IWB carry issues...what do you use?

[M&PVolk]

So I picked up my first ever IWB holster for my M&p .40c, and I am experiencing major issues with printing. It is a Galco Summer Comfort and is an excellently designed holster, but it prints like no tomorrow on me. Additionally, the two belt loops seem to allow the holster to shift positions on a whim. I am starting to believe that I can't conceal anything on my hip and will be stuck with a Smart Carry only. I really want this IWB thing to work, but my body might just be too blocky.

Anyone have any tips on making this work? What kind of holster are you using, and how?

 

[Kind of Blued]

One thing I don't like about that holster is that the belt clips are mounted so they will add as much width and bulk as possible.

I use a Comp-Tac M-Tac which has "offset" belt attachments. Some of the best IWB holsters ever made also use this technique, the Milt Sparks VersaMax II, for example.

Here's the Comp-Tac.

Tightening up your belt as snug as possible can do a lot to pull the gun in close to your body.

Another technique to avoid printing is to hang your undershirt over the gun and tuck the excess into your pants in front of, and behind the rig. Just a light tug will get it all out of the way, and you don't have to worry about your shirt(s) getting stuck between the grip and your back, or the wind blowing your shirt up (if you give a hoot about that).

Here are a couple photos. The Comp-Tac holster allows one to tuck a shirt completely over the gun, not just "around it" due to the clips.

If you have bony hips like I do, the gun won't want to stay at 3:00, it will want to work it's way around to your spine. You have a couple options: You could find pants that have a beltloop at 3:00 (or about where you want the gun to stay) and fit the beltloop between the loops on your holster, that way the holster won't be able to move forward or back.

If you don't want to have to worry about new pants, etc., you could do what I did. It was cheap and works very well. Have a shoe repair shop stitch a length of velcro on the back of your belt for $3-5. You can then place another piece of velcro anywhere on the inside of your belt. This will keep the holster from moving rearward, and you can move the velcro piece around depending on how far forward or back you want the gun to stay.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions, or want more pictures.

 

[Holgersen]

Which part of the pistol is printing?

If it is just the end of the grip than get a holster with more of a forward cant.
If the whole thing is printing than get bigger shirts. Wearing shirts that have a pattern can help as well. The small prints of a gun get lost in the pattern. Also dark colors help.

I think the best thing you can do is to carry and experiment. You gain confidence this way and find out what works and what doesn't work.

Lately I have been carrying an XD-45 compact in a don hume IWB holster. It is the same basic design as your holster.

Also you said this is your first IWB holster. Does that mean you have been carrying OWB before? If so why did you switch?

 

[Oyeboten]

This is the only IWB I have used -





Cross-Draw, comfortable, no printing issues...and all round pleasant...but, I only carry thus if wearing a Sweater in Autumn or Winter, since I never wear a Shirt 'out'.


Usually though, it's Trouser Pocket-Carry and an old modified 'Model 36' S & W.

 

[Kind of Blued]

That's a sweet rig.

 

[Rockwell1]

I use the galco summer comfort as well, I find there's about a half inch difference between "concealed means concealed" and " you might as well OC". I try to put it right over the right illiac crest.

As Blued said centering the holster over a belt loop works well. I also find that crossing the straps tends to tie the holster down as well.

Since no one's mentioned it yet get a good belt, one that is specifically designed as a gun belt. That will work wonders

One more thing that no one's seemed to mention is, the longer you carry the more you realize how truly oblivious people are . They simply aren't checking you out for hardware

 

[Sapper771]

Try shifting the holster directly on your hip, where it will ride directly under your arm pit. I have found that works well for me when I wear a T-shirt.
If that doesnt work , try shifting the holster to the portion of your body between the small of your back and the side of your hip, I think it is referred to as the "weld of the buttocks" , not sure there though.
You may have to change your wardrobe around. I carry IWB all the time, unless on the tac range or out in the country. I usually wear an overshirt ( a button up short sleeve or long sleeve shirt over a t-shirt) to cover the pistol completely.

 

[M&PVolk]

Holgerson wrote:

Also you said this is your first IWB holster. Does that mean you have been carrying OWB before? If so why did you switch?

I have been carrying in a Smart Carry up till now. It works, but can get uncomfortable with a lot of sitting. Also, the draw time when wearing a pair of jeans is pretty slow.

 

[Drail]

The solution to most printing problems is to wear looser clothing. If you're going to carry a handgun forget about being fashionable. Rockwell1 made some very good points.

 

[searcher451]

I carry a Walther PPK/S daily with a Split Decision IWB holster made by High Noon. It's comfortable (I can wear it all day without noticing), and it doesn't print. It may not be right for everybody -- nothing ever is -- but it works just fine for me.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Aftter years of over the belt carry, I finally broke down and ordered a Sparks Versa Max 2 for a Colt Government. I have always found inside the pants to be uncomfortable, but the need to conceal a big gun in the summer months has called out to me, and the VM2 gets good reviews from the people that use it.

 

[sqlbullet]

As an afterthought I bought a Maverick tuckaway while making a Dillon order about a year ago.

I have relocated the clip as far south as I can, and gave it a big of angle. I wear it on the right about 4 o'clock. I can conceal my full size witness in jeans with a button up shirt tucked in. My wife has to hug me to know if I am carrying.

By moving the clip south, I move the bulk of the gun higher up on my torso, and into the area where the shirt 'blouses' out. Before, more of the mass was in the wasteband, creating a buldge.

 

[Kind of Blued]

If you're going to carry a handgun forget about being fashionable.

That's not accurate at all.

 

[gglass]

I carry my M&P40 Full Size in a CCC Looper IWB holster. When I carry at a 4 O'clock position, I can hardly feel that I am wearing it and printing has never been an issue.

I did get made once by a car salesman. You know... The touchy feely kind of guy.

 

[ezenbrowntown]

I'm currently waiting on my CHL to arrive, but I carry around the house and my property to get familiar with carrying. I have a FIST IWB Tuckable/Cantable holster. I've found my clothing makes a big difference in the printing or lack there of. While the Kydex probably isn't near as comfortable as some of the other leather type options out there, it is thin. Of course my pistol is a Kahr PM9, which is thinner and shorter, so that helps in concealment too.

 

[Zerodefect]

another vote for the MTAC holster. I use one for my Glock 23.

 

[chris in va]

Galco Summer Comfort

There's nothing 'excellent' about that holster. It's uncomfortable and shifts around a lot.

Believe it or not one of the best 'holsters' I've found is a Clipdraw. Just have to be careful when tucking in. Once it's set, the gun stays put. And all you have at that point is the thickness of the gun itself, in my case a Kahr K9. I also have the factory belt clip for my P11.

 

[David E]

KyTac BraveHeart for me.

www.kytac.com

http://kytac.com/page3.html

 

[atomd]

MTAC all the way. The regular or the spartan model. The spartan is a bit slimmer and cheaper. The mtac is a little nicer though. If you wear an undershirt the exposed metal on the spartan won't bug ya one bit.

A distant second would be a crossbreed supertuck. It's the same idea as the MTAC but not as nice. The spartan is cheaper than the supertuck and it's nicer.

 

[atomd]

I should have added the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2. If you want to spend the money that is. They are real nice. Unless you get one from a 2nd party it will take a long wait to get your hands on one.

 

[orionengnr]

My favorite is the Milt Sparks Watch Six. Their Versa-Max II is more popular, more expensive, thicker, stiffer, and less versatile (in my experience)

My up-and-comer is the UBG Striker 1, (www.ubgholsters.com)

Talk to Nate, he builds a great holster at a fair price, without the wait time of the Milt Sparks (which can run six months). I have one currently (on my hip as I type this) and will soon be adding another.

 

[jsm190]

Two things, first are you using a quality gun belt or something from Wal-Mart? A gun belt is double leather that will not stretch thus holding the gun close to the body. Even a thick "work" belt will stretch and let the gun sag.
Second, is the gun printing or do you see a buldge? Anytime you add something on the side of your body there is going to be a bulge, printing is when the grip or some other part pushes against your clothes and says this is a gun not a pda. As others have stated looser hanging shirts will reduce how noticeable the bulge is. You will always notice it, try wearing it around friends first and see if they notice, you may be suprised.

 

[BK]

I've almost resigned myself to the idea that there is not a perfect tuckable holster. I don't wear over/under shirts, just a Polo tucked into blue jeans.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have a Slide from Trauga (sp) and it works great. Plus I am old enough to use a fanny pack

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The design of the belt loops (also part of the mouth reinforcement) on this type of holster tend to add width and bulk to an already rather wide gun. The designs with the clips or loops on the front and rear edges have a flatter profile.