Let's talk IWB holsters for a minute...

[propellerhead]

I'm still trying to find that ultimate holster that I could rave about. I have a Taurus Millenium Pro PT-745. It's the same thing as the Taurus PT-145 but just slightly narrower frame. On some holster websites, it is in the same group as the Glock 26/27. I don't really want to end up hundreds of dollars poorer and a bucket full of "didn't work" holsters, so help me out here.

I bought an Uncle Mike's IWB to try out. I figured I can't go wrong with $11. It started out really promising but I found out the gun rides high, in my opinion. With the 3.25-inch barrel gun in the holster and the holster in position, the top of my belt is right about where the trigger guard meets the forward side of the grip. More than half of the gun's weight is above my belt. I find this very unstable unless I cinch my belt tight to a point where my eyeballs start to pop out. With my belt in its normal slightly loose but snug fit, it doesn't take much force to tip the upper part of the gun away from my body. A firm tug and the holster and gun is now on the outside of my pants and hanging upside down. This wouldn't happen if I were carrying a gun with a 4-5-inch barrel or if the gun was positioned an inch or two lower. But that's not the case here.

Another thing that contributes to this unstableness is that I have what could be described as 'muffin top' -- a slight bulge around the waist just above the belt line. Yes, it comes with age. Naturally, any gun I carry with an IWB will have a tendency for the top side (grip end) to lean outwards while the barrel is held snug against my side by the belt. This also means that the holster should be thin so it doesn't add a lot of width to the gun. The thick fancy expensive leather ones seem to add quite a bit of thickness.

So, my question now is are there any IWB holsters that position more of the gun below the top of the belt without adding a lot of bulk?

I have been looking at the Galco Ultra Deep Cover Inside the Pant holster and it looks like it will sit lower. They don't list the Taurus PT-745 but they do list the Glock 26/27. Has anyone used this particular holster? Does it position the gun lower? How far down does the gun go with respect to the top of your belt? Care to post a photo?

Are there any issues to consider with having the gun a little lower? I'm not too worried about needing half a second more to draw the gun. I don't expect to be in a cowboy shootout at the O.K. Corral. If I was worried about half a second on the draw, I would leave the situation I was in or position my hand by my waist. Or if possible, I'll switch to pocket carry and have my hand on the grip already.

[agdude]

You'll get a LOT of great suggestions from people on this subject. I'll give you one. crossbreedholsters.com, I bought mine from them for like $36 including shipping and it was AWESOME. It is a small sheet of leather that sits against your body (makes it very comfortable because it is like an extension of your pants instead of a holster). Then there is a very thin piece of molded Kydex that is fasten on to that ( this is only molded for half of the gun, so one side of the gun is touching leather the other is touching Kydex). It's great, makes the gun as flat as possible and VERY comfortable.

Now this won't be as cool as many of the suggestions you'll get, because it seems to be made with quality vs. price in mind. Quality is top-notch, but to make the price reasonable it looks like it was made to work, not show-off. Try one out, or if you don't want to dump the cash you can borrow mine if you'll pay the shipping.

Kevin

[cyphur]

The crossbreed does indeed look like a good value with a good design! I looked at his holsters while searching for my own IWB.

I went with its cousin from Tucker, with their Answer IWB holster. Its build quality is a little better from what I can tell, in that they use screws instead of rivets, allowing the clips to be swapped out if they break(which knowing my luck, I'll be keeping Comp-Tac in business for a good while!).

Also, you can't beat Tucker's No bull guarantee with a stick. If I don't like it, don't feel comfortable, send it back. No bull. Also, Tucker has an active member on the board in Rob Longenecker and he was able to answer all of my questions about the holster and belt I ordered, and helped save me a few bucks on shipping to boot.

[Jfreeman]

The day I finally broke down and spent some serious cash on a Sparks VersaMax II for my HK USP compact .45 is the first time I finally found a great IWB holster that I could wear all day.

I liked that one so much that a few months later I bought a Sparks Watch 6 model IWB for my Colt Defender and I also was very happy with it.

I have no other holster experiences to compare to but I feel Sparks is worth the $$$!

[Texasdoc]

I have had good luck with High Noon holsters there IWB are Tuckable and wear nicely. there Quality is great and hold the Gun in the right place for hours of carry.

I have got 2 of them and both are the tuckable IWB for the money, I would say you can't go wrong.

I carry a Glcok 23 in both of mine.

300shooter

[propellerhead]

So far it seems like the CrossBreed Super-Tuck IWB might do the trick. With the adjustable clips, I should be able to position the gun a little lower than most holsters.

[OverEasy]

Propellerhead,

I have a Crossbreed for my Glock 33 which I really like, now.

I would suggest not wasting $8 for the adjustable holes. I had to punch another one myself anyway to get mine where I wanted it.

If you want to be able to get a "shooting grip" on the butt of your gun when you draw, be sure to tell them when you place the order. Ask for a full grip combat draw.

I had to send mine back because I was unable to get an acceptable grip.

He uses a big piece of leather, in my opinion. I cut my holster down a little myself after I got it back.

It is a great holster now and I would buy another one without hesitation.

I don't think you can go wrong for the money.

Good Luck, OE

[propellerhead]

Overeasy:

Can you expand on the "shooting grip" and "combat draw"? What part had to be cut? Right now I am able to hook the grip with my last two or three fingers and my thumb goes on the top side of the slide.

Thank you for your feedback.

[OverEasy]

When I received my Crossbreed there was leather behind the slide and the grip. I could not get my thumb in between the leather and the grip.
I could either just use three fingers to pull the gun out, without my thumb wraped around the grip. Or I could only grab the last 1-1/2" of the butt.

Neither way allowed me to be ready to shoot without regripping the gun.

I called the guy at CB, we talked, he said send it back, I did.

Now there is no leather behind the grip at all. The leather stops at the bottom edge of the slide. Wearing my holster IWB, I can now grasp the butt in a normal shooting grip when I draw, with trigger finger parallel to the slide. As soon as I clear the holster I'm able to shoot.

If you look at my holster from the backside (leather). It looks like the state of TX. El Paso And Beaumont being the areas where the belt clips attach. Amarillo & north being sweatguard behind the slide. San Antonio to Brownsville being sweatguard behind the barrel end of the slide.
Originally the leather was kind of a big oval shape.

He cut out Oklahoma to allow me to grip the butt.
I cut out some of the Gulf of Mexico along the TX coast, and a little of Mexico along the Rio Grand just for comfort and to lighten it a little.

You see it takes a thousand words to make a picture. Dang I need a digital camera.
Regards, OE

[Cosmo 9]

Prophead, I have the cheap uncle mikes and I also did not like the cant or drop. I cut the threads of the plastic clip repositioned clip and glued it in place. I thought the glue would be temporary untill I was sure I liked the position but it has been glued for 2yrs and hasn't moved. I have several holsters but I use this one the most.

[propellerhead]

Prophead, I have the cheap uncle mikes and I also did not like the cant or drop. I cut the threads of the plastic clip repositioned clip and glued it in place. I thought the glue would be temporary untill I was sure I liked the position but it has been glued for 2yrs and hasn't moved. I have several holsters but I use this one the most.

Interesting... I'll have to look into this when I get home and have the holster in front of me.

Internet forums rock!

[propellerhead]

What glue did you use? Is the top of the clip extend above the material?

Here's a pic to describe what I'm talking about. See where the clip is at? Imagine this tucked into the waistband. Can you picture where the waistband will be? There's 3 inches of gun behind and below the belt.



An idea just popped into my head. I'll go get the next size larger. I'll get the Uncle Mike's IWB for the full size Springfield XD. Instead of trying to move the clip up, I'll find one that will let the gun fall deeper into the holster.

[age_ranger]

Rafter S Gunleather. Best looking holster I own!!

[Cosmo 9]

I used "Goop Household Cement" it's in a purple tube. Yes the plastic of the clip comes a little above the holster. I also changed the cant by aleast 25 degrees I think that helps the balance alot. Let me find my camera and I'll try to get a pic. in here to show ya.

[propellerhead]

Got the pics. Thanks.

I'll go find some of that glue.