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Thoughts from anyone here who carries a 1911 5 inch single stack 45 IWB. Just trying to figure out if it is worth trying to do before I spend any money on a holster.

My opinion the only IWB holster for a 1911 is the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 along with a good belt (super important).

stash wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:35 am Thoughts from anyone here who carries a 1911 5 inch single stack 45 IWB. Just trying to figure out if it is worth trying to do before I spend any money on a holster.

I have in a Crossbreed supertuck, it's a pretty comfortable carry. But admittedly my usual carry is is a Kimber Ultra. Just buy a holster and if nothing else it's another option.

stash wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:35 am Thoughts from anyone here who carries a 1911 5 inch single stack 45 IWB. Just trying to figure out if it is worth trying to do before I spend any money on a holster.

I carried one for 30 years in a variety of holsters. In the Milt Sparks line I have: Versa Max II, Exec. Companion, and Summer Special. These are great holsters but overpriced in view of today's market that is saturated with very talented holster makers. If you want an OWB holster, I recommend Randy Warren (RDWarrenLeather.com) for great holsters at an excellent price.

About ten years ago, I switched to the Comp-Tac Infidel IWB and that's what I use for most of my handguns now. If there isn't a Infidel for a given handgun, I use the Comp-Tac QI line of holsters. (Ex. QI-1 for my CZ P-10C with a DeltaPoint Pro RDS.) Since I got my first Randy Warren holster (see below), I've started carrying OWB more often during the cooler months when I can wear a cover garment.

I know a lot of people feel a Government Model 1911 is too large and too heavy for daily carry, but I have had no problem at all. (I'm 5'9" and 175 lbs.) A key is having a very good gun belt to support and distribute the weight. Size is not an issue because it's thin, but a fully loaded Gov.'t Model in 45ACP weights 45.57 Oz. Without a good gun belt, it will feel like you are wearing a 1970's vintage console TV.

Chas.

I’ve carried 3”, 4”, and 5” 1911s and had no problems with them. My primary reason for switching to Glocks was that’s what my wife carries and is familiar with, and it was important to me that she would be familiar with the manual of arms and use of my weapon. She’s not a gun person, and it was expecting too much to expect that she’d want to invest any effort in getting familiar with a 1911, or with shooting .45 ACP. So I switched to 9mm Glocks.

I carried for a long time a Kimber Customer Classic II 5", even during the summer, in either a Comp-Tac paddle or an MTAC. To the point that I ruined the finish on it and had it cerakoted a couple of years back. I've also carried a 3" Kimber Ultra Carry and a Springfield Armory Commander Length on occasion.

I mostly carry a Glock 17, 19, and 43 now because I've switched to 9mm. It's cheaper to shoot and I am not worried about the finish as much. On occasion I'll carry the 1911 when walking the dog or relaxing at the house. Although it's heavy (even compared to my Glock 21) It feels good in the hand and I have an emotional attachment to it as it used to belong to my dad who passed away a few years ago. Wouldn't hesitate to carry it again regularly.

Thanks gents. I appreciate the info and will check 'em out.
Stan

stash wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:35 am Thoughts from anyone here who carries a 1911 5 inch single stack 45 IWB. Just trying to figure out if it is worth trying to do before I spend any money on a holster.

I carry govment size 1911 IWB (when I don’t carry my G17). I like my holsters to have a thumb break with a strap across the frame between the hammer. I carry in condition 1.

Separate but related question. For you guys with the Summer Carry, how easy/hard is it to holster? One of the reasons why I like a kydex holster (or at least partial) is the ease and security of the "hard" holster. But the firearm kinda takes a beating on the finish because of it.

I carried in a galco king tuck for a few years before picking up an owb kydex holster. Unless you are just completely set on iwb, the comfort of owb FAR outweighs iwb carry. As long as you wear a quality belt and holster, it stays completely concealed and tight to the body for me with a shirt, vest, or jacket over the top.

I personally don't like the feel of an IWB holster with a full size 1911. Maybe it's because I should lose 20 lbs, but even then it's uncomfortable sitting down. Shorter barrel commander size is okay IWB, but when I carry a full size OWB is just more comfortable. My problem is carrying OWB at work. Even with an untucked fairly long shirt the end of the barrel can sometimes get exposed when I reach for something up on a shelf. Exposure is a definite no-no where I work, so I have to either carry a shorter barrel, or go IWB.

AndyC wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:33 pm

Jose_in_Dallas wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:17 pm Separate but related question. For you guys with the Summer Carry, how easy/hard is it to holster?

I've always found it easy to re-holster with a Summer Special - the band around the mouth of the holster keeps it open, even while IWB.

I've never had a problem reholstering.

Chas.

Great info as I'm looking at holsters for my recent 1911 purchase.