All posts tagged OWB Holsters

Somebody has been finding about the Jit holsters

After being in business for so many years, and working in this industry, I’ve seen enough trends in various things like firearms, holsters, ammunition and attitudes in general.   I remember when I only knew a  handful of people that CCW permits and now that number is probable 4-5 higher and it’s mostly people that I didn’t expect to get them.   I have several friends that did the College thing, the Grade School thing, and after they got tired of changing jobs, they started their own businesses.   Unfortunately, some of them found out real fast about the liabilities of having a business and dealing with the public.

There are always statistics attached to certain types of crimes and if you own a pizza sh0p, restaurant, UPS driver, or just travel around in Urban environments, you general area going to witness or know someone that was robbed or assaulted.   I do like the Don Hume holsters that attached are belt through holsters, they seem to be the simplest and smaller holster design.   The gun basically hangs in the holster unlike many other holders that contain it.   There is no clip or paddle protruding into your hip and they seem to be one of the most popular ones CCW holders are buying these days.

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tactical gear and accessory ordering online

I’ve been doing a lot of product evaluations and we’ve been scouting the tactical apparel and accessories industry since the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh.   We pretty much brought in new gun holsters and apparel for the CCW holder and we’ve already been well immersed into what most military contractors use.   Some of the new Smith Elite Optics have a really popular turbo fan goggle that have been flying out the door and we’ve already been taking orders to blow out the next shipment.   A great many new customers have been dropping in and calling us on the phone asking who are we because they’ve never heard of us before but we have been showing up in gun magazines and conventions for the last several months.

Most of our new customers are finding us on the internet through search engines and many times it’s because they found us after bad experiences with a few other companies.   It’s somewhat shocking that some of the highest ranked businesses on Google and Yahoo are companies that have an F rating with the better business borough.   Gun holsters are hard to find in many gun shops and now that there are so many new guns like the Ruger LCP,  Galco holsters, Blackhawk holsters and many more have to keep up with what is being put out.  You gotta be real careful who you do business with and that’s one reason we’ve thrown up a facebook page so that our customers knew who we were and that we respond to our customers questions and needs.

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Unconventional thought in defensive situations

I think most people expect to read about firearms, knives and pepper spray when it comes to using weapons in a defensive situations, but we can’t for get to think  about ways of using our body in situations to get away, or restrain an individual.   I’ve shown many people how to take a firearm away from someone, but that is only for people that have the confidence to do so.  I remember a few years ago there were was a lot of buzz about how easy it was to take apart a Beretta 92FS pistol and disarm someone who wielded it.   Well, it is easy to do that, but it’s even easier to drop a magazine on a Glock and pull the trigger on it and then it’s basically disarmed as well.

Verbal defense is probable the most important training that a shooter can employ.  I’ve taught people how to build confidence that they will know how to shout down an attack or trick a home invader to retreat, just by yelling “I have a gun”.  Knowing how to use every sharp edge of your firearm and your Blackhawk holsters even the magazine holders as blunt objects should give you things to think about when in a crisis situation.   Lots of firearms and tactical gear and accessories can be used for jabbing or bashing.

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Don Hume Jit holsters, fast and friendly

don hume holstersI’ve been in a holster and tactical clothing buying binge and I’ve learned a  lot in the last year.   Holsters all look the same after awhile and i really don’t feel the desire to buy too many more for most of the guns I own, but there are a few I picked up just to try out and see what was out there.   The best holster that I have found looked like it was no real advantage over any of the paddle or OWB holsters I already own, but the Don Hume Jit holster is turning out to be my favorite.   I was never one to sit down and eat a big breakfast before going to work, I get out of bed grab something to eat and get moving.   The idea of having to loop belts through holsters along with getting dressed every morning seemed like more of a chore for me and I avoided them.   I liked paddle or clip on holsters because i was done in a second.

The Jit holsters real advantage to me is that the holster isn’t any bigger than it’s needed to be and helps reduce the amount of printing you might have with a larger holster.   Some people may not like the fact that the whole gun is not protected by the holster, but you should notice this gun does feel like it comes out of the holster fast.    I have noticed that the gun does look like it’s a bit dry when carrying this way due to it being exposed to clothing so you may want to wipe your gun down more often,  Don Hume holsters are very reliable when it comes to getting a holster that fits and I have never had to return one that didn’t function properly.    My favorite CCW now is a Glock 19 in the Jit holster for 3/4 of the year.

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Securing firearms in a holsters is important…

But don’t forget about all of your other gear.    Many of my previous blog posts have mentioned that I regularly attend training seminars and trade shows and I see and feel lots of gun gear and accessories.    I’ve seen plenty minds changed with gun holsters once the physical stuff starts.   I’ve busted a few CCW in my life usually during the Summer months when they are sitting back on a lawn chair and I see a fully loaded Sig 220 magazine laying on the ground next to them.    Another one of my friends fell asleep on a long car ride and woke up with an empty pistol magazine pouch, it was being held by the guy sitting behind him.

Those sound like funny stories, but it should be a wake up for anyone that is CCWing.   Gun accessories on firearms should normally have loctite on them, but you can’t do that to keep your gun magazines in place.   Those cheap nylon magazine holders are actually very secure, but some don’t like the image of cheap Army surplus stuff.   Blackhawk holsters are known for their locking Serpa holsters, but the double stack and single stack magazines are outstanding.   I’ve never lost a magazine during training and they are easy to retrieve unlike something with a flap.

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Comfort vs convenience

There is going to be a argument with your body between comfort and convenience whenever you put on a holster.    IWB may work for you, but if you start carrying larger guns you’ll start to feel it pretty fast.  I have already seen guns go from carrying fat compact guns and transitioned back to a 1911 which is longer, but is thin and more comfortable to carry IWB.   If you are expecting to get into street combat then do something other than wear a concealment holster.   I have had years of experience in carrying guns IWB, but recently I’ve gone to pocket carry because I’m getting tired of feeling it when I’m out on golf course or batting practice.

There are plenty of custom holster companies for you to research, but you may spend a lot of money on a holster that doesn’t work for you and the best thing to do is go to a gun show or a gun shop that carries them and ask if you can try them on.  Galco holsters have a stow n go holster that is an easy fix for IWB concealment holsters.  If you don’t want to blow a ton of money on a holster look at Galco or Don Hume first.   There are belt loop, paddle and pocket holsters that are very reasonable priced.

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IWB is the number one method for CCW

Even though IWB is the most popular, I’m well aware of the number of people that do not carry this way.   I’m not going to start mentioning fat people jokes, because I’m not fat and trying to get away from this method in the near future because it’s getting to be too uncomfortable.   Maybe it’s some of the new tactical pants I have been trying out, but I’ve been getting some serious bruising from Kydex holsters lately.   Paddle  holsters are fine for Fall and Spring, but if I have to wear a heavy winter coat, I prefer to carry with a shoulder holster.    I’m still up in the air as to what kind of shoulder holster to get because shopping for holsters is like buying clothing, it may fit you, but comfort and flexibility is something you find out later.

Pocket carry means for most of us that we are carrying a small gun, and not everyone feels like that is enough of a gun.   I’m not real big on arguing about caliber wars, but I am  big on carrying spare magazines and more ammo.    I’m fine with 2 magazines of .380 vs carrying a 5 shot .357 magnum.   IWB gun holsters are something that needs to be matched up to body size, some guys can fit a Beretta 92FS IWB but that pretty much eliminates anyone that is thinly built.   I would make sure you match your shirts up to your CCW method and check yourself in the mirror or ask a family member you trust to ask you if they can tell where your gun is.

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CCW for the skinny guys

I’m talking about guys here because I don’t k now very many females that carry guns IWB or pocket carry.   I’m not sure why, but most females I am friends with carry in a purse or carry in a paddle or strong side holster.   There are many ways of carrying a gun on just a belt line.   You can carry with a belt loop, double belt loop, clip on or paddle holster.   I have a few backup holsters that are the Don Hume jit holsters that work very well for me because they keep the gun up and don’t take up very much room like a paddle holster.  I also can’t feel it push against my body at all when I am sitting down, unlike the IWB holsters.   I am still looking to pick up a crossbreed holster for a Sig 239 in 40 S&W because I’ve heard they are the most comfortable holsters.   I’ll find out and tell you my thoughts later.

I have never been a big fan of putting on a holster that need to through with a belt because I really don’t feel like having to do that every morning when I get up and go off to work.  That extra 20 minutes of wiggling things around and trying to line up the holster to the belt loops ect. is rather annoying and a clip on the belt gun holsters takes 2 seconds.   I do believe that I may have found a replacement for my paddle holsters which I tend to only carry when I am wearing a vest.   The Don Hume Jit holster may work for you if you have a large cut shirt, but us skinny guys don’t have the shape to hide very much unless it’s flat up against us.

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Paddle holsters vs. OWB holsters

There have been several occasions where I have had to sit down and re-read all of the various holsters designs being made from the major manufacturers to read about any chances or variations that have been made.   Last year we saw a big increase in people buying .380 guns and not very many holsters were being made for it yet.   There are also things like lasers that come into play and that limits the types of holsters you can use even more.   I expect that since the Ruger LCR and LCP have been given a good reception in the gun industry that next year will be easier to find more options.   I still not on the .380 bandwagon, but if that’s what people want to carry, any gun is better than no gun.

I changed some of my work week carry methods after hobbling around with sore spots from the times I had to do a lot of lifting and working with my CCW gun and I have recently switched up some of my holster and carry methods to give my body a break.   For anyone that is actually carrying 7 days a week and does a lot of physical work, IWB with a medium or large size gun will catch up with you.  I  have found that the Galco holsters that are OWB holsters, that you have to put a belt through don’t work very for me because there are times during the day that I do have to take my gun off because I am going through various buildings with high security measures and it’s annoying to have to practically undress in a car each time.   One thing I throw into my CCW mix is a good Galco paddle holster like the Havana.

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Don’t burry your weapons under clothing

I think there is a point that people really can get carried away with the CCW point of view.   There were a few wacky incidences that occured over the years where a gun owner got himself or herself into a gray area and really invited trouble.  The whole open carry debate can be a powder keg amonst many on our side of the aisle, but not invited problems is something we should be trained to think about.   Don’t put yourself in a situation where the method in which you are carrying is going to make you stand out.   For example, we have a lot of customers that carry full size autos that want to carry their firearms in jackets and they always want to know which vests or jacket it will work in.    If this is what you want to do, go ahead and do it, but if you are standing out on a football field at your kids football game and you are the only person wearing a jacket and it’s 70F out, you are going to be out of place, and may invite problems from a smart ass anti-gun person that knows you may be in a grey area by carrying a gun on school property.

I have stated several times that some of the toughest people I know don’t always carry firearms, and many of the best trained shooters are carrying j-frame revolvers.   This has slightly changed in the last few years since there are some reliable .380 pocket guns coming into the market.   I really don’t have much experience with these, but since many of them are new, it’s sometimes a good idea to just sit back and see how well the products hold up and what their reputations are.   There is not always a real need to get too exotic with gun holsters.   A good pocket carry gun could have 6 or 7 rounds of .380 or 9mm and depending on your body size, you may even be able to get a .40 S&W gun in there.  Pocket carry is probable one of the most comfortable ways to conceal a firearm and won’t restrict much of your movement.

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