holsters I've tried & ones I'd recommend

[VolGrad]

I decided to make a list of all the holsters I’ve tried over the years. There are probably more but these are the ones I can remember. The list is pretty extensive and many will likely pose the question, “Why so many?”

Many of these were purchased because I wanted to see what the buzz surrounding a particular maker was all about. Once I satisfied my curiosity the holster was sold/traded off for something else I wanted to try. Some were purchased for the sole purpose of a direct head-to-head comparison of one holster maker vs. another.

Simply put, I like to try new products to find what works best for me.

aHolster; belt snap loop OWB, tuckable IWB, Pwii IWB, pocket
Alabama Holster Company; Hooker IWB, Slider OWB, Raven clone belt OWB, dbl mag pouch
Andrews; McDaniel II IWB, Palmer Practical OWB, dbl mag pouch
Atomic Dog; belt OWB, belt OWB light carrier
Blade-Tech; Evolution OWB, dbl mag pouch
Brigade; M-11 Ultimate CCH IWB
Bulman; mag pouch
Cane & Derby; Pardus AIWB
Comp-Tac; if they make it (or used to make it) I've tried it, nearly all IWB and OWB as well as mag pouches
Custom Carry Concepts; Shaggy AIWB
Dale Fricke; Joab horizontal mag pouch
Dark Star Gear; belt OWB, belt OWB light carrier
DeSantis; belt OWB, pocket
FIN Designs; Speed Scabbard Paddle OWB
Fobus; Evolution paddle OWB, ankle, dbl mag pouch
Galco; belt OWBs of various makes/models
GLOCK; belt OWB, mag pouch
Kaluban Cloak; belt OWB, mag pouch
Kytex Shooting Gear; mag pouch, flashlight pouch
Mika’s Pocket Holsters; pocket
Milt Sparks; SSII IWB, EC IWB, Heritage IWB, VMII IWB, 55BN OWB, TK OWB, Axiom OWB, mag pouch
Mitch Rosen; Premier OWB, Express OWB
Personal Security Systems; belt OWB, belt OWB light carrier, IWB, mag pouch
Pocket Concealment Systems; Blackbird pocket
Raven Concealment Systems; belt OWB, belt OWB light carrier, VanGuard2, IWB, ACR, dbl mag pouch, flashlight pouch
Renegade; Cozy Partner ankle
RGrizzle; Southern Sidekick IWB, Georgia Snap OWB
Secret City Weaponeers; K-25 IWB, Y-12 IWB light carrier
Southern Holsters; Memphis IWB
The Shotist; AIWB
Trojan Tactical; Bandito
TT Gunleather; Elite DDOE Snap OWB, Elite DDOS Snap OWB, AIWB, Mike's Special IWB, pocket (both Tim's design and my own design made by Tim), dbl mag pouch
VersaCarry; IWB clip

What holster(s) do I have on order right now?
Peter's Custom Holsters belt OWB light carrier
JM Custom Kydex AIWB

Every once in a while I’m asked which of these I recommend. Many of those listed above are fantastic but the ones below are my first choices in each category. I listed them in alphabetic order so as to minimize favoritism.

It’s probably best I give you some idea of my size & body type. I’m 5’6” and currently fluctuating between 160-165 lbs. At 145 lbs I was in decent shape. At 165 lbs I’m showing a spare tire meant for a Honda. I wear between 32-34” waist pants depending on the clothing maker/style. My “style” is casual. In warm months I generally wear some type of cargo shorts with a t-shirt, polo, or short-sleeved button down shirt, all untucked. In cooler months it’s jeans, casual khakis, or cargo pants with the same type shirts. I’ve included some pics below to give you a better idea.

Kydex
IWB; Comp-Tac CTAC, Personal Security Systems, Raven Concealment Systems
AIWB; Cane & Derby Pardus (discontinued/replaced with a new model as of 01/2012), Raven Concealment Systems VanGuard2
OWB; Comp-Tac paddles, Dark Star Gear, FIN Designs, Personal Security Systems, Raven Concealment Systems
Light Carriers; Dark Star Gear, Personal Security Systems, Raven Concealment Systems

Leather
IWB; Milt Sparks VMII, TT Gunleather Mike's Special with reinforced top
OWB; Milt Sparks Axiom, TT Gunleather Elite DDOS Snap

Pocket
I designed my own pocket holster for the Ruger LCP. I spec’d it out and made sketches. I scanned them and sent them to Tim Thurner of TT Gunleather to produce. It's not listed on his website but you can ask for it and he will make it.
Runner-up pocket recommendation would be Pocket Concealment Systems.

Mag pouches
Comp-Tac, Kytex Shooting Gear

Belts
If my shirt is tucked in; TT Gunleather
If my shirt isn't tucked in Volund Gearworks Atlas G-Hook, Wilderness Tactical

Here are some pics of my current holster line-up.

Raven Concealment Systems (left) & Dark Star Gear (right) light carriers
Kytex Shooting Gear mag pouches


Dark Star Gear (left) & Personal Security Systems (right) OWB holsters


Personal Security Systems OWB holster & mag pouch


FIN Design OWB paddle holster
Kytex Shooting Gear mag pouch



Comp-Tac OWB paddle holster & dbl mag pouch (my primary IDPA setup, have same for other platforms as well)


Personal Security Systems (left) & Comp-Tac CTAC (right) IWB holsters


Cane & Derby Pardus & Raven Concealment Systems VanGuard2 AIWB holsters
Kytex Shooting Gear mag pouch


TT Gunleather pocket holster

[VolGrad]

Here are a few pics of me to give you an idea what my size/body type looks like.

This is me on a “normal” day. This was taken Fall 2011.


This was taken SPRING 2011 in a HACK class. My belly is making an appearance. Now, you can see why I wear an untucked shirt. It’s not to hide my gun.


This was taken Summer 2010 in a LAV class. The belly is still there but not quite as pronounced when I’m not leaning so far forward as the past pic.

[Bill Lance]

Excellent post---Thanks!!!

[Dropkick]

Mmmm... Love that FIN. I need to give him a call.
You have any other stuff of his?

[VolGrad]

Mmmm... Love that FIN. I need to give him a call.
You have any other stuff of his?

Just the one holster and a TDI Kabar sheath, also very well made.

[Dennis1209]

Good post! And I thought I had an excess of holsters, you made my day! Now my grip collection is fast approaching my holster count.

[Long tom coffin]

Good stuff, thanks for the update.


For OWB use, I might also suggest you try the X-Concealment Model C:

HERE


I've worn one of those for a long time, and they are G2G. They are the closest riding OWB holster I've ever had, it's the next best thing to IWB carry. I've used it with a G19 under just a tshirt, and no printing.


I'd also suggest you give some of Praetor Defense's mag pouches a try. I was previously using Kytex's mag pouches, but I ditched those real quick after using the PD's; they are the best mag pouches I've ever had, bar none.

I'm also wondering about the c-tac. I've tried kydex only IWB holsters in the past, but it was always feeling like a medieval torture device; I could always feel the metal components irritating me and such. Maybe I should give the ctac a go.


I've also ditched my wilderness in favor of a VTAC cobra belt. I like the cobra buckle, and so far it is working very, very well.

[jmjames]

Excellent, excellent writeup, thanks for taking the time!

The beauty of P-F is that folks share information like this, and it saves newer folks like me a ton of time and money. Thanks to this forum, my first OWB was a Dark Star Gear and I have no reason at all to look for another OWB (I got a Comp-Tac paddle at the same time for range use, but I'm going to sell it since it just doesn't make sense to me to have it), and my first and only mag pouch was the Kytex... and again, I have no reason to look anywhere else.

Thanks to VolGrad and the rest of folks who post here for sharing their experiences.

J.Ja

[orionz06]

Glad to see some of my stuff making the cut, that is a hell of a list ya got going. It also illustrates the idea that one size does not fit all and that you might need to own more than one holster for each gun

[VolGrad]

Thanks to this forum, my first OWB was a Dark Star Gear and I have no reason at all to look for another OWB (I got a Comp-Tac paddle at the same time for range use, but I'm going to sell it since it just doesn't make sense to me to have it),

I am now a big fan of Dark Star Gear BUT I suggest keeping the Comp-Tac paddle as well. I can't count the number of Comp-Tac paddles I've owned over the years. I'll decided I no longer need it, sell it, then later buy another. Most of my shooting buddies have Comp-Tac paddles once owned by me. In fact, most of my buddies have a box full of holsters once owned by me.

I'm glad to share what I've tried and what I recommend to others. If anyone has specific questions about any of these models I'll dig deep in the memory vault and see if I can answer them.

Re: the CTAC being all kydex ... I've used the MTAC as well but prefer the CTAC hands down. The CTAC has better retention and isn't quite as bulky as the MTAC. The MTAC (with the giant leather backing) isn't great for folks in the South that tend to sweat a lot (that's me).