need belly band advice

https://www.crossbreedholsters.com/shop/modular-systems/belly-band.html

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/belly-bands-deep-cover-concealed-carry/

I use an Undertech Belly band. Works great for light handguns. I would not use it for something large, double stack or steel framed. Galco makes a good one that I would buy, if I used my band more for carry.

https://www.galcogunleather.com/underwraps-belly-band_8_393_1326.html

JEB said:

will retention be an issue?

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Yes and no. If she carried right at the waistline, whatever pants she has on will push the firearm against her body a little bit. Scrubs won\t offer much retention though. As long as she isn't hanging upside down it will be fine.

JEB said:

also she is left-handed, are most belly bands right-left specific?

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Most belly bands I have seen have 2 pockets for firearms. This is useful for carrying 2 firearms or 1 handgun in different ways. Like left handed or cross draw.

I've found belly bands to be uncomfortable (more so in hot weather), they slip unless you have the physique they were designed for, and are more a PITA.

Because she wears scrubs is no reason she can't wear a belt to hold her holster. I've see several women LEOS take this approach when they had to wear a suit to court. Try a holster like a,DeSantis Speed Scabbard which holds the gun tight into the body.

I really can't recommend any belly band.

Check on the "cornered cat" website for some relevant info. It is a firearms website dedicated to the woman shooter. Better getting responses from women that know the issues about on-body carry

There is a tight shirt with a built in holster on each side that might work. 511 and some others make them. Another option might be the bug bite leg holster assuming they offer it for left handed folks. Good luck!

I used a belly band holster for awhile. They may make you warmer than you wish to be but I didn't think it to be otherwise uncomfortable. There is another option called Thunderwear that I think to be cooler and equally comfortable but it could put a bulge where a girl doesn't have one. Scrubs fit fairly loosely though, so I don't think printing would be a problem either way.

I think the need to get to your gun fast is over emphasized. It would be nice to do a quick draw like at the OK Corral but a situation probably isn't going to happen that way. In some situations you can't be obviously armed; the next best thing is to have a gun you can get to in the very unlikely event you'll need to.

I used a Gould&Goodrich belly band back in the day,modified with the addition of an Uncle Mikes body armor holster. Was very comfortable, concealable and secure, but of course not a speed rig.

I have no experience with them, and it may not be what your wife is looking for, but this may work under scrubs.

2A Holster's "Litepath chest holster" https://www.2aholster.com/product/litepath-chest-holster/

JohnKSa said:

I carry with a belly band sometimes.

1. Get a bad one and you won't wear it more than once. Get a good one and you'll still hate it, but at least it will work. It feels, oh so good, to take a bellyband off at the end of the day.
2. Conventional bellybands are going to work best with small guns that don't have a lot of sharp edges and corners.
3. Most bellybands don't really protect the trigger and a normal draw involves groping for the gun under your clothes. Not a good combination of circumstances for a gun with no manual safety. Therefore a manual safety that is very unlikely to be inadvertently operated is a must, IMO.
4. The two bellybands I have are set up to allow the carry of a spare magazine but I couldn't stand the discomfort of the edges of the floorplate digging into my side. I carry my spare magazine in a pocket.
5. Some basic experimentation/thought is required to insure that the gun can be dealt with safely and discreetly during bathroom breaks.
6. Practice drawing the gun. It's a pain because you'll practically have to partially undress and redress to reholster, but it's important to insure you can manage it and manage it safely.

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There are a variety of bellybands so getting a good one is a must. Although you might have to experiment buying a couple of different ones to buy the one that will work for your body type and clothing needs.

In my experience, the key is to wear a light undershirt/tanktop under the bellyband. It will increase comfort and decrease any rubbing of the band or gun on your skin. I've even went jogging with a Springfield XD-9 in a bellyband before with no problems. It did not fall out or lose its place; it may move around a little but not too much as long as you wear it properly.

Most bellybands do have trigger protection. I wouldn't buy one that didn't. There are even some that have the retention clip (shown below). If you choose this type of carry method, a single stack lightweight pistol like a Shield or XDS is a good choice since they have external safety.

Drawing from the band is the same and not that much harder (if at all) than the typical IWB with your shirt over it. The one pictured below is from Ebay. I bought mine for $20 and have owned it for 7-8yrs now and it has held up well, although it is only a second/third method of carry to IWB and pocket carry for me. They range from $15-50





Most of them can be selected for left or right-handed and have extra room for your wallet, ID, spare mag, and even celphone. I bellyband I have does not have that extra retention clip since I did not want that feature.

Would the Urban Carry be something she might think would work? It's something I've been considering as an additional option, but have only tried one once, at a gun show, years ago. If the pistol and the phone used with the rig are light enough, maybe a pair of scrubs pants might hold 'em up just fine.

Here's a random review I took off the 'net:

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/lets-take-a-in-depth-review-of-the-urban-carry-holster/

Shoulder holster?

I'm usually not a belly band fan. I have tried to wear them high like a shoulder holster, and they slip down. I've tried them sort of iwb, they are a bit uncomfortable.

However, in the colder months, I like to wear it as a high owb holster. The gun rights high and tight against a tee shirt with a sweatshirt or hoodie over top of it. I can slip my hand up and draw pretty quickly. Also, a buttoned up flannel covers it pretty well.

I have carried heavy guns like the 92fs in one. Currently I have my SIG p320 full size riding in it with a spare mag on the other side. Warm, but pretty comfy. It actually helps as an added later in the cold.

I had a belly band (owned 3 of them or so) that had a hard plastic clasp on the elastic keeper strap that was held secure by a metallic hook and slot on the band body. It was a clever way to retain the gun and protect the trigger by something hard (I'm not big on carrying a striker trigger in a belly band without something hard over the guard. It takes effort, but it's very possible to put enough pressure against the trigger to activate with just thin elastic over it.)

However, having the pull the strap down and out to unhook it seemed slower than Velcro.

So I purchased my current one sporting just a Velcro keeper. To get around the trigger guard protection issue, I simply cut a piece of Kydex about the size of the side of the trigger guard, drilled some holes, and stitched it to the outside of the holster where the guard rests. It makes for a low tech way to offer a bit more security without complicating the design.

Still not my first or second favorite way to carry, but the belly band offers a pretty low profile to evenly disperse the weight of a full size 9mm, magazine, and multitool without digging into my sides or sticking out like a sore thumb.

the Black Spot said:

Shoulder holster?

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There's a hybrid, known as "Kangaroo": it's a belly band worn like a shoulder holster. It didn't work too well for me because it's hard to reach from either up or down in order to draw. But if the overgarment is friendly to it, it's an option.

I'm a big fan of shoulder holsters, but I fully realize that they must work with the clothing.

Another high-rise belly band is "Flashbang". The gun is carried on center with it. Not being a woman, I cannot use it, so I don't know how comfortable it is.

Fiv3r said:

To get around the trigger guard protection issue, I simply cut a piece of Kydex about the size of the side of the trigger guard, drilled some holes, and stitched it to the outside of the holster where the guard rests.

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Why not to use a MIC holster instead (or any number of its clones)?

zaitcev said:

Why not to use a MIC holster instead (or any number of its clones)?

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Well I still like the idea of being able to position the gun in various secure places tight to my body that the belly band affords. I hate iwb carry. I've bought cheap holsters that are iwb, I've bought expensive ones, and I've even custom made my own. The MIC is a fine product, but it's not for me.

However if you are talking about using it in conjunction with the belly band, I mainly modified mine using a piece of Kydex for two reasons: By stitching a piece over the guard, I didn't have to modify the sheath at all. It just covers the outside just enough that a finger or anything else can't pull the trigger through the fabric. It means I can carry a full size, compact, sub compact, a SIG, a Glock, an M&P, whatever. It's not trigger guard shape specific. The second, and primary reason...i had some scrap Kydex laying around and figured I could experiment on the cheap