I've searched the site and haven't found a post about holsters bulging. I have a Bersa Thunder 380 and Taurus TCP738 and want to carry AIWB and need a tuckable holster due to my job. No matter where I put a holster there's no mistaking that something is there. Horrible bulge and the belt buckle it is pushed up at AIWB. I see people toting bigger guns and you can't see them so I shouldn't have a problem. What are my options?
Welcome! That's just a concealment issue. I don't think anybody would start a whole post about it, but if they would it would be in Holsters, Accessories, and EDC Gear.
Could be a couple different things--it's really hard to tell without seeing the holster and how it actually rides. For starters, you may not have an AIWB body. Simple fact of life, that carry style does not work for everybody. Second off, tuckable AIWB is an even bigger pain in the ass. To the point that I'm sure people do it, I've just never actually known anyone personally that carried it that way and pulled it off. Seeing it in pictures on the internet doesn't show anything--the trouble in concealment isn't covering a gun up for one picture, it's in moving around like that all day.
Next bit--belts. Everybody overlooks belts. What kind are you using? You're going to want a dedicated gun belt. Some of them can even be quite dressy and low-profile, but you need a belt designed to hang a gun off of, and you need it to fit the belt loops on your pants--a 1" belt in 1.5" loops does not work. If your holster is pushing your belt buckle out, that's a sign you either need to move the gun closer to your hip, or rotate the belt buckle a little offside. That works when you're going untucked, but looks goofy if you're trying to tuck.
As to the holster, dunno what kind you're using, and know fuck-all about one that would do what you want because I've never tried it. If you asked me how to accomplish socially-acceptable-in-regular-jobs CCW, I would tell you to either wear a jacket or go with pocket carry. You're already carrying a .380, why not take advantage of that?
Ill echo what was just said. What holster/ belt are you using? Have you looked into the phlster enigma? That very well might be the answer you are looking for.
Quality belt and holster are absolutely paramount when it comes to proper concielment. Look at mastermind for AIWB spsific belts. Depending on how dressed up you need to be they may or may not work for you.
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As stated, not everyone's body is well suited for AIWB. Mine is one of them. What works for me is a tuckable IWB holster at about 2:00 with the shirt tucked in over the pistol. Draw is not fast but I can make a Glock 26 disappear in it. I use a Milt Sparks Nexus with the self-closing magnetic loops replaced with the Kydex clips that originally came with the Watch Six and VM-2. Holster slides onto pants, belt goes over holster loops, pants go on, gun goes into holster, shirt is tucked into pants, and belt secured. I can wear a suit coat or not, and the gun cannot be seen.
Nothing is perfect with this type of carry. Due to the nature of the clips, attaching the holster to the pants and removing it causes the clips to flex. The clips eventually fail. I get about a year out of a set. I have considered using velcro to attach the holster to the pants but have not gone beyond the experimental stage. Wondering how it works with dry cleaning.
A couple of things: A good belt is critical. So is a good holster. What that is is more than workmanship although holster workmanship is a big deal. Good holster makers have long lead times for a reason. Most of us have boxes of holsters that work well for someone else, but not for us. I sure do. Be prepared to experiment some here.
What holster are you using? (I like JMCK Wing Claw 2.5 but there are other very good choices)
What belt are you wearing?
What is your body shape at the waistline?
And.... having a muscular chest and or broad shoulders helps you hide stuff underneath it, but having a jelly roll is not always AIWB friendly. Concealment was much more difficult before I lost weight and got back in shape, even with good gear. But, I've seen guys carry AIWB below a big belly, because the way they wore their pants enabled it.
Everyone is a little different. Some experimentation may be required.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
Starting with a good holster maker cuts down on trial and error. I post this every time the topic comes up: I listen to what holster makers tell me, because part of the price is their experience and the feedback they get. That said, I think the OP is going to have problems finding quality holsters for those two pistols.Originally Posted by farscott
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There is enough good advice above on figuring out the problem so I'll get on a small tangent. A personal opinion, as well as an opinion of a number of AIWB practitioners: a tuckable AIWB holster is a safety risk. Bunching up your garments by the holster's mouth is not a great idea with any holster but especially with junk carry. I have at least one, maybe two AIWB rigs that afford that capability. I played with it and unloaded guns, and decided that no way in hell I'll be doing this for realz. YMMV.
Doesn't read posts longer than two paragraphs.
I do not like tuckable holsters of virtually any stripe, because they all bulge. The reason is because the mounting mechanism usually is twice as wide to both mate to the pants/belt and tuck the shirt into place.
My preference in an office environment is pocket carry
If the Taurus is reliable, a good pocket holster is what I would look for. Either, back pocket carry in a wallet-type holster or front pocket carry. If you wear dress slacks (as opposed to khakis), look at acquiring a Raven Pocket Shield and mounting your pocket holster to it. Then cut the shield to fit into your slacks' pocket. It blouses the pocket out a bit and makes the pistol virtually invisible, even if you bend over or cross your legs, or otherwise pull the fabric tight against your leg the shield helps blouse the fabric out. Simultaneously, it keeps the gun upright and in place.
The Pocket Shield and khakis or jeans are a 100% no-go, even cut down the shield is simply too big to reliably fit into the pockets.
I haven't tried one yet, but after seeing @Clusterfrack's AHolster it's been on my short list - https://aholster.com/product/pocket-aholster/
I will echo a good pocket holster may be the trick. Pocket carry has its pluses and minuses but not printing in an NPE is one of them.
Another idea would be something like a smart carry. I used one for years mostly carrying a Glock 26.
You may need to step up a size in pants.
The gun is relatively small. This will seem counter productive but a larger gun may be easier to conceal. I have found carrying my 26 in a JMkydex 2.5 made for a 19 helps. I fought the idea for a long time as it didnt make sense.
I really appreciate everyone's input. As you can see, I’m new to the forum and CC. I ordered a belt from Foxx Holsters (1.5”) and holsters from Concealed Express. Both holsters are AIWB and the Bersa is tuckable.
Holsters for these guns are definitely limited for how I need to wear them. I wear jeans and some days I'm up and down a ladder working on security cameras and constantly around a lot of people all day. I expect printing to happen, so appendix won't be the ideal place on those days and my tool belt will help conceal. Regarding the belt, the buckle needs to be in front on certain days, so I could wear a more tactical belt than dressy when working on cameras.
I have a Glock 23, but rather have a smaller size and keep the 40 caliber as I have a small frame. In that respect, I’ll have to buy a another gun, holster(s), and new belt. Geez...this gets expensive.
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