I did a bit of searching for an aiwb holster for this revolver and didn't really come up with much of anything. I found a few options for the 2" (Cleveland kydex, for starters), but the few holsters I found that were made specifically for the 3" 856 were not the kind of thing I wanted to buy. Eventually I decided to order a holster for the 3" Kimber K6, which I figured must be relatively close to the Taurus in size. The place that I found my holster at is called ANR Design. I spent $72 out the door. The order went in on December 17th, and because I did not pay extra for rush handling, I was told 2-3 weeks for shipping.
On January 18th, I got a notification of shipment, which is 5 weeks. Obviously, Christmas and New Year's slow folks down, and I don't mind that, but a note to that effect would have been welcome. The workmanship strikes me as OK but not great. There are two holes drilled for the hardware (wing claw and strut for tuckable put the dot loop), and they are not drilled straight up and down. All things considered, it's basically fine and I don't have complaints even if I can't exactly sing high praises.
I do not have a Kimber K6, so I have no way to judge the fit of the holster for the revolver it was supposed to be made for. But it really didn't fit the Taurus. As in, the Taurus frame was just way too big--too tall from top strap down to the bottom of the frame/trigger guard. I will say that the outline of the revolver on the holster looks like a Kimber shape. But it was surprisingly small. So small that it didn't actually fit my j-frame comfortably. So I guess the Kimber must just be a lot smaller than I had guessed. Well, I knew it probably wouldn't be an easy fit for the Taurus, so I was prepared to do some fiddling. I have never taken a hair dryer to a holster before, and it took me a few attempts, including some overcorrections recorrected incorrectly, etc. But at the moment, I am wearing the holster and it seems like it will do OK. Adjusted as low as I can get it, it rides higher than I'd like--there is, I dunno, two inches between the lower edge of the grip and my beltline. I like it to ride high, of course, but not quite that high. It turns out that I guess I would like some negative cant. It isn't super comfortable for me to grip this gun.
PTD loops are wonderful but they like to print. I turned the strut around to bring the loop closer to the body (there's an offset on the strut). That helped some with printing. I am a believer in dcc clips and will eventually figure a way to get those attachments for this holster.
There is no wedge option at ANR, so I will add some velcro and a junk carry pillow. I think this is a usable option if you want to carry an 856 and don't mind doing some labor.
This was really more than I wanted to spend, since I don't actually plan to carry this revolver. It's more of a teaching thing than a real carry thing. But still. The adventure did teach me that I am not good at working on holsters.
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