Which JM Custom for AIWB?

[HammerStriker]

I'm 5'10 and 170lbs, 32" waist and am thinking of ordering the below holster package for my M&P shield 3.1in. What do you guys think?

Quick Ship AIWB Holster
Belt Loops: 1.5" Pull the dot
Mid sweat guard
Flat tear drop muzzle pad
Red Dot Sight Cut

Do I need the muzzle pad? Should I go with the angular wedge instead?

Should I go with one of the newer AIWB models with the claw instead?

The AIWB non-claw holster appeals to me because of the smaller overall footprint. Also the models with a claw are 4" instead of 3.1", supposedly the extra length helps with comfort and conceal-ability. Honestly, I'm not really buying this, I think it is largely BS spin so that these holster manufactures can offer 1 size for pistols that come in both 3" and 4" barrel lengths (like the shield).

[Jay585]

I'm not really buying this, I think it is largely BS spin[/b] so that these holster manufactures can offer 1 size for pistols that come in both 3" and 4" barrel lengths (like the shield).

It's not. I'll buy a G17 or G34 length for my G19 for extra tuck-ability.



From: https://www.phlsterholsters.com/the-...ent-mechanics/

Claw is well worth it and personally I'd skip the wedge and go buy a foam block at WalMart and cut out your own wedge.

[WDR]

Extra length is not "BS" ... guns with short muzzles can "roll" over the top of the belt, and extra length helps counter that. Wedges and claws serve similar purposes in different directions. The real answer is you'll have to try things for yourself, as every body is different. Belt type/tension and what gun you are concealing also matters.

JM makes excellent holsters, and I have several. the 2.5 is the model I use IIRC. I have been thinking about trying a "George" for a G26, without the extra length, for extended use sitting in vehicles. I use Mastermind appendix carry pillows instead of foam wedges.

[HammerStriker]

It's not. I'll buy a G17 or G34 length for my G19 for extra tuck-ability.



Claw is well worth it and personally I'd skip the wedge and go buy a foam block at WalMart and cut out your own wedge.

Thanks for the info. Wouldn't putting a foam wedge mitigate the keeling issue with small guns?

I feel like owning a 3.1 in shield is pointless if I'm going to carry it around in a holster made for a 4" gun. After all, the reason I bought the shield is because it is small...

[Jay585]

Thanks for the info. Wouldn't putting a foam wedge mitigate the keeling issue with small guns?

I feel like owning a 3.1 in shield is pointless if I'm going to carry it around in a holster made for a 4" gun. After all, the reason I bought the shield is because it is small...

Why? Most of it is below the belt and behind your pants.

Let's look at it as if you're trying to pry a stump out of the ground.

You got your fulcrum point and a lever. In this example the wedge is the fulcrum point and holster length is the lever. If you have a big wedge and short holster, there's not much force to wedge the gun into your body. By the time you get the appropriate amount of wedge to actually press the gun into the body, you're printing below the belt. Longer holster needs less amount of wedge in order to press that grip into your stomach.

[RJ]

Excellent info in this thread.

I lost a bunch of weight 2021-22 and got to 178; I'm 5'6", size 34. During that time, I had two JM AIWB rigs, one for my Glock 26 and one for my P365X. The G26 I ordered in G19 length (and ended up carrying the G19 anyway); same for the P365 i.e. XL length.

As to the wing claw and/or pad, I've found this is very much a personal fit issue determined by trial (lots) and error (also lots). You have to be willing to put the effort in and make it work. If it doesn't work, you have to keep adjusting, putting parts on, and off, reloacating the holster on your belt, adjusting tension on the belt, swapping clips from top mount to bottom mount, trying DCC clips in different sizes, tweaking the angle of the holster on the belt. In other words, pretty much almost everything about AIWB had to be custom fit. There's nobody shaped quite like you, so asking what works for other folks did me no good at all. I had to try everything under the sun before it worked for me.

I will say the concept of buying a longer length holster for a shorter muzzle gun is for real. It certainly was for me. However the benefit of carrying that way is if you end up with the shorter gun (e.g. G26 v G19; P365X v P365XL) you are shaving a couple ounces off your carry rig weight. For larger humans, this may not matter, but for those of us who are smaller in stature it does make a difference.

Not sure if mentioned but @Clusterfrack's invention of the Junk Carry Pillow (small fabric bag stuffed with polyfil, sewn with velcro strips) was a game changer for me. A commercial version is made by MMT as the Appendix Carry Pillow. I made a couple JCP's but currently use two ACP's on my P365X rig; one below for comfort and one above that I took the stuffing out of to serve as a cusion against my tummy in the inguinal crease.

The Melody Lauer holster hack (Dr. Scholl's Women's Gel Heel Pad) also helps sometimes.

Dragged in a couple snap shots just to illustrate some of the different setups I used over the last couple years. I'm no expert but maybe some ideas here to try.

P365XL WC Grip Module sitting in a JM CK AIWB WC 2.5. I asked Tony to put holes top and bottom, so I could play around with clips. As shown is a single DCC clip.


P365X in RCS Perun, deflated MMT top, Melody Lauer hack bottom. Left top is my gray MMT ACP, left bottom is a JCP I sewed myself (I know, the picture is not appendix, but it shows the pads I used)



EDC rig night before my Miami Tim Herron class last spring: G19 MOS in JM CK AIWB 2.5 WC, deflated MMT ACP top, regular ACP bottom.

[Elwin]

Unfortunately people who make guns and people who carry them is a Venn diagram with a very small center section and a lot of space on either side of it, so yes, you have a lot of people carrying short barreled guns in longer holsters. I’d wager almost no one actually needs a pistol barrel to be under 4”, but manufacturers tend to think it matters a lot. So much so you have “carry” models of a pistol where only the barrel is shortened and the grip is the same…

I carry both 4” and 5” 1911s and I carry both in the same full length holsters. I’m also using foam pads cut from yoga blocks and attached with Velcro tape. That approach has worked for a long time for me but YMMV.

They’re also all JM 2.0 or 2.5 models. I prefer the wide range of adjustability you get pairing those holsters with DCC clips. The height of each clip can be adjusted down to the millimeter and then the grip rotation is adjustable by playing with the height of the block on the Modwing. If the holster is doing something you don’t want, there’s probably a way to fix it.

[mastiffkb]

I am a fan of JMCK and have bought my last 4-5 holsters from them.

I have found that the quick ship aiwb, no wings, work the best for me.

My options choices that work best are.

One size up muzzle length wise. A G48 for a G43, a VP9 for a VP9sk

1.75 pull the dot, you can adjust down to 1.5 but if you get the 1.5 you cannot make it longer.

Having used flat and angled pads on other holsters when I purchased the JMCK with the extra tuck feature, will never have one without it nor go back to pads. It is a tear dropped shape built into the holster that allows all the benefits of a pad but is easier to put the holster on, doesn’t stick to undergarments, very smooth and doesn’t create extra heat like pads do.

Hope this helps.

[entropy]

Good info here.

I started AWIB a few years back with a snub. Warmed up to it. In the past 6mo I’ve started carrying a G19 same way. What started as an “experiment” with a cheap Blackhawk ARC and MMT pillow has turned into my basic carry. I’ve had to “restuff” the pillow a few times as the fill seems to compress over time, especially when extended sitting is involved.

I’m interested in trying a JM for both the G19 and my HK USP. The description on the “George” states: is an appendix holster made for lean body types whose waist, chest and stomach are all on the same plane.

This IS NOT me. Lol. Using the Philster sail boat analogy, I have more superstructure above my waterline.

Perhaps I’m better off ordering two standard models...

[Jay585]

Why? Most of it is below the belt and behind your pants.

Let's look at it as if you're trying to pry a stump out of the ground.

You got your fulcrum point and a lever. In this example the wedge is the fulcrum point and holster length is the lever. If you have a big wedge and short holster, there's not much force to wedge the gun into your body. By the time you get the appropriate amount of wedge to actually press the gun into the body, you're printing below the belt. Longer holster needs less amount of wedge in order to press that grip into your stomach.

Did this part make sense to anyone? Sometimes I think I'm explaining something well, but it's actually garbage. Explaining things to kids will make you realize you're not as smart as you think you are.