Two new holsters: A short review

Just wanted to share my experiences with two new holsters. Let me start by saying that I am relatively new to concealed carry and have been doing so for only about a year or so. In that time I have acquired a small box full of holsters that just didn't work for me.

The IWB holsters I had purchased before had too much of the gun above the waist and were too "wide," for lack of a better term, so they felt unstable as if the gun was going to fall out and it would also cut me under the ribs when I sat in the car.

The OWB holsters I purchased were too bulky and kept too much of the gun below the belt so I wasn't able to conceal them well under an outer garment. They would always leave too much printing on the cover garment and would reveal the gun if I raised my arms to reach for something on an upper shelf in the store.


Enter my two new acquisitions:

The first one I will discuss is by far my absolute favorite!! It is an OWB holster by our own Mike P. at Defensive Holsters. This holster holds my Gen4 Glock 19 or 23 securly to my body and the bottem edge of the gun is literally only about 1/2 an inch below my belt. The retention is superb for a holster that isn't a true retention holster, yet it still lends itself to a very fast draw when done with a brisk firm grab. The contour of the sheath and lack of "bulk" makes the gun disappear under a very lightweight over shirt with NO discernable printing even with all kinds of movement and or stretching. It is even comfortable when worn seated in my car (a compact car with seats that leave little room for much else than my 200 pound gut). Kudos to Mike! You will definitely see future business from me as I acquire new models of Glocks. I also can't wait till you get your magazine holsters on the website because I would like to replace my current setup with one of your design to round out my daily concealed carry setup.

The second holster that I purchased was an IWB holster from PJ Holster LLC. This holster is also a kydex holster and the design is the best IWB holster I have worn to this date. The holster keeps the gun mostly below the belt with just enough of it above that you can get your thumb and fingers onto the grip. I love the way this holster fits because it is easy to put on and take off due to the design of the belt clip. I have worn it for nearly two weeks and it too seems to work in all positions including the dreaded "seated in the car" position. I have two comments about the holster though, and I would like to add that these are concerns that I only came to understand after having experienced the robust nature of the holster that I got from Mike P. because it is on parr with other previous holsters I had used before. The first is that the retention in the holster is very very light--in other words if you put the gun in the holster and turn it upside-down the gun WILL fall out. Now this doesn't seemp to be a problem because the gun is worn so deep in the pants that the position itself keeps the gun from ever turning upside-down. The second thing that I noticed is that the kydex is not very thick. I understand that the thickness is the way it is by design because of not wanting to add too much bulk to the inside of the waist. However, the integrated belt clip that is the only thing keeping the gun and holster from sliding completely down into your pants and down your leg is also the same thickness of kydex. My concern is that I feel as though this clip could fracture off and cause the gun to drop without warning. I am torn, because as I had said before this is the first IWB holster that has placed the gun deep enough into the pants to feel right on my body but I also don't want the gun to drop to the floor without warning if the belt clip should crack off.

Thanks for listening and if anyone else has any more info on the kydex clip and the PJ Holster that would make me feel more comfortable about it I would appreciate it because I would hate to have to stop using the IWB option since it the only one that will work in certain dress situations.

 

I didn't see it listed on the site when I ordered.

 

Thanks! Now I'm torn because I know how great your craftsmanship is from the OWB holster I already have but the IWB looks a lot like one of the ones I already own that didn't fit right for me. I'll have to think about it for a while.

 

I was wondering what I might coat the outside if the PJ holster in so the it would be a little tacky, kind of like the outside of a pocket holster. That might make me feel a little more secure about wearing it as it wouldn't slip and drop as easily if the clip were to break.