Eeyore
Regular Member
imported post
I normally carry concealed in an IWB holster. When switching to OC, I just tuck in my shirt. (morphing)
IWBs with a leather backing (like mine, the Crossbreed Supertuck, http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/beltslide.html) are much more comfortable, and also IMHO help the weapon to "stand out" visually by providing a light-colored leatherbackground when OCing. Still, many people don't even notice I'm wearing it, since I wear the holster at 4 o'clock, but it is completely visible and distinguishable. I have never had any problems (legal or functional) operating this way. On the other hand, wearing a black shirt while carrying a black weapon in a black nylon El Cheapo IWB that allows the weapon to ride low enough that you can't see much of the butt could arguably be concealing. Of course, a holster riding that low would be almost impossible to draw from, but you get the point.
Thedownside to IWBs, as I see it,is that CCW holsters like mine don't have any retention feature (like SERPA) to prevent somebody from grabbing the weapon. Therefore, I must maintain heightened awareness of people's proximity to my 4 o'clock anytime I'm OCing.
There isn't any one holster that works for everybody in every situation. So, how many holsters do you need, and which kind(s)? Depends on you (your carry habits/intentions, your body shape), what kind of clothing you typically wear,and the size of your weapon. A full-size 1911 wouldn't be easy for a skinny guy like me to conceal, no matter what holster I used. Conversely, there aren't a lot of [decent] retention holsters designed for open, outside-the-belt carry made for subcompact autos.
Bottom line, my IWBis all I need for the wayI carry. If I wanted to do more OC activism and carry more obtrusively, I would have to buy (1) another pistol and (2) a belt holster better-suited to OC.
I normally carry concealed in an IWB holster. When switching to OC, I just tuck in my shirt. (morphing)
IWBs with a leather backing (like mine, the Crossbreed Supertuck, http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/beltslide.html) are much more comfortable, and also IMHO help the weapon to "stand out" visually by providing a light-colored leatherbackground when OCing. Still, many people don't even notice I'm wearing it, since I wear the holster at 4 o'clock, but it is completely visible and distinguishable. I have never had any problems (legal or functional) operating this way. On the other hand, wearing a black shirt while carrying a black weapon in a black nylon El Cheapo IWB that allows the weapon to ride low enough that you can't see much of the butt could arguably be concealing. Of course, a holster riding that low would be almost impossible to draw from, but you get the point.
Thedownside to IWBs, as I see it,is that CCW holsters like mine don't have any retention feature (like SERPA) to prevent somebody from grabbing the weapon. Therefore, I must maintain heightened awareness of people's proximity to my 4 o'clock anytime I'm OCing.
There isn't any one holster that works for everybody in every situation. So, how many holsters do you need, and which kind(s)? Depends on you (your carry habits/intentions, your body shape), what kind of clothing you typically wear,and the size of your weapon. A full-size 1911 wouldn't be easy for a skinny guy like me to conceal, no matter what holster I used. Conversely, there aren't a lot of [decent] retention holsters designed for open, outside-the-belt carry made for subcompact autos.
Bottom line, my IWBis all I need for the wayI carry. If I wanted to do more OC activism and carry more obtrusively, I would have to buy (1) another pistol and (2) a belt holster better-suited to OC.
