A lot depends on the conditions you are carrying in too. If you spend a great deal of time driving I like a cross draw as it allows me to draw around the seatbelt better and to be turned toward where I feel a threat is most likely to present itself.. Shoulder holsters have some merit here also.
Have always and will always use 1791 pancake holsters, very well made. Of course I could care less about printing, when someone ask I just tell them it's a colostomy bag they seem to move on after that:)
Tried a FEW, settled into a 1791 pancake for my 1911 commander. Concealed carry, loose t-shirt, and shorts has me covered. Open carry just perfection. For 50 bucks, and the thick solid construction can't find better elsewhere, 1791 leather competes with 100 dollar holsters all day.
I feel like these two have forgotten more about firearms lore than most people will ever know. It's amazing to hear Ken talk about those early holster pioneers with such in depth knowledge, and cool that he actually knew some of them. However, I must be one of the few guys that never wound up with that proverbial "big box of holsters." I was fortunate to find something that worked fairly early on. Then when my needs changed a bit I was even more fortunate to discover Garrett Industries holsters. I guess I have a box worth of holsters but they're all the same model but for ten different sidearms.
I have a JM4 Tactical in Left & Right hand for all the guns I carry. What makes it awesome is that no belt necessary. They can be used with Activewear as well as with the belt.
For 1911s I use the El Paso Saddlery "Combat Express" which is similar to the the holster you called the "Askins Avenger" but is shorter, more like a belt slide. It is open bottom and will accommodate any barrel length. Neutral cant.
For me the Galco Combat master Speed paddle holster fill my needs perfectly. I love the beautiful leather they use and fits like a glove. They look great and they wear very comfortable.
Thanks for an interesting video! I can't get comfortable with an iwb an I don't wear belts so owb don't work. I've been wearing a great shoulder holster that Stoner holster made for me . Fits my SA 1911 perfectly. Due to a tension device I don't need the thumb strap. In the summer I throw a light fishing shirt over it, and when it gets colder, a vest or a jacket. For me, it's the best choice. I carry every day around ten hours a day.
Great videos gentlemen! I'm over 300lbs, and I use the Crossbreed style IWB holsters on my strong side very comfortably. The secret is, you must wear pants about two sizes to big to accommodate the weapon.
I’m 1st holster purchase was a Lo-Pro II from Wilson in black elephant and it’s still my EDC some 2 yrs later. I did purchase as 2nd Lo-Pro II in black leather for my backpack carry. They are outstanding! Great video guy.
Please come back and talk about the hybrid holsters that are constructed of both leather and kydex. Also, appendix carry is very popular. Please talk about that kind of carry -- safety and design.
I don't know anywhere else that has this much experience packed into one video. You keep producing these videos and I will keep watching. I always learn something new.
I generally carry at around the 4 o’clock position with an OWB Galco holster. Beretta 92 compact with Wilson grips and the d hammer spring. I just conceal it with a 5.11 concealment vest. It’s light enough to not give me any problems in California heat.
My Sparks Versa Max II worked very well with a Full size 1911. Comfortable, concealable I wore it 42 hours continuosly when bugging out from Hurricane Rita. I like the Comp Tac, or Cross Breed hybrids, super comfortable, concealable at 2:45 with a Glock 17 or 19. Now with my Staccato P with a light and rds it is harder to find one. I run a QVO discreet for my P with 507c, TLR7a.
I enjoy watching your videos. Very informative and has broadened my views on several subjects. They are hard to hear though. Is there a way to fix that?
1st time gun owner. Getting a Glock 48. Wasn't sure about inside the pants ( which means pants 2 sizes bigger ) or outside. The pancake style holster looks very good - I think I will look at it
I appreciate this education and I really enjoy your videos that include Mr. Mas Ayoob. I am looking to get a quality holster for my 1911 (my first!); information like this is exactly what I'm looking to find out before I make any purchases. By purchasing and using a product, I feel like I am essentially endorsing that product. That makes my research all the more important to me. Thank you for your perspectives! =)
What about shoulder rigs, did you not mention one because it's too hot there? My Stoner horizontal rig is so comfortable, and you can change it out to other model firearms?I also have a huge box of very expensive holsters!
Guys, What happened to the paddle holster? I'm a retired Fed, and have ALWAYS carried in Aker or Blackhawk paddle holsters. Hammer INS/ICE/CBP, Retired 40+year Firearms Instructor
I edc a full size 1911. Any recommendations on a iwb holster my current one is very uncomfortable so i have my owb holster which is comfy but i need more concealment
Great video guys. I also have a box of holsters and if I had seen this early enough and I listened, it would have been a lot smaller. I typically carry concealed and while most of my concealed carry has been inside the waistband, my current favorite is a pancake style leather holster outside the waistband holster. With any cover garment I am likely to wear it conceals just as well as any holster I have and it is by far the most comfortable I have used. The other thing I have learned is that trying to save the last nickel on a holster purchase is essentially throwing money away. Buy a good quality product, pay the money and do it once. Thanks again for the great and informative video.
If I had a Wilson Combat it would be in a glass display case, not in a holster where it would get rubbed. But the people who can afford these probably own several.
For me I've found nothing better for everyday carry then the Galco holsters, generally speaking horsehide is of a higher quality in making EDC holsters in that it's characteristics are durable and breathable which helps to sustain overall quality , comfort in higher temperatures and form. Personally the Combat Master and Speed Paddle holsters serve me well. Their are other fine makers as well and to each their own. For EDC I prefer leather especially for the nicer handguns and you'll want to look sharp at the next barbeque.
I'm 50 & a armed security officer 👮🏻♂️, US Army veteran 🎗. I've used a few styles, designs. I had a Aker leather shoulder rig for my Beretta 96D pistol. Late 1990s. I also wore SERPAs for a time, 2000s. Now, Safariland TS7 ALS holsters in FDE or black is what I carry mostly. I purchased a Blackhawk T series holster but I'm not a big fan. 😏 Many cadre & sworn LE do not allow SERPAs. I had 1 break on me but it was more my rough use, improper methods. Many old school gunners & agents like 🐴 horse hide. Kydex is popular but not for all uses.
I only carry with a pancake holster that's leather unless I need to be out in the woods. Leather is still the most comfortable and quietest way to carry
There's an old saying, "Never meet your heroes." Well I'm glad I don't follow directions that well, because Ken Hackathon is everything he seems and more. Some people just get it, and he's one of the few. He understands when to be an instructor, and when to be a buddy. There's a time and place for both, and he walks that line with ease. If I could recommend one guy to take a class from it would be him.
I'm in a hot, humid climate 🏖. Polymer like TS7 Safariland, kydex works well. Leather from a quality brand like Muddy River, Kramer, Mitch Rosen, Kirkpatrick, Galco, Milt Sparks can do well.
3 best I've found, a Miami Classic shoulder holster for the big handguns, a Sneaky Pete outside the waistband generic Cordura cellphone looking case, and a Galco gay ass looking fanny pack cross draw that has the barrel of my Glock 26 pointed away from the body. In the woods that is my personal favorite, can wear it all day, squat, bend over, work, get caught in the rain, wade creeks, and honestly will forget it is there. Laugh if you want, but it truly is the most comfortable carry option I've ever found. Like yall, have a suitcase full of holsters, ankle holsters, belly bands, some I paid more for than I did some firearms, that just never worked.
I have a couple Bianchi holsters IwB and out. The inside makes carrying a 1911 really comfortable and the outside pancake is possible for CC but I don’t ever bother. If you don’t know don’t let someone tell you can’t carry a 1911. I’m tall guy but not big and have no problems with it being uncomfortable or bulky. Just get the right holster for you and it will take care of that
I'm a newbie, so need some help. I see iwb and owb holsters, but what do they call a holster that has a flat piece that goes inside the waistband while the holster and weapon are outside the waistband? When you take the holster off, the whole thing comes off. Detectives on TV use these a lot ("I'm going to need your badge and your weapon."). Any help is greatly appreciated.
I carry a Glock, and I wouldn’t use or recommend anything other than kydex with something that completely covers the trigger guard. Only way I’d use leather or something flimsy is if I’m going to carry a hammer fired pistol with a heavy double action pull
I got a new Muddy River Tactical leather rig for my Walther PDP 9mm. The leather can scuff a bit but the QC is great. I broke it in, wore the 9mm with 0 problems.
A pancake holster just seems more natural. With a 31 waste, even at 60, the most comfortable concealable position is 3:30 area. The pancake is the only holster I have for all my sidearms and it works well both for daily carry and at the range. It has been my philosophy, after 24 years of military service, to practice and compete with what you have and learn how to work with possible flaws in the system…it’ll make you a much better shooter.
Personally, I find that a crossdraw style holster is excellent for being in a seated position because the handle of the firearm is pointing away from you.
@@gowilsoncombat awesome, she is an amazing lady, I can see why Bill has been such a Power in firearms , a just as strong lady . I love IDPA and I am a member. Thank you Bill, Joyce, and Ken for making the IDPA what it is !
Anybody tried the Wilderness systems SafePacker? I have used one for over 10 years. It has been EDC for me since Newtown, MA in “tool-free” zones without a single problem, even when someone hugged me on my strong side. Comfortable, excellent retention, easily moves from belt to hand carry, it is well padded, and carries an extra magazine. It is easy to draw and re-holster and re-snap quietly, one-handed, unlike a Velcro equipped one, and you never have to point at your own anatomy like an IWB. It is easily covered by an open fleece vest, (black fleece vest is ideal as the pack blends into the color and shape of the outer garment). It does not print a frame shape, and it is low enough not to require an awkward high draw. The Cordura nylon is durable, and the pack easily slides on either a trouser belt, or even a very large padded day-pack hip belt where it nicely blends with the other pack straps and buckles. The pack comes in a wide variety of sizes and colors and you can customize your SafePacker by adding a sewn or Velcroed patch featuring an EMS, Fire or Hello Kitty logo to hide in plain sight. If someone asks what the pack is, tell them it is your diabetes testing and insulin kit. By skipping one or two belt loops on the strong side, the pack easily can be shifted from the 2:00 to the 4:30 position as you move in and out of vehicles. Not the fastest on the draw, but this is urban EDC, not IPSC. It does not take any longer to draw than a simultaneous move to the nearest cover or concealment. I operate under the assumption that there will be some sort of environmental indicators to forewarn of an impending incident and to complete a timely draw. If a situation is sufficiently sketchy, strategy requires you to stay away. A contact that begins to evolve into a verbal altercation is a sign to immediately de-escalate by apologizing meekly and profusely and backing away as quickly as possible. If you are responding to screams for help, there is time to draw before arriving at the incident, assuming you are determined to intervene in somebody else’s problem and make it your own. If you are reacting to the sounds of shots fired, then you have time to move to cover while sizing up the situation, developing a tactical plan, determining the number and location of opponents, etc., unless your move is to heedlessly rush in like an invulnerable super-hero. If you are sufficiently “strategic” you won’t have to get “tactical.” Part of being strategic is avoiding the kinds of places, times and situations that require an IPSC draw, like bank lobbies, convenience store cash registers, ATM’s, and other predator target zones. Get your drug dealer to accept debit cards and ship by FedEx Ground. If you have to complete a commercial transaction in person, do it in a crowded public place. The more people there are in an environment the more people the perpetrator has to watch, so you have more opportunities for surreptitious draw when the other guy is distracted and watching someone else. If you have to walk to your car in a darkened parking lot after hours, maybe even draw on your way to your vehicle, and secure the perimeter of your transitional (See John Correa of Active Self Protection) space before entering your vehicle.
I’ve got a 31 inch waist, and I have learned that unless it’s a subcompact single stack, the grip is going to jut off of my body. And the claw add on helps, but it pulls my pants away from my waist in an odd way. Four to five o’clock is about the only way I can carry without giving away the fact that I’ve got a gun.
Absolutely, same waist size, I carry a full size 1911 and the rear sight always protrudes a bit. Upside, I live in AZ, so I open carry 65% of the year , as for the slight protrusion, I don't much care to be honest.
I can't understand caring appendix. I do have an appendix holster but I carry it on my side not pointed at my junk. I don't like having my gun pointed at something I wish not to have shot or destroyed!
