IWB / OWB 12, 1, 3?

[Bob A]

I've been alternating between an IWB tuckable and an OWB pancake, worn at 3-4 o'clock.

The IWB is less comfy, and more concealable, obviously. I've taken to wearing Hawaiian shirts and the like, which look ok un-tucked, and conceal the pancake. During the chillier seasons, it's back to the tuckable.

The main drawback to 3 o'clock carry is the driving/seatbelt issue. On the rare occasion where I feel things to be sketchy, I can free up the pistol so that it could be drawn with only a little difficulty, but mostly I'm not in that sort of neighborhood.

Appendix doesn't go well with my slab of flab up front, though it does have an advantage when driving. toward that end, I picked up a Larsen IWB revolver holster, modeled on the old Seventrees Vampire. It's basically a pouch, IWB with snap loops, retaining the revolver with a pull-thru snap. It's designed for those who sit a lot and need access to their weapon, and it's suggested to carry appendix or off-axis toward the left. I haven't yet worn it around enough to judge how much I like it, as it limits me to six rounds of 38 spl, but the concept is promising.

I do find that I need to upsize my shirt size to carry untucked, for general comfort. Baggier shirts help with the printing issue, as does patterned material over plain. IWB tucked at 3 o'clock can look a little odd, so baggier shirts help there too, to break up the lines. Fortunately I'm generally an eyesore, so I don't get much close scrutiny. Eating a lot of garlic or kimchi also helps in that regard. A surly disposition and the general appearance of shabby dress is the icing on the "avoid that asshat" cake.

Concealment is an art form. The devil is in the details.

 

[JoeyBimmer]

IWB 3ish oclock. G19, leather holster. I can draw from seated

 

[Bob A]

IWB 3ish oclock. G19, leather holster. I can draw from seated

In a car, with seatbelts?

Color me impressed!

 

[Magerko]

I've been through a variety of holsters, belts & mag carriers over the last year, trying a variety of gear in different positions. I really, really wanted to like IWB but it's just not comfortable for my body type. I'm a bit older and have a bit of a gut thanks to my wife's excellent cooking. Hey, I'm the victim here, lol.

I’ve tried and tried, but I just don’t like the feeling I get with appendix carry. Sure, it feels OK when I’m standing up, but bending over, sitting down, sitting in my truck, etc., it just doesn’t seem to work for me, I just can’t get used to the feeling against my skin. Plus, although I know my P365X is perfectly safe in a good holster, I still can’t shake the uneasy feeling I get when 9mm Hornady Critical Defense rounds are pointing at my buddy.

So, after a lot of experimenting over the last year, I finally concluded that OWB is where it’s at for me for maximum comfort, and after a lot of experimenting and fine-tuning, I’ve found the gear and setup that works best for me. Your mileage may, or probably will, vary.

Holsters: I have several holsters including Crossbreed (Reckoning - IWB or OWB), N28 Tactical (IWB), Bravo Concealment (OWB), and Tulster (OWB). All are great holsters but for me, the top 2 are OWB’s from Tulster (Contour) and Bravo Concealment. Both fit super close to the body and move the grip more into the body to minimize printing. My favorite is the Tulster Contour, which I wear every time I go out, but the Bravo Concealment is a close 2nd, and is my backup or for outdoor range use. The Tulster is smaller than the Bravo, and when concealing, I like the minimalist approach.

Mag Carriers: I have a few IWB mag carriers from Crossbreed, but they have leather backing and tend to dig into my skin, since they’re mainly designed to be worn IWB, and I just can’t seem to get used to sticking anything down my pants, lol. But hands down, my favorite mag carriers are OWB from Bravo Concealment. I have 2 single mag carriers, and recently picked up a double, as it takes up less space than the 2 singles back-to-back. These things fit super close to the body, and don’t print at all, like I can’t even see them in the mirror, and I know they’re there. I like carrying 2 extra mags when I’m out and about, because IMO, more bullets = better. I love these mag carriers, they’re super comfortable and invisible.

Belts: Started with a Crossbreed leather belt, then bought a Blue Alpha, and then got a Kore Essentials adjustable. All are great belts; all are made well. But to be honest, I bought the Blue Alpha for the Cobra buckle but have never worn it, because it’s not easily adjustable. Well, you can adjust, but you’d have to take the belt off, make the adjustment, then put it back on. The Crossbreed is a great, super high quality leather belt, but that sucker is THICK. Like ¼” thick. I wore that one for ½ a year and it’s starting to soften up a bit, and you can tighten and loosen the belt quickly, without having to take the belt off. But after getting the Kore Essentials, I think this is the belt I’ll be rocking with. The Kore is super strong, great quality, looks great, much thinner than the Crossbreed leather belt, and you can adjust easily on the fly, like after eating a big dinner, lol. I may still use the Crossbreed for certain situations, or at the very least it’s a great backup belt, but so far, the Kore will be my daily EDC belt. Love it!

Shirts: The main thing I’ve learned over the last year about concealing, not just hearing from others but actually trying for myself, is that it’s not just one thing you need to consider to make your life saver invisible. Rather, it’s a combination of things, along with a bunch of trial and error and fine tuning, that all work together to provide maximum concealment. Wear a great holster with a crappy shirt and you still may wind up printing more than a Xerox machine. But, wearing the right holster, in the right location, with the right belt, and the right shirt, can really lead you into concealment nirvana. And what’s right for me might not be right for you, so you need to experiment to find the combination that works best for you, there’s just no getting around it.

For me, the shirts I’ve found that I can wear every day that make my Sig disappear are Carhartt pocket tees. I wear 2 types, Loose Fit and Force. The Loose Fit pocket tees are heavy duty and thicker than the Force Tees, so better to wear them when it’s a bit cooler, but I’ll still wear them in the summer. The key with the Loose Fit tees is that they’re cut a bit larger, so all you need to do is to order your normal size you usually wear, and the Loose Fits will give you extra room without having to buy oversize. I wear XL tees, so I wear XL Loose Fits, as those shirts give me a lot more room to work with. Plus, they’re long tees and hang way below my belt, so no worries about your shirt riding up and exposing your life saver when you’re at the grocery store and reaching up to get something from the top shelf.

The Force Pocket Tees look the same as the Loose Fits, except that they’re “relaxed fit”, so they’re cut a bit straighter and aren’t oversized like the Loose Fits. Since they’re not cut larger like the Loose Fits, I order XXL size when getting the Force Tees, to give me more room like the Loose Fits, but with a “Relaxed Fit” shirt. But even though I’m going up a size to XXL with the Force tees, they fit like normal and don’t give you that “frumpy” look, lol. The material of the Force Tees is also thinner than the Loose Fits, so they’re great for summer or warmer climates. They also apparently wick sweat due to the material used.

Color is also an important consideration. I always order darker Carhartt tees, there’s still a variety of colors and shades to choose from, but darker colors seem to hide better to my eyes. I’d never want to wear a white shirt with my black holster and Sig hiding underneath, so I go with the darker colors and have no problems.

So far, the best and most comfortable combination I’ve found (for me & my body type), is a Tulster Contour OWB @3 O’clock, Kore Essentials adjustable belt, Bravo Concealment OWB mag carriers, and Carhartt Loose Fit or Force pocket tees. This combination is absolutely the most comfortable I’ve found, whether I’m sitting or standing, doesn’t matter. I’ve never been called out and nobody has any clue that I’m carrying, because the gear combination and Carhartt’s make everything “invisible”. I’ve even carried at my grandson’s birthday party (unchambered around the kids during the party). My son is a Federal LEO, FFL and Range Training Instructor, and he had no idea I was carrying at the party, so I guess my combination is working. If he couldn’t tell, then I’m not worried about the old lady at the grocery store causing a stink.

BTW, I work from home and prefer to carry at all times, lots of daytime home invasions going on so I prefer to be prepared whether I’m home or out in public. For carrying at home, I’ve tried some belly bands that worked but started rolling up and digging into my side after a few months, but the latest one I stumbled upon is a Home Run IMO. I ordered a Blackhawk Stache NACHO and this is by far the best and most comfortable belly band I’ve worn, and I’m wearing it right now in fact. It’s super comfortable, extremely heavy duty, has 2 built in mag pouches and 2 additional pouches for your cell phone, knife, tactical flashlight, etc., and is designed to use whatever holster you prefer using.

I tried using my N28 Tactical holster and it worked fairly well, but the square edges near the tip of my Sig’s slide would dig into my skin. But Blackhawk makes their Stache holster, which was designed specifically to be worn on the NACHO, so I got one and it works much better. At only $35.00, the Stache holster is crazy good for such a cheap price. It’s not Kydex but injection molded and my Sig fits perfectly. The end of the holster near the tip of my slide has rounded edges, so they don’t tend to dig into your skin. With this setup, you can easily move the band around to find your sweet spot. Sometimes, the difference between feeling that you’re carrying, versus feeling totally comfortable can simply be a matter of moving the band an inch or so in either direction.

Yeah, I spent a few $, along with many months of trying different gear, combinations, locations, and fine-tuning, but the results are so worth it. When I first started carrying, it felt like it took me forever to get ready to go out. I was always adjusting this or that, trying to move things around, and basically just trying to fumble my way through. But now, I no longer have to worry or think about what gear I’m going to wear, how I’m going to wear that gear, or spend a lot of time trying to get things adjusted. My Kore belt stays on my pants/short, with my holster and mag carrier already in place. Now when I go out, I just put my pants on, adjust my Kore belt, pop a couple mags in my OWB carrier, then the last thing I do is to chamber a round and then I watch my Sig like a Hawk as I carefully slide it into my Tulster, taking a few extra seconds to make sure my undershirt or anything doesn’t get anywhere near the inside of the trigger guard. Thanks to all the time invested in finding the right combination that works the best for me, I already know that everything works well together, can get ready to go in less than a minute, and I can get that same comfortable feeling every time no matter what I’ll be doing.

 

[cmb]

Thanks to all the comments.


I don't think they are, but I've never really looked before either. I refrain from politics so I don't know where any of them stand.

They most certainly are and politics doesn't "refrain" from affecting your life.

 

[rob.mwp]

Oh man, you guys rock. So much information. It would have taken me years to gather all this on my own. Really appreciate it and the pictures!

I am skinny enough (maybe not as I would like) that I think I can pull off AIWB without anything getting too uncomfortable.

They most certainly are and politics doesn't "refrain" from affecting your life.

Should have clarified, I try to refrain from discussing politics with people that I might only see once a week or so. I refrain from arguing with anyone who leans far left because it's like they've been radicalized / brainwashed. Zero concept of reality.

 

[INMY01TA]

Shield Plus or a G43 IWB 3:00-4:00 in a Tulster Profiler.

 

[Harrys]

I make my own holsters custom to my fit. In summer I wear a V neck T under my PFG shirts at 11:00 for both my Kimber Micro and the Kahr K40. No printing at all and in winter the same T under my untucked flannel shirts with the same results.

 

[cmb]

Oh man, you guys rock. So much information. It would have taken me years to gather all this on my own. Really appreciate it and the pictures!

I am skinny enough (maybe not as I would like) that I think I can pull off AIWB without anything getting too uncomfortable.


Should have clarified, I try to refrain from discussing politics with people that I might only see once a week or so. I refrain from arguing with anyone who leans far left because it's like they've been radicalized / brainwashed. Zero concept of reality.

Yes Sir, no argument here. I'll also 'attempt' to carry AIWD when and IF the people's republik of MD's "powers that be, grant me their blessing to excersise my God given right!

 

[rob.mwp]

Dammit... found a 40% off coupon for Tenicor. Grabbed the holster I wanted to try and then BAM... on checkout page it said no longer valid (even though it dropped the price when added to the cart). Bummer.

 

[boss281]

Here are a few pics of me (165lbs, 5'10") with a comfortable t-shirt (not a big parachute). It's a Sig p365 X-Macro TACOPS with a Vedder ComfortTuck IWB holster. Barely noticeable if you look hard, well, to me anyway. I forget about it and it rides in the car well at 3 o'clock. I have a Hellcat Pro in the same holster that is about the same, I just happen to prefer the SIG.

 

[Dirty_Civilian]

Dammit... found a 40% off coupon for Tenicor. Grabbed the holster I wanted to try and then BAM... on checkout page it said no longer valid (even though it dropped the price when added to the cart). Bummer.

Where did get a tenicor coupon from? They rarely do discounts.

 

[rob.mwp]

Here are a few pics of me (165lbs, 5'10") with a comfortable t-shirt (not a big parachute). It's a Sig p365 X-Macro TACOPS with a Vedder ComfortTuck IWB holster. Barely noticeable if you look hard, well, to me anyway. I forget about it and it rides in the car well at 3 o'clock. I have a Hellcat Pro in the same holster that is about the same, I just happen to prefer the SIG.

Thanks! Appreciate the pics.

Where did get a tenicor coupon from? They rarely do discounts.

I just googled and found a list of them. Was stoked that it worked until it didn't I did reach out to them, they said they usually do BF sales... I can wait. UI'll just get one of the other holsters that'll end up in my "box"

 

[Phoenix_1295]

I just googled and found a list of them. Was stoked that it worked until it didn't I did reach out to them, they said they usually do BF sales... I can wait. UI'll just get one of the other holsters that'll end up in my "box"

If you figure in the cost of a stop-gap holster, you may as well put that money toward buying the Tenicor holster now. Any decent holster will cost you at least half the cost of a Tenicor.

 

[308Scout]

If you figure in the cost of a stop-gap holster, you may as well put that money toward buying the Tenicor holster now. Any decent holster will cost you at least half the cost of a Tenicor.

This is not wrong.

 

[rob.mwp]

I know.. I just need to bite the bullet

 

[JoeyBimmer]

In a car, with seatbelts?

Color me impressed!

I have heard this from people before, and I am not sure why. Maybe it is the cars I am in, maybe it is my body, I don't know for sure.

I can reholster too.

Maybe practice. When I pick my kids up from daycare, I put my gun in the car safe every day. When I am in my wife's car and end up in a "gun free zone" I have to disarm and secure in her car too. Those are the two primary vehicles I am in.

I have to see how it could go in my wife's Jeep. Because that is smaller, I may be too close to the console to get a draw, but maybe not.

 

[JoeyBimmer]

Oh man, you guys rock. So much information. It would have taken me years to gather all this on my own. Really appreciate it and the pictures!

I am skinny enough (maybe not as I would like) that I think I can pull off AIWB without anything getting too uncomfortable.


Should have clarified, I try to refrain from discussing politics with people that I might only see once a week or so. I refrain from arguing with anyone who leans far left because it's like they've been radicalized / brainwashed. Zero concept of reality.

on the politics note, if you can express your opinion without being offended by what someone else may say, I think you can present to anyone your opinion. I am not saying this is for everyone, but I don't think I care to refrain from bringing up my actual thoughts, especially if someone begins to talk about it.

You get those soft "I would never move to Texas because of what the Governor has done" types that are usually uninformed about what is actually going on. If you listen to to many talking heads on screens your brain will rot. This works for CNN to OAN. We have the internet so you can look up almost anything to see what actually happened. EG, the Trump grand jury charges that just came down. I didn't listen to anyone on what happened, I read the charging document and then formed a rough opinion.

 

[teratos]

I know.. I just need to bite the bullet

Holsters are a money pit. Everyone has different body shapes and preferences. What is the best holster for one guy, is the worst for the next. I have so many f'ing holsters....20-30 maybe. I use 3 regularly.

 

[rob.mwp]

on the politics note, if you can express your opinion without being offended by what someone else may say, I think you can present to anyone your opinion. I am not saying this is for everyone, but I don't think I care to refrain from bringing up my actual thoughts, especially if someone begins to talk about it.

You get those soft "I would never move to Texas because of what the Governor has done" types that are usually uninformed about what is actually going on. If you listen to to many talking heads on screens your brain will rot. This works for CNN to OAN. We have the internet so you can look up almost anything to see what actually happened. EG, the Trump grand jury charges that just came down. I didn't listen to anyone on what happened, I read the charging document and then formed a rough opinion.

I just wait. If someone starts to talk politics and they're misinfomed I'll try to ask them questions to see where it leads. Can usually read people and see if they're open minded or not. If they're "brainwashed" forget it... I'm not having a pissing contest with a "Karen / Kyle" it won't go anywhere. If someone is open I'm fine having a civil conversation with them.

I don't listen to any talking heads, they're all full of shit. Propaganda is all they're good at.

Holsters are a money pit. Everyone has different body shapes and preferences. What is the best holster for one guy, is the worst for the next. I have so many f'ing holsters....20-30 maybe. I use 3 regularly.

Is any one of those 3 a tenicor??