But it is the most effective way, right? I know OWB works in some cases, but IWB is more concealable generally. I have only tried it with a .38 snub and my LCP - but even the tiny LCP just didnt feel right. I feel like it is SO obvious that Im carrying. Granted I had cheap holsters. Will i get over that? Im thinking about venturing back and trying IWB again, with perhaps a Shield or a G26. (Leaning towards the Shield due to the thickness of the 26)
Does a holster really make all the difference? With IWB and OWB, you have to avoid bending and reaching right? Unless you are wearing a super long shirt I guess?
I normally wear Lee jeans with a 42 inch waist. When going up one size to a 44 inch waist, the pants are made much more baggy in the butt. You feel like you are walking around with a gunny sack on. My solution has been to slim down a bit, so the 42 inch waist works for IWB. It's probably a universal feeling, but the jeans do not fit the body.
I'm normally a 32-33" waist guy. I have been carrying so long my entire jeans selection is 34". On the rare occasions when I'm not carrying IWB, my pants don't want to stay up, regardless of how tightly I cinch the belt.
Honestly, there is no "rule" that says you have to carry IWB. Some people just cant stand it, you may be one of them. I use my shoulder holsters about 50% of the time. I IWB the rest. QUALITY holsters and belts are a must. The makers of quality gear have spent the time and effort to assure their products work the way they should. Cheap is cheap for a reason. Cant of the gun you are carrying does matter, as does position. Its a system. Only you can know what you are comfortable with using. All of us here arrived at our choices thru trial and error; all we can do is tell you what works for us. I've CC'ed full size 1911's for decades; I'm still buying quality holsters. Still looking for the "perfect one" (which probably doesn't exist).
A lot depends on what type of work you do and how you are expected to dress. I have never liked carrying inside of my waistband in any type of holster.
When I wore a dress shirt and tie in an office, I pocket carried a small gun. A Sig P238 .380 AP and later a Sig P938 9mm worked well for me.
When I dress casually, I carry a 5" 1911 in a good quality pancake style holster at 3:00. I put the belt through one loop on the holster, through the belt loop on my pants, and then through the other holster loop. I wear an un-tucked shirt, polo shirt, t-shirt, sweatshirt, or sweater over it. My waist size is 34 and I normally wear a large-tall shirt. I buy XLT shirts for concealed carry. I carry the 5" 1911 with shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt in the summer.
None of my carry pistols or revolvers have the sticky rubber grips. Sticky grips do their job and bunch up the shirt on them. I prefer smooth wood grips or other smooth grips to keep my shirt from bunching up on the grips.
After trying IWB carry with a few different holsters , I went to AIWB with a Trigger Guard type. That hit the sweet spot for me.
I have a 38 Waist and 38 pants work well as the pistol rides in the hollow between hip and belly. I don't use a clip or snap loop but only a lanyard tied shorter to control how low the pistol rides.
It took several tries to get the lanyard length where it suited me but now everything works great. The little movement with the lanyard lets the pistol float with my movement so it works even sitting or driving.
The pistol just clears my belt as the trigger guard comes off when moved in a forward direction away from my body.
I also feel safer when re-holstering as you put the guard on before inserting the pistol back in your pants.
Another thing I found out was you don't require a special gun belt as most any belt works OK
Those two guns you mentioned are easily concealed with no worries. Try carrying them in you pocket. So what if there is a bulge. My wallet makes a bigger bulge. On your belt those guns just disappear, even if you bend over. Wear shirts with a print on them. Avoid skin tight shirts. I carry full sized duty guns IWB with an untucked shirt. In Florida, there are no laws against printing so who cares. I do not look for concealed guns. Heck, my wife just told me what we are having for dinner and I do not remember one thing she was wearing or even what we are having for dinner. The best cure for what ails you is to just carry and after a while you will forget all about your worries when you find out that no one cares what the heck you have on you. Those guns you mentioned can easily be concealed so that you can bend over or do the Limbo without anyone knowing you are armed. I only carry bigger guns IWB, small guns go in my pocket. My friends and wife know I carry and yet they sometimes ask me where in heck is my gun. You are aware of it only because you know you are carrying a gun and where it is. The general public will not even think you have a gun.
Belt and holster are very important as mentioned. But the gun has a lot to do with it too. You'll notice a Glock 19 more than a Kahr cm9, just fact.
I wear a galco King tuck or crossbreed when I go IWB with a reinforced 5.11 tactical operators belt (or leather aker b-21 when I need to look "nice"). With my shield or cw40 I can honestly say they are "comfortable". With my m&p40c or Glock 23 they are "tolerable".
For what it's worth, I can carry my shield OWB in a desantis mini scabbard under just a tshirt, no printing really.
I've got two modes of carry. I IWB a G23 in a MS Versa Max II, or (started lately, after the 1911 passed the EDC test and requirements) OWB a 4" 1911 in a MS 55BN at 3:30 -4:00. I tend to use the OWB rig more lately since I am able to make it disappear under any oversized shirt or jacket (LimaCharlie style). Both rigs, when in use, are held up by a double-stitched bullhide 1.5 inch x 1/4 inch thick gunbelt. Like others have said, dress around your gun. The more your carry, the less you worry. If you think and worry, you don't carry enough. When you forget your wallet or car keys BEFORE you forget your gun, you're getting there.
As is true with most things, you tend to get what you pay for with a quality holster. To me it seems like a completely worthwhile investment to put money into something that will see daily wear and use. There are plenty of really great holsters that can be purchased for $100 and less. Shoes, coats and other clothing and junk can easily cost more than that and you don't typically wear or use any one of those items as much as you wear (or should wear) a holster and gun.
To make IWB carry more comfortable be sure you are wearing pants with enough room for both the gun and yourself. If you try to squeeze the gun and holster into pants sized for you only, then yes, that won't be too comfortable. I have yet to find an OWB holster that conceals as well as I would like and so, have stuck with IWB models. Just remember, no matter what you choose it will take some getting used to.
if by this you mean a gut, then that is why I can't appendix carry haha. I wouldn't appendix carry even if I could because of the whole gun pointing at ballz situation.
You sorta just have to try a few things. Before I knew better I used pouch holsters I still do with some guns. You know the cheap blackhawk things. They worked for me. They don't secure a gun well, but they work from a sitting around the house in the car stand point. not running and gunning. I carried a snub 357, judge and a full size 45 in them. Just try stuff out and see what works. I'm sure your LGS will help you out. the ones around here are pretty dang good and letting me try stuff. Now I have a few custom holsters and some of the cheap ones IWB is not bad at all. be patient you have a whole life of shooting and carrying. you'll find what works.
Depends on what you're trying to do, and by what your measures of "effectiveness" are.
For me, it's been a long time since I've lived in a place where open carry wasn't lawful. And except for truly hot places (warm temps), there's generally a set of wardrobe choices I've found that'll work ... whether IWB or OWB.
Generally speaking, OWB tends to be more comfortable for me. But, generally I prefer full concealment, and so IWB is more frequently used. And occasionally I OC. I find OWB and OC very effective, for remaining armed. I just find IWB a bit more effective at concealment when warmer temperatures preclude a decent covering garment (like a light jacket).
In a situation where absolute discreet concealment is the only measure, where anything else simply won't do, then your wardrobe choices might well drive the limitations on what options you have. Up to you, but I've found that judicious clothing choices can often open up the possibilities, even in warmer climes.
Way too many variables to find comfort while carrying....how big round the middle we are, height/weight, what kind/size of gun, what holster, what holster material, what kind of belt, what kind of clothes, where we are gonna carry it/IWB/OWB/3 oclock, 1 oclock, etc etc.
I started by carrying a gun 'round the house Appendix IWB just in my pants....decided to lose 30 lbs, got a good belt, bought leather holsters instead of Kydex, got a shorter gun and went to subcompacts, and now I'm really comfortable, all day, in Dockers and a button down carrying Appendix in a leather high Noon Tuckable. But it took a lot of experimentation and the loss of 30 pounds of middle (and I wasn't that fat!!) to make it all work.
Generally speaking? If yer wanting IWB then losing the gut and choosing the correct carry position/pistol, holster and belt will make or break comfort.
I don't like IWB either. Carried that way for a year or so, then decided to get a belt holster. Vastly more comfortable. Yes, you have to always wear some kind of concealing garment, but I'm wearing a sweater more than half the year anyway, and a light vest in warmer weather, and an untucked shirt in the summer. If I have to dress up in a suit, a rare thing these days, I can put a small gun in a pocket holster or wear a larger gun under the shirt in a belly band or holster T-shirt.
Those nylon IWB holsters are crap Total waste of money I use leather by UBGholsters . Nate makes a nice leather holster I like leather it forms to body.
A present Iam setting hee with a Bersa Thunder IWB in a UBG holster . I carry Bersa, PPK /s ,and Colt Defender or one of my Commanders IWB . Good belt and holster and your ready I wear T shirt and jeans year around Yes in winter I ad a jacket . Iam 6'2" and now 275 lbs 60lbs lighter than was in Sept
I have only been concealed carrying for about 6 months, but I can't emphasize enough the importance of the right holster. Unfortunately, that's highly variable from person to person, so a bit of trial and error is in order. I'll bet almost everyone on this forum has at least three holsters for every gun they own, but usually use the same one. As far as printing goes: remember when you look in the mirror you are totally focused on where your gun is. Most everyone else won't be. In fact, unless you look like a movie star very few people will notice anything about you. Remember you will probably have to buy pants an inch bigger in the waist for when you're carrying if you're slender. If you're a bigger guy you may not need to. And finally, it's always uncomfortable when you first start carrying. It was for me too for the first few weeks. Now I feel naked when I'm not.
Reviving this thread a bit, I've been looking at IWB holsters and a fear of mine is retention. I only see one that offers a thumb-break on top - the Galco SC2. My concern is turning and bumping a wall, or bending over too far, or tripping and falling, and so on...Would the retention of a Crossbreed, Alien Gear, SHTF, etc. be enough to keep the gun in the holster? Many of you guys use these brands, so guns obviously aren't falling out all over the place...but it's still a concern for me. Again, I am jaded by using a cheap pancake IWB holster and having my LCP wriggle out from simply walking.
I use a Alien Gear IWB. You can adjust the retention. I've got mine where it holds the gun in, even when holding it upside down (over the bed). If I shook it, it would fall out, but I don't want it any tighter than that. And, of course, the retention is even tighter once it's inside your waist.
You're not alone. I've bought many different types of holsters. Strong side, IWB..etc All forms of carry suck for me. I recently switched to Appendix carry and it's the most comfortable for me until I sit down or drive in my car.
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