Mountain Man
Elite
I have a DuperTuck IWB and SuperSlide OWB from Crossbreed. Both are very comfortable and took a while to break in the leather.
Type of holster you use for EDC
- Thread starter Annihilator
- Start date
My EDC since I started legal concealed carry in May, 2011 has been a XDm9 3.8 compact -
www.xdtalk.com
^ That's sorta an ongoing thread about my experiences with both this EDC as well as her training twin. The EDC 3.8 Compact now has well over 12,000 rounds on its clock, while the training copy is somewhere in the neighborhood of twice that.
Here's a counterpart to that one, of my 4.5-inch range/training beater: https://www.xdtalk.com/threads/new-xdm9-from-cleveland-poa-poi-magazine-questions.163960/ . This one is well over 50K rounds, live-fire count ( https://www.xdtalk.com/posts/7784845/ ).
For about five years - between January 2011 and February 2016 - I carried and trained with the 3.8 Compact using either a Beltman 1-and 1/2-inch dual-layer (training) or a Zlogloje (EDC), paired with a Pure Kustom Black Ops Pro set up for IWB.
^ Airsoft on the left, training gun in the middle, carry on the right.
The following picture was in the summer of 2012, on day 5 of six days in Chris Costa's HE01/02:
^ That was my everyday getup at that point - an el-cheapo Old-Navy T-shirt over similarly cheaply made Old-Navy jeans. I wore the beat-up/ripped/faded copies to the range for training, and newer sets are rotated in for daily wear. I'm an academic scientist, so noone really cares that I look like a slob.
I can guaranty you that what's at my waist is precisely the leather setup that I described, above, and I can just as well guaranty you that I've got the gun at my waist, in this picture of me with Costa:
^ See how dirty and beat-up my jeans got? Yeah, that's why.
^ Yes, I'm one of those types that wears the same outfit every day - saves me the few brain-cells that I have for something more useful.
Here's me and Robert Vogel from his class here in NE-Ohio in the spring of that same year -
^ I shot from OWB (Raven Concealment Phantom) in that class, and used my 4.5-inch, but my carry to and from the class? Yup, that same 3.8 Compact.
In February of 2016, I added a Surefire XC-1, which necessitated the swap to the KT-Mech's Defender Light-Bearing, a full hardshell Kydex holster.
The holster's been modified somewhat - I shaved away the excess Kydex at the muzzle end, but otherwise, both the carry and training copies are still going strong, with really no sign of wear. The blue tape on the magazine base-plate (Pearce +0 "pinky rest," and yes, this is how I carry the gun) is to signify to myself that this is a clear/safe setup for home dry-fire and manipulation practice.
As with the leather setup that I started with, the gun is still holstered at my 2:30-ish, IWB, but has since been mated to Ares Gear Enhanced Ranger belts using Comp-Tac over-the-belt clips. I've also got two copies of the belt/holster combo: one for training, one for carry.
I continue to carry the magazine in the same Comp-Tac IWB Magazine Concealment Pouch. Having 19 rounds at-the-ready as supplement to the 13+1 that's always in the gun is not only very reassuring, its mass also helps balance out my beltline.
^ That setup in-action, in low-light class with Apex Shooting and Tactics, Ohio. Target is a Challenge TDI at 10 yards.
This is probably as harsh as the setup could be for the little XC-1, with few lumens and a diffuse beam-pattern. At the Rittman Police Department range, the ground material consists of ash cinders from the Morton's Salt plant from across the railway that just soaks up any ambient light. On a moonless night with no supplemental lighting, it's hard to see anything at all, even with dark-adapted eyes. Add-into this mix the fact that the light's output was diminished by carbon fouling on its lens......
Here's the setup in-situ - in daylight so you can see it:
^ That's my fat ass shooting from supine.
Don't worry, I've got in-ear earpros in (Surefire EP3).
This picture was taken in the summer of 2016. I'm usually a no-undershirt guy, but I learned from previous classes (like that of Costa's above) that's not a viable setup for the (sometimes hundreds of) repeated draws that can rub my belly raw. A simple UA HeatGear compression shirt serving as an undergarment insures that I can go through 3+ days/nights of 8-hour classes and keep my mind on learning, rather than be annoyed with chafing, bruising, and scratches.
March 2017 -
![[IMG]](/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xdtalk.com%2Fattachments%2Fmarch-2017-handgun2-jpg.723219%2F%3Ftemp_hash%3Da5e053a5d0e6cb8b5249df87f2252aaa&hash=25a1e2ec69516682d4cfbece2c873cfb "[IMG]")
And again in October of that year:
![[IMG]](/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xdtalk.com%2Fattachments%2Foctober-2017-jpg.723221%2F%3Ftemp_hash%3Da5e053a5d0e6cb8b5249df87f2252aaa&hash=b97c3b6bcd01a566370473ee9c787e75 "[IMG]")
![[IMG]](/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xdtalk.com%2Fattachments%2Foctober2017-moving-and-movers-jpg.723223%2F%3Ftemp_hash%3Da5e053a5d0e6cb8b5249df87f2252aaa&hash=cedac331bd38e43b8ae4f8b4547ab5f5 "[IMG]")
^ That was a "moving/movers" class - we were still on static targets at that point, but yup, there's that same gun.
This same IWB setup was vetted last summer in the Handgun Diagnostic class run by Practicall Tactical/Alliance PD Training, where students' draw-strokes were filmed in HD/240 fps slow-motion using Coaches Eye, and then critiqued and corrected by Joe Weyer. The holster/setup didn't garner any criticism (aside from my forward cant at my clocking), which is itself huge - In addition to the Ares Gear Enhanced Ranger belt, I've paired it with a Comp-Tac GripHook on the front (not pictured in the holster close-up above), and their standard clip on the rear. The holster, secured with my belt and clips at the tightness that I wear it does not ride up during the draw and releases cleanly.
Yup, the same gun since 2011!!!!
~1300 rounds in, XDm9 3.8 Compact - lessons learned from...
^ That's sorta an ongoing thread about my experiences with both this EDC as well as her training twin. The EDC 3.8 Compact now has well over 12,000 rounds on its clock, while the training copy is somewhere in the neighborhood of twice that.
Here's a counterpart to that one, of my 4.5-inch range/training beater: https://www.xdtalk.com/threads/new-xdm9-from-cleveland-poa-poi-magazine-questions.163960/ . This one is well over 50K rounds, live-fire count ( https://www.xdtalk.com/posts/7784845/ ).
For about five years - between January 2011 and February 2016 - I carried and trained with the 3.8 Compact using either a Beltman 1-and 1/2-inch dual-layer (training) or a Zlogloje (EDC), paired with a Pure Kustom Black Ops Pro set up for IWB.
^ Airsoft on the left, training gun in the middle, carry on the right.
The following picture was in the summer of 2012, on day 5 of six days in Chris Costa's HE01/02:
^ That was my everyday getup at that point - an el-cheapo Old-Navy T-shirt over similarly cheaply made Old-Navy jeans. I wore the beat-up/ripped/faded copies to the range for training, and newer sets are rotated in for daily wear. I'm an academic scientist, so noone really cares that I look like a slob.
I can guaranty you that what's at my waist is precisely the leather setup that I described, above, and I can just as well guaranty you that I've got the gun at my waist, in this picture of me with Costa:
^ See how dirty and beat-up my jeans got? Yeah, that's why.
^ Yes, I'm one of those types that wears the same outfit every day - saves me the few brain-cells that I have for something more useful.
Here's me and Robert Vogel from his class here in NE-Ohio in the spring of that same year -
^ I shot from OWB (Raven Concealment Phantom) in that class, and used my 4.5-inch, but my carry to and from the class? Yup, that same 3.8 Compact.
In February of 2016, I added a Surefire XC-1, which necessitated the swap to the KT-Mech's Defender Light-Bearing, a full hardshell Kydex holster.
The holster's been modified somewhat - I shaved away the excess Kydex at the muzzle end, but otherwise, both the carry and training copies are still going strong, with really no sign of wear. The blue tape on the magazine base-plate (Pearce +0 "pinky rest," and yes, this is how I carry the gun) is to signify to myself that this is a clear/safe setup for home dry-fire and manipulation practice.
As with the leather setup that I started with, the gun is still holstered at my 2:30-ish, IWB, but has since been mated to Ares Gear Enhanced Ranger belts using Comp-Tac over-the-belt clips. I've also got two copies of the belt/holster combo: one for training, one for carry.
I continue to carry the magazine in the same Comp-Tac IWB Magazine Concealment Pouch. Having 19 rounds at-the-ready as supplement to the 13+1 that's always in the gun is not only very reassuring, its mass also helps balance out my beltline.
^ That setup in-action, in low-light class with Apex Shooting and Tactics, Ohio. Target is a Challenge TDI at 10 yards.
This is probably as harsh as the setup could be for the little XC-1, with few lumens and a diffuse beam-pattern. At the Rittman Police Department range, the ground material consists of ash cinders from the Morton's Salt plant from across the railway that just soaks up any ambient light. On a moonless night with no supplemental lighting, it's hard to see anything at all, even with dark-adapted eyes. Add-into this mix the fact that the light's output was diminished by carbon fouling on its lens......
Here's the setup in-situ - in daylight so you can see it:
^ That's my fat ass shooting from supine.
This picture was taken in the summer of 2016. I'm usually a no-undershirt guy, but I learned from previous classes (like that of Costa's above) that's not a viable setup for the (sometimes hundreds of) repeated draws that can rub my belly raw. A simple UA HeatGear compression shirt serving as an undergarment insures that I can go through 3+ days/nights of 8-hour classes and keep my mind on learning, rather than be annoyed with chafing, bruising, and scratches.
March 2017 -
And again in October of that year:
^ That was a "moving/movers" class - we were still on static targets at that point, but yup, there's that same gun.
This same IWB setup was vetted last summer in the Handgun Diagnostic class run by Practicall Tactical/Alliance PD Training, where students' draw-strokes were filmed in HD/240 fps slow-motion using Coaches Eye, and then critiqued and corrected by Joe Weyer. The holster/setup didn't garner any criticism (aside from my forward cant at my clocking), which is itself huge - In addition to the Ares Gear Enhanced Ranger belt, I've paired it with a Comp-Tac GripHook on the front (not pictured in the holster close-up above), and their standard clip on the rear. The holster, secured with my belt and clips at the tightness that I wear it does not ride up during the draw and releases cleanly.
Yup, the same gun since 2011!!!!
Last edited:
Crossbreed Super Tuck/MTR Avenger for IWB
VersaCarry Compound or MTR Deluxe Pancake for OWB...I have a VersaCarry Arma on the way
tomleatham
Alpha
A version of the Summer Special by various makers (Milt Sparks, 5 Shot Leather, Rafter-L).
A Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 for my XDs for super low profile carry.
A Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 for my XDs for super low profile carry.
Subjective.
I know folks who can't stand to have anything at the small of the back - or even in their back pockets.
I also know a professional driver who exclusively carries small-of-back, because to him, it's the most comfortable spot.
Understand that "comfort," by-definition, is subjective.
^ Yup, I totally get ya. Unfortunately, with this kind of stuff and just how subjective it is, there's honestly nothing better than giving it a try.
I'd give it a start by sitting with an unloaded/cleared weapon, just stuck to your pants with the help of some tape or Velcro loops (or even "bandit style" inside the pants), and see if that is even tolerable. If that test passes, I'd start with an el-cheapo holster (but keep the gun unloaded), and wash/repeat the test.
Yup, we've all got that drawer-full (if not closet-full) of holsters.....
Unfortunately, with this kind of stuff and just how subjective it is, there's honestly nothing better than giving it a try. I'd give it a start by sitting with an unloaded/cleared weapon, just stuck to your pants with the help of some tape or Velcro loops (or even "bandit style" inside the pants), and see if that is even tolerable. If that test passes, I'd start with an el-cheapo holster (but keep the gun unloaded), and wash/repeat the test.
Yup, we've all got that drawer-full (if not closet-full) of holsters.....
Peglegjoe
Professional
Yeah, and I'm still wondering on which orientation to wear it in...I'm seeing on TV (I know, I know....) some of the relatively good shows like NCIS-N.O. where they wear them SOB with the grip pointed up and the barrel horizontal - not sure if that's a standard orientation or if it would be a custom build, but that seems to make sense orientation-wise to me anyway based on how my arm bends if I reach around my waist like that.
There's a lot of personal-preference there, just as you imagined.
It's kinda like whether you have your magazines with the bullets facing forward or facing rear. There's not really a by-Hoyle correct way to do it, as long as you can do it consistently.
I carry my pistol mags bullets-forward on my support side as modern convention would have it. So, when I first got into the AR, I tried to do the same with my AR mags.
I dry-practiced a bunch before attending my first real class, and thought that I was doing OK, until one of the instructional cadre noticed that I was a little awkward, and suggested to me to at least give bullets-to-the-rear ("beer-can grip") a try on the AR mags. I did, and it wasn't just subjectively easier - the difference in objective performance on the shot-timer was startling, even before I had gotten in much practice with my "new" way of keeping AR mags.
Before you go too far with SOB carry, just be sure you've ironed out whether the compromises in terms of access during physical combatives, seated, as well as "telegraphing" the draw are concessions that you're willing to make.
It's kinda like whether you have your magazines with the bullets facing forward or facing rear. There's not really a by-Hoyle correct way to do it, as long as you can do it consistently.
I carry my pistol mags bullets-forward on my support side as modern convention would have it. So, when I first got into the AR, I tried to do the same with my AR mags.
I dry-practiced a bunch before attending my first real class, and thought that I was doing OK, until one of the instructional cadre noticed that I was a little awkward, and suggested to me to at least give bullets-to-the-rear ("beer-can grip") a try on the AR mags. I did, and it wasn't just subjectively easier - the difference in objective performance on the shot-timer was startling, even before I had gotten in much practice with my "new" way of keeping AR mags.
Before you go too far with SOB carry, just be sure you've ironed out whether the compromises in terms of access during physical combatives, seated, as well as "telegraphing" the draw are concessions that you're willing to make.
I find that it's not just the holster driving the comfort level. It's also dependant on the particular gun you are carrying that can which can weigh significantly on comfortability. I have carried similar size pistols in the same brand/model holsters and find not all carry pieces are created equal when it comes to comfort. The simple ergonomics of the gun and grip texture is a consideration for me when choosing what and where to carry on my person.
Keystone19250
SAINT
I wear my weapons on my right hip OWB.
I have a couple Galco’s but I’m having holster’s custom made by
Tucker Gunleather. High quality and made to fit your gun specifically.
I have a couple Galco’s but I’m having holster’s custom made by
Tucker Gunleather. High quality and made to fit your gun specifically.
Keystone19250
SAINT
just received this for my Mod2 40cal
