I’m partial to my Kahr CM9 and a horse hide Crossbreed IWB holster for most of my carry. Very compact and comfortable. If I can’t conceal that, I go for my 1st gen Ruger LCP 10th Anniversary model with the side clip that attaches on the right rear side and I don’t use a holster at all; better than nothing.
Sidearms & Scatterguns Suggestions for concealed carry rigs
- Thread starter Maggot
- Start date
That is a pretty vertical palm out SOB holster. Right?
I thought SOB would be uncomfortable sitting or driving.... A bit hard to reach while driving, I suspect.
You can pick various degrees of tilt, but it's non adjustable after that. So you're stuck with that if you don't like it. It's probably the most comfortable I've tried tho. With the smaller 365 I barely notice it. Other OWB/IWB's always seemed to dig/gouge me someway. A buddy's got mine right now trying it out. Says he likes it better than what he's tried too.
I've considered abdominal carry, but not yet tried it. True it does seem faster on the draw than four o'clock IWB. Hard to change habits after 25 years though. Reholstering is what makes me a little nervous. I can easily reholster one handed without looking in a well made Summer Special, very worse would be a groove in a butt cheek if something went horribly wrong.
My Falcon Classic Line 204 shoulder holster for the SIG P365 arrived today. After fitting it and wearing it for a 2 mile walking and a few hours around the house, for $148 it's a deal. I'll be ordering their upper end model for my SIG P320 X-Carry with Romeo optic. Good communication, quick 4 day shipping via DHL from Slovakia, good value at $148 compared to the limited offerings.
Appendix position has the most to offer, but the highest risk.
+ Best concealment (of waist mounted options),
+ Fastest into action,
+ Easiest to access while wearing seatbelt (of waist mounted options)
+ Most easily protected from being taken by an attacker
- If you get a holster without adequate trigger protection or get it wrong on the draw, you could lose your external genitalia, or hit your femoral artery and die.
If you go this route, don't try to do it cheap; pay for a custom holster. I highly recommend 5 Shot Leather's SME. My wife and I both carry full size 1911s in this rig. I'm 5'6 and 150 lbs. She's 5'3 and 120. It's all day comfortable and invisible under pretty much anything in the wardrobe.
+ Best concealment (of waist mounted options),
+ Fastest into action,
+ Easiest to access while wearing seatbelt (of waist mounted options)
+ Most easily protected from being taken by an attacker
- If you get a holster without adequate trigger protection or get it wrong on the draw, you could lose your external genitalia, or hit your femoral artery and die.
If you go this route, don't try to do it cheap; pay for a custom holster. I highly recommend 5 Shot Leather's SME. My wife and I both carry full size 1911s in this rig. I'm 5'6 and 150 lbs. She's 5'3 and 120. It's all day comfortable and invisible under pretty much anything in the wardrobe.
Last edited:
My Falcon Classic Line 204 shoulder holster for the SIG P365 arrived today. After fitting it and wearing it for a 2 mile walking and a few hours around the house, for $148 it's a deal. I'll be ordering their upper end model for my SIG P320 X-Carry with Romeo optic. Good communication, quick 4 day shipping via DHL from Slovakia, good value at $148 compared to the limited offerings.
I like that, very nice.
Very comfortable, quick on and off, no issues going to the bathroom, comfortable and accessible in the vehicle/sitting, and once you're used to shoulder rigs you tend to forget they are there. If you have a bad back (chronic pain) like I do, getting pressure/weight off your beltline really reduces the pain.
I wish I had the keel principle video when I sent Fobus an opinion of their holsterfor the P11. Good holster but they reduced the paddle to match the holster size. I told them the full size paddle is still needed.
I carry a Glock 45 AIWB in an ANR Designs holster with the claw. It conceals great. I like the size of the holster, it's easy to shift around when I get in a vehicle to get in the right place for comfort. Very concealable and fast. No problem hiding the full size grip. I wear a Blue Alpha Gear hybrid belt that helps a lot when carrying a gun, tucks it in better and is comfortable but somewhat rigid.
Milt Sparks VM2 and a quality gun belt. It works very well with the G27 but I have one for G29 and a Smith 1006 as well. It's the most comfortable rig ever (why I own THREE of 'em despite the damn near year long wait there used to be to get one!). Conceals extremely well. Cost is on par with Galco, quality is on par with Alessi (maybe a little less attention to detail but only where it doesn't matter). By far the best rig for the price.
Trust me, you won't regret it. I'm not the only one that feels this way, they have a following. It's imperative you get a good gun belt for it (they make a good one) and I'd recommend whatever you carry, that the thinner weapons conceal better. A good rig like the VM2 will allow for full size pistols, length ain't so much an issue as width and weight.
If you carry a 1911, just go on and quadrulple the option because Milt Sparks sorta caters to the 1911 crowd. But VM2 and others fit damn near anything.
For Smith 1006. Hosehide with leather belt loops. You can tell the pistol sorta sits recessed behind the loops... It sits like this on your hip too and the belt goes over the tucked in holster and it all just becomes part of your hip, no movement with these, one hand reholster thanks to the metal reinforced lip. There is no better fit and there is no way to adjust these, they don't need it. Been using one for fifteen years now and it works like new still. Did I mention they were comfortable too, for like all day wear? This is important for CC, if it ain't comfortable, you'll quit wearing it. Remember we wear these things ALL DAY and if everything goes GOOD, well, we NEVER use 'em, so just keep that in mind.
(I'm actually selling the 1006 and all the gear pictured, but it's the only one I have of a pistol and mags in one of the rigs so I figured I'd post it for you so you could see how they sit). Note the tab in the back that protects you from the safety, etc. digging into your side.
Trust me, you won't regret it. I'm not the only one that feels this way, they have a following. It's imperative you get a good gun belt for it (they make a good one) and I'd recommend whatever you carry, that the thinner weapons conceal better. A good rig like the VM2 will allow for full size pistols, length ain't so much an issue as width and weight.
If you carry a 1911, just go on and quadrulple the option because Milt Sparks sorta caters to the 1911 crowd. But VM2 and others fit damn near anything.
For Smith 1006. Hosehide with leather belt loops. You can tell the pistol sorta sits recessed behind the loops... It sits like this on your hip too and the belt goes over the tucked in holster and it all just becomes part of your hip, no movement with these, one hand reholster thanks to the metal reinforced lip. There is no better fit and there is no way to adjust these, they don't need it. Been using one for fifteen years now and it works like new still. Did I mention they were comfortable too, for like all day wear? This is important for CC, if it ain't comfortable, you'll quit wearing it. Remember we wear these things ALL DAY and if everything goes GOOD, well, we NEVER use 'em, so just keep that in mind.
(I'm actually selling the 1006 and all the gear pictured, but it's the only one I have of a pistol and mags in one of the rigs so I figured I'd post it for you so you could see how they sit). Note the tab in the back that protects you from the safety, etc. digging into your side.
I thought my Brommeland iwb was the only holster I'd ever carry with, but having recently received my SME, I would say that they are equally good for what they are, and so far above anything else, that I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere.
I don't have any first hand experience with the Brommeland. Have you carried the SME enough yet to compare the two in specific terms of comfort, concealability, or draw smoothness?
So, the SME is more concealable and draws smoother. I am actually surprised at the combination of retention and draw, though I shouldn't be as I have a couple of his OWB holsters that are similarly good. The Brommeland is a 5 o'clock holster, and for that position its concealability is unreal. I can carry a government model with a t shirt on and it is fully concealed. I'm not a small guy, about 6' 185, but I wear size 32 pants, so concealing in that spot is not always easy for me. Draw wise it is more of a standard holster in that it needs to break in, but the angle it sits at is perfect. Way better than a Milt Sparks VM-2.
If workmanship and materials matter to you, 5 shot is a 10, and Brommeland is freaking off the charts. Maybe 15% better. Both are awful at business and delivery, but nice guys.
