Christmas Present from Texas

Well, not exactly a Christmas present, seeing as how I bought it for myself. A present to me, from me. It is a new D.M. Bullard IWB with Belt Loop for my trusty Ruger SR9c.

I've been carrying one of Dave Bullard's Belt Slide OWB holsters for my Ruger since I bought the gun. It's been through a lot and shows it, like a good leather holster will, but is still my OWB go-to holster for the SR9c. The design is such that I have also used it successfully to holster an LC9 and a Bond Arms Snake Slayer. Those were temporary solutions to a pressing need, but now it's reserved for the SR9c, as it should be.

Today I received the IWB from Dave Bullard's shop. Even though I know they have been working very hard to keep up with demand, hiring and training new people (not an easy thing when Dave's quality and craftsmanship standards are so high) and moving to a larger space to accommodate the increased work demands, the quality of my new IWB has not been compromised by all that.



It is not a good practice to say much about a holster when it is brand new. I've often found my initial enthusiasm to be misplaced because issues and irritations I had not considered come to light with actually using a holster day-to-day as they are intended to be used. But, in this case, I will say this: the fit to the pistol is right on and it's not so tight that it will take a week of break in before it is ready for duty. And, it's comfortable, right out of the box. The back of the leather is almost flat, with some moulding to the pistol shape, but not aggressively so. The 'sweat' guard (I'd call it a slide guard) cushions my delicate abdomen from the slide, yet the grips ride high enough for a good, quick grip on the draw.

I bought the version with the belt loop attachment rather than the metal clip. I don't like metal clips even though they are thinner than leather. I don't like the way the end sticks out. I know why it does that, to help you get the clip over the belt, but I've had issues with these kinds of clips before, snagging an overgarment when I lift it to uncover the pistol for the draw. The belt loop is not as thick as my belt, to put it into perspective. And, it is adjustable in cant so you can wear the holster pretty much where you like. I like the flexibility to wear my concealed firearm in different positions, depending on the situation. This one will move easily to the cross draw position when I am driving or sitting for long periods. Or I can swing it around to a strong side carry if I like.

I'll post more as time goes on about how this latest acquisition from D.M. Bullard is working out. But, since I've given many holsters the field test and I have thought long and hard about what is best for me, I think this one will become my main IWB holster, like Bullard's belt slide has become my favorite OWB holster.

Dave Bullard's website

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.

Carrying Concealed: the first year

This post is primarily addressed to those who have recently received their concealed carry permits, or are within their first year of actively carrying. Welcome to a new world of increased awareness and responsibility. Awareness of having a weapon stashed somewhere about your person almost all of the time. Awareness of the idea that you think everyone else knows that you are carrying. Awareness that your weapon might not be totally secure in its place or holster. Awareness of your awesome responsibility to be safe and to stay out of confrontations whenever possible. Awareness that you possess access to deadly force. Awareness that innocent people can not be threatened or harmed by the fact of you having a legal gun and possibly being required to use it.

For those new to concealed carry, probably the overriding fact for them is that they have a gun on their person. It is natural to be constantly aware of the weapon - after all, it is not something that most of us have grown up with. A pound or more of cold steel encased in plastic or leather hanging off our belts, tucked inside the waistband of our pants or skirts or in a purse or briefcase is difficult to ignore under normal circumstances. It's always there. It pokes, prods and weighs us down. It bumps into doorways and cars. It is there to be felt when a friend gives you a friendly pat or hug. ("That? Oh, that's my insulin pump." Or, depending on the friend, you can say that's my new 9 mm semi-auto... Wanna see it? I don't recommend disclosing to anyone whom you don't have to that you are legally carrying. Once you tell someone, it is in the "wild". You have no control over who else will know... Not a good idea.)

It is a good idea to practice giving and receiving hugs, being an increasingly normal greeting in some circumstances, so that the other person is redirected from touching your weapon. I've found that some men friends will reach out and give one a friendly pat on the side, about where your kidneys are. Wearing a gun near that position - strong side carry on or behind the hip, a common practice for men - guarantees that such a friendly pat will find your gun. Then what? I've used the 'insulin pump' ploy before, but that's pretty lame and leaves the suspicion that you are hiding something. Which you are. I tend to favor a cross draw or appendix carry position when I know I'm going to be mixing with a lot of people to forestall the good old boy kidney pat, or the friendly females who are into hugging everyone. Once, when a male friend gave me a "hello" pat like that on the street and his hand banged into my pistol under my shirt, he looked at me with a quizzical expression. I just smiled back and carried on like nothing happened. To this day, I still think he isn't sure what happened, but I never admitted carrying, so he doesn't know for sure.

So, finding a carry position that works for you, and a good holster that you can depend on will go a long way to becoming more at ease with concealed carry. My experience is that you will end up with a number of holsters to suit different needs. For example, I recently spent two days traveling to another city, going to restaurants, hotels, stores, walking streets, visiting friends, in and out of the car and in a large movie theatre. I took two guns along. One, a Ruger LCP with a Crimson Trace laser sight, and a Ruger LC9, no laser. I had the LCP in a Remora holster, leather lined with an attached mag pouch. Since I carry this mostly at the cross draw position, this was an excellent package for driving, when I was not wearing a coat or sweater (it was pretty cold outside) and in the dark movie theatre. Slipped between my belt and waistband on my cross draw side, it is totally unobtrusive, comfortable and secure - there is a large amount of surface area with the mag pouch attached and this grips exceedingly well.

Even under a simple long sleeve T-shirt, it's not detectable, and it's accessible when sitting.
Other times, I changed to the LC9 in a D.M. Bullard "Bandit" which I use for either my LC9 or my SR9c as a strong side OWB holster. Being almost a straight drop (small cant) I can also wear this cross draw if I like. When I was carrying one pistol, the other was in my messenger bag along with my iPad, notebook and pens and flashlight. It's become my BUG ( back up gun) bag when I carry two guns. When I know I will be walking a lot and want more comfort with a larger caliber, I favor OWB holsters. Although I like cross draw for most situations, I have still not found an acceptable OWB cross draw for anything larger than a small pistol like the LCP.

Other people's awareness that you are carrying a gun
Unless you are sloppy and careless, or carry without a holster, or in an inferior holster that will allow your gun to fall out on the sidewalk as you exit your car, or on the floor as you bend down in public, or dress so that your gun and holster shows, other people will not know you are carrying. I frequently observe others in public to see if I can determine if they are carrying. So far, unless the gun actually shows by printing badly (once) or is exposed when they reach for something (once), I can't tell. And, considering where I live and how many people own handguns and permits to carry them, I am certain that in any sizable gathering, I am not the only one carrying.

When you are new at this, you will have a tendency to fiddle. Re-adjusting the gun and holster, which, after a brief time of carrying, could be the sign of an inferior or ill-fitting holster. Mostly, assuming you have the holster thing figured out, this is only the result of you being too aware of the gun. It is also a give-away to anyone who is looking for signs. If you think there is a problem with your holster or gun, head to a private area - stalls in a restroom are good - and check it out. And fix it. And, remember, that when you look down and see a small dent in your shirt from the end of the grip, you may know it's from the gun under your belt, but hardly anyone else does, if they even notice it at all. Just looks like another wrinkle to them.

Practice. Practice. Practice.Sometimes awareness comes from the sneaking suspicion that you aren't ready to carry, deploy and use your weapon. Comfort with carrying comes with carrying. If you have decided to do that, then by all means, carry whenever it is legal to do so. Not when it seems important or convenient, but all of the time. If you have to leave your gun behind, like going to the Post Office or Court House, invest in a cable-secured gun box, attach it to your car and lock your gun there until you return. Not convenient but better than leaving it at home. You can never predict when you will be confronted by a situation that calls for self protection.

Practice deploying your gun from your various holsters, quickly, efficiently, safely and properly. Needless to say, do this with an unloaded weapon, with no one else around. If you carry with the safety on, always disengage it a the proper place in your draw sequence. Even if it is already off-safe, it is good practice to swipe it off anyway. Do this while wearing what you normally would wear - shirt, sweater, coat, purse, etc. Do it five hundred times to be sure you can do it right the one time you will need to. Then do it five hundred times from the other holsters and carry positions you will be using. This is a good method to get you to settle on a limited range of carry positions as well as holsters.
Above all, practice drawing, aiming and shooting what you want to hit so that you can be certain of hitting what you aim at, and only what you aim at. Nothing else. In my view, there is only one way of doing this, and it involves a significant investment in time and ammunition, and, of course, money.
Shoot regularly and substantially. Invest in targets, ammunition and training. This isn't target shooting. This is self-defense shooting. Quick, but not blazingly fast. Deliberate, so that you engage the right target. Accurate, so that you hit an appropriately sized target area with all of your rounds. Sufficient, so that you can get two or three rounds into that target area before assessing the situation. (Even though you might be loaded up with eleven rounds, there is no need to practice shooting them all as fast as possible.)

There is a school of thought that a laser sight is a prerequisite, or great benefit to accomplishing good self defense shooting skills. I am in the process of testing this theory, along with a couple of laser sights from major manufacturers. However, my expectations right now are that a laser sight does not excuse one from bearing down and practicing solid self-defense shooting skills so that they are effective and come naturally. I expect that a laser, while offering certain advantages in some circumstances (I will have a better idea about this after I've done my testing and evaluations) will not substitute for the requirement of a significant amount of practice and ammunition expenditure.

To sum up, I think that awareness of having a gun on one's person is a requisite to being a safe and effective practitioner of legally carrying for self defense. The type and level of awareness changes and one gets familiar with the weapon, carry systems and responsibilities inherent in gun ownership and use. Always be aware, but be experienced, trained and effective.

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IWB Thoughts

There have been many opinions voiced and gallons of ink, virtual and real, consumed over the "best" self- defense carry gun. I have avoided most of this and settled on what you might call a "middle of the road" gun - a large capacity 9 mm semi - auto that fits my ergonomic preferences. At this point I consider the most important aspect of self defense carry to be carry. I subscribe to the notion that the most effective self defense gun is the one you have when you need one.

That requires you to constantly carry your chosen weapon. Simple idea, but often not easy to follow. Obviously, developing a personal system to comfortably and effectively carry a self defense gun is key to this. And, the holster is the crucial component. In addition to keeping the pistol oriented correctly, the trigger covered and held securely, but not too securely to inhibit a clean draw, the holster must be comfortable enough to carry regardless of when, where and how a person goes about his or her daily business.

Obviously, larger handguns are more difficult to holster well and carry for a long period. Another reason why the big caliber advocates have a fundamental problem when it comes to actually carrying the big guns for self defense. But, even so, there are many, many holster designs that attempt to answer those requirements. That is why many of us have accumulated our box-o-holsters.

In terms of basic comfort, the OWB (outside the waist band) is superior to the IWB (inside the waist band) design, but IWB designs generally are better for concealment. There are, of course, exceptions. Most of us will eventually settle on one of each as our favorite holsters.

For me, my best holsters share certain characteristics. Comfort, of course, but comfort alone is not enough. I don't want a holster so comfortable I "don't know it is there". I want to know it is there and where it is, but I don't want it to be a constant nag or pain. I have one IWB holster, an N82 Tactical, which is insanely comfortable (for a holster, let's stay real, we aren't talking about pillows here) but sometimes doesn't want to let go of my gun when I need to draw it. Not good. Fails a prime requirement - make the gun easily accessible all of the time, without fail.

Stability. When I put a holster in place I expect it to stay there. So far, every holster I have tried, IWB or OWB styles, that has only one clip does not stay in place. Not that it migrates from one side to the other, but it moves too much. The grip rotates down to the belt line. Or up so the end pokes into my shirt, printing "gun here!". Not good. I don't like getting out of the car and having to readjust the position of my holster. So, two clips or belt loops are mandatory.

The hybrid holsters built with two clips and a synthetic shell on a leather backing are stable, but I don't find them acceptably comfortable and they are hard to put on and remove. Besides, I don't like those clips with the "tails" that stick out. Just the ticket to catch on your shirt or sweater hem when pulling it up get to your gun.

So, loops - one big enough for stability, or maybe two loops - and reasonable comfort that does not impede access. And, a good place to accommodate an extra magazine would be good. So, I'm looking closely at the D.M. Bullard Texas Conceal Carry holster. Since I favor cross draw carry, this might be an excellent choice. A good belt loop attachment will keep the grips above the belt line and the flat, wider design incorporating a spare mag pouch, might make it stable and reasonably comfortable. If I am able, I will review this holster here and see how it stacks up against the other IWB holsters I have tried and reviewed.

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D.M. Bullard OWB Cross Draw - Excellence from Texas

The D.M. Bullard OWB Cross Draw (front)

the rear view

First off, an admission of prejudice: I really like great leather holsters, and, being a native Texan, and having been born in Fort Worth, I am partial to Texas craftsmen and women who work in gun leather. Given all that, this is not what you'd call a strictly unbiased review, but that takes nothing away from David Bullard and his hand-picked crew's craftsmanship, attention to detail and customer service.

I admire Bullard holsters. In fact, I admire and own several holsters, mag carriers and a wallet made by David and his folks in Azle, Texas, which is affixed to the outskirts of Fort Worth itself. I have his Bodyguard design holsters for my LCP and LC9, along with single leather mag carriers for the LC9 and the SR9c. I also use his Bandit belt slide holster for my SR9c. I am very happy with all of these, and when wearing my pistols OWB, which is my preferred style of carry, my guns ride in Bullard holsters. Lately, I have been also carrying in the cross draw position, which is very good for car travel and for when you know you'll be doing a lot of sitting. I have heard all of the old negative opinions of cross draw, but I also know that cross draw has certain advantages that that strong-side carry does not when used for concealed carry. But, more on that later. So, wanting a OWB holster for my chunky, somewhat heavy SR9c, I contacted Bullard Gun Leather ( http://dmbullardleather.com ) and requested one of his cross draw holsters. It came a couple of days ago, and this is my first write up on it.

I am in what the techies call the "honeymoon period". I'm smitten by the holster's design, craftsmanship and obvious quality. This is not hard to understand when you look at the photos. To borrow an old, but true engineering maxim, form follows function, and like the other Bullard holsters and leather pieces I have, this maxim is expressed in leather about as well as it can be. The holster offers nothing superfluous - everything is there for a reason. The moulding to the weapon is exact. The fit is perfect and the execution is about as good as top-quality hand made gun leather can be. Look at it closely and you can tell it is hand made. It's not perfect. It's the result of the knowledgeable labor of human hands. Really good stuff.

But, looks aren't everything. Having worked my way though many holsters, not to mention various other kinds of technology, over the years, I know that first impressions can be misleading. I am well acquainted with the other OWB holsters I have by David, and feel they are among the best of their type, but a good OWB cross draw holster is not easy to design nor to make, if it is to perform well to my three main criteria: concealment, comfort and accessibility. I have had other OWB cross draw holsters, some leather, some hybrid, but none that I stuck with after wearing and testing them for a few weeks. All concealment gun holsters must effect a compromise among those three criteria, and it is up to the holster maker and designer to find the best combination of design and materials that will offer the best of those three worlds melded together, depending on whether the holster will be carried Inside the Waist Band (IWB) or Outside the Waist Band (OWB). The requirements and limitations are different for those two types. Questions must be asked and answered by the holster maker. Will it be OWB or IWB? What carry positions? Materials? Deep concealment or a high ride for better access? Cant - none, shallow, steep? There is a lot of thought and experiment that goes into a well designed holster.

The first criteria, concealment, is especially important in a cross draw OWB holster. Carrying in this position will put the butt of the pistol forward, pointing the butt toward the midline of the body which, if not done in such a way as to pull the grip in to the body, is a recipe for printing. Concealment with OWB cross draw holsters is also affected to a great degree by body type.

If one is pushing a bit (or a lot) of stomach flab, then carrying a substantial firearm in the cross draw position results in much better concealment than if one is skinny, or doesn't possess a significant 'gut'. Blunt, but true. The bigger stomach tends to hide the butt of the gun better with a cross draw rig. Although I'm 6' 3" and stay right at 200 lbs, I don't have much of a gut, so this is an aspect of OWB cross draw carry that is particularly important for me.

After unwrapping the holster I was basically blown away by the quality and, yes, the beauty of the thing. I took the photos you see here so to present it in the new, pristine condition in which I received it. I then strapped it on with my Bear Creek 1 1/2" gun belt, pushed in the unloaded SR9c and checked out the fit and concealment.

For my body type, this holster with the heavier SR9c requires a tight belt and proper placement to get the best concealment. The forward slot of the holster pulls the gun butt in close to the body and, by adjusting the position of the holster to be astride the forward part of my left hip bone, I got the best fit to my body type. The gun carries comfortably and relatively snugly, but it's obvious that I won't be carrying this with just a T-shirt. But I didn't intend to do that in the first place. Around here, come September, the weather begins to cool rapidly, and at 7000 feet, we expect snow any time after that. For the best part of the year we are in heavy sweaters, coats, vests or parkas, depending on Mother Nature, so concealment with this setup is not going to be an issue. I tend to carry much of the time IWB in the summer anyway.

As you can also tell from the photos, the holster is exactly moulded to the gun. It fits in with almost a 'click'. I learned from Doug Childress of Bear Creek Holsters to wrap a couple of turns of kitchen plastic wrap around the gun, fit it in the holster a few times, leave it for a half hour of so and then unwrap it. Gun still fits tight like it should, but the holster is now "broken in" and the draw and re-holstering is smoother and as it should be.

I will be using and reporting on this new Cross Draw holster from D.M. Bullard, along with my other OWB Bullards over the next few months. I am not a big fan of pocket carry, and I use my Uncle George back pocket holster when I do carry my little LCP in the pocket. I am not totally satisfied with my various IWB holsters for the LC9 and the SR9c and when this new one has been well used and evaluated, I hope to look into David's various IWB designs. He has some very innovative holsters.

So, in the initial stages, I am very pleased with this new cross draw design from David Bullard, and the materials and workmanship are among the best there is. As we get acquainted I will continue to report on the results.

Stay safe.

Precise moulding seen on the sweat shield.

David's Maker's Mark

Excellent moulding on the 'front' side.

 

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Holster Boot Camp

I now suspect that when moving to concealed carry, after which gun would be best, the question of concealment is next in importance, namely, which sytle and make of holster will do the job. Unfortunately, there is no recourse but to try out a number of them in order to decide.

Everyone is different: different shape, size and preferences. By preferences, mean the kind of wardrobe one is accustomed to wearing and where is it least objectionable to carry a holstered handgun.

In general, semiautomatics are the best to conceal, given they are much thinner than revolvers. Even a model 1911 .45 is often easer to conceal, and wear, than a large frame revolver. So, sticking with semiautos as the point of discussion, and with male shooters, there are only a few places to carry concealed that are effective in concealment and access. They are:

1. IWB - Inside Of Waistband.
This is probably the most used type of carry. The gun is carried in a holster of varying designs that fit between the wearer's waistband and body. This arrangement covers the holster and gun that extends below the upper belt line so less will show should the outer garment ride up momentarily.

The holster is held in place by various means - metal or plastic clips that attach to the belt on the outside (or sometimes, inside) of the belt. The inside attachments really rely on gripping, or clipping to, the waistband and the clip is mainly there to keep the holster from being pulled out of the waist on the draw.

Some holsters of this type also depend on leather loops attached to the holster and through which the belt is threaded. They are also made to be "tuckable" if desired, by attaching the clip, or loop, at the bottom of the holster so that it will hinge outwardly enough to tuck a shirt tail between the hook or loop and the holster body, covering the gun and holster from view. This, of course, makes access more difficult, but not excessively so. One can yank the shirt up with the non-shooting hand while grasping the gun with the other.

Among this type of 'tuckable' IWB holsters are the so-called hybrids. They are typically composed of a wide and rather tall piece of leather cut to offer some protection to the body from the gun that sticks up out of a synthetic, usually kydex, holster that is moulded to the gun's shape for retention. The broad leather backing goes next to your body and is secured to you by metal clips, fore and aft, that clip to your belt. For almost any handgun, these are very comfortable although they can be a small hassle to put on and are not amenable to being moved to a different position without taking the entire rig off and repositioning it and re-clipping it to your belt. Most have different mounting holes for the metal clips so that the holster can be adjusted for ride height, and for cant - up to a point. Also, most designs now are 'tuckable' since the clips are held to the leather backing at their bottom ends, enabling the user to tuck his shirt over the holster and gun and below the clips. The only down side to this is the fact that your belt will bulge out over the holstered gun and you will have to yank your shirt out of the way before you can get to it.

Another more recent innovation is the "clipless" holster, pioneered by Remora. It is a synthetic holster, slick on the inside for easy draw, but made of a high friction material on the exterior which grips the waistband and inner garment, like the shirt, tenatiously. These are surprisingly effective, lightweight and inexpensive.

2. OWB - Outside Of Waistband.

These types are what most people think of when they think about holsters. They are worn primarily on the belt outside the waistband secured by a loop, slots or metal clip. They are the most comfortable and the least concealable without a coat or other covering garment. They are often equipped with a security device like a thumb break snap or other locking device that makes it easy for the person carrying to release it but difficult for anyone else to draw the gun. For all day comfort I prefer the OWB style.

Some holster makers are designing OWB holsters to be more concealable. D. M. Bullard, working out of his shop in Azle, Texas has a new design called. BTB (Between The Belt) which is very compact and holds the gun snug to the body. This, and keeping the bottom of the holster close to the bottom of the belt will make a very concealable OWB holster for wearing under a light shirt or T-shirt. The biggest advantage I can see with this style is its rounded bottom, which, if exposed below a garment, does not look like a holster.

There is a new design called the "3-Speed" holster, made of softer materials and held about the waist with a soft, integral belt, secured with velcro. This is demonstrated to be worn at the 12 o'clock position and can be pulled down deep into one's pants so that the gun does not show at all. One would have to wear pants loose enough to get a hand under the belt and waistband deep enough to grab the pistol and yank it out. It can also be made to ride higher so that the grips are above the belt line, but still at the 12 o'clock position. I would think that this might be acceptable for a small gun, like a Ruger LCP, but something larger would require a big gun and holster to be stuck right down the middle of your pants behind your fly. I think this might prove to be uncomfortable both when sitting and when having to heed nature's call. But it might work for some. I will watch for reviews of this product.

3. Pocket
A good pocket holster, for either front or back pockets, is a fine way to carry a small gun like a Ruger LCP either as a primary carry or back up gun. There are many fine holster makers who cater to this type of carry, so there are many quality designs and holsters to choose from. Most effective designs incorporate some kind of panel that lies between the gun and the front, or outside, of the pocket, to prevent the gun's outline from "printing" through the pocket. The panels are attached in such a way that one's hand is easily inserted between the panel and the grips of the gun to draw it from the holster, which stays in the pocket.

Obviously, the larger the gun, the larger the pocket needs to be to conceal it. This is a matter of diminishing returns. Some guns are o.k. for pocket carry and most are not.

4. Ankle
It's what it says it is. A holster for your gun strapped to your ankle. Suitable for a back up gun, should you lean that way, but difficult to get to. Certainly, some situations would favor this style of carry, but not many. If you are down, for whatever reason, it might be easier to grab your gun from an ankle hoster than, say, an IWB carry. But, maybe not. I've never fancied having a gun strapped to my ankle, so I can't report on this style from any personal experience.

5. Shoulder
The classic "detective" rig. A gun slung under the weak-side armpit, secured by an arrangement of straps and buckles and concealed by a loose shirt or coat. I would consider that this is a good choice for someone who sits a lot during the day and may need quick access to his or her firearm. There are many different rigs running from $40 or so for the synthetic materials rig, to well over $100 for leather.

I hope this helps those new to concealed carry and who are dealing with holsters. No matter what you end up with, you can count on having probably three or more holsters per gun. The only way to know which suits you and your lifestyle and wardrobe is to try some out, and the used holster market isn't all that great. If you know someone who is a licensed conceal carry holder and has a few extra holsters (and who doesn't) you could ask to borrow a few to try out. Otherwise think carefully about how yo think concealed carry would work best for you, given the gun or guns you will be carrying, and get the best holster(s) you can. Buy one good holster be done, or buy three or four bad ones and spend more.