Review of 4 CCW holsters

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Since there are some board members who are new to firearms and CCW, I thought that I'd write up a quick review for them, to maybe aid in their decisions. I started carrying a little over a year ago and as I've carried, my desires and what's acceptable have changed a bit. I've lurked other boards specific to CCW and based on their thoughts, made a purchase. That, along with some trial and error have brought me to my current holster usage.

All remarks are my personal experiences, but may be applicable to others. I stand 6'0" and weigh ~190lbs and use an under shirt at all time to aid in comfort. I prefer my holsters to be as close to 9:00 (or 3:00 for you right handers) as I can get.



Starting left to right. Actually my wife's pistol, a S&W M&P 9c holstered in a Comp Tac Minotaur. Thoughts from me are that it's too wide (thick, due to the double stack magazine of the pistol) and the holster is too uncomfortable for CCW use. Being a lefty, I have little time with it to really play around with the settings, but I'd be surprised if I could make it work.

Next is the first gun I carried, a Remington 1911 R1 in a White Hat Holsters Max Tuck. Thoughts are that it's pretty darn comfortable and manages to distribute the bulk of the steel 1911 pretty well. Downsides are that it's fairly wide/long, so I have to be careful how far up in waist clock position you bring it (9 o'clock on left hand draw) because it will dig into the crease of my hip/leg when I'm sitting. VERY uncomfortable after a while. I find that about 8:00 - 8:30 on waist does the trick. It's also pretty hard on the finish. At first, I was pretty indifferent to it, but as time wore on (along with the finish) I became rather annoyed. I think that the long barrel of the pistol moved with my leg and made the gun wiggle in the kydex scabbard. Retention is good enough to be fairly active with, including riding my bicycle to and from work 6 miles everyday and doing farm work with my friend. Concealment is surprisingly good. I've worn it under everything from a Polo to a tucked in dress shirt with no issues. With the long grip though, you do have to be careful not to bend at the waist, otherwise you'll print big time! A word on White Hat's customer service - darn good IMO. I cracked the original scabbard somehow, so I contacted them and got a woman who said that it's lifetime warranted, just e-mail her a picture of the failure. No problem. I did and she said that they'll send one out and estimated 2 week? delivery time due to a busy schedule. It showed up in a fraction of the time! A few days max. Good people to work with. One last note, is that they offer quite a range of custom options if that's the way you roll...

Next is the Ruger LCR in .357Mag tucked into a Talon Training Group Holster. So far not much time with it. Initial thoughts are that the holster is made absolutely PERFECTLY for that revolver! To a fault maybe? When it's tucked into my pants, I find that drawing from concealment (or any drawing) is tough. It clings in the holster so well that I can pretty much wedgie myself if I tried hard enough. I need to push down on the outside edge of the holster to release some pressure to allow an easy draw. Once I get some more time I expect it'll loosen up. It's a fairly comfortable rig, that not very position sensitive but oddly enough more comfortable with the LCR in than out. So take that into consideration if you have to remove and stow your pistol during work hours or for other reasons.

Last is my S&W M&P shield in 9mm sitting in a DeSantis Cozy Partner. I've carried it a few weeks now and it's going to be my primary carry combo. Two words... Not there! So darn comfortable, it's like it's not even there. Very easy to conceal and light. Construction is also top notch. I carry it centered on the belt loop behind the center point of my side. So far the only downside is there is a screw backer for the retention adjustment that rubs me a bit. I'm going to call them when I get some time and see what they'll do. Drawing and re holstering is not too bad. Still a bit stiff because it's so new. I expect it to break in and get easier. Retention is more than adequate to keep it secure for pretty anything a person could be expected to do.

I did also purchase a DeSantis Sof Tuck but have yet to really use it so I can't offer much in the way an opinion yet. It does show some promise and I look forward to tucking it in and carrying the M&P Shield, but that Cozy Partner is just so comfortable and concealable, I haven't had an urge to try it yet. The one plus it has for sure over the Cozy Partner is it's tuck-able. That is you can wear your shirt tucked in and the belt clips are the on'y thing that shows.

As I get more time, I'll add some more thoughts on these holsters.... Hope this helps!





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like most holster buyers, you'll probably end up with a drawer full of ones you don't like and a few that you do like.

For me, I like the Bianchi Professional models for most IWB carry (thick enough to avoid being uncomfortable), for 1911's I like the Yaqui (sp?) style, and almost 24/7 I use a Desantis pocket holster for my 380.
 
Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
like most holster buyers, you'll probably end up with a drawer full of ones you don't like and a few that you do like.

For me, I like the Bianchi Professional models for most IWB carry (thick enough to avoid being uncomfortable), for 1911's I like the Yaqui (sp?) style, and almost 24/7 I use a Desantis pocket holster for my 380.


Oh, there's no doubt that I'll buy more holsters... And more guns too I'm sure. This was just meant to get some starter info out there for those who want to carry and are looking into holsters. I know it's pretty limited on info though, but I figured with the sheer volume of holsters out there, it may give direction for those interested/new to carry.






I thought that I'd add to the initial post, this: With both the Max Tuck and the Minotaur, I've found that setting them too far to the rear will put the grip against your back while seated (driving, ect....) and that with pretty much all holsters, a 1/4" change in position (in any direction) can make a fairly big difference in comfort.
 
I should have mentioned I carry crossdraw most times due to limitations of raising my right arm. It works for me and over the years I've gotten pretty quick.

When I mentioned a drawer full of holsters I should have also said that sooner or later something comes along that fits most of them. I imagine I've worn almost all of them quite a bit...some more than others....and there's only a few that don't get worn at all but they're typically the inexpensive nylon holsters. You will no doubt have a few that may not fit something well enough now but something will become part of your stable that will fill them quite well.

I'm a little surprised at the holster wear on the Rem....I've carried a blackened Kimber for years and no sign of finish wear.

You have the start of a nice collection!
 
I've got a Minataur for my G23. I like it except for the plastic belt loops. They work well enough, but I think I prefer metal clips. May have to change that over.
 
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