Comfortable Holster for Concealment

[BamBam]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a comfortable holster for concealment on a large man that will stay close to the body? Something outside waistband would be preferable. I am carrying an XD 45 4".

[Kalrog]

I'm not exactly small, but big means different things to different folks.

Personal preference is Tucker Gunleather, but this really is one of very few industries where you can't go wrong with any of the big names. Most of the leather holster makers that you see mentioned on this board to GREAT work and you just need to pick the one that looks like what you want. With that said, the biggest thing that helps make waist carry comfortable is the belt. The belt is MORE important than the holster. I currently have a leather 5.11 belt because it was what I was looking for and it was only $35. I have been happy with that, but you could just as easily get a belt from the same person who does your holster.

[carlson1]

Anything made by Alessi, Del Fatti, or Milt Sparks are good stuff and will hug your body.

[jbirds1210]

Anything made by Alessi, Del Fatti, or Milt Sparks are good stuff and will hug your body.

I am not petite by an stretch of the imagination.....I have not found anything that compares to Milt Sparks. I prefer the Summer Special/SSII configuration. Remember that with the correct pants/shorts, pocket carry can be a very effective way to carry and draw a gun with some practice. I suggest Mika's pocket holster for that mode of carry.

Good luck! Don't be afraid to borrow a friend's holster and try it out for a day.

Jason

[age_ranger]

Suprisingly, I use a kydex IWB from Blade-Tech for my Beretta 92 and it's about as comfortable as my Milt Sparks VMII IWB.........who would have thought kydex would be comfortable? Amazed me for sure, but it just goes to show you that you should try a variety of methods and find what suits you best.

[NcongruNt]

I carry my Hi-Power in a Galco Combat Master OWB holster. It hugs up nice and close, and I carry every day with it concealed under an unbuttoned work shirt. Galco seems to have several OWB options for the XD 45 4":


Concealable Belt Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

Cop 3 Slot Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

Fletch High Ride Belt Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

Silhouette High Ride Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

[M9FAN]

I use a half-kydex, half-leather IWB Minotaur holster from Comp-Tac for my Beretta M9 and it is more comfortable than the Uncle Mike's OWB kydex paddle holster that I also own. Here are a few pics:

Side View:


Rear View:


Concealed View:

[sirostac]

I carry my Hi-Power in a Galco Combat Master OWB holster. It hugs up nice and close, and I carry every day with it concealed under an unbuttoned work shirt. Galco seems to have several OWB options for the XD 45 4":


Concealable Belt Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

I have this Holster for a Glock 17 and a 4" XD45. Get a good sturdy belt anf you are good to go! They make it for Lefties too!

[HighVelocity]

I'm carrying my Glock 21 in a Tucker "The Answer" IWB holster and it's very comfortable. It conceals easily under an untucked t-shirt. Like Jbirds, petite is not how I'd describe myself and the Tucker makes it easy to hide a giant sized Glock 21.

[propellerhead]

What would make a holster comfortable? From my experience, I would say a lot of it depends on what is up against your body. I would think an OWB holster would be very comfortable since it would feel like a large pad is pressing against you. However, I don't think I could conceal an OWB in the summer. Next to that would be an IWB that has a large backing pad like the Crossbreed Supertuck. It spreads out the pressure over a large surface area. With that same logic, I would have to place Kydex IWB holsters on the uncomfortable end of the spectrum.

[nemesis]

Comfort is not a quality that is always attributable to a holster.

More important are the position of the holster, the belt and the physical characteristics of the wearer.

A large percentage of the people I meet have no idea how to carry or conceal a gun effectively. Guns are often positioned poorly for concealability, belts are not of sufficient strength nor torsional rigidity to carry a gun and the guns carried are frequently to large or heavy and not ideal for concealment.

Consider this. A holster is just a place to park a gun. That's all it does. The belt is what holds in position.

Comfort is there but you have to find it. Try a good belt and find a position where the gun and holster are comfortable.

[NcongruNt]

I carry my Hi-Power in a Galco Combat Master OWB holster. It hugs up nice and close, and I carry every day with it concealed under an unbuttoned work shirt. Galco seems to have several OWB options for the XD 45 4":


Concealable Belt Holster
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterG3.asp?Pr ... &GunID=334

I have this Holster for a Glock 17 and a 4" XD45. Get a good sturdy belt anf you are good to go! They make it for Lefties too!

The other good thing about the Galco hosters is that they are more readily available. Rather than waiting a couple of months for one from another manufacturer, you can usually find a Galco for your model of gun in stock at a number of places. I ordered mine online and had it in less than a week.

[NcongruNt]

What would make a holster comfortable? From my experience, I would say a lot of it depends on what is up against your body. I would think an OWB holster would be very comfortable since it would feel like a large pad is pressing against you. However, I don't think I could conceal an OWB in the summer. Next to that would be an IWB that has a large backing pad like the Crossbreed Supertuck. It spreads out the pressure over a large surface area. With that same logic, I would have to place Kydex IWB holsters on the uncomfortable end of the spectrum.

I didn't understand the difference until I got one. Here are my observations:

An IWB feels quite different than OWB because it still presses up against you with the belt tension. Regardless of what kind of IWB holster you use, you're still going to feel it against you to some extent. With an OWB and a good belt, all you're going to feel is the belt (like you normally would) and a little bit of the top of the gun (usually backed by some leather, so what you feel is slight). This is because the belt is dealing with keeping it there, rather than the gun being sandwiched between yourself and the belt. Clothing considerations aside, I'd go OWB every time.

As far as summer carry goes, it really all depends on how you dress and what you're doing. I wore my Hi-Power in an OWB holster all summer long. With a few exceptions (going to the laundromat or to the store in shorts), I carry this way almost exclusively. At all other times, I carry my PA-63 in a Bianchi Professional IWB holster. I wear jeans or Dickies with a t-shirt and unbuttoned work shirt nearly all of the time, so my OWB rig is just fine for summer wear. Here's some pictures:

[zeroskillz]

I've personally found the Milt Sparks VMII to be the most comfortable IWB holster I've ever tried. There are other manufacturers wo make basically the same thing for less, and they're probably just as good. It's the shape and angle that hold everything just right. Just because I could, I made a VMII style holster for a Sig X5 All-Around, which is a really big gun for CCW, just to see how it would feel. It carried just as comfortably as my 229. Here's a pic of my home-made VMII:



Very comfortable.
HTH
-Ted

[htxred]

uncle mikes IWB sidekick for me. i carry at 1-2oclock, untuck shirt does the trick, comfy. only have to minor adjust when i sit down.