NOOB - Loops vs Clips IWB

top_gizmo · February 25th, 2007, 11:02 AM

Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's of each?

Bud White · February 25th, 2007, 11:05 AM

Clips easy on easy off

Loops are easy but not as easy as a clip

Cons of a clip for my taste they dont hold the holster as secure to you as a loop does

ExSoldier · February 25th, 2007, 11:38 AM

Clips? As in the cheap little spring steel thinghies? When I think of IWB I have exactly two choices:

Loops that snap after "looping" over the belt from underneath or the "J HOOK" arrangement that slides as a plate attached to the holster and is designed to have the belt lie atop while the abbreviated "hook" is used to snag the bottom edge of the belt. IF the hook is designed for the appropriate width belt, the fit is perfect. To remove the holster, simply loosen the belt and nudge it upward so that it slides out of the "groove" created by the "J HOOK" and slide the holster up and out of the pants. Simple and far more efficient than any "clip."

Harold Green · February 25th, 2007, 11:42 AM

Clips are convenient, and I’ve had several IWB holsters with clips over the years. I’ve also run defensive pistol shoots on a pretty regular basis since about 1997, and have seen several in use by others. Unfortunately, IWB holsters with clips tend to slip off the belt and get drawn with the gun on a pretty regular basis. I’ve seen a lot of shooters draw their guns and point them downrange only to realize their guns were still wearing their holsters and were inoperable until they stripped the holsters off.

If you want something more secure than a clip, but more secure than a belt loop, look at the holsters from various manufacturers that use J-clips.

ExSoldier · February 25th, 2007, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harold Green

Unfortunately, IWB holsters with clips tend to slip off the belt and get drawn with the gun on a pretty regular basis. I’ve seen a lot of shooters draw their guns and point them downrange only to realize their guns were still wearing their holsters and were inoperable until they stripped the holsters off.

Exactly! How positively embarrassing. There is no faster way to identify yourself as both a noob and a total amateur (if you've been shooting awhile and have at least the technique). Holsters with clips also are made of cheap thin leather or cheap nylon. Folks usually get them as a cost saving measure, being unaware that if you're going to spend the $$$ to buy a quality gun you'd better spend the $$$ to purchase the support equipment, too.

CCW is an entire system, not just the gun.

cockedlocked01 · February 25th, 2007, 02:33 PM

Not all clips are the same. That answer came to me while I was going through all my holsters & trying them out with their respective guns.

The clips that say, Bianchi uses, comes off with a gun that's snug in the holster. I have holster with clips that have a wide metal hook that comes up in the opposite direction & hooks into the pants, under the belt. UGB holsters uses these. They're not going anywhere & personally, it's more secure for me than loops. There's no play.

Loops look nice & even a cheap one will work, but a proper metal clip (As described), allows me to wear the clip onto my pants with a belt over it. Carry a light gun, like my PM9, in a tuckable holster (Like UBG holster's new one), & it disappears.

Eric Larsen · February 25th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Um....NO! Ill disagree a tad here. Now, mind you not all spring clips are created equally...some arent even close. And I understand the bad ones ruin it for the good ones....But with that being said...

I use the same clips that Nate uses..they are CDL springs and they took me years to find. They are tough as nails and I sell them in holsters to many holster snobs all over the world. Yes...Clips are convenient...but dont show that a noob just bought a holster.

My personal holster is a DC Special....its just like my Com 3 with a spring clip on each side of the gun...and just for the record....They are anything but cheap and/or inexpensive.
One way snaps for a holster are around 2.00$ for the whole setup...our cost. The clips cost that much each......

Id love to see anyone get my holster off of my pants/belt without "unhooking" the spring clips....it aint gonna happen! Period. The holsters will not come out unless that is your intention.

They do look more industrial than a real leather loop and some people just dont like the look of them....

Thats a personal preference for those who are getting and using a holster....thats all.

Those who wear spring clips on there holster are just as well versed as one who prefers loops. If the maker is using good spring clips and a well designed holster.....there is NO reason not to use them.

The J hook design is more questionable to me than a good spring clip...the spring clip hooks over the belt...keeping the holster in positive placement and makes the belt take the weight of the rig/gun. J hooks are designed to put the weight of the holster on the pants with nothing assisting it...the belt doesnt even come into the equation. To top it off, if the pants cant take the weight of the holster, the hook can be way below the belt and does no good at all. See my point?

A good hook or clip should be directly attached to the belt and the belt should take the weight of the whole setup for security and stability....J hooks just dont do that.

Shoot well and god bless

LoveLeather · February 25th, 2007, 05:47 PM

The clip on my highnoon Mr. Softy is like a tiger biting into my belt..you could pull all day on it and it is going nowhere...the bottom of it also is curved to catch the belt...it takes two hands to get it off, one to pry the clip away and the other to pull out the holster....it would almost be more conveinent to thread my belt through loops...

AnimalKracker · February 25th, 2007, 06:16 PM

A one way snap and loop set up works great and the snaps are hard to fasten the first several times that you use them. Even though you feel and hear the snap click it can come loose until the snap gets settled in good. Then it's on and off very easy. As far as clips go, make sure it's one that has a lip that protrudes and catches under your belt. Take a look at this holster from Eric. I guarantee that you want pull the holster off the belt. As a matter of fact you have to push up on the belt to disengage the lip that protrudes from the clip. The wide clip supports the weight very well and it does not shift at all. I do agree that you need a quality holster, but just because it has a clip does not reflect that. You have to look at the whole package.

retsupt99 · February 25th, 2007, 06:25 PM

Most of my holsters are from Fist (almost all are with a clip)...The clips will NOT release the holster unless you unhook it. The clips even work w/o a belt...but with a belt, you could pull all day...you're only going to get the gun (which is what you want).

I have had some bad experiences with j-hooks...they don't alsways catch the belt...

OMO

ret

February 25th, 2007, 11:02 AM	#1
top_gizmo Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lebanon, MO Posts: 151	NOOB - Loops vs Clips IWB Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's of each? __________________ Semper Fi! Engineers Up!

February 25th, 2007, 11:38 AM	#3
ExSoldier VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Coral Gables, FL Posts: 4,843	Clips? As in the cheap little spring steel thinghies? When I think of IWB I have exactly two choices: Loops that snap after "looping" over the belt from underneath or the "J HOOK" arrangement that slides as a plate attached to the holster and is designed to have the belt lie atop while the abbreviated "hook" is used to snag the bottom edge of the belt. IF the hook is designed for the appropriate width belt, the fit is perfect. To remove the holster, simply loosen the belt and nudge it upward so that it slides out of the "groove" created by the "J HOOK" and slide the holster up and out of the pants. Simple and far more efficient than any "clip." __________________ Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

February 25th, 2007, 11:42 AM	#4
Harold Green Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 132	Clips are convenient, and I’ve had several IWB holsters with clips over the years. I’ve also run defensive pistol shoots on a pretty regular basis since about 1997, and have seen several in use by others. Unfortunately, IWB holsters with clips tend to slip off the belt and get drawn with the gun on a pretty regular basis. I’ve seen a lot of shooters draw their guns and point them downrange only to realize their guns were still wearing their holsters and were inoperable until they stripped the holsters off. If you want something more secure than a clip, but more secure than a belt loop, look at the holsters from various manufacturers that use J-clips. __________________ "A gentleman will seldom, if ever, need a pistol. However, if he does, he needs it very badly!" -- Sir Winston Churchill "He who goes unarmed in paradise had better be sure that is where he is." -- James Thurber

February 25th, 2007, 02:33 PM	#6
cockedlocked01 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: S. California Posts: 964	Not all clips are the same. That answer came to me while I was going through all my holsters & trying them out with their respective guns. The clips that say, Bianchi uses, comes off with a gun that's snug in the holster. I have holster with clips that have a wide metal hook that comes up in the opposite direction & hooks into the pants, under the belt. UGB holsters uses these. They're not going anywhere & personally, it's more secure for me than loops. There's no play. Loops look nice & even a cheap one will work, but a proper metal clip (As described), allows me to wear the clip onto my pants with a belt over it. Carry a light gun, like my PM9, in a tuckable holster (Like UBG holster's new one), & it disappears. __________________ "Use human means as though divine ones didn't exist, and divine means as though there were no human ones." Baltasar Gracian Integrated Close Combat NRA Member Glock 19, Kahr P45, Kel-Tec P-32, S&W 442, & Dan Wesson 14-2

February 25th, 2007, 02:58 PM	#7
Eric Larsen Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: WoodsX Ut Posts: 769	Um....NO! Ill disagree a tad here. Now, mind you not all spring clips are created equally...some arent even close. And I understand the bad ones ruin it for the good ones....But with that being said... I use the same clips that Nate uses..they are CDL springs and they took me years to find. They are tough as nails and I sell them in holsters to many holster snobs all over the world. Yes...Clips are convenient...but dont show that a noob just bought a holster. My personal holster is a DC Special....its just like my Com 3 with a spring clip on each side of the gun...and just for the record....They are anything but cheap and/or inexpensive. One way snaps for a holster are around 2.00$ for the whole setup...our cost. The clips cost that much each...... Id love to see anyone get my holster off of my pants/belt without "unhooking" the spring clips....it aint gonna happen! Period. The holsters will not come out unless that is your intention. They do look more industrial than a real leather loop and some people just dont like the look of them.... Thats a personal preference for those who are getting and using a holster....thats all. Those who wear spring clips on there holster are just as well versed as one who prefers loops. If the maker is using good spring clips and a well designed holster.....there is NO reason not to use them. The J hook design is more questionable to me than a good spring clip...the spring clip hooks over the belt...keeping the holster in positive placement and makes the belt take the weight of the rig/gun. J hooks are designed to put the weight of the holster on the pants with nothing assisting it...the belt doesnt even come into the equation. To top it off, if the pants cant take the weight of the holster, the hook can be way below the belt and does no good at all. See my point? A good hook or clip should be directly attached to the belt and the belt should take the weight of the whole setup for security and stability....J hooks just dont do that. Shoot well and god bless __________________ If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice..........Rush Last edited by Eric Larsen; February 25th, 2007 at 03:07 PM..

February 25th, 2007, 11:05 AM	#2
Bud White VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Gone from Here Posts: 17,375	Clips easy on easy off Loops are easy but not as easy as a clip Cons of a clip for my taste they dont hold the holster as secure to you as a loop does

February 25th, 2007, 05:47 PM	#8
LoveLeather Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 464	The clip on my highnoon Mr. Softy is like a tiger biting into my belt..you could pull all day on it and it is going nowhere...the bottom of it also is curved to catch the belt...it takes two hands to get it off, one to pry the clip away and the other to pull out the holster....it would almost be more conveinent to thread my belt through loops...

February 25th, 2007, 06:16 PM	#9
AnimalKracker Distinguished Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Eastern Arkansas Posts: 1,382	A one way snap and loop set up works great and the snaps are hard to fasten the first several times that you use them. Even though you feel and hear the snap click it can come loose until the snap gets settled in good. Then it's on and off very easy. As far as clips go, make sure it's one that has a lip that protrudes and catches under your belt. Take a look at this holster from Eric. I guarantee that you want pull the holster off the belt. As a matter of fact you have to push up on the belt to disengage the lip that protrudes from the clip. The wide clip supports the weight very well and it does not shift at all. I do agree that you need a quality holster, but just because it has a clip does not reflect that. You have to look at the whole package.

February 25th, 2007, 06:25 PM	#10
retsupt99 VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Central Florida Posts: 22,405	Clips... Most of my holsters are from Fist (almost all are with a clip)...The clips will NOT release the holster unless you unhook it. The clips even work w/o a belt...but with a belt, you could pull all day...you're only going to get the gun (which is what you want). I have had some bad experiences with j-hooks...they don't alsways catch the belt... OMO ret __________________ "That I cannot do." "Give this to, uh, Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. After all we're not murderers in spite of what this undertaker thinks." *********************************** NRA Life Member

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