GP TACTICAL

Holster Selection Considerations

Several of you have sought my advice regarding holster purchase. This is a good thing since it means you might actually carry your firearm.

Step One: Decide where on your body you want to carry the firearm. Consider that this position is the one you personally feel you can present your firearm from in the least amount of time. Think of your body mechanics and physique. For example, if you have a large spare tire, I wouldn’t suggest appendix carry since you will have to clear that tire to get your grip on the firearm. If you have a bad rotator cuff on your strong arm, will you need to change how you shoot? Keep in mind the object is to get the firearm presented and on target in the minimum time.

Some locations on your body to consider are on your strong side hip in the 3 to 4 o’clock position, on the opposite hip in the 8 to 9 o’clock position. These in my opinion are optimal. Strong side is my personal favorite. The weak side has the disadvantage of having to cross draw and possibly muzzle sweeping your weak arm in the process.

Another popular position is appendix carry. Normally this is in the 12 to 2 o’clock position on the strong side. Those that believe in the position feel that there is no faster location and the perp is less likely  to be able to get the gun in a face to face contact. I dislike this position because while seated the gun is pointed at some very expensive real estate on you body. If you had to draw while seated and you got a negligent discharge you might gravely injure yourself.

Another is the small of the back. This is the 6 o’clock position. Those that like this feel that the gun is most concealed in a face on challenge. They feel you can draw from this location without exposing the pistol to the perp. Another downside is this can be very uncomfortable just sitting down.

You can also carry under your arm on the weak side in a shoulder holster. This position was instituted by detectives and other plain clothes operators who might normally wear a suit or some type of overcoat. This is probably a good concealment location but has the disadvantage of having the muzzle pointed in a direction you might not intend to shoot, namely towards what’s behind you. If you have an accidental discharge from here you might easily find yourself up on manslaughter charges. To remedy this some have converted to more vertical carry type shoulder holsters. Problem with this is a vertical draw from this location is hard to accommodate under most cover garment conditions.

Next would be from an ankle holster. This is usually where officers carry a back up gun. In my opinion I don’t carry a backup so I don’t think this is practical form me. If I can’t do business with my primary location then a back up is pretty meaningless for me. If I needed a backup, it would be here, I guess. It is easy to conceal but seems inconvenient and impractical to quickly draw from or to practice with.

A lot of people swear by pocket carry.  There are holsters designed to this very end, but: and this is big, it limits the type of pistol you carry and what you can have in that pocket. This might be a good option if you want a backup. To me, at least, it seems impractical for everyday carry since practice and presenting from this location could be quite problematic. Speed in presentation would certainly be limited. If you perceived the threat early you could draw to a bladed concealed location on your body but you would need considerable lead time in my humble opinion.

If you are female, you have one more option. That is from under the overhang of your décolletage. They make holster rigs that are suspended from the center strap on your brasier. You would need to consider that you would need to reach under your blouse grip the gun and pull it. There is some element of the weakness of cross draw associated with shoulder carry. Also, it might be difficult to routinely practice from this location. That said it might be a great backup location. If your primary carry location is off body like in a hand bag.

A last consideration is are you going to carry inside your waistband (IWB) or outside your waistband (OWB). OWB is certainly the most comfortable since the gun isn’t pressed up against some portion of your body. However, OWB means you have to wear extra baggy clothing for optimal concealment. You really don’t want your firearm to print or show its outline under your clothing. You can somewhat camouflage this by selecting prints of outer garments that break up patterns. Flannel shirts do a good job of this in winter. Certain patterns on short sleeve shirts do this as well. Shirts that have large images that draw attention also can do this a well as long as the printing is minimal.

IWB is my preferred location. This occasionally puts the firearm up directly against the skin that can irate some people. To counter this, manufactures have made pads that attach to IWB holsters by Velcro. My own pistol has a grip that is like high grade sand paper. They work pretty well.

So much for location. Step two is how you dress every day. You need to consider how your cover garment might cover your firearm and properly conceal it from normal view. You might have to change your style in fashion. I have had to go extra large on all my shirts to keep from printing. Some guys like to wear a vest routinely to cover their firearm if it’s located on the hip or shoulder. If you normally tuck your shirt in you may need to change this, I did. That said there are some IWB holsters designed to have a tucked shirt. I have never tried it, seems impractical to me but we are all different in how we want people to perceive our fashion sense.

Next is holster material. There are several considerations here. The classic is leather. A good leather holster is usually the more expensive choice but is the most comfortable in my opinion. I love my leather holster. It allows me to carry my full-size pistol and to draw it quickly. The downside is most leather holsters have minimal retention abilities.

That lead to police wanting a holster that retained their pistol in the event they had to fight an assailant prior to going to gun point. Early models were made from a hard-shell plastic. There are several levels of retention. The most difficult to defeat is one that requires a mechanical release like a finger or thumb button press to release the firearm and allow it to be drawn. These holsters were more made to the shape of particular firearms that were popular with Law Enforcement Officers (LEO’s). You don’t see as many plastic holsters. Nowadays the industry has gone to a product called KYDEX.

KYDEX is a thermoplastic that is made in sheets and thermally formed into the shape a particular pistol. When you order a kydex holster be sure you specify the PARTICULAR handgun you are ordering for. The holster will be formed and shaped to the specific handgun. If you ever want to add an attachment like a rail light or laser you will need a new holster for that gun and that particular attachment. For most of us I think attachments are a waste, but each to his own opinion.

Pocket carry holsters or even some IWB are made of soft materials that is a heavy type canvas material. Sometimes coated with a rubbery material that sticks to whatever it is against.  These are called sticky holsters as the name implies. This allows you to draw the pistol while the holster is retained. It is a good alternative to other models since you can easily put it on and take it off. Most kydex or leather holsters have belt loops or clips that retain the holster as you draw. This a good choice as your first holster since they are inexpensive and allow you to try out several locations.

Finally, I recommend you think hard about which firearm you carry for personal defense. I think you need to purchase and buy only one type and learn to use it. Know how it operates, know how it feels, know its idiosyncrasies. You will save on holsters if you just have one go to gun. Adjust to the idea that you won’t have a box full of holsters you might not use. I can show you mine. I have one and only one type of gun and still have a box full based on methods I have tried carrying. Start with you most likely candidate try it for a while. Go to the range with it and decide if it fits YOU.

The important thing is to pick a holster you will carry most of all the time you are awake. Happy shopping.