johnwilliamson062
Moderator
I haven't seen much discussion of this in the past, so...
http://www.comicbookbrain.com/_imagery/2013-01-05/elvis-flaming-star.jpg
There is a decent amount of photographic evidence people carrying all but the lightest guns were once smart enough to use a belt for just their gun as the above non-historic photo of Elvis demonstrates. Now it obviously works better with OWB, but are there benefits to IWB also?
So a while back I found myself wearing running shorts and wanting to wear a decent sized gun accessible on-body. My general carry for exercise is a beefy waist pack with a sub-compact/micro, but that just wasn't appropriate as concealment was paramount and waist pack screams gun.
I decided to put a dedicated gun belt under my running shorts. Dedicated in the sense we usually use the word when talking about gun belts(designed to support a firearm), and also in the sense of it serving the sole purpose of holding the gun up.
Incredibly comfortable.
I have been trying in a few other modes of dress with good results. With a kydex shell the top belt needs to be situated just below the top of the outside of the holster. With the pistol grip outside the pants. The pants belt, if tight,can add additional support and stability to the holster. Not like a thigh strap, but something. When dressing without a belt it is obviously a good option.
Pros:
-I can wear any belt I want for my pants. No worrying about trying to get a 1.25" dress belt that can hold hold a gun. No need for a black, brown, dress, casual, utility, etc. gun belts at $100 each or compromising with a crap belt on occasions. I really need a half dozen or more belts to have appropriate dress in all situations.
-no damage to pants belt.
-gun can stay on in the restroom. No need to un-holster, pants-sling, leave it on the TP holder, etc. Sort of. It can still be awkward.
- If using a belt loop holster and you need to take the gun off it can be done without taking your pants half off depending on type of buckle. I've used J-clip types attachment in the past, but always thought it was a compromise. For me un-holstering during the day is an inherent aspect of carrying.
Cons:
-the buckle(and belt) are in direct contact with your skin. without an undershirt or similar there can be chafing. Any sharpness of the buckle...
-Balancing concealment, access, height on hip, is a lot more complicated than when the holster height is controlled by your pants belt or pants top.
-You can remove the gun without taking off your top belt, but you may still need to adjust the pants belt if it is then too loose.
I don't carry everyday and haven't used this mode of carry extensively(for years or such), but I am liking it so far. It may increase how much I carry as it alleviates some issues I personally have with carrying on certain days.
http://www.comicbookbrain.com/_imagery/2013-01-05/elvis-flaming-star.jpg
There is a decent amount of photographic evidence people carrying all but the lightest guns were once smart enough to use a belt for just their gun as the above non-historic photo of Elvis demonstrates. Now it obviously works better with OWB, but are there benefits to IWB also?
So a while back I found myself wearing running shorts and wanting to wear a decent sized gun accessible on-body. My general carry for exercise is a beefy waist pack with a sub-compact/micro, but that just wasn't appropriate as concealment was paramount and waist pack screams gun.
I decided to put a dedicated gun belt under my running shorts. Dedicated in the sense we usually use the word when talking about gun belts(designed to support a firearm), and also in the sense of it serving the sole purpose of holding the gun up.
Incredibly comfortable.
I have been trying in a few other modes of dress with good results. With a kydex shell the top belt needs to be situated just below the top of the outside of the holster. With the pistol grip outside the pants. The pants belt, if tight,can add additional support and stability to the holster. Not like a thigh strap, but something. When dressing without a belt it is obviously a good option.
Pros:
-I can wear any belt I want for my pants. No worrying about trying to get a 1.25" dress belt that can hold hold a gun. No need for a black, brown, dress, casual, utility, etc. gun belts at $100 each or compromising with a crap belt on occasions. I really need a half dozen or more belts to have appropriate dress in all situations.
-no damage to pants belt.
-gun can stay on in the restroom. No need to un-holster, pants-sling, leave it on the TP holder, etc. Sort of. It can still be awkward.
- If using a belt loop holster and you need to take the gun off it can be done without taking your pants half off depending on type of buckle. I've used J-clip types attachment in the past, but always thought it was a compromise. For me un-holstering during the day is an inherent aspect of carrying.
Cons:
-the buckle(and belt) are in direct contact with your skin. without an undershirt or similar there can be chafing. Any sharpness of the buckle...
-Balancing concealment, access, height on hip, is a lot more complicated than when the holster height is controlled by your pants belt or pants top.
-You can remove the gun without taking off your top belt, but you may still need to adjust the pants belt if it is then too loose.
I don't carry everyday and haven't used this mode of carry extensively(for years or such), but I am liking it so far. It may increase how much I carry as it alleviates some issues I personally have with carrying on certain days.
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