Holster so comfortable you forget you're carrying?

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Dan in MI

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I've been carrying for a few years. About 90% outside the home and 60% at home.

Until recently I have always had an awareness of my weapon. I got a new holster and it is so comfortable that I don't feel it, or have it bouncing around the background of my head. I have actually dropped it to the floor when undoing my pants when getting ready for bed (twice :shock: ) instead of knowing/feeling I had to remove it. I did catch myself doing it a third time.

I switched back to my old holster as a test and it has those little pokes and prods that keep me aware.

Is a holster this comfortable a rarity?
 

Dan in MI

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Azula seated cross draw. Kimber Micro 9.

It rides about 11:00 for me. I can still use both jeans pockets, which is nearly a must. (phone/cash)


I have the same in a Hellcat, but that fat pig still shows up. :lol: Actually I think this one is plain cross draw, not the seated version.
 

TGW1979

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I have a few handguns but one in particular is a 9 mm compact.. when I carry that one I wear OWB and I usually have a dress shirt like a button up or something on so it's covered. I do often forget that I have it on and if I don't notice it when I take my shirt off it's so damn light I will forget that it's there. I walked into a bank a few weeks ago and had it on my hip... Fortunately it's not illegal to walk into a bank with a firearm on your person unless it's a federal bank... But I'll tell you right now I couldn't understand why people were just staring at me. It took me a moment and then I looked down and said rather loudly, "OH HELL!! AGAIN?!?!"

I think my demeanor and genuine surprise and shock comforted everybody because the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Nobody even told me I couldn't have it in there. I was expecting somebody to try to tell me how the law works.
 

Biggfoot44

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I have occasionally forgotten a BUG . Only slightly humorously , if a primary is so light you can forget it's there , you should have a bigger gun .
 

NightSailor

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Azula seated cross draw. Kimber Micro 9.

It rides about 11:00 for me. I can still use both jeans pockets, which is nearly a must. (phone/cash)


I have the same in a Hellcat, but that fat pig still shows up. :lol: Actually I think this one is plain cross draw, not the seated version.
I have one of those Micro 9's. They are small versions of 1911. I like the size. With concentration they are fairly accurate at closer ranges.

It is a pretty comfortable configuration—narrow and small for its size. I was generally happy with my micro 9.

I decided to buy another special edition recently and it was broken right out of the box— new from Kimber. Sent it back. Called Kimber and emailed them—pretty upset about it and the telephone responder lost all interest when I told him I was returning it through Bass ProShops. I was still more upset and wrote them and they never responded.

Bass ProShos botched the return stating it was a failure to feed. It was a hammer sear issue where the hammer locked up in the down position.

It was returned to me and I found it still broken, returning it to Bass ProShops again in the jammed position. They freaked out because they could not determine if there was a round in the chamber. I had to tell them how to free it. Flipping the safety on and off a few times and juggling the slide and trigger.

I filed a Better Business Bureau Complaint and sent Bass another email which they responded to saying they would fix it for no charge. I was given a number to call and dumped into voicemail and the party that wrote me was impossible to reach. The dial by name did not work.

Bass gave me a full refund as it was my second return and the managers Mike and Ashley were very kind and professional to me.

Seriously. A conceal carry pistol jamming right out of the box? What kind of QC do they have? Plus it got through QC twice. They should be eager to get it back to find out WTF happened. But no, Kimber was not interested in process improvement. I urinate on the whole bunch, particularly the first fellow I talked to on the phone. Who needed to be fired, although drawn and quarter would have been suitable as well.

Back to holsters for the Micro 9: I have an kidney carry and a Azula cross draw. Both are super comfortable. The kidney carry is single leather w/o lining and is a nuisance to holster but otherwise comfortable. The Azusa cross draw has loosened up some with use. I wish it had a hammer strap.

A slightly better cross draw is the DiSantis—also lacking a hammer strap, but it has a tension screw. It seemed like the best of these, but I have not used it much to date.

Generally I like cross draw for comfort. A belt under overalls is super comfortable and relatively easy to put on or off. Take the whole belt off— no belt loops. I have Carhartt overalls with some stretch to them. Three pairs—two for work and one clean unstained version. At my age I know longer carry about a few stains. Comfort rules.

I like having access while seated in a car as I've had more than few sketchy people approach my car and one hand speedy access is comforting, while the other is prepared to fend off if needed. I have a policy of not letting strangers getting too close.

Honorable mention is the 1791 holster which can be used strong side, appendix, cross draw, small of the back, pretty much any way you like. I have mine in 1911. Also it allows the belt to be routed under or through the reinforcing on either side as it's ambidextrous. Routing through the outside edge holds the piece closer to the body reducing printing giving up a bit of comfort. It's about the most perfect holster as it does it all with only a small increase in bulk—one extra layer of leather. That other piece can be removed with a thread ripper. It does help hold the shape. Given it negligible thickness and get utility I decided to keep it as it was sold.

Final thoughts. Nothing beats a belt under overalls for comfort, concealment and access. Most people have lots of stuff in front pockets, perhaps a belly to disguise it, and others generally don't stare at groin or lower chest areas, so it works. And if carried in front, you can see where people are looking and typically it is at your face, not your belly—- compared with someone following you noticing a bulge in your back or hip.

I recall as a child seeing all this stuff printed through shirts thinking this so many men had back braces! Lol. They were "small of the back" carrying. Something I tried and gave up long ago.

Size matters. The bigger your firearm, the more specialized you need to be for concealed carry. If you think about it and are willing to try different things and modify or make holsters adapters or belts, you can make something super comfortable. If all else fails a pocket carry small arm often works. My Micro 9 fits in a pocket rather well also.
 
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Dan in MI

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Back to holsters for the Micro 9: I have an kidney carry and a Azula cross draw. Both are super comfortable. The kidney carry is single leather w/o lining and is a nuisance to holster but otherwise comfortable. The Azusa cross draw has loosened up some with use. I wish it had a hammer strap.

A slightly better cross draw is the DiSantis—also lacking a hammer strap, but it has a tension screw. It seam like the best of these, but I have not used it much to date.

It's funny you commented on this thread. I was thinking about this this morning. I have both. I like the Azula better, but both have earned a home made retention strap. I do a lot of various work and both have allowed the Kimber to skitter across the ground while looking under a truck or loading lumber. I took some para cord and made a loop that goes through the belt loop and over the hammer. A little tinkering with length and you can get os it retains fine, but slips of easily.
 

noahmercy

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When I decided to start carrying regularly, I did a ton of research. Most guys I know have a bag or box of holsters they tried which didn't work out for one reason or another. I'm of limited means, and while I don't mind paying a fair price for equipment, I can't afford to spend more on buying holsters willy nilly until I find one that works. I'm also pretty plump, and that adds to the issue of finding a good carry holster that won't print or dig in.

I ended up with an Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.5 for a Max9 with optic, and I doubt I could be happier. Comfortable (as the OP discussed; completely forget it's there) in all activities, lots of adjustability, and disappears under even a well-fitted T-shirt. Didn't break the bank either.
 

whymhot

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I have been using a Vedder OWB holster, it rides high and its very comfortable so you always have your pistol on you. Other benefits to OWB is its faster out of the holster and safer. I used to carry AIWB and I dont miss it.
 
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I've 'carried' a SD handgun for so long, I'm not comfortable w/o one regardless of the holster. I don't even think about it, it's just there. A couple of times I've forgotten to remove the gun when doing business in restricted areas but have not been noticed. Once the security dude at the Social Security office braced me about my EMPTY holster and my response made him look like a complete idiot-that came back to bite me later as the next time I went to SS office, this dude sent me back to my vehicle TWICE and he even demanded I remove my belt).
The most uncomfortable holster I've ever tried was a shirt tuck IWB. I wasn't able to tolerate the constant pressure and presence of the THING jammed into my bony hip. Irrelevant these days since I can't raise my right arm far enough to draw from that location anyway.
 

diyj98

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What kind of garment (that's my fancy word for the day) are you guys using to cover those OWB crossdraw holsters? I've toyed with the idea of getting one in the past, but wasn't sure how well it would conceal. I'm guess not too well with a tshirt, but a standard button up worn outside the paints might work.
 

Biggfoot44

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What kind of garment (that's my fancy word for the day) are you guys using to cover those OWB crossdraw holsters? I've toyed with the idea of getting one in the past, but wasn't sure how well it would conceal. I'm guess not too well with a tshirt, but a standard button up worn outside the paints might work.

Dickies style work shirt , untucked . Works for 3.5 in Vaquero in crossdraw , positioned in front of left hip .

Recently acquired a similar holster for 4 3/4 SAA clone , but haven't had chance to test out yet .

*********************

In the absolute sense , the Vaquero is tucked closer to body in strong side pancake , but crossdraw is also viable , for when you want CD on purpose .
 

KurtC

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What kind of garment (that's my fancy word for the day) are you guys using to cover those OWB crossdraw holsters? I've toyed with the idea of getting one in the past, but wasn't sure how well it would conceal. I'm guess not too well with a tshirt, but a standard button up worn outside the paints might work.
I'm usually carrying a full size sidearm in a paddle holster holster, so I wear a shoot me first vest.
 

Ka6otm

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Dec 21, 2002
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I carry a Sig P365XRomeoZero in an Alien Gear IWB holster 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. I find myself reaching back and making sure it's there at least once a day, sometimes more.

Is it comfortable? Absolutely. When you have to check to make sure the gun is there, it's definitely comfortable.
 

dwayne

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My grandmother used to say, "If you hang long enough you will get used to it." I think the same kinda applies to any decent gun/holster combo. To illustrate … how many times has your wife (or chiropractor) asked how you can sit on a wallet that's two inches thick? Ha!
 
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I've been conceal carrying since 1995. I think that's the year the law passed in N. C. Like many of you I have a big box full of holsters. Several years ago I found these DeSantis mini scabbards. I own at least 10 of them for different guns. They are relatively inexpensive and are pretty well built. They don't lay real tight against you side which works well for me(kind if a big midsection). So they don't poke me. And I do sometimes forget I have the gun on. Of course I only carry lightweight guns and I wear a 1 size larger Carhartt t shirt over them. They are the most comfortable holsters I've ever worn. Here's a picture of a couple of my favorites.
20220806_180403.jpg
20220806_181118(1).jpg
20220806_185220.jpg
 
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Dan in MI

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What kind of garment (that's my fancy word for the day) are you guys using to cover those OWB crossdraw holsters? I've toyed with the idea of getting one in the past, but wasn't sure how well it would conceal. I'm guess not too well with a tshirt, but a standard button up worn outside the paints might work.
In the cooler months for casual daily wear it is Bass Pro 3 button "waffle"Henley. They cover great. As for T shirts. One size too large seems to cover well and not be too sloppy. Brand makes a difference in sizing.
bp henley.JPG
 
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