CCW holster advice

S

STL_KRH

Inactive
I need some input on selecting a new holster. I am an on the road supervisor for a major trucking company, so I'm in the car a lot and I wind up in some pretty bad areas at times if a driver breaks down or I need to settle a dispute with a customer at their warehouse, etc. I also wear a button down or Polo Shirt tucked in, but rarely wear a jacket. I've not found a holster I like yet that I can comfortably utilize with a tucked in shirt. Any suggestions?

I recently purchased a Springfield XDS .45 to replace the SIG P250 I was carrying. If I do not have a jacket on I've been pocket carrying a Ruger LCP, but I'd really like your have the Springfield.

Thanks,

Keith
 
n82 tactical makes a holster that allows you to tuck in a shirt.......i dont tuck in but i think the n82 is by far the most comfortable holster ive ever carried iwb.
 
Just a thought

I know you said you don't wear a jacket, however I have carried with a shoulder rig for over 40 years.spending lots of time in a car. I used to wear a suit coat or sports jacket, now it's usually a light poplin jacket, with a zipper. I don't know what you call them. Mine has a sewn in pocket on the side opposite my gun for my cell phone. With a shoulder rig, my gun is always there, always available.
 
A vest maybe?

Have you thought about wearing a vest? I have a couple. One that wasn't designed for carry that I got from Banana Republic and the in side pocket holds my Sig P238 just fine. And I have a couple from Guide Gear that are designed for CC and their holster pocket hides my Beretta 92fs well. Plus as work clothing, a vest had lots of pockets for other stuff.

Life is good.

Prof Young
 
They make concealed carry t-shirts. Reinforced in and under the shoulder area with pockets for CCW and magazines. Cabela's has them, also online. Would work with a buttoned shirt, probably not the polo.
 
I don't know if this will be of help or not. If you carry OWB - and I do all the time - I love the Fobus paddle holsters. I have them for my revolvers as well as semi-autos. Easy onandoff - good retention but weapon can quickly be down without fumbling with a thumb break holster.

I usually carry with a shirt tail out or a jacket on. I also have a light weight leather vest that I wear with a tucked in shirt that covers and doesn't print - the front is left open for a quick sweep back of the hand to grab weapon if necessary.

Recently, I bought a nice tan BDU shirt/jacket off of eBay for something like $14. I platoon wearing that in the sumer time with just a T shirt - leave the front open and just wear it like a shirt. The cuffs have button tabs that can be adjusted to make the wrist tighter or just left all the way open so the sleeves can be rolled up. 4 large pockets to store stuff in if necessary. Even thought it is designed for military/tactical purposes it is a nice casual look and fairly lightweight. It would easily cover a shoulder holster or my OWB Fobus paddle holsters - long enough to fully cover and not print.

Even in the car sitting, I wear my Fobus at about 3:30 and when I buckle the seat belt, I make sure my shirt is not confined under the belt by the holster but it is so I can/could quickly reach back and draw. Or, it can be worn on the opposite side of our strong side to be able to cross draw when in the car as well. A spare mag pouch is always on the belt where I can easily reach it, even when sitting.

I think you made a good choice with the Springfield 45 cap. I have always carried a 38 spl. or a 9mm. I'm going to move up to the 45 acp as I want a harder hitting cartridge and more capacity than what I'm carrying now - a personal thing. Good luck with your search - you'll find something that will work for what you need and I'm a firm believer in carrying. especially when in areas that are questionable or where a person could be stranded due to a breakdown. Let's face it . . . bad things happen even in areas that are classified as "good". :)
 
...I also wear a button down or Polo Shirt tucked in, but rarely wear a jacket. I've not found a holster I like yet that I can comfortably utilize with a tucked in shirt. ...I recently purchased a Springfield XDS .45 to replace the SIG P250 I was carrying.
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The XDS is a good choice. For deep concealment in business casual dress, I found that a single stack gun is a must. The solution to that is get a very thin gun and use the shape of your body to your advantage. (hip bone and the curve of the small of your back) As much as I'd love to carry my double stack CZ75 PCR every day, I can not conceal it with a tucked in shirt. My much smaller S&W Shield in 9mm can be effectively concealed with a tucked in shirt since it is much thinner.

I use a dual clip hybrid holster at around 4:50-5:00 behind my hip bone with a lot of forward cant. I use a Harwell holster, but Crossbreed, Alien wear, etc all make holsters of this type. The dual clip holsters are thinner at the gun, pull the gun tighter to your body and with two attachment points are much better at keeping it from shifting.

The real deep concealment trick for me is a product called Ulticlip. This is a spring steel locking clip that allows me to clip the holster onto my pants behind the belt. I actually clip the holster on my pants before I put the pants on. You can't see the clip at all.

I tuck my shirt between the pants and holster before I button my pants. After buttoning up, I blouse my shirt (just by raising my arms over my head) and the shirt covers the top of the clip, the belt goes on last and hides the rest of the clip. With the gun at an angle behind my hip bone and the grip tucked into the small of my back it is truly deep concealment with a very effective sidearm in a major caliber.
 
If concealment is paramount over speed/ease of presentation, you might consider a 'belly band'. You can position it low so only the top of the grip is above your waistband and tuck your shirt over it. Very discreet, but access is slow. Many makers and choices.
 
Consider a tuckable IWB either crossdraw or appendix positions. Lots of choices out there. I use an inexpensive DeSantis 106 for my Shield.
 
I usually pocket carry my XDS45 in a Nemesis holster. Comfortable as long as my pants are pleated pants. I also carry IWB @ 4:00 oclock sometimes.
 
PJ holsters makes a tuckable kydex holster I find very comfortable with my PPS. Should be about the same size as your XDS. You can put your polo or dress shirt in between the belt clip and the body of the holster, aside from the visable clip, it conceals well. I own several, and find the product built very well.
 
I advise you to try accessing your holstered gun in as many different positions as you can. You need to be able to get the gun out and on target while sitting, lying down, and every position you can get into or out of. A really hard place to access your gun is driving in the car with your safety belt on.

Your gun does you no good if you can't get to it.
 
I sometimes carry a compact 9 mm in a Remora tuckable. It is a soft holster that doesn't suit everyone, but it works very well for me. That it is inexpensive is a nice bonus.
 
I just got the foxx holster little foxx IWB hybrid. They even customized it for me to work with my viridian instant on laser. And they have a lot of options but what I like most of this holster is you can change belt clips, change the cant to what ever you like and the wear height is also adjustable. Other holsters I looked at didnt offer those adjustment once they made it for you thats it. You might of been able to change the belt clip. And they arent that pricey compared to others.

https://www.foxxholsters.com/collec...x-hybrid-holster-horsehide?variant=1215176793
 
Keith,

On the rare occasion that I wear a shoulder holster, my order of dressing is: undershirt, shoulder holster, outer shirt; which can be tucked in, then if needed sweater or coat.
This does not allow for a fast draw, but the only way someone will be able to determine if I’m armed is by putting their hands on me.
 
I recently purchased a Springfield XDS .45 to replace the SIG P250 I was carrying. If I do not have a jacket on I've been pocket carrying a Ruger LCP, but I'd really like your have the Springfield.
Click to expand...

If you like pocket carry, the DeSantis Nemesis for the XDS works well. Just make sure your pockets are big enough.

Springfield XDS .45
Click to expand...

Good gun. I have 2, a 9mm and a .45.

In addition to the Nemesis, I also use a Blade-Tech Klipt, carried IWB right on my hip. It's clip isn't as secure as I'd like.

As far as what works for you, you'll have to work that out for yourself.
 
+1 for the Milt Sparks Versa MaxII. I can get away with an XD45 compact or Glock 19 with a tucked polo ok. The XDS should simply disappear in that setup.

I used dress slacks to hold the holster and it works well. Buy a couple extra clips if this is an every day rig. Mine is at 9 years old and still on the original clips. But I only wear that attire a few times per month.
 
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