Gun Holsters

Objectives of Concealed Carry

It is important that you know what aspects of a holster to look for when purchasing a concealed carry holster. There are a few things to remember when searching for the best concealed carry holster and they include: access, concealment, material, and retention.

  • Retention. The security of the holster should allow you to run with your gun in the holster without the worry of the firearm falling or moving around within the holster. In addition to the holster holding the weapon while you are running, it should also hold the gun in place when you are getting in and out of vehicles, upside down and any other position you may find yourself in when to conceal carrying. It is important that you have proper retention of your weapon to ensure the safety of yourself and others, to keep the element of surprise and to avoid an attacker from disarming you in the event of an attack. Retention is very important and with the proper holster, it could be the difference between life and death.
  •  Access. Access to your holster and your gun is very important as well. It is important that you can get to your gun and holster before any attacker can injure you or other around you. Retention and access go hand-in-hand with each other. It is important to have retention on your weapon, but it is also important that you can access the weapon and seamlessly draw the weapon from the holster. If you are not able to draw the weapon from the holster, there is no point in concealing carrying. If you are having difficulty accessing your weapon, you may need to position the holster in a different location, or you just need to practice your draw.
  • Concealment. It is also very important that if you are conceal carrying your weapon, that you do so properly. The most important thing to think about when concealing your weapon is to ensure that it is concealed at all times. When you ensure that your weapon is concealed at all times, you will ensure that you will have the element of surprise in the event of an attack. Many holsters are designed for concealment, but it is important that you know what type of holster is ideal for your everyday weapon.
  • Material. The material of the holster is very important when it comes to your concealed carry holster. Most holsters are made from leather, plastic, and synthetic compounds. Leather is the traditional material that is used when constructing a gun holster no matter what style of holster it is i.e. side holster, shoulder holster, ankle holster and inside the waistband holster. Leather is considered to be the best material that you can use for a holster because it is the best material to maintain shape and conform to the contours of your gun. Many say that the leather holsters are heavier than the holsters that are constructed from synthetic materials and plastic, which they are. However, the leather material is more reliable, and the weight of the holster is not a significant increase compared to the other holster materials. The strength of the leather and the durability of the holster makes this investment a solid one.

If you are familiar with the objectives of the best concealed carry holster, you are now ready to read about the characteristics of a holster that you must look for when searching for your everyday concealed carry gun holster. The next section will provide you with information as to what your everyday holster should provide to you when you are concealing a weapon.

Commonly Asked Questions about Gun Holsters.

How do you break-in your holster so that your gun fits correctly in the holster?
  • There are many ways to break in your gun holster and many different people will have various methods of doing so. Many people will recommend wet molding. This method will work; however, there are cons to wet molding that could ruin your holster or the gun itself. Wet molding will consolidate the fibers of the leather which will in turn shrink the leather of the holster. If you use this method, and the holster seems too small for your weapon, do not try to force the gun into the holster for the first time. If you force the gun into the holster, it will be extremely difficult to remove. Instead of the wet molding method, try using the following steps to break-in your new holster. This process is called blocking.
  • Place your unloaded gun in a plastic freezer bag; do not cover the grip.
  • Slowly place the wrapped gun into the holster and twist the gun side to side gently to minimize tearing the bag that is around the gun.
  • Once you have properly seated the gun into the holster, twist it approximately 1 1/16 inches to the right and left; continue this for 6-12 times
  • Allow the bagged gun to remain in the holster for approximately 15 minutes.
  • Remove the gun from the holster and remove the bag from the gun.
  • Insert the unwrapped gun into the holster and ensure that the gun fits snug and not too loose. If the holster is still too tight for the gun, repeat the process until the holster is broken-in to your personal satisfaction.

If your gun holster has a retention strap, the strap may also need to be broken in. In this case, you can use the following steps.

  • Put your unloaded gun in your holster
  • Hold the grip of the gun in the right hand and hold the retention strap in the left
  • Remove the slack from the strap; prepare the retention strap to stretch taut by pulling
  • Keeping the strap taut, twist the strap back and for in a counterclockwise and clockwise rotation; repeat 10-12 times
  • Push gun away from you while pulling on the strap while continuing to rotate strap
  • Release tension then repeat 2-3 times again
  • Maintain strong tension as you attempt to snap retention strap closed.
  • Repeat this 5-6 times as needed.
  • Attempt to fit your unloaded gun into the holster; repeat process if needed

Is it really important that your gun holster matches the belt width to hold your holster?

1. Outside Waistband Gun Holsters
  • For outside the waistband gun holsters, you need a little extra room for your gun belt so that your gun belt can slide in and out without any friction on the belt. If your gun holster is exactly the size of your gun belt, the holster and the friction itself, will prematurely wear the gun belt.
    If you have a narrower gun belt, you will want to ensure that lock the holster in place really well. When doing this, you can run the gun belt through the gun holster slot and then under the gun belt loop on your pants. Before running the gun belt through the gun holster slot again. This will ensure that the whole assembly is more secure.
2. Inside Waistband Gun Holsters
  • Most of the inside the waistband gun holsters is measured so that they are close to the size of the gun belt but they are not exactly matched. You will need the extra room in order for the straps to operate as intended’ so that the gun holster can be snapped over the belt. If the gun holster was created to size perfectly with the gun belt, you would not be able to snap the gun holster on at all to your gun belt. The gun holster and the gun belt assembly would be too tight and you would be forced to put the gun belt through the loops of the pants making the snaps on the gun holster redundant. If you try to weave the gun belt that measures 1.5 inches for example, into a gun holster that is 1.5 inches, you would in turn ruin the top and bottom of the gun belt when removing the holster. The wear on your belt would be caused by friction in turn, ruining your belt. When you are looking for a holster, you want the gun holster to be ¼ bigger than your gun belt. This will allow enough room for the gun holster and belt assembly to fit properly without friction on the belt. The assembly of the gun holster and the gun belt will rarely move if the belt is tightened correctly; the tighter the belt, the less likely the gun holster will move.
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