IWB carry for a K frame, Your Suggestions?

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saltydog452

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I'm beginning to have another look at revolvers.

Carpal Tunnel and arthritis is beginning to make working the slide more of a chore these days.

If I should need to take the trip back to the K Frames, does anyone have any first hand experience with IWB revolver carry?

Thanks,

salty
 
2 1/2" Model 19 or 66 or a 2" model 10 or 12 in an Milt Sparks VMII holster
Mdl12-4.jpg
I've carried the Model 19 and the Model 12 for years. The 12 will give you 6 shots and weigh about the same as a J frame.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSdZVzyKpmCAKS1ya4h5UTJzIHI8dgZwfjB8DO7Nc-In3AEnbml.jpg
 
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I sometimes carry my L-Frame 686 with 4 inch barrel in a Hoffner's ITP Ultrux Mirage IWB holster. I was somewhat skeptical of the idea at first, but with a good gun belt the combination is supprisingly comfortable. I would think a K-Frame would be even better.

itp-ultrux-mirage-revolver-itp.jpg

Part of the reason its so comfortable is that this holster carries the cylinder above the belt line, so only the barrel is IWB.
 
"IF" the barrel is a short one, I tried OWB carry with my # 15 4", for concealed carry, had to give that idea up, grips stuck out too far, gave me away! Good luck though!
 
I used to carry a Smith Model 10 2" in a Bell Charter Oak iwb. Excellent quality and comfortable. It's still rides in that holster but I keep it in my truck now.
 
mdauben,

Ive been eyeing that Hoffners holster up for awhile now, just never got around to getting one.

Since I have both K and L frames, and its nice to have holsters that are user friendly to different models in the same basic frames, do you think they would be interchangeable in that holster?

Also, is the holster full length and does it have an open bottom? Reason I ask is, if I order one for my 2.5" 19, can I use the 4" guns in it as well? Just weighing my options. Thanks. :)
 
Very little We have a few IWB holsters .. Mine is for a 1911 the boss has a J frame ultra lite . She will not give it up loves it .. A snubbie is about perfect in that little holster She complained about other holsters she tried out .. AND give some thought to cross draw while driving . That IWB holster works great .
 
I used to carry a Model 65 three inch K frame in a Bianchi model 3S "Pistol Pocket"..on a good belt, I have actually done"Jumping Jacks" wearing it on a good belt. Security was good,..reasonably comfortable, ..concealed well.Thumb break,...snapped over the belt, worn IWB. Added bonus,... I could carry my 4 inch Model 19 in it as well. Did same with 3&4 inch J frames. YMMV.....
 
saltydog452: effectively and relatively comfortably concealing a K-frame inside the waistband has a lot to do with having a good holster and belt, what clothes you wear, and -- especially -- what kind of build you have.

Presume if looking at K-frames, you're considering a snubby? There are some individuals with the build and disposition to IWB carry the four inch (or more) barrels, but most people aren't going to get away with that.

What's your build, and are you prepared to dress around the K to maintain concealment?

Suggest you look at the 2", round butt Model 10s and 64s, or the 2.5" 19s and 66s.

For IWB holster, consider the Alessi Deep Cover -- it's superb -- or give Ray at Lobo Gunleather a call and discuss his many excellent IWB options.

Don't forget a quality, thick construction belt (Ray sells 'em, if I recall).
 
DO NOT BUY THE HOFFNER'S ULTRUX!

It would not let my 629 go 2/3 of the time and they did not want to fix it. The Ultrux does not cover the muzzle of the gun. It has kydex on the body side for the last 2". This means you can break or damage your Tritium front sight. It is not a good design.

Here is what mine looked like for a 629 with 4" barrel:

hoffnersholsterbk3.jpg

If I should need to take the trip back to the K Frames, does anyone have any first hand experience with IWB revolver carry?
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I have a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 on the way for my Ruger GP100. I have an N-Frame IWB holster that I made for my 629 and 625. I use it with a Comp-Tac kydex reinforced belt (1.5" wide) and my back does not complain. I carry two reloads in front of the gun on the belt in Safariland #371 speed loader holders.

I also had a Ruger Alaskan in 44 Magnum. It carried well in both the appendix and strong side positions.

The main problems for concealment are:

1) Grip/stock length
A long grip is more difficult to conceal. I recommend stocks that are short, but still allow the pinky finger to rest on them. Round butt guns seem to hide better than square butt guns.

2) Forward cant
This mitigates printing straight back when carrying strong side. It also facilitates the draw.

3) Belt/holster interface
The loops need to hold the holster tightly to the belt. The holster should not flop back when holding the gun.

4) Proper attire
Use shirts that are straight cut and loose enough to conceal the gun. You can reduce printing with a t-shirt beneath the outer shirt.

5) Belt
You must use a gun belt to hold the gun up and resist it from setting back. I use Comp-Tac kydex reinforced belts because they are stronger and last longer. They still break down, as will any belt.

Alaskan-800x600-muzzle.jpg
 
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Speed strip carrier. Where found?

Thanks all.

Your comments were, are, and will be, appreciated.

That plastic Speed Strip carrier would seem to trump shirt pocket reloads carried in an Altoids mint can.

ty again

salty
 
I'm a little late to the party, but two of my favorite K frames to carry IWB are my 2" S&W M-12 RB and 3" S&W M-64 RB. The Model 12 is like carrying a feather but the Model 64 is easy on my hip in a Theis holster. I think either of these models of pistols would serve the OP well.
 
A good holster is probably more important than most people think. But, no matter what you end up with, it won't serve you well if you don't take the time to practice. Until July of last year my daily carry gun was a Kimber ultra Carry 1911 in a IWB Ted Blocker holster, I had carried that particular gun for about 7 years. I saw a video of two car jackers approach a car to steal it, and the results of that situation changed my thinking about concealed carry guns. Today, and every day, everytime I leave my home I have a S&W 386PD tucked into a pancake syle thumb break holster that was made for a model 66 with a 3" barrel. While it is not an IWB holster it works well because I have a sturdy belt that can be cinched up tight enough to hold this holster close to my body. Round finger groove grips also help disguise the fact a gun is on my hip, under my shirt. This particular gun has a 2.5 " barrel and is light as a feather, after it is tucked into this holster it is so comfortable I almost forget it is there. If I know I am going to be driving a motor vehicle any distance on any given day, I opt for a shoulder holster rather than a holster on my waste, knowing that a draw from a holster at your waste is difficult while sitting in a car. Having a gun with you is a waste of time if you can not draw it quickly if an emergency should arise, I try to give enough thought to what I'm going to be doing and use an appropriate holster. I have many different holsters to fit many different handguns, but this 386PD seems to work very well. I also have a holster mounted to the right of the steering wheel in my pickup, I use this holster when I'm driving if I will be in and out of the vehicle and making short trips.
 
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Since I have both K and L frames, and its nice to have holsters that are user friendly to different models in the same basic frames, do you think they would be interchangeable in that holster?
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Without a K-Frame to check, I can't say for sure if the same holster will hold both a K- and L-Frame. The holster "locks" on the trigger guard, so it may work for both but you probably need to question the maker to find out for sure.

Also, is the holster full length and does it have an open bottom? Reason I ask is, if I order one for my 2.5" 19, can I use the 4" guns in it as well? Just weighing my options.
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I ordered mine to fit my 4-inch 686. AS you can see, the end of the holster is "open". The second picture shows the same holster with my 2.5-inch 386 revolver. Fits the same, just does not extend the lenght of the "barrel guard". I think if I wanted to use the same holster for both, I'd order it for the longer barrel so the "barrel guard" is long enough to keep the longer barrel from digging into my hip.
20140108_230903.png

20140108_230954.png

It would not let my 629 go 2/3 of the time and they did not want to fix it.
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I'm not sure why/how the holster would not let go of your revolver. Did you try adjusting the retention screw adjacent to the trigger guard? In any case, the fact that Hoffner's is giving you trouble about making it right is certainly a strike against their products. I didn't have any problems with mine so I can't comment on that issue. Other than the "one way" snaps being hard to work (a common issue with "one way" snaps AFAIK), I have not had any problems with mine.

The Ultrux does not cover the muzzle of the gun. It has kydex on the body side for the last 2". This means you can break or damage your Tritium front sight. It is not a good design.
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This is certainly not a problem with the ramp sight on my 686 and with my 386 (which does have a tritium front sight) the barrel does not exend past the body of the holster so its not an issue for me. It doesn't look like the design could cause problems with a tritium of FO sight but without a gun to experiment with, I can't comment for sure.
 
Thanks mdauben. Appreciate the input and pics.

I think Im going to give one a try and see.

If it wont work with my K frame's, that'll just give me an excuse to get that 2.5" 686 Pus Ive been lusting after. :)
 
1) K and L Frames

Assuming the guns have barrel lengths the same or shorter than the holster, a K will fit in an L holster. An L Frame will not fit in a K frame.

The K will be loose in an L frame holster. Do not do this. The holster should hold the gun securely. Do not be the idiot who drops his gun on the floor in public. One guy did it last week (early Jan 2014) and sent a bullet zinging through a restaurant.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/...-Gun-Fired-After-Man-Dropped-It-In-Restaurant

Your carry gear is not the place to skimp. I have tried the $10 Uncle Mike's holster and decided it was crap after it chaffed badly and came out with the gun on the draw too frequently.


2) Covering the sights

"This is certainly not a problem with the ramp sight on my 686 and with my 386 (which does have a tritium front sight) the barrel does not exend past the body of the holster so its not an issue for me. It doesn't look like the design could cause problems with a tritium of FO sight but without a gun to experiment with, I can't comment for sure."

The non-body side of the holster protects the sight. You will learn after you break a lamp or two, or ding the ramp. I did this several times and Trijicon fronts are not cheap. Door jams and chairs love to reach out and smack front sights. I guess some people have to learn by doing.

If you want to carry a gun whose muzzle is not covered, that is your call.

Another good feature of a holster is one that protects the rear sight. I have smacked them into things and broken lamps or moved the sight blade. Holsters that offer such protect are less common. DeSantis and El Paso Saddlery place a small tab of leather on the retention strap of their pancake holsters. I find this sufficient.


3) Hoffners Ultrux

I make my own kydex holsters. I spent quite a bit of time trying to get it to work. Either way, the attributes I mentioned make it a poor design.

4) Safety

I forgot the most important reason why a holster must hold the gun securely: safety. A loose gun can work its way out. A gun whose muzzle is exposed can be pushed upward due to pressure from body movements and objects. Other weird things can happen. Maybe two years ago, a man shot himself while sitting in his car. His gun was in a well used Yaqui Slide type holster. The pressure of the seat caused the gun to move up slightly. The worn leather was soft and worked its way into the trigger guard. The gun discharged.

http://www.itstactical.com/warcom/f...her-holsters-can-cause-accidental-discharges/

Remember, your revolver has nothing preventing that trigger from being pulled. While more pressure will be required (and the cylinder will have to rotate), never assume it will not happen. The gun could be loose enough that you feel it and you try to pish it back in without checking. In a class, I saw a guy discharge a SIG in DA by pushing rather than backing off. One of those round plastic coat stays worked its way into the trigger guard and he "pulled" the trigger by holstering.

Be careful with carry because you really can shoot yourself in the butt!
 
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Assuming the guns have barrel lengths the same or shorter than the holster, a K will fit in an L holster. An L Frame will not fit in a K frame.

The K will be loose in an L frame holster. Do not do this. The holster should hold the gun securely. Do not be the idiot who drops his gun on the floor in public. One guy did it last week (early Jan 2014) and sent a bullet zinging through a restaurant.
Click to expand...
I think this is more a definite "maybe", than a yes or no. I have had a couple of leather "duty" type holsters that have a retention screw, that will allow the use of both, without issue. It all depends on how the holster is adjusted.

Also, carrying IWB can also add to the retention properties of certain holsters, and make them more than serviceable, even if there is a "little" slop. The belt and pants pressing on the holster take up some of that slop.


Your carry gear is not the place to skimp.
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I agree. But if it is possible, it is nice to be able to consolidate "good" gear, when feasible, and certain holsters do allow that.
 
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