Holsters... The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

General · 5 replies · 441 views · 7 followers

Tyler

5 months ago

Hey folks, as we all know there's a million and two holster options out there. For concealment my wife and I are looking into trying the Tier1 concealment holster, and the Enigma holster system. anyone have experience with both, love/hates?

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Lewis Holmes

3 months ago

I know nothing about the Enigma holders but I have a tier one axis elite for my MR920 from shadow systems in Plano Texas and with a lean body like mine they're great. I did add a couple of pads to the back of my holster for more comfort and I think Tier One now has them for their holsters, but don't quote me on that. If they don't have them you can pick some up from Clinger Holsters. Their website is:www.clingerholsters.com. I hope this is of some help.

Frank McClain

4 months ago

I have the T1C Axis Elite, and I will say it makes for a very fast draw - like a hot knife through soft butter. By far the easiest to draw from, of all the IWB appendix holsters I've tried (which includes ones from Crossbreed, Alien, We the People, G-Code). Printing isn't bad, although I've yet to find any that don't show, even using a claw to press the butt closer to my torso. I realize most people don't notice, but to me it stands out like a sore thumb; I'm fairly lean, and it just seems to jut out, no matter what. :(

Anyway, back to the T1C... For me, wearing it for hours isn't very comfortable; seems like it cuts into my body. I'm typically just in t-shirts; if I wore an undershirt or had something between the holster and my skin, it'd probably be a lot better.

So far my favorite is the G-Code Phenom Stealth. It's the most comfortable (thanks to the "tactical fuzz"), and also amazingly prints the least. Just a tad slower to draw from (also thanks to the fuzz), but the comfort is worth it. Does not have attached mag carrier, so you have to have that separate; not a huge issue to me, but the T1C made it very smooth and easy to change out mags quickly.

I liked the idea of the Enigma system, but it's not available for my gun.

Lewis Holmes

3 months ago

I also have a t1 axis elite and I found a set of pads that doesn't make it print any worse than not having it. I'm also very lean in build and I absolutely love these! They are made by clinger and you can pick them up from their website at www.clingerholsters.com and I hope they can work for you if you're interested in getting them. I ordered 2 pads, one for each side for double the comfort. 😁

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

I'll check those out; thanks for the recommendation! I did get the T1 wedges, and tried different sizes, but no joy (although it was definitely better with than without).

Richard A Mantz

3 months ago

I'm looking for suggestions. First, I'm overweight and that makes pretty much anything hard to cover. Next, I have to wear tucked in shirts most of the time. The only thing that seems to work at all for me is the Urban carry G3, since it sits below my big belly. I haven't had nearly practice with it to feel I could actually use it. At this point, I look at it as being "better than nothing", maybe!

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

If you're wearing tucked-in shirts, are you by any chance wearing a sportcoat, jacket, etc? If so, maybe a shoulder holster is an option, or even something OWB? Also, I'm pretty sure https://www.youtube.com/c/ActiveSelfProtectionExtra (might not be that particular channel; can't recall for sure) has had some videos about various carry methods as a bigger guy. And although he doesn't appear to be overweight, Massad Ayoob has done a number of very informative videos on various carry positions/methods, on https://www.youtube.com/user/gowilsoncombat.

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

Also, Mas Ayoob also recently (?) had a video on shoulder holsters, which included one designed to be worn under a button-up shirt. He said a lot of people wear it with a button or two undone, behind a tie; and that it's super easy to slip in and draw it without anyone knowing it's there. Obviously not intended for a full-size or large pistol... ;)

3 months ago

I don't tuck with my Tier1, so I cannot comment on that. I will say, from a comfort standpoint, that as a dude who is 15 to 20 pounds overweight, the holster is still quite comfortable, especially with the foam wedges installed on the back.

I'm a big fan of the Tier1, which becomes more comfortable the skinnier I get.

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Richard A Mantz

3 months ago

Thanks for the feedback. No sportscoat, just casual button downs with jeans and occasional dress style shirts thrown in. I sorry to say i WISH i was only 20 lbs overweight, but I am working on it.

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

One day, one pound, one inch at a time. Every little bit counts!

And in the meantime, if the G3 is what works so you can carry, just keep practicing with it. Unloaded, completely safe, of course. :) Carrying, and being smooth and confident in your draw, is DEFINITELY better than nothing at all. I'd imagine the G3 is not super-fast to draw from, but it also probably doesn't need to be. "Fast" is great if you're in an old-west style gunfight, but even then - being accurate beats fast and sloppy.

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

Hey Richard, I just watched this earlier today, and thought it was extremely informative about wearing IWB holsters - definitely some things I never would've thought about! Thought I'd share, in case any of it is of use to you.

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Richard A Mantz

3 months ago

Frank,
Very enlightening. I'm also going to check out some of the video's she referenced. Thanks!!

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Frank McClain

3 months ago

I'm doing that as well - more info == better experience with carrying. I'd never thought of putting moleskin on the back of a holster - seems like that would help a lot with the discomfort of Kydex against the skin, while limiting the addition of bulk from a backing pad.

Michael Wright

about 2 months ago

Look into Azula Gun Holsters. Quality leather holsters that won't break the bank. Many have no-collapse features which make them safe for modern striker-fired pistols. Much more comfortable than Kydex. I have 6 of their holsters for various different pistols and am happy with all of them.

Michael Wright

about 2 months ago

The Good: Azula Gun Holsters. Amazing quality leather holsters that won't break the bank. I carry my Sig M17 in a two-slot thumb break holster. I also have an IWB holster from them for my LC9S. I can draw from my thumb break holster faster than most people can from Kydex because the thumb break is positioned where your thumb naturally goes when gripping the pistol. I've bought multiple holsters from this company. 2 for Ruger LC9S (IWB and OWB), 1 for Sig M17, 1 for IMI Jericho 941 FL, 1 for a Taurus 669 (uses Model 66 holsters), and 1 for a 1911. Been happy with all of them.

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Jon

about 1 month ago

I don't have an Enigma, but I do have the tier1 axis slim and it's a fantastic holster with a wedge and claw. It's the best holster I've had. I'm 5'8 170lbs and I can conceal a Springfield XD9 (4" barrel with 16rd mag, so the size of a G17 with a shorter barrel) pretty well. I do print a little, but from what I've noticed people generally do not notice people carrying a gun concealed with an OWB holster that's printing so badly there's almost no point to trying to conceal it. The point is people will almost never notice even when you're printing a little especially if you're carrying appendix.

When I'm wearing a tucked in shirt I wear a modified GlockStore belly band (modified to take an extra mag in the same location as my tier1 axis slim). I know that's not for everyone as there isn't a trigger guard, but I've carried that way for over a decade when I tuck in a shirt or wear board shorts or athletic shorts and haven't had an issue of even coming close to a negligent discharge. An XD9 is a full size pistol and with an extra mag you wouldn't know I had anything on me when I'm wearing that belly band with a tucked in shirt (dress shirt or polo). Between the belly band material and the other clothing material (with a tucked in shirt there's a belt involved adding an extra layer as a trigger guard) you get a thick enough layer for a trigger guard. My pistol has a grip safety, so that's another measure but it's not needed in my opinion.

Hope this helps!