by Greg Ellifritz

There are many different options for carrying your handgun in a concealed manner. Body type, firearm, holster type, and mission all mandate different styles of carry. It ultimately comes down to personal preferences, but here are a few hints and guidelines to help you make your decision. If you are new to carrying concealed firearms, this resource will help you make some important decisions.

HOLSTERS

The belt holster

We'll start with the most common way to carry a pistol, the belt holster. This holster is mounted to the belt (with loops or slots) or uses a paddle that makes it easier to remove. I generally prefer the belt loops over most paddle holsters because they stay on the belt better in a struggle. They also conceal better because most paddles tilt the butt of the gun inwards and the barrel out, making a strange-looking bump on the hip.

Here are some examples of belt loops, slots and paddles:

Paddle Holster

"Pancake" style belt holster with slots for belt

Comp-tac belt holster with kydex belt loops

Material

Belt holsters are generally made of either leather, kydex (a type of plastic) or nylon. All materials work well. Nylon and kydex are generally cheaper and a little bulkier. Leather usually conceals slightly better. Leather may also require a short "break in" period. If you find that your new leather holster is too tight, place your unloaded gun inside a plastic zip-lock bag. Put the bagged gun into the holster overnight and the leather will stretch a bit.

Retention:

There are many different ways to keep your gun in the holster. Some of the methods include the thumb break, tension screw, Serpa lock, ALS lock, and rotating hood. For concealed carry, I would generally avoid open-topped Kydex holsters that have no retention other than the friction fit of the gun. In a fight, a bad guy will take your gun away so quickly that you won't be able to implement your weapon retention strategies. This applies even more to the FOBUS PADDLE HOLSTER. Don't use it! I haven't had one make it through any of my high-intensity fight scenarios. The holster breaks completely off of the paddle. Save the Fobus paddle and open top Kydex holsters for the range only. Don't use them to carry your defensive guns.

Open-Top Kydex holsters by CompTac, Blade-Tech, and Sidearmor are of very high quality, but still don't hold the gun in well during a struggle.

The Blackhawk Serpa offers good retention, but there have been several accidental discharges when drawing because of the placement of the release button. It has been banned at several police academies and shooting schools. I would stay away from it.

I like the Safariland ALS as a belt holster. It comes with both belt loops and paddle attachments and has a very fast security lock. They cost $30-45. The only downside is that they are slightly bulky and can't be concealed under light clothing. They are great for desk duty or plainclothes assignments where concealment isn't really needed.

If you like the leather holsters, get one with a thumbstrap rather than one with an open top. It offers better retention.

There is one leather holster with a locking retention lever. It's called the Bianchi Carry Lok. It holds the gun in well, but I think it creates an awkward draw stroke.

Stay away from the small of the back holsters. The drawstroke is difficult to do in any position but standing and is easier to stop in a fight. There is also a greater chance of spinal injury if you fall while wearing one. It also prints horribly if you bend forward.

One final thing to consider is ride height. Each manufacturer places the gun differently in relation to the belt line. If the gun is too high, the grip is up near the armpit. That makes a difficult draw for shorter-waisted people and those who lack flexible shoulders. On the other hand, a gun that rides too low doesn't conceal well. I would stay away from both.

Good quality belt holster brands that I use are:

Inside the Waistband (IWB) Holsters

For those of you wanting more concealment than the belt holster provides, your best bet is an IWB holster. You can get them made from leather, kydex, and nylon. The kydex is fastest, but least secure. Leather is more secure, but slower. Unlike the belt holsters, I don't think you need a retention strap on an IWB holster. The IWB holds the gun lower and closer to the body, making disarm attempts difficult.

There are a couple of things to look for in IWB holsters:

Make sure the gun grip sits high enough above the belt that you can get a full hand grip on the gun. Many sit too low and cause you to have to re-adjust your grip as you draw. That's a recipe for a fumbled gun. Make sure the mouth of the holster is reinforced so that it stays open. Otherwise, you cannot re-holster one handed. Avoid spring steel clips! They often allow the holster to be drawn with the gun. Pick a holster that is made for your specific gun. The one-size fits many approach generally doesn’t work very well.

IWB holsters are mounted on the belt using loops, clips, or J-hooks. As I mentioned earlier, avoid the cheap plastic and spring steel clips. The clips made by Alessi and Galco tend to work well.

J-hooks fasten underneath the belt and also work well. Some will even allow you to tuck in your shirt.

Loops and some clips work well as belt attachments. The holsters that have the loops or clips directly over the gun are less concealable than those with offset loops and clips.

Some good brands of IWB holsters are:

Most people carry their IWB holsters just behind their hip on the strong side. There are some (myself included) who like to carry them in front of the hip on the strong side in what is commonly referred to as the appendix position. Any IWB holster can be carried in Appendix, but some people find that specially-designed holsters with a slightly different cant are more comfortable. They allow the gun to be carried without being poked as much.

One caution: Be EXTRA CAFEFUL REHOLSTERING when carrying appendix IWB. If the trigger is snagged on something (like your shirt or holster edge), a very painful gunshot wound will be the result! It's one thing to have a crease down your butt cheek or the side of your leg if you squeeze the trigger while holstering in a traditional belt or IWB holster, but getting shot in the junk can't be any fun!

Other ways to carry IWB are by attaching different grips or clips directly to the side of the gun. This way, you don't even need a holster. I think the Clipdraw is the best option for revolvers and some auto pistols. I don't really like it for the Glocks however, as the trigger movement is so short that I'm afraid of an accidental discharge. You can find it at www.Clipdraw.com

If you carry a revolver, you can also use the Barami Hip Grip. It is pretty small and works best for people with smaller hands. It also rides much lower in the waistband than the clipdraw. If it proves too small for your grip, try pairing it with a Tyler T-grip adapter. You can get a hip grip at http://www.baramihipgrip.com/

One other option for those of you who carry small revolvers is the DeSantis Clip Grip. It rides low like the Barami, but I find the grip to be more comfortable when shooting.

Those of you who carry KelTec and Ruger .380 automatics can also buy clips for your guns directly off of the Keltec website. The Keltec clip works on the Ruger pistol without modification.

POCKET CARRY

Another common way of carrying a smaller concealed pistol is to use a pocket holster. Rather than just throwing your gun in your pocket, buy yourself a good holster. Pocket holsters:

Keep the gun oriented correctly so it doesn't turn upside down in your pocket Cover the trigger guard to reduce accidental discharges Keep dust and debris out of your weapon Reduce the silhouette of the gun in your pocket

Make sure that your pocket holster stays in your pocket when you draw. You may not have time to rip the holster off of the end of your drawn gun in a gunfight! The two best pocket holsters that I have found are the DeSantis Superfly and Tuff Products Pocket-Roo. The Pocket-Roo even has room for carrying a speed strip for extra ammo.

FANNY PACKS

Even though a lot of people use them, I'm not a big fan of carrying your gun in a fanny pack. The draw is just too slow and usually requires two hands. It's also much easier to disarm a person wearing a fanny pack than it is when that person is wearing a "real" holster.

With that said, if you are going to carry in a fanny pack, at least make sure it's one that has a built-in holster...not the one your grandmother brought you back from Disneyworld!

It's relatively easy to spot a "gun" fanny pack. Almost all have a loop of cord or fabric at one of the upper corners. That cord is pulled to open the pouch that the holster is in.

A relative newcomer to the fanny pack field is Ka-Bar's TDI design. It uses an optical illusion to better hide larger guns.

Other decent fanny packs are made by Uncle Mike's, Galco, and Desantis.

ANKLE HOLSTERS

I generally don't recommend carrying your primary gun on your ankle. It is a slow draw, generally requires two hands, and puts you in a bad defensive position. With that said, however, there are some cases where an ankle holster is useful. If you are spending a lot of time seated, it may be faster than a belt-line carry. It is also a great position for a second gun.

Some people can comfortably carry ankle holsters and some can't. You'll just have to try it and see. Most people wear the gun on the inside of the leg opposite the primary shooting hand.

If you wear boots or taller shoes, you can wrap the holster around or on top of the boot. It will make it much more comfortable to carry (but it may make a larger bulge in your pants leg). If you are wearing the holster with regular shoes, try pulling your sock up over the bottom of the holster. It will be hidden much better.

There are very few good ankle holsters. Here are some I've had good luck with:

The Alessi ankle holster is the gold standard. It is custom made and hand fit to the gun, requiring no retention straps. It is most comfortable around a boot. The only downside is the $150 cost. Get it at http://www.alessigunholsters.com/

The Renegade "Cozy Partner" ankle holster is very popular. It is comfortable, but best used for very light guns. Unless you have very thin legs, it won't fit around your boot, but must actually be worn around your leg. Heavy guns WILL fall out of it when running if you purchase the version without the thumb strap! The other downside is that it takes two hands to reholster.

The Uncle Mike's holster is actually pretty decent, especially if you wear it around a boot. I don't think it is as comfortable around the ankle as some of the others, but it is very inexpensive.

Other good brands of ankle holsters are Bianchi, Desantis, and Galco.

SHOULDER HOLSTERS

I honestly can't give you any suggestions for shoulder holsters. I've tried a few, but haven't found any I like. In fact, I don't know any good firearms trainer who carries a gun in a shoulder holster.

I'm sure there are some good ones out there, but I've never found one I can wear for more than an hour or so.

BELTS

If you carry your gun on your belt or inside the waistband you need a good belt to support the load. Weak belts cause the gun to move and flop around more. They make concealed carry less concealed and less comfortable. Most holster manufacturers also make gun belts. These belts are reinforced with extra material where the gun is carried. It’' worth your money to buy a good quality gun belt if you are going to be carrying your gun regularly.

Accessories

If you are carrying a gun, you should also be carrying spare ammunition. For revolver users, that means speed-loaders or speed strips. For people who carry autoloaders, you need extra magazines and magazine carriers.

One of the first places you should look for accessories is www.brownells.com. They have a limited selection of holsters, lots of gun parts like sights, grips, and magazines, along with speedloaders. You'll get them cheaper at Brownells than you will find almost any other place.

Another great source for magazines and grips is www.cdnninvestments.com. They have the cheapest factory Glock and Smith and Wesson magazines I've found.

Buy yourself a spare magazine carrier. One I really like is made by Comp-Tac. It isn't the most concealable mag carrier, but is inexpensive and durable.

Other good magazine pouches are made by:

I haven't had good luck with the mag pouches from Fobus or Uncle Mikes.

If you carry a revolver and want to carry spare ammo without using bulky speedloaders, consider getting a speed strip. The original made is by Bianchi. They are sold in sets of two for .38 caliber only. I like the ones made by tuff products better. They are available in multiple calibers and hold 5-10 cartridges.

Conclusion

There is my best advice. Undoubtedly I missed some great gear, but the stuff I listed has held up for me during vigorous daily use for many years. You won't go wrong in using it. Feel free to pass this article along to any new shooter who may find it useful!

Greg Ellifritz is the full time firearms and defensive tactics training officer for a central Ohio police department. He holds instructor or master instructor certifications in more than 75 different weapon systems, defensive tactics programs and police specialty areas. Greg has a master's degree in Public Policy and Management and is an instructor for both the Ohio Peace Officer's Training Academy and the Tactical Defense Institute.

For more information or to contact Greg, visit his training site at Active Response Training.