Carry Holster Torture Report

Well, not 'torture' exactly, but significant. I want to report on my experience over the last five days in which I was traveling, working a convention with thousands of people, living in a hotel, up, down, walking around, unloading boxes, going out to dinner with groups of people, etc. All of those things you normally do in a normal month of life, but amplified and crammed into five days.

As my usual mode is to carry whenever legally permitted, I knew I would be packing for all of the time except crashing out in my hotel room, so I needed a good holster that was secure, comfortable and unobtrusive. I took three for the LC9 - a Bullard Belt Slide leather OWB, a pjholster IWB and a basic, plain-Jane Remora.

The short version is that except for one day, when I wore the Bullard with a loose, tropical short-sleeve shirt all day, I ended up with the Remora. The pjholster didn't work for me because I tend to carry appendix style IWB and all of the bending, stooping, carrying, sitting for ten and twelve hours is not comfortable with a kydex holster. At least for me. I do like pjholsters if I'm going with kydex, which I often do around the town, but for this intensive, active period, I found the kydex too uncomfortable.

It's an SR9c in the Remora, but the LC9 is basically the same. (I'll post a photo of the LC9 and the Remora when I get the chance later today.)

The Remora did shift, but really not to any large extent. I never had to re-adjust it or worry about it coming out or being loose.

So, what the week's torture test told me was that the basic Remora worked as advertised and became my almost constant companion. If I had taken a model with a sweat shield, it would have been almost perfect.

Cleveland IWB Holsters Review

Cleveland Comfort Cut for the Ruger SR9c/LaserMax Micro

Bobby Cleveland and company make IWB holsters that are a cut above most of the other holsters of this type - the hybrid (leather backing and kydex shell) double clip, in-the-waistband holsters for concealed carry. I may be wrong, but I believe the type was made popular, if not originated, by Crossbreed. The idea is basic: use a wide leather backing to provide comfort against the wearer's skin, attach two clips, also widely spaced to take up the weight and attach a kydex shell moulded to fit a particular handgun. Shazam! You have a very odd holster that works very well for its intended purpose. There are quite a few hybrid holster makers offering their designs and variations off this theme. I received a couple of Cleveland holsters made for the LaserMax Micro, rail mounted laser and the Ruger SR9c handgun, and for the LC9 equipped with the LaserMax CenterFire unit to test and report on here. My thanks to Cleveland holsters for the chance to evaluate and write about my findings and opinions

Cleveland holsters take the basic Crossbreed concept and move it into a higher level of design and execution. But before getting into the details, here is what you get when the holsters arrive in the mail.

For the LC9 with a custom cut.

Holster for the SR9c with comfort fit.

Reverse of the package.

 The packaging is good and contains an informative sheet on how the holsters are made and how to adjust the ride height and cant to your liking, and a warning to use the included thread locker material to ensure the screws, once adjusted to your preference, don't move.

The holsters are a quality product throughout. Where some makers use basic cowhide for their backing, Cleveland sports premium tanned leather, as you can see from the closeup below. Other makers' backings are not as smooth, flexible and well finished. In fact, Cleveland even hand bevels the edges for comfort and an excellent finish.

A close look at the leather quality and finish of the backing, and the type of round nuts used to hold the screws.

Another look at the leather finish, kydex and clip attachments.

Below is the custom cut on the LC9 holster. The rear of the slide is protected by the leather backing, but the grips are exposed permitting a good and rapid access to the pistol.

LC9/LaserMax in the custom cut holster.

The reverse side shows the adjustment holes for the two clips and the brass round head screws Cleveland uses to keep the clips and the kydex shell in place. Each of the screw and nut combinations trap a rubber O ring between them so that any slack that may develop between the kydex or clips and the backing can be taken up with a few turns of a screwdriver. This is a good feature, not possible with holsters that are bradded to the leather.

Reverse side of the holster.

The comfort cut, the one supplied for the bigger Ruger SR9c/LaserMax combo, is basically the same holster but with the leather left higher to shield the wearer completely from contact with the gun. It was obvious that the SR9c and 10 round magazine would be completely covered by the backing, but I wanted to see how it would work with the longer 17 round magazine installed.

Comfort cut for the SR9c/LaserMax combo.

The same holster showing how the pistol equipped with the longer magazine fits.

Reverse of the custom cut and Ruger with the longer magazine.

 As you can see, no problem with the long magazine.

Another feature that sets Cleveland holsters apart from the competition is the detail they mould into the ends of their holsters. Rather than simply cutting the kydex off at the muzzle, they wrap it around the end of the weapon, moulding it in place there as well. And the kydex is brought higher up on the slide. This offers more comfort and security to keep the gun in place.

Detail of the muzzle end.

Wearing and using the Cleveland holsters.

 A good design and several quality steps above the normal, these holsters are obviously quality built equipment. The big aspects are comfort, ease of use, adjustability and security of the weapon.

Quality: I would put Cleveland holsters in the top tier of quality hybrid IWB holsters. I had an opportunity to compare the Cleveland holsters with a Comp-Tac Minotaur hybrid. I discuss this in more detail below. In my experience, these two are at the top of the hybrid IWB game but have very different design and manufacturing philosophies.

Comfort: These holsters are certainly very comfortable. The two Cleveland holsters were comfortable right off, without a break-in period. As you wear them more and they mould and conform to your own body type and contours they will fit better and become even more easy to wear for extended periods.

Ease of Use: I had a set of the kydex clips to try out with these holsters. I generally like kydex over steel clips as I find they are most often easier to use. However, the kydex clips Cleveland supplies don't work for me. The steel clips worked as advertised, but I could not get the kydex clips to attach snugly to my 1 1/2" gun belt. I measured the clips inside area and found they were 1 5/8", which should have been big enough, but no. I could force one over the belt, but not the other. I think the issue was that the clips were not big enough on the inside to accommodate my belt and the thickness of the material in my Wranglers. Switching to the steel clips solved that problem. Even so, I have always found the twin clip hybrid holsters difficult to get on properly, and the Clevelands were no exceptions. I think this a personal idiosyncrasy. Your mileage may vary.

Security: The guns snap nicely into the kydex when properly adjusted and can be drawn with little effort. The pistol is not coming out of that holster accidentally. At first I expected the comfort cut holster to be more difficult on the draw, but with some practice to familiarize myself with getting a grip between the leather and the grips, I came to the conclusion that this is not really an issue, and I think as the holster breaks in, it will be even easier. I certainly appreciate the leather between me and that long grip. The custom cut is comfortable enough with the smaller LC9 and access is no problem at all. All in all, I think I prefer the custom cut, but, again, that's a purely personal decision. Like any other carry system, train well with what you use and you will be proficient with it.

The Cleveland and the Minotaur

I previously did a review of Comp-Tac's AIWB Minotaur for the SR9c here on this blog. See it for details. It is important to remember that the Minotaur I use here to compare with the Cleveland holsters is not an AIWB, but an IWB designed for strong side carry, as is the Cleveland. In this post I want to point out the differences between these two holsters that clearly show the design differences and philosophies between the two makers.

Right away you can see that the Minotaur is smaller overall and shaped nothing like the Cleveland. Perhaps the most striking difference is in the clips and their arrangement on the two holsters. The Cleveland has traditional metal clips adjusted by means of a series of holes in the leather backing. The Minotaur's clips are thinner kydex with multiple adjustment holes in the clips themselves. Depending on their positions, the ends of the Minotaur's clips may protrude below the bottom of the leather backing. I haven't found this to be an issue. Some users will trim the clips - easily done because they are kydex, not metal - once they have arrived at the positions they like. Unlike all twin clip hybrids, I found the Minotaur to be very easy to put on and remove.

Below you see the reverse (body side) of each holster. The Cleveland is wide and smooth providing a larger surface area to distribute the load. Cleveland uses round, smooth screw heads here which do not impact the holster's comfort. Some holsters of this type use a three-pronged star type of nut that digs into the leather instead of screw heads. This works, but moving these nuts to different positions is a trial, leaving puncture holes behind. The prongs usually are bent and have to be straightened which is difficult as they are thick metal points, and small. This is not an issue with Cleveland's holsters.

The Minotaur's mounting hardware is permanently fixed in place and covered by a thin, smooth leather lining. Even though smaller, the shape of the Minotaur's backing handles the load and delivers a surprising level of comfort. Even though they are radically different in shape, I would say the two are equally comfortable for me. If you have a different body shape, you might prefer one over the other. I am tall and relatively slim: 6' 3", 200 lbs.

The biggest difference between the Minotaur and the Cleveland holsters lies in the ability to attach different kydex shells to the Minotaur to fit different pistols. The kydex shells are available separately for the Minotaur to fit many popular carry guns. Remove four screws, slide in a different holster shell, reinstall the screws and you have a holster for a different gun, but with the same backing broken in to you.

A direct comparison of the two holsters:

Although both holsters offer a wide range of adjustments for ride height and cant, neither are suitable for appendix carry. This style is becoming more popular for CCW owners, and for good reason. There are a number of professional trainers who have debunked the "danger" of appendix carry, especially as compared to the more common strong-side carry method. Both have their risk points and with either the shooter must be aware of them and train to minimize the risks. But to say that appendix carry is inherently more dangerous than the other styles is not correct.

This style of Minotaur might be adjusted for a "straight drop" but the shape of the backing is not designed for appendix carry so I doubt it would be acceptable in that configuration. Comp-Tac does offer a Minotaur designed specifically for appendix carry. I reviewed it here earlier.

The Cleveland is really designed for carry with a cant. I tried to adjust the custom cut for the LC9 to the appendix carry configuration, but with the built-in cant of the kydex shell, it was not possible. So, with that in mind, the Cleveland and the Minotaur can be adjusted for your strong-side carry preferences.

Conclusion: Cleveland makes the best traditional design hybrid, leather backed, dual clip concealment holsters. They have taken the standard design and elevated it to a much higher level with attention to materials, details of construction and the better moulding and 'wrap around' of the kydex. Cleveland offers a thirty-day guarantee, as does Comp-Tac.

My opinion is that Cleveland and Comp-Tac, although following very different design philosophies, offer the best in hybrid, concealed carry holsters available today. The Minotaur is obviously different and has staked out it's own design path. The Cleveland is a more traditional design, but with deep attention paid to the details, comfort and differences between their product and the also-rans. You really can't go wrong with either.

Return of the Ruger LC9 and another look at lasers

Yesterday I went to my local gun store and retrieved my lonely LC9 which had been on the block for a couple of months. Earlier, I had decided that since my main carry gun for self defense would be my Ruger SR9c, it made no real sense to keep the LC9 and I could, instead, sell it and buy a new Ruger SR22 pistol to improve my shooting accuracy by getting more range time in at a reasonable ammo price. I bought the .22 pistol and put the LC9 up for sale. All well and good until a couple of days ago.

My son and I went out to the range, as in open range, to get some target practice. All went well except when firing the Ruger LCP, which has been my main at-home, around the house, carry weapon. I mean, it is small, light and easy to carry pretty much in any position. Except ankle carry. I don't do ankle carry, maybe because I wear boots and that seems way too much. Besides, I don't fancy a weight hanging off my ankle, no matter how light it might be.

The LCP, which is always clean and lubricated, twice failed to come back into battery after firing rounds of Winchester White Box practice .380 ammo. Might have been a function of lightly-loaded cartridges, or might not. They also have a flat nose which might have been a factor. This, coupled with the unavoidable fact that I cannot shoot the LCP with the same accuracy beyond 3 to 5 yards that I can achieve with the SR9c or the LC9 decided me to put the LCP up in the safe while I figure out what it's future will be, and to retrieve the LC9 and use it for my carry piece along with the SR9c in rotation, or, more to the point, when I feel like it.

This factor, not being able to achieve acceptable accuracy with the LCP, is the most critical in my decision. When one legally carries a firearm for self defense, one of the most critical responsibilities is to cause no harm to innocent people. Too often, innocent bystanders are killed or wounded by well-meaning but unprepared legal gun owners because the gun owners do not have the necessary skills to hit what they are aiming to hit. This is especially true in high-pressure situations which define close encounter gun fights. You just can't take the shot if you don't have a clear field and if you don't think you can hit what you are aiming at. Period.

Thus, the reason for my purchase and training with a Ruger SR22 pistol. And also, my reason for reconsidering my earlier decision not to use, or at least evaluate the use of, a laser sight on my concealed carry gun.

I am considering testing a laser for the LC9. I have not used one before but am familiar with the pros and cons, since this is often a hot topic for the gun forums I frequent or moderate. I have before come down on the side of not using a laser, but I think before I take a definite stance, I need to have some practical, personal and real time experience with one. To this end, I have opened negotiations with one laser sight maker to test one of their products on the LC9. More on this as it develops.

Posted with Blogsy

Carrying a bigger gun

Ruger LCP .380

Ruger SR9c 9mm

Ruger's two fine self-defense carry pistols. Both have their place in a basic self-defense carry scheme. Without getting into the caliber wars, and you can read as much about this as you want on most internet gun forums if you can stand the tone that these "discussions" often descend to. My philosophy centers around being very proficient with your chosen self-defense weapon regardless of which make, model or caliber you like. There are limitations, of course, being a decision that is predicated upon carrying for self-defense. Too light of a caliber will most certainly be ineffective and too heavy will be hard to shoot and hard to carry consistently. I like the range somewhere in the middle, but whatever one chooses, it is imperative that you be able to consistently hit your target. This will make most any caliber effective, and minimize the possibility of shooting something or someone you don't intend to shoot.

At this point, I have settled on the combination you see above. The .380 shooting modern self defense ammunition, like Hornady Critical Defense (and there are other good choices as well) is an effective, short range self-defense firearm that is reliable and very easy to carry for both men and women, and with almost any wardrobe. Being both light and compact, it carries well in almost any position, and it is very suited to use as a backup gun when required. Pocket carry is very suitable for that role and I personally favor the Uncle George back pocket holster for that use since I don't like front pocket carry. When carrying as a backup, or singly, it fits well in an appendix or cross-draw carry position to supplement a larger handgun in a different carry position such as strong-side.

I find the LCP is very handy for around the house carry when you want something with you and your other gun, or guns, are parked safely in the house.

At one point, in addition to the SR9c, I had a Ruger LC9. Now, that's a good self-defense carry gun - compact, not so big, reliable, in 9 mm. However, I think the SR9c is a better 9 mm choice. It carries, with the small magazine, 11 rounds to the LC9's 7. It has better sights, better (for me) ergonomics, and a much better trigger. And, it is marginally bigger and heavier, but not so much that I cannot carry it all day in a suitable holster - which at this point includes the Bullard Bandit and the N82 Tactical Pro, depending on the occasion.

The biggest advantage of the SR9c over the LC9 for me is that I can shoot it better and more accurately than the LC9. And, coupled with the Ruger SR22PB as a trainer, it goes to make me a better shooter, and that's the most important thing. Your gun must be reliable, but you must be reliable too.

Choose your best carry guns and train with them often. Then carry them whenever you can.

Be safe.

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.

Posted with Blogsy

Accuracy Under Pressure

The importance of the ability to actually hit what one intends to hit with a handgun, especially while in a pressure situation, is, in my opinion, given far too little attention in the "gun media" - magazines, forums, blogs and videos. Many words and images are created introducing, explaining and evaluating guns, calibers, ammunition, holsters, target shooting accuracy and the like, but far to little has been said on what happens when the average, law-abiding citizen must actually draw and fire her or his weapon in self defense. This is a huge subject and there are a number of excellent studies available if you look for them, but in the main, the magazines, forum rooms and the like don't pay sufficient attention to this critical fact.

Having taken a class on the aftermath of a self-defense shooting I am particularly sensitive to this topic. (See my post on this blog for comments on that class.) I kept reminding myself that one of the main lessons from the class, and one I should take seriously, is to hit what you shoot at and nothing else!

This is vital. It is bad enough to have to shoot a person in defense of lethal force, but to shoot an innocent person by mistake when doing that would be beyond tragic. It happens, far too often. And the solution is, once you have no choice and must shoot to defend yourself or other innocent people, is to hit your target. Period. No exceptions. As we all know, this is far easier said than done. A handgun is notoriously difficult to shoot accurately even though people unfamiliar with that fact are persuaded otherwise by the endless gunfights in movies and the TV wasteland. Even professionals, law enforcement and trained military, more often than not, shoot poorly under fire or stressful situations. How, then, are we supposed to overcome this critical issue?

Many citizens who own and legally carry for self defense merely ignore it. They practice a bit, now and then, often at a range that prohibits handgun self defense tactics in favor of "safe" target shooting, then basically assume they are ready. Others will adopt technology to answer the issue: night sights, after market sights and, laser sights. In themselves they are useless in dealing with the main problem of hitting your target under stress. Sights don't acquire the target, stay on it and pull the trigger. The person does, and having a wavering red dot out there somewhere isn't going to guarantee that your bullet finds its mark.

The only solution is to shoot regularly, frequently and in such a way as to hone self defense shooting skills. Draw and fire with rapidity from the holsters one normally carries. Shoot without getting a sight picture, especially up close. Shoot with only one hand. Shoot with your non-dominant hand. Acquire and hone trigger control. All these things are easy to understand, but difficult to master. One of the main reasons, aside from having a place to shoot where one can develop and practice these skills, that keeps more people from learning and practicing this is the cost of ammunition. For example, $12 a box for 50 rounds of 9mm practice ammo is pretty steep for most of us. However, there is another solution.

Get a .22 caliber handgun that approximates your main carry gun's size, feel and operation, then shoot that one as much as possible, working on your skill set and building up muscle and attitudinal memory so that if the time comes when you have to resort to your gun in self defense, you can do so without thinking about it at the time, and are able to hit your target. .22 caliber ammo is cheap and you can afford to invest a thousand rounds or more in acquiring and maintaining the necessary efficiency and accuracy to effectively use your self defense weapon if you have to without worrying about who is going to get shot.

Walking the talk, I have my LC9 up for sale - relying on the excellent SR9c as my main carry gun now - and have bought a Ruger SR22P .22 cal semi-automatic pistol as my practice gun. Think about emphasizing your shooting skills instead of looking for a "better" conceal carry gun, or newest fad in self defense ammo, or that expensive IWB holster you want to buy.

Posted with Blogsy

N82 Tactical Pro Update

I spent five days on the road with this holster and my SR9c. Three of those involved lots of driving, hiking, wading in rivers while fly fishing. I also did the usual - visiting family, meetings, hotels, restaurants, in-and-out of the car. I decided to take my LCP as a backup and carry the bigger SR9c for the majority of the trip, including wade fishing in the Frying Pan and Arkansas rivers. I used the N82 Tactical Pro model for this. Now, the report:

It worked very well. Although no holster "disappears", especially with a sizable pistol in it, the N82 Pro was about as close to comfortable as you can get for an IWB holster. I wore it in a cross draw position 90% of the time as I find this most comfortable and accessible while driving and sitting.

The holster, front side after the trip. Hardly any wear and no sweat stains.

 

The same holster, back side, rough suede, showing the sweat stains incurred in five days of heavy use under often hot conditions.

This is one tough, but comfy, holster. I have already sold my Crossbreed Supertuck I formerly had for IWB carry for the SR9c. The N82 Pro has too many advantages over the Supertuck to justify keeping it. It is more comfortable. The gun does not contact your body. It keeps sweat away from the gun. It has only one clip, which makes for much easier on and off. In fact, it is easy to slip the holster and gun off in the car and stow it, then, before exiting, clip it back in place. Can't do that with the Supertuck, at least not without contortions.

So, still an excellent choice for IWB carry for larger pistols like the SR9c.

I also received the N82 Tactical Pro for the Ruger LC9. It is very much like the one for the SR9c, but a little smaller overall as befits a somewhat smaller handgun. However, my experiences so far with this holster and gun combination were not as positive. The issue involves getting a quick and unrestricted draw. The N82 Tactical Pro model is made with a clear plastic shell that is moulded to have a rounded ridge that sits inside the front of the trigger guard, "locking", or securing the gun into the holster. In order to release the gun, one must grasp the butt with enough grip to twist the gun somewhat inward to release the ridge from the trigger guard enabling a smooth draw. I am having difficulty doing this with the LC9, but with the SR9c this is not an issue. After inspecting the holster and gun, and how it rides in the holster clipped to the belt my suspicion is that the problem is a combination of the overall deep carry which is dictated by the location of the belt clip positioning the grips right above the belt line, and the smaller grip or butt area available on the LC9. A smaller butt is harder to get a good grip on, especially with the grips buried close to the belt.

Drawing cleanly from cross draw or appendix positions is hard for me, and it is very difficult at the 3-4 o'clock positions. I have passed my observations along to the good people at N82 Tactical. I'll report on the outcome as things develop.

My suspicion is that the Pro model using the same design for the LCP and similar sized pistols may be even more difficult to draw quickly and cleanly from. There is even less grip area and the deep ride makes it more difficult to get a clean, firm and quick grasp for that twisting motion.

For that reason, unless I am totally wrong about this, and that could certainly be the case, I would favor their traditional design for smaller framed guns. However, I have not seen a Pro model for the LCP, so my caveat may be unnecessary. The N82 design team may have modified the design to better accommodate smaller frame semi-autos. When I have the opportunity to test an LCP model, I will report on my experiences here.

Update: I have been getting more carry time with the LC9 Pro model and can report that I am having better success getting a clean draw with it. It is not as easy as with the SR9c and requires practice. You have to be intentional and forceful. My recommendation is to unload your gun and practice the movement until it becomes second nature. It is not really any different than learning to use a thumb break or active retention holster. Problems can develop when one has many different holster styles. Getting used to, say a Bullard belt slide design where the holster is moulded to the gun, then also using an N82 Pro, or a thumb break holster could cause problems if your reaction is patterned to on while using the other. Having to correct or pause to remember which design one is drawing from is not a good thing.

With this in mind, I am narrowing my holster designs. Open top leather design from D.M. Bullard for OWB carry. I have a Bullard holster for each of my carry guns. I am evaluating three designs for IWB carry: N82 Tactical Pro, Versacarry and Remora. If I get the opportunity to evaluate a Bullard IWB design I will compare it to those other three.

The N82 is very comfortable, but with the LC9, and perhaps, the LCP, is not as quick to draw from as I like. Conceals very well.

The Versacarry is surprisingly comfortable even though it offers nothing between you and the gun - you know it's there - but not in the same league as the N82 holster in comfort. Using the "standard" height model which keeps the grips well above the belt, it is very fast. Excellent concealment and about 1/3 the N82 Pro cost.

The Remora is in the middle for comfort. It is very flexible since it is a "no clip" design and can be worn anywhere as long as it is in the waistband or pocket. It is about as fast as the Versacarry. Under some circumstances it can shift position a bit.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Back from the road trip

We recently returned from an almost two week road trip from Colorado to Iowa. Fortunately, all of the states we traveled to and through have reciprocal concealed carry agreements with Colorado. That was good, but unraveling the different carry restrictions for each state was not quite so easy. There is a site I like about US Hangun laws that helped tremendously: www.handgunlaw.us

All of the relevant factors are listed by state, including which states have reciprocity agreements with others. Passage of the national reciprocity act would make that point moot, like drivers' licenses. They are ALL recognized by ALL states. No questions asked. Why not the same for concealed carry permits you might ask? Well, the fact that most non-gun owners are uneducated in gun ownership, civil rights and the fact that regardless of the desire on many people's part that guns just disappear or be banned outright, criminals and bad people will get, carry and use guns. Like it is somehow morally superior to be found dead - shot, strangled, stabbed, bludgeoned, etc. - rather than to have to explain to the police how that person who attacked you got those bullet holes in his chest.

So, with that in mind, I put my road carry package together, suitable for many hours in the car, and for many hours in the company of hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of people who mostly do not carry guns, mostly don't like or understand guns, and who would likely freak out if they saw or suspected that someone amongst them were actually carrying a gun. Sort of like normal life, but on an amplified scale for a couple of weeks.

Being a person who understands risk analyis and is often a fan of redundant systems, I elected to take two Rugers: an LCP and an LC9. This would provide me another weapon should one become unuseable for any reason, like a malfunction of me leaving it behind somewhere (not very likely, but, hey, I've done stupid things before...) This would also permit me to balance firepower with conditions, like around the hotel room it's more comfortable to carry the little LCP than the bigger, heavier nine. With Hornady Critical Defense ammo, the LCP would be effective, especially within the confines of a hotel room, and worse case, would possibly buy me some time to get to the nine of things really went to hell in a hurry. At least that was the theory.

For holsters, I took two Versacarry rigs. Either would fit either gun and provide varying levels of deep carry. I also took a standard Remora for the LCP and two Remoras for the LC9, one tuckable, the other not.  Lastly, I took the Uncle George back pocket holster for the LCP.

I used a combination of them all at one time or another. Except for the Uncle George, most of my carry positions were either appendix or cross-draw. When in situations where one is sitting, moving about, sitting, etc. throughout the day, I favor the cross-draw position. Good concealment and easy to get to, even when wearing a seat belt. You have to get a suitable holster though, since the end of the grip may tend to protrude under your shirt. I found that the Remora or the Versacarry worked fine in this position too.

When all was over and we were back home, I got an unintended compliment from my wife. She looked at me (I was carrying the LC9 in a Remora at the time) and asked, "Did you carry your gun while we were at the reunion?"
"What do you think?" I said.
"I don't know," she said, "did you?"

I haven't answered that question yet.

Looking for that Cross Draw Holster

As much as I like D.M. Bullard's leather holsters (I have three of them and two mag carriers) I am looking for a less expensive alternative to cross draw holsters. I also like Remora holsters and have found that they function very well in the cross draw position and are very easy to get on and off, and to re-adjust if necessary. They seldom shift position and only do so if you do a bunch of extreme up and down movements, like bending way over and squatting, etc. Even then, they don't tend to move much. It's more in my mind than in actuality. The thing I don't like, and it's not particular to Remoras, it having it shoved inside my waistband. It's fine for a few hours, but for an all day carry, it gets wearisome for me. Some people don't mind at all, but they like IWB carry anyway, no matter what holster they use.

I am looking for a good alternative OWB cross draw holster. I found interesting ones at texasdonkeys.com which is also Rising Star Holsters. Jim Crawford is the owner and holster maker and he does a very nice job of making holsters of Herman Oak leather. I bought an LC9 cross draw OWB from him. It was a beauty but with the size of the LC9 that particular design did not work out well. The holster had a large, long belt loop but because of the size and weight of the LC9, that design did not pull the butt of the gun in close enough for good concealment. I called Jim and discussed this with him and we agreed to exchange the LC9 cross draw for an LCP cross draw. The smaller size and weight of the LCP should keep the gun in proper position. I should receive it in a day or two so I will report, with photos, the results.

For the LC9, not to mention the SR9c, an OWB holster must have a design capable of pulling the butt of the pistol into the body. Jim's other designs, for larger guns, have two "loops", one on the back and one on the 'inboard' side of the holster nearer the belt buckle, which should do that nicely. I haven't tried one yet. I might as Jim's work is first class and the design looks right.

On aspect of cross draw holsters that are overdone in my opinion is the tendency of makers to put a significant cant on the holster. I don't think this is necessary for quick access, nor is it a feature that helps conceal the pistol. A cross draw position is more difficult to hide due to the fact that the butt of the gun points toward your midline, getting the butt closer to the belt buckle and closer to view if you are wearing an unbuttoned shirt, or more prone to printing under a loose shirt. If the gun is worn more straight up-and-down, the butt is further away from midline and tends to tuck in close to your body reducing printing and visibility. For example, today, going for a quick morning walk with my wife, I grabbed the SR9c in the Remora and wore it IWB, cross draw, straight drop (vertical, no cant), under a light sweater. Invisible, fairly comfortable and as easy to get to as a holster with a cant.

My experience with D.M. Bullard's work is that his designs work, and work well, and the end product fits the gun it is designed and made for and will last as long as the gun lasts, certainly longer than I will. But, at this point the demand for his holsters far exceeds his output. He's expanded and is training more help, but his standards are so high that it will be a long time before his lead time gets back to "reasonable". Right now, if he starts taking custom orders again, it is still likely to be three or four months. And you can expect to pay a premium for his work, which I do not begrudge him. It's worth it.

So, the search goes on. I have enough carry systems to be effective now so I'm in no great hurry to find the best cross draw setup. I'll report here from time to time on my findings.

A Review: Old Faithful Holsters IWB

For the Ruger LCP

For the Ruger LC9

Last week I bought two Old Faithful Holsters kits, one for the Ruger LCP and one for the Ruger LC9. I was intrigued by their concept for a tuckable, hybrid IWB holster designed along similar lines of the Crossbreed holster types. The most interesting aspect, or at least the one that first got my attention, is the price difference. Old Faithful offer holsters in four versions with four different prices:

1. Premium Kit - $38.95
2. Molded Kit - $32.95
3. Un-Molded Kit - $ 27.95
4. Fully Assembled - $72.95

Starting with the Un-Molded kit, more work is involved in getting the holster ready for assembly than in the other, more expensive versions. The Premium Kit comes ready to install. No cutting, sanding or drilling is required. See the Old Fashioned Holster site for photos of the different kits, parts and assembly videos. http://oldfaithfulholsters.com/

So, make it yourself and save from 50% or more off the assembled kit price. The Crossbreed holsters, which are basically the same type - leather backing, kydex holster and metal belt clips - run $69.95 for the SuperTuck Deluxe, without extras such as horsehide or special cut on the leather.

Old Faithful Holsters also claim adjustability for the kydex so that the amount of tension holding the gun in place is adjustable by the user, and thicker kydex than that used by Crossbreed.

I will skip a detailed rundown of the assembly process, except to note any differences or issues I encountered that depart from the assembly sequence that is shown in excellent videos provided on the Old Faithful site. These will give anyone a very accurate depiction of how to assemble and adjust these holsters and are highly recommended if you are contemplating buying and assembling one.

I ordered two of the Premium Kit holsters, one each for my LCP and LC9 pistols. Mine arrived well packaged in individual heavy zip-lock bags for the overall package, the leather, the kydex and all of the hardware. Referencing the assembly videos on the Old Faithful site, I assembled the LC9 holster first.

The most onerous part is driving the "T" nuts into the pre-drilled holes in the leather. Four are used for the kydex and two for the clips. I found the best way to do this is to obtain a piece of soft wood, like pine, and drill a hole big enough to accommodate the tube part of the "T" nut that contains the threads. This will poke through to the front of the leather after it is driven into the leather backing. Using a the soft wood backing and a soft mallet - plastic or rubber works best - you must drive the "T" nut flush with the back of the leather so that it doesn't protrude and rub against your skin or shirt.

When the kydex holster part is screwed into the the "T" nuts with the screws and washers provided it is held off the leather backing with short sections of PVC hose. You are provided with long, short and medium cut sections, as well as a long piece of hose that you can cut parts from if you need them. I discovered that it is best to use the shortest sections, along with the shortest screws possible so that the holster can be screwed down tight enough for a good fit to the gun and the screw ends will not protrude beyond the back ends of the "T" nuts and possibly dig into your skin or shirt. Here is where the greatest difficulty in assembling the holster came for me.

It is not easy to use the shortest screws with the short sections of PVC. The medium screws are long enough that they engage the threads in the "T" nuts easily, but you can't tighten the kydex down enough to the leather backing to get adequate tension on the gun. The short screws can be made to fit by applying pressure to the holster and leather enough to get a little compression in the PVC so the threads can be caught. In one instance, I had to trim a bit off one short PVC section in order to make it work. This was a minor hassle but with perseverance was done successfully.

In the end, the gun was a good fit, tight enough to hold well, but still easy to draw. Having the clips mounted on the short PVC sections also makes it easier to tuck a shirt, and does not allow the holster to squeak when you are wearing it and moving around as holsters having the clips attached directly to the leather sometimes do.

I found that for both holsters, the LCP and the LC9 fit well and are adequately covered. In fact, I would trim the top of the kydex where it covers the top part of the slide. I think it is a bit too long. When the holster is empty, and worn properly, that part of the kydex tends to collapse a bit toward the leather backing, closing down the top of the holster part way, making it a little more difficult to one-hand re-holster. A minor issue, but one that bothered me a bit.

The holsters are as comfortable to wear as others of this design and provide a very stable and well hidden platform for concealed carry. They, like the others, will break in to the user's body shape and become even more comfortable with time.

Another benefit for me is that since I did not pay big bucks for them, I feel more free to modify them to fit my body shape and my guns. Trimming the upper part of the leather, the "sweat shield" portion, to a more exact shape of that part of the gun is a good idea. The extra leather there tends to poke into your side or ribs and isn't really necessary. Also, the leather backing part of the holsters are identical for both the LCP and the LC9. The LCP is a much smaller gun than the LC9. Consequently, there is much unnecessary real estate left over in the LCP version. The leather backing on the LC9 version extends a little over an inch below the bottom of the kydex while on the LCP version, there are two inches of extra leather. Consequently, for a more comfortable ride, I would recommend trimming one inch or a little more off the bottom edge of the LCP holster's leather backing.

Also, I think the rear clip on the LCP holster is set too far to the rear, and could be repositioned at least another inch closer to the holster. This would be easily done with a drill, and trimming another inch or a bit more from the rear edge of the leather. This would result in a considerably smaller holster, making it more comfortable and, if one chooses a straight drop, no cant, design, which I did, will make it very easy to carry the LCP in this holster in cross draw, appendix or strong-side carry positions.

My conclusion is that these holsters, especially in kit form, are great values, the kits being considerably less expensive than other varieties. The kydex is thicker and less prone to flex, but could be modified a bit so that re-holstering is easier. The ability to adjust the tension of the fit, especially as the holster breaks in, is a plus as well. I think one improvement would be the ability to order different styles of clips from. I saw no provision for this on the Old Fashioned Holster site. My personal preference is for a "J" type clip. I don't like the protruding lips on the standard clips as they are more visible when wearing the rig with a tucked shirt, and can be prone to hanging up on an overgarment with a sewn hem, like some sweaters and sweatshirts.

Old Faithful Holsters - a good alternative at a good value and one that can be customized to a large degree to fit the individual. Worth serious consideration.

LC9 Holster

 

 

Shooting

With the weather like it's been, and the loss of my friend's shooting area - some kind of stupid social falling out that caught me in the fallout - I've not been out shooting for a long while. Now, this isn't so important if you are into target shooting, but I'm not. At least not yet. My focus now is on self defense tactics and in order to get competent and stay that way you have to practice. A lot.

So, I found another piece of land on which I could shoot and there was about a week between snow storms, melt and the attendant mud, so on a kind of dry day I drove out to the land and packed my handguns. LC9, LCP and SR9c. Yes, I'm a Ruger fancier for reasons I will probably go into in another post. I packed along some 9 mm FMJ and .380 FMJ practice rounds and an innocent cardboard box for the target. Walked, sluged through snow and mud mostly, about a mile to a good spot and set up.

Then commenced the lesson showing me (once again) that I am not such a good shot, especially not having been to the "range" for too long. Even more interesting is that each of these guns has a different trigger, meaning that the LCP and LC9 are "double action" with long trigger pulls before the gun fires. The LCP, being so small, seems like it has an overly long pull. It's long, but it just takes getting used to. You can't jerk this gun and expect to hit much. Anything less that a yard or two away will require some concentration on the grip and trigger action. This is something that must be practiced to get muscle memory involved because in a hurry-up self defense action, you don't have time (and probably can't) to think slowly and deliberately.

The LC9 also has a long pull, but being bigger and heavier, and fitting my hand better, is more manageable. Some story though. Practice. A lot.

The SR9c is a real sweetie when talking about triggers. It has a kind of Glock-like safety on the trigger and the pull is probably around 5 oru 6 pounds and short. Compared to the other two guns, way short. But with that, the great ergonomics and weight of the gun, it shoot fast and stable.

I had fun. Seriously wounded the cardboard box, and an innocent sandstone boulder nearby and shot up a few dollars worth of ammo.

That brings up my second point. Ammo. I worked out a minimum practice schedule and routine for  the year. At the absolute minimum number of trips out and rounds fired, I would still be sending about $300 worth of lead down range each year. I thought about reloading. Then, I thought about shooting more cheaply and more often so that I could hone my shooting skills without going broke. That's when the light dawned that the answer is another Ruger! 

Of course! What I really need is a new Ruger SR-22 Pistol so that I can buy carloads of .22 ammo and shoot ten times as much at less cost that I would need to even with reloading my own ammo.

Hell, I don't know why I didn't think of this before....