M&p shield carry & holster questions

First off welcome to THR! IWB would be the route I'd go since it's so thin, but OWBs not bad either. I'd look at a member here TAKtical, he does kydex hybrid holsters. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=737450
Leather will be tight at first, but will lose retention over time, it depends on how well made it is and how well you maintain it.
I tend to carry a Glock 19 IWB 95% of the time the other 5% OWB, just get pants a little big (I went from a 30" to a 32" waist) does not bother me a bit YMMV.

Really like Talon's rubber grips on my G19 as well.
Stay safe.
Hometeached1

Congrats on the purchase of a great little carry pistol. I have been carrying my Shield daily for a few months now and I absolutely love it. It is so slim that it just disappears in a good IWB holster, even under just a t-shirt. I tried a few different holsters and the one that I found that works best for me is the N82 Tactical Professional holster. Two things made me really fall in love with this holster. One, it is very comfortable, as in all day comfortable. Some other holsters I couldn't wait to take off when I got home at the end of the day; the N82 I just forget it's there. The other thing is that it has superior retention to every other IWB holster I have tried. This holster requires a little twist to release the pistol. I know that sounds weird, but in practice it is very quick and intuitive; after a while you won't even have to think about it, but it adds a much higher level of retention than can't be obtained by just pinching the gun between leather and Kydex like some of my other holsters. N82 still makes their original model that has elastic retention, and several of my friends have those and like them, but I wouldn't even consider that one after carrying their Professional model for a while.

Welcome.

I have my 9mm Shield in a Tommy Theis hybrid IWB holster - kydex 'pocket' and horsehide backing. Extremely comfortable and I carry it 14+ hours on some days.

I own two holsters for two different guns from Theis. High quality and reasonable price. Very comfortable.

The shield will disappear no problem with a nice IWB and I have no issues while wearing just a standard fit T-shirt as cover.

Oh, and no matter what holster you decide on, buy a decent gun belt to support it with. There is no comparison between a real gun belt and normal belt.

Take a look at a simple pancake OWB to start out in. Nothing hug your body better, and because it's a smaller gun, very concealable....with belt to match of course...

If you like leather, Mitch Rosen offer's their Upper Limit in both regular and the less expensive Express line. It seems well suited to OWB carry for those small guns.

http://www.mitchrosen.com

Early in your carrying experiment, there is a certain advantage in getting a dual use holster, one that can be experimented with in either IWB or OWB just by swapping out attachments.

The Raven Concealment Phantom will allow that. It will also allow you to change ride height and cant by moving the attachments. There are lots of makers of this style of kydex pancake, but I believe Raven got the ball rolling. They are typically marketed to the "tactical experts", but I've found the design very useful to figure out what works and what doesn't without buying a bunch of different holsters. I like the regular OWB loops and for IWB use, the soft loops.

http://rcsgear.com

In leather, Simply Rugged offer's their Cuda model. It is not as versatile as the Raven Phantom, but it still offers both IWB and OWB options with their Inside out straps.

http://shop.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/Cuda-.cfm?item_id=407&parent=669

My input....

If you are new to the shooting sports & CCW, you can get a few products & services to guide you.
First, Id suggest obtaining proper classroom training or skills(tactics). Standing in front of a paper target is not the same as knowing how to properly use a firearm in a critical incident.
Learn & understand the gun/lethal force laws in your area too. Having a plan or a criminal defense atty available before a lethal force event is a good idea. I'd look at a pre-paid legal network like www.CCWsafe.com too. Some forum members may knock them but I can see the merit(s) of it.
Buy or get decent holsters & gear. Don't go cheap!
As for holsters, there are many choices. Id suggest a horsehide rig if possible. It's long lasting & works great. Many armed professionals use horsehide holsters for the duty weapons/CC gear. Custom shops are great too but be ready to wait a few weeks to several months for high end holsters.
I like the Wright Leather Works Predator series. It's a leather strong side holster that offers a side-shield(that protects the gun & keeps it from bumping your side/clothes) & a band to allow one-handed reholstering.
Being able to holster a firearm one handed w/o effort or holstering without looking at the holster is a requirement for a carry/duty holster.
Some gun owners or forum members may say; "hey, so what" but they aren't going to be anywhere near you in a real lethal force incident.

Keep your M&P clean and check it often before you carry-use it. In 2014, there are many, many top gun care items available. Dirt, rust, lint, dust, etc can work into any carry gun. A semi auto pistol will fail if not properly cleaned/serviced. Good CLPs for a M&P Shield include these brands; Slip2000, LPX, FrogLube, Weaponshield, Ballistol, Gunzilla, IGG.
A Hoppes Bore Snake Viper is handy & speeds up barrel cleaning.
Some gun owners & cops think M&Ps need a lot of custom work to run correctly. Other than after market night sights like the Trijicon HDs or XS Big Dot tritium Id say no. Can they help? Sure. Are they a requirement? Nope!

In closing, Id suggest using only factory made high quality rounds for carry or defense. No reloaded rounds or hand loads. Some reloaders or hunters say they can make great pistol loads but are they going to come testify in your court trial?
Major brands like Speer Gold Dot, CorBon, Hornady, Winchester, Black Hills, HST, etc are all good for defense. I'd avoid the Remington Golden Saber rounds. I purchased a 185gr +P JHP box($28.00 USD ) in central PA(11/2013) that were sub-par. The nickel cases & brass looked dented/deformed. They bullets had a strange red-brown tinge on them too.

The newer Critical Duty .40, .45acp, .357sig, 9mm & the Corbon DPX series would do very well. My friend uses DPX .38spl rounds in his Ruger LCR revolver.

Rusty
www.nra.org www.natchezss.com www.midwayusa.com www.gunvideo.com www.handgunlaw.us www.gunlawguide.com www.deltapress.com www.galls.com www.policehq.com www.miltsparks.com www.usgalco.com www.donhume.com www.blade-tech.com www.safariland.com www.tedblockerholsters.com www.uscav.com www.massadayoobgroup.com

Buy or get decent holsters & gear. Don't go cheap!

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I certainly agree to decent, but cheap can be good too. Nothing has worked better for me over the years than the cheap "Uncle Mike's" or "Gunmate" clip on nylon IWB holsters (~$10). I cut off the loop that allows switching from right to left (or vice-versa) to make it thinner, and I spray the outside with "tool dip" plastic spray so it doesn't soak up sweat.

I generally get three or four years out of one, our ~8 month summers are tough.


Some of these holsters being recommended I couldn't conceal without a gun in them -- we don't have a lot of jacket or cover garment days here.

Now that I'm retired and can do a better job of "dressing around the gun" I'm going to give one of those leather/kydex hybrids a try. I like the retention they offer and the idea of having leather against my skin instead of metal and plastic. But I'll need new pants and belt (two inches larger, at least, than what I wear now).

rayban said:

Take a look at a simple pancake OWB to start out in. Nothing hug your body better, and because it's a smaller gun, very concealable....with belt to match of course...

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I have purchased carry holsters from this fella for both myself and as gifts..I'll be contacting him when I buy my Shield. I recommend him if you're looking for a leather holster.

I would say you view it just about right.

PM sent to ya New

Another vote for Mitch Rosen. I really like the 5JR Express. I use Wilderness belts.

I have a Garret Industries Silent Thunder stx 2.0 for an MP shield...I have never taken it out of the box...that I would be willing to sell you...if you are interested...PM me or send me an Email...I liked the shield but in the end I liked the Sig 938 better...

I just dont know that I can get used to the IWB. In my opinion, I close fitting OWB with a Tshirt offers near the same coverage. After all, the handle will be above the beltline regardless, so the way I view it.....we are really only talking about concealing from the trigger to the endof the barrel. Am I missing something?

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I would say you view it just about right.

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Only if there are no consequences to being "made". Its the stuff below the belt that will show when you bend, reach, etc.

Look at Versa Carry, and Remora. I pocket carry, and did with the Shield for about 6 months. It easily fits in baggy pants or the pocket of shorts or gym pants. the versa carry works on any type of clothing , it's just a doodad that fits in the muzzle and clips inside your pants, weighs nothing and can be removed easily when you drive and dropped in the console.
I have a Remora with a Kahr in it as I type, no one ever has spotted it in 2 years I am using it. Also use it on my XDS.

I believe every gun should have a few holsters. I think IWB is better when concealment is your primary interest. I prefer OWB when comfort is my primary interest. I find OWB a pain sometimes when the holster hits a doorway jam or some other object. IWB sucks if you gain weight and your pants are already too tight.

Shoulder holsters are awesome until you want to take your jacket off.

Ankle holsters are great for concealment. They are awesome until you want to run somewhere or want to draw the gun.

You need a few holsters because no matter what you'll get pretty sick of every position.

I love my M&P shield. Just the right size and easy to carry

I usually carry IWB between 3 and 4 o'clock. I use an Alien Gear holster and it's pretty comfy. At $30 they are a steal. Similar to crossbreed holsters. http://aliengearholsters.com/index.php/

Lots of good advice and I would say that none is wrong or bad. As stated a good belt is a must but does not have to be an expensive one. I really like 5.11 belts for the ease of infinate adjustment (velcro). And as stated about that TAKtical make a very good and afordable holster. Plus he is a member as with some of the other recomendations given. I have a few of TAKtical holsters and in fact a couple years ago had to buy another brand (old Faithfull) for TAKtical was down for a while. Glad to see back up and going for a very good product for the price. Plus he does do both Kydex and Leather.