D.M. Bullard Bodyguard Holsters

Although this may appear to be a blog commercial for David Bullard's holsters that is merely because I admire quality and craftsmanship when they combine to produce useful art. Some people would find it odd, and perhaps a little twisted to consider a leather gun holster to be a piece of art. Doesn't bother me though. Art is what moves you and I am moved by Bullard's work. I have at least one holster for each of my guns, along with two leather magazine holsters (calling them pouches does them a vast disservice) and a wallet.

David makes various styles and designs of gun holsters. Some of the ones he makes for concealed carry are similar to other makers designs, but they have that extra quality of construction and small design elements that set them apart. Other designs are unique to David and answer specific needs with functional but beautiful expressions in leather. One of his most interesting is the Texas Conceal Carry, incorporating the holster and a spare magazine holster in the same IWB design. There may be similar solutions, but none as well thought out and made as David's.

My direct experiences include the cross draw OWB holster, reviewed earlier on this blog, the Bandit Belt Slide and the Bodyguard designs. Today, I have some observations on the Bodyguards.

When I first saw them on David's website I thought they were pretty odd. Very nice leather work but made with what I then considered to be a wildly radical cant built into the design. Looks to be almost 45 degrees but it is more like 30. What's the point of that?, I thought. Most of the OWB holsters I had seen, in person, or on the web, were built with a cant, the FBI cant some called it, but it was nowhere a radical as the Bodyguard's.

I bought a leather holster from a good holster maker that had what was a "normal" cant (or slant, which is also a good word for the angle respective to the belt that is often built into a holster). After using it for a while in the recommended 3 to 4 o'clock position, I felt that there was not enough cant and wanted more. Recalling David's Bodyguard design, I sold that holster and ordered a Bodyguard for my Ruger LCP.

After trying it for a few days I learned a few things. It is very comfortable. It must be worn at the 4 or 5 o'clock position, or somewhere in between - behind the hip. It conceals amazingly well. After using it for a few months, I ordered another for the LC9. It was equally as useful and comfortable.

Being OWB holsters, and the LC9 being a fair size gun, I was somewhat uneasy about wearing this with only a T-shirt around town in the summer. After a number of excursions, some lasting most of the day, I found my unease to have been unwarranted. No comments at all, and at the end of one long T-shirt and jeans day with the LC9 in the Bodyguard, after returning home my wife took a look at me and asked why I wasn't wearing my gun that day. Success!

I have a number of choices when it comes to carrying at home. I usually opt for the LCP and comfort. I will sometimes go with a small IWB rig, or my Uncle George back pocket holster, but more often than not I slip the LCP into my now comfortably broken in Bodyguard. In fact, that is what I am carrying now as I conclude this post.

So, although I am not associated with D.M. Bullard holsters, other than being a satisfied customer and admirer of his work, I can strongly recommend his leather holsters and products if you are looking for quality, efficiency and art.

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