts, I didn't believe in them for years but once I got my first good one that worked it made a heck of a difference for me. That's actually why I started building them, I actually don't particularly like making gun belts if I'm honest, but I think they are necessary for most any holster design.

The main purpose in my mind of the belt is spreading out the weight of the gun over a larger area, particularly helpful on heavier guns and guys who don't cinch their belts down. On the weight front your looking at two factors, vertical strength and horizontal, on most gun belts it's very strong vertically and fairly stiff horizontally. This allows the belt to carry the weight of the gun across a larger area compared to a more flexible belt. So rather than carrying the weight on that 4-6 inches around the gun/holster you spread it over at least double that area. It is true with an IWB rig you won't have nearly the issues with the grip of the gun tipping out like you will with OWB just because the pants will hold things together. The other factor I mentioned was how tight you wear your belt. If you wear your belt looser you need a stiffer belt I've found to keep your pants up because they are riding more on your hips, also that division of the weight allows the gun to carry further around your waist which means one side isn't dragged down nearly as far.

So all of that said I've run into a few people who don't notice a difference in their particular method of carry between a gun belt and a normal belt. I think it might be a combination of body type, clothing, and tightness of their belts but I really don't have a good reason for it. Nearly all of the customers I talk to after the fact are amazed at the difference it made for them carrying, and I speak to nearly all my customers after the sale. Also a large number of them have been carrying for years without a real gun belt at least for civilian clothes(LEO's etc) and just can't believe the difference it made for them. So I don't have all the answers but that's what I've seen and been able to put together from that.

Take care!

Luke
 
#19 ·
I'm going to toss my opinion out in favor of gun belts, I didn't believe in them for years but once I got my first good one that worked it made a heck of a difference for me. That's actually why I started building them, I actually don't particularly like making gun belts if I'm honest, but I think they are necessary for most any holster design.

The main purpose in my mind of the belt is spreading out the weight of the gun over a larger area, particularly helpful on heavier guns and guys who don't cinch their belts down. On the weight front your looking at two factors, vertical strength and horizontal, on most gun belts it's very strong vertically and fairly stiff horizontally. This allows the belt to carry the weight of the gun across a larger area compared to a more flexible belt. So rather than carrying the weight on that 4-6 inches around the gun/holster you spread it over at least double that area. It is true with an IWB rig you won't have nearly the issues with the grip of the gun tipping out like you will with OWB just because the pants will hold things together. The other factor I mentioned was how tight you wear your belt. If you wear your belt looser you need a stiffer belt I've found to keep your pants up because they are riding more on your hips, also that division of the weight allows the gun to carry further around your waist which means one side isn't dragged down nearly as far.

So all of that said I've run into a few people who don't notice a difference in their particular method of carry between a gun belt and a normal belt. I think it might be a combination of body type, clothing, and tightness of their belts but I really don't have a good reason for it. Nearly all of the customers I talk to after the fact are amazed at the difference it made for them carrying, and I speak to nearly all my customers after the sale. Also a large number of them have been carrying for years without a real gun belt at least for civilian clothes(LEO's etc) and just can't believe the difference it made for them. So I don't have all the answers but that's what I've seen and been able to put together from that.

Take care!

Luke
That all makes sense. Thanks for the input.
 
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