Which JM Custom for AIWB?

[entropy]

Which clips does everyone recommend?

I’m currently using something akin to a JMCK quick clip. Open to ideas I don’t know about on that.

How about the guard height? Present holster has none. Am I missing out on something?

Thanks

[Sig_Fiend]

Thanks everyone, this is all good info. Although, I must say that AIWB seems to have gotten way too complicated. After thinking about it I'm going to stick with IWB @ 4:00. I really don't want to put a small pistol in a large holster and add wedges, pillows, claws, wings, or anything else. Seems overly complicated and all the extras add to the bulk and weight of your carry rig.

Something is telling me this AIWB craze will pass and one day we will look back and laugh at how bulky these carry rigs had gotten. Shit there's people walking around with a tiny gun in a large holster plus a backup mag, light, red dot, and now wedges, pillows, and claws. Seems a bit much if you ask me.

I'll say the the industry is brilliant though, they always think of something new to get us spending our money.

I'd recommend trying the JMCK Wing Claw 2.5. In your case, I believe the one you want is marked "S&W Shield/Shield Plus w/ 4" Barrel 9mm". It should have a slightly longer body for that improved fulcrum effect while still working for the 3.1" version.

With either the PTD loops or fixed soft loops (same basic thing really), they're mounted to the top of the holster and spaced farther apart than most other holsters in this class.
This is important in that it distributes the load over a wider area. IMO, it makes the holster more stable for carry, for the draw, and produces less girth in the holster.
The claw is highly effective at rotating the grip inward, taking care of at least one of the major areas that can print.

Another factor I see less talked about is belt rigidity. Maybe I'm weird but, with the WC 2.5, I've found the claw + wide-spaced loops is so effective, I can get away with a much flimsier belt than I normally would.
Instead of say a kydex-reinforced leather belt or other substantial leather gun belt, I find that even something like a cheapo 5.11 TDU nylon belt works well.
In some cases, this might even be a win in that you don't have to use such a rigid belt that it creates as large and unnatural of gaps fore or aft of the holster, and the belt can more easily conform.

Best part I've found is the WC 2.5 is so effective I can even carry as far back as 3:00. The claw works so well it actually carries nicely in that position and conceals more effectively than most other 3:00 holsters I've used.
This is worth considering if you're not sure about whether you'll like AIWB carry. A lot of other AIWB holsters are not really that flexible, IMO, and have a much smaller zone of efficacy.

[blues]

Which clips does everyone recommend?

I’m currently using something akin to a JMCK quick clip. Open to ideas I don’t know about on that.

How about the guard height? Present holster has none. Am I missing out on something?

Thanks

I like the mid-guard with JMCK. Doesn't get in the way of a draw, and doesn't interfere with bending if the gun is out of the holster. Others' mileage will vary.


These days all of my JMCK's are wearing either DCCs, (not Monoblocks), or fixed loops. The fixed print less than PTD and have less possibility of failure, however remote.

The only way to know is to try, imho.

[Elwin]

Which clips does everyone recommend?

I’m currently using something akin to a JMCK quick clip. Open to ideas I don’t know about on that.

How about the guard height? Present holster has none. Am I missing out on something?

Thanks

I love the standard DCC clips because they're so adjustable - I'm never stuck wishing there was a set of mounting holes in between the ones I have. They also disappear, whereas with other clips and loops I have the hardware printing even when the gun is hidden.

I find guard height to be firearm-dependent. For striker guns I settled on mid for similar reasons to Blues. For a 1911 I like full because I can mold it (or have Tony mold it) so that the guard prevents the safety from moving to "off" while holstered. I could imagine more guard could be good with slide-mounted decockers on the Beretta guns.

I like at least some guard because keeps my undershirt out of the holster when reholstering, and I index the muzzle on that flat surface provided by the guard before easing it into the holster mouth.

[HammerStriker]

Hell, I was carrying that way on the job back in the 80's without knowing it even had a name. It's only gotten better since then with the industry-wide upgrades in available gear.

I think I'll stick with this newfangle craze.

I know appendix carry has been around forever, however it was not very popular until relatively recently. I think it is in large part due to internet influencers pushing apendix holsters and other related product.

I've given Appendix carry a try with a cheap IWB BladeTech holster and a Glock 19. Def conceals better than 4:00, but the pistol points at my body when seated and isn't the most comfortable. I thought I'd give it another try with an AIWB specific holster from a quality manufacturer like JM Kydex. With that said, it is not worth it to me if I have to put my shield in a 4" holster and add a claw and pillow. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a small gun, doesn't it?

[blues]

I know appendix carry has been around forever, however it was not very popular until relatively recently. I think it is in large part due to internet influencers pushing apendix holsters and other related product.

I've given Appendix carry a try with a cheap IWB BladeTech holster and a Glock 19. Def conceals better than 4:00, but the pistol points at my body when seated and isn't the most comfortable. I thought I'd give it another try with an AIWB specific holster from a quality manufacturer like JM Kydex. With that said, it is not worth it to me if I have to put my shield in a 4" holster and add a claw and pillow. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a small gun, doesn't it?

In the end, all that matters is how it works for you. There is no better barometer.

That said, many of us feel that it is worth the additions. (And not everyone that carries AIWB needs a claw or a pillow. Sometimes I prefer both, sometimes not. Sometimes just a pad with no claw, or a claw with no pad.) Depends on the clothing and the holster. I don't ordinarily carry anything smaller than a G26 or a J frame.

We are not evangelists and will never try to tell you to carry in a manner that does not suit your needs.

[RJ]

Which clips does everyone recommend?

I’m currently using something akin to a JMCK quick clip. Open to ideas I don’t know about on that.

How about the guard height? Present holster has none. Am I missing out on something?

Thanks

I like the DCC clips. One seems to work best for me.

I tried a "no sweat guard" option on one JMCK order; as Tony explained, you can't put material back. Rubbed like the devil. From then onward, I specify "full guard". To date I've not trimmed any of them down.

[CSW]

Which clips does everyone recommend?

I’m currently using something akin to a JMCK quick clip. Open to ideas I don’t know about on that.

How about the guard height? Present holster has none. Am I missing out on something?

Thanks

On my JMCK 2.0, dcc clips, 1.5.
On the Tenicor, dcc clips, 1.5.
On the JMCK original AIWB, ptd loops. Tried the dcc monoblock clip, no bueno on that one.

[RJ]

In the end, all that matters is how it works for you. There is no better barometer.

That said, many of us feel that it is worth the additions. (And not everyone that carries AIWB needs a claw or a pillow. Sometimes I prefer both, sometimes not. Sometimes just a pad with no claw, or a claw with no pad.) Depends on the clothing and the holster. I don't ordinarily carry anything smaller than a G26 or a J frame.

We are not evangelists and will never try to tell you to carry in a manner that does not suit your needs.

What @blues said.

I know appendix carry has been around forever, however it was not very popular until relatively recently. I think it is in large part due to internet influencers pushing apendix holsters and other related product.

I've given Appendix carry a try with a cheap IWB BladeTech holster and a Glock 19. Def conceals better than 4:00, but the pistol points at my body when seated and isn't the most comfortable. I thought I'd give it another try with an AIWB specific holster from a quality manufacturer like JM Kydex. With that said, it is not worth it to me if I have to put my shield in a 4" holster and add a claw and pillow. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a small gun, doesn't it?

Some people feel they don't want to wear Appendix because they are too fat. Some don't like it because "you'll shootcherdickoff...". Some don't want to put in the work required tailoring cant, height, tension, location wedge, claw/no claw, wing/no wing, clip vs. DCC vs. PTD, etc. etc. Some feel it's uncomfortable.

That's all ok.

If it doesn't work for you, no one is going to try and convince you otherwise.

[RJ]

Another factor I see less talked about is belt rigidity. Maybe I'm weird but, with the WC 2.5, I've found the claw + wide-spaced loops is so effective, I can get away with a much flimsier belt than I normally would.
Instead of say a kydex-reinforced leather belt or other substantial leather gun belt, I find that even something like a cheapo 5.11 TDU nylon belt works well.
In some cases, this might even be a win in that you don't have to use such a rigid belt that it creates as large and unnatural of gaps fore or aft of the holster, and the belt can more easily conform.

Same.

So much so that I've had the startling revelation over the past few years that the old saw about "you need a rigid gunbelt!" to be completely untrue. My MMT Specialist (I have, hmmm, three of them now) is about perfect. Flexible enough to flex with movement but rigid enough that the DCC clip firmly "locks" into place around it.