Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry Holsters : a guide to choosing the best concealed carry holsters for your lifestyle.

122 Pages·2014·8.58 MB·English

Thank you for purchasing this Gun Digest eBook.
Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to free content, and
information on the latest new releases and must-have firearms resources! Plus,
receive a coupon code to use on your first purchase from GunDigestStore.com
for signing up.
or visit us online to sign up at
http://gundigest.com/ebook-promo
Contents
Special Offers
Introduction
Chapter 1
Quick-Start Guide
You know that Quick-Start Guide that came with the last flat-screen TV you bought, the one that
told you only what you needed to know to get it running quickly so your buddies didn’t miss the big
game? This is like that.
Chapter 2
Types of Holsters
An overview of holster designs like pancake holsters, bellyband holsters and Mr. Fancy Pants drop-
dead gorgeous holsters. And so on.
Chapter 3
Modes of Carry
Outside-the-waistband, inside-the-waistband, shoulder carry, pocket carry, ankle carry, body carry,
fanny pack and purse carry, even bra carry explained (with pictures!).
Chapter 4
Holster Materials
From good ‘ol tanned cowhide (and its close cousin sharkskin), to advanced space-age polymers like
Kydex, here’s what you need to know when considering holster material.
Chapter 5
Retention Systems
Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 retention systems explained—the doohickeys that keep you from unintentionally
skinnin’ that smoke wagon, dude.
Chapter 6
Gun Placement
Strong side, weak side, cant and rake—there’s a million (OK, about a dozen) ways to position cold
blue steel. Here are some considerations for comfortable handgun placement.
Chapter 7
Magazine Holsters
You’re not Clint Eastwood and this is not Hollywood. So you’ll need some way to comfortably carry
extra ammo. From magazine pouches to speed clips, this chapter explains the best tools for real-world
business.
Chapter 8
Holsters for Women
Specialty holsters for women and tips for ladies on choosing the best holster for concealed carry.
Chapter 9
Specialty Holsters
From minimalist designs to underwear holsters, there’s no limit to how you can conceal your
personal protection sidearm.
Chapter 10
Holster Safety and Maintenance
How to safely holster a handgun and special considerations for gun safety depending on holster
design, plus how to take care of your rig.
Resources
Copyright
Introduction
Congratulations. You’ve completed your concealed weapons class and have
your permit. Now you’re ready to go to the local gun shop and pick out that one
perfect pistol for self-defense. So far, so good. However, if you’re like most
folks, you didn’t think much about how you’ll actually carry the thing around.
This can lead to an uncomfortable exchange with the bespectacled gun-counter
guy. If your experience is anything like mine, he’ll look down his nose at you
while a little drop of white spittle forms at the corner of his mouth. You’ll ask
which holster he recommends. And he’ll sneer.
In truth, the question is like asking your car mechanic what brand of
underwear to buy. The mechanic and gun-counter guy know literally nothing
about you, your physiology, lifestyle or your daily habits. Holsters are made for
guns, but are fit to people. Damned if gun-counter guy will tell you this, with an
ego the size of the Death Star he will not risk surrendering his throne of
perceived superior knowledge. Instead he’ll point and make a strange grunting
noise, which will seem to direct you to the holster section. Puzzled, you’ll
wander over and stare at a wall of holsters. They’ll stare back. Now what?
I’ve seen this scenario play itself out more times than an I Love Lucy rerun.
Holster selection for concealed carry is quite possibly one of the most
misunderstood and glossed over areas in the gun world. On par with handgun
choice in terms of importance, it receives very little ink. Yet it’s one of the most
vital subjects, for the handgun holster is the thing that will keep your firearm
secured and at the ready. It will determine how safe, comfortable and readily
accessible your gun is when carried. A poor-fitting holster is like a poor-fitting
gun — it probably won’t get much use. This defeats the purpose of being armed
at all times. Moreover, today there are literally dozens of different designs of
holsters and thousands of different models all configured differently — from
basic factory numbers to high-end custom jobs. This further complicates things
for you if you’re just starting out. In a sea of choices, making a less-than-ideal
selection is a very real risk. You could end up with something that might be fine
quality, but simply not a good match for you — for your lifestyle and body type.
If it’s not comfortable and practical, you won’t use it. That means you could dish
out some serious cash and end up with the wrong match. A wrong-fitting combo
is a pain in the side, while a well-matched holster and gun are a joy to carry.
Like clothing, holsters are very personalized so you’ll eventually wind up
like everyone else who carries. First you’ll have a dresser drawer full of them,
then one day you’ll wake up to the realization that a storage unit is needed to
contain the rest. With the awesome responsibility of carrying a gun for self-
defense comes the opportunity to prevail and survive an otherwise lethal
confrontation. Yet that responsibility also becomes a life-changing event with
the holster. In all its many interesting designs and variations it’s the one thing
allowing you to keep your personal safety tool by your side and close at hand at
all times, no matter how you dress. I hope this little book serves as a guide to
help you do just that.
Chapter 1
Quick Start Guide
In this chapter I give my recommendation on a good starter holster if you’re
new to concealed carry. As you’ll see in subsequent chapters, there is a holster
type, material and design for just about every situation, season and type of
person and handgun. From big pot-bellied dudes to the most petite and shapely
women — and everything in between — having a successful first experience
with a concealed handgun hinges more on the holster than you may realize. It’s
the key to promoting regular, continued carry day in and day out.
That’s why I entitled this chapter the Quick Start Guide. It cuts through all
the white noise so you can make a good holster selection and get started carrying
your new handgun right now. Let’s start with a quick primer.
What Holsters Do
Whether it’s made of leather or plastic, a holster does much more than
simply ‘hold the gun.’ In fact, it does three things: It secures the handgun; it
provides immediate access to the handgun; and it conceals the handgun. The
holster keeps the trigger guard area of the firearm completely covered for safety.
In addition, the barrel is enshrouded to protect it from dings and other damage.
Gun-to-holster fit is critical in keeping the handgun from falling out while
moving about during your daily business. It must fit right, snug as a bug in a rug,
right off the bat. And yet it can’t be so tight that drawing the thing is difficult.
Holsters do other beneficial things. In the Gun Digest 2014 article What You
Should Know About Holsters, author Robert Campbell explains that, “Some
effort is required to find the right holster, but no matter what the choice, there is
always an acclimation period,” he writes. “Some handguns are more ergonomic
than others, but few are completely devoid of sharp edges. A quality holster goes
a long way towards making carrying a defensive handgun bearable.”
Think of holster fit in terms of how you’d view clothing, but not just any
clothing. Holsters are similar to really fancy tailored and handcrafted garments
designed just for one purpose — for you. There’s no other way to hang
something weighing from 12 ounces on up to over 2 pounds on your hip and
have it be comfortable. Fit is key. And when a holster fits right, it will be
comfortable.
The One Holster You Must Own
In any gun shop or online retailer, you’ll notice lots of configurations, sizes
and colors of holsters. Today, holsters are manufactured for specific guns by
make and model. So if you have a Glock Model 19 handgun, for example, you’ll
need a Glock Model 19 holster. But that’s just the beginning of the options you
need to consider.
Cutting through the clutter for a second, I recommend starting with a
pancake-style, strong-side leather holster in the outside-the-waistband
configuration. We dive into these terms in more detail in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 but
here’s an overview of what that means.