The small holster guide - Part 1

Why a holster guide? What is so special about these parts that are simply supposed to hold a handgun?

In short: Everything. Choosing the right holster for a specific purpose has a significant impact on the use of the handgun - whether for sport, hunting, or law enforcement. KL STRATEGIC introduces you to the world of holsters and provides essential tips on what to consider.

So, how do you find the right holster for yourself, considering there are so many different models and shapes in various price ranges and materials ... What is suitable and what is not, does expensive mean good, or is a cheaper model sufficient? I will address these and other questions in this article and provide you with guidance on how to find your suitable holster. Let's get started:

Generally speaking, you need to be comfortable with your holster - this only works with proper training. Regardless of the holster you ultimately choose, it must meet your needs and not hinder you in performing other activities.

Various factors play essential roles in this and should be considered beforehand, unless the regulations of a sports order already restrict your choice.

Position of the Holster

Where should the holster be positioned on the body? In general, the so-called "crossdraw" (drawing and holstering the weapon on the side of the body opposite the shooting hand) should be avoided. However, there are certain situations where this is inevitable to allow quick and safe access to the handgun. This is usually the case when one is in a seated position in a confined space - such as in a vehicle. In these specific cases, there may also be the option of "appendix carry", as long as the equipment or gear does not prevent it. In these special cases, it may be advantageous to place the weapon on the upper body, leading to a Crossdraw situation. In this scenario, interchangeable systems may be helpful in transferring the holster from one position to another.

However, it is important to remember that a holster should always be positioned on the side of the body where the shooting hand is located. The exact position depends on additional factors. So, the initial question is:

Holster for Right or Left-Handed?

Once this question is answered, the next question is where exactly the holster should be placed. However, the answer is not always straightforward: OWB or IWB? If OWB, then belt, with drop, or rather dropleg, which position on the belt? Open or concealed carry? IWB Appendix carry, or would you prefer the 3 o'clock position, or the 4 or 6 o'clock position???

Everyone needs to answer these questions for themselves, but fortunately, there are guidelines to consider while doing so...

Open vs Concealed Carry

Answering this question is relatively easy. In sports, "open carry" (carrying openly) is the only option. Furthermore, various regulations for holsters are specified in the respective sports rules, if allowed at all.

For hunters or professional/law enforcement users, the regulations generally require firearms to be carried openly, and the respective employer conveniently provides the holster. In particular, military users must carry weapons openly.

However, in certain areas, there is flexibility in what can be used or how the handgun must be carried; in specific scenarios, "concealed carry" is required or even mandatory. This often applies to armed personal protection officers, both civilian and law enforcement, as well as undercover officers, whenever carrying a handgun is necessary but should not be obvious. The reasons for this can vary and are not of interest here.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each carrying style?

Open carry offers a very clear advantage, namely direct, unobstructed access to the holster and possibly the weapon. Why possibly? - Holsters provide different levels of weapon security; Level 1-3 indicates the security of the weapon in the holster and protection against quick draws. But more on that later.

Initially, it is less time and training-intensive to use a handgun from an openly carried holster than from a concealed one; somewhat depending on the position of the holster on the body. Naturally, this is because with concealed carry, the gun and holster are usually covered by fabric that needs to be removed first. However, those who integrate this into their training are usually not significantly slower when using the weapon than from an openly carried holster.

Additionally, extra equipment can hinder concealed carry or even completely prevent it by significantly impeding or entirely blocking access to the weapon.

In these cases, open carry with various options (belt, dropleg) remains.

So, the next decisions need to be made.

In what carrying situation should the holster be used?

To make a sensible decision, let's consider the various carrying options and holster shapes...

Open carry

Weapons are often openly carried when they are visible to others. As mentioned before, this type of carrying offers certain advantages. The most obvious advantage is, of course, the direct and quick access to the weapon without any obstructive elements. Various holster forms are used for this purpose; from quick draw holsters in sporty-dynamic shooting to form holsters on the belt and dropleg holsters (thigh holsters) mostly used in law enforcement/military operations.

It is important to differentiate between professional (law enforcement and civilian professional weapon carriers) and sport use. While sport use justifies the holster's purely providing function, a holster in professional use must also ensure the weapon's safety function. For this purpose, manufacturers offer additional safety mechanisms in various levels.

There are generally 3 levels of safety:

Level 1: The weapon is held in the holster by clamping force, the trigger is secured against accidental release (enclosed by holster material).

Level 2: The weapon is protected from being snatched out of the holster by a separate safety mechanism. This is usually a strap or loop that encloses the weapon in the holster.

Level 3: In addition to the Level 2 protection in the holster, the weapon is also held by a separate safety mechanism; levels 2 and 3 may be unlocked by a common separate safety mechanism.

These holsters offer additional protection for the weapon against loss. However, it would be a misconception to assume that Level 2 or 3 holsters do not allow quick access to the weapon; they require much more training than other holsters. Once the function is internalized, the weapon can be brought into play just as quickly from a Level 1 holster.

A special form is the so-called Speed or Quick Draw holsters. These are used exclusively in sports and serve only to make the weapon quickly accessible. Here, the weapon is usually fixed at one point by clamping, with the majority of the weapon not enclosed or held by the holster. While this may seem advantageous for quick access, there are also significant risks involved.

By clamping at a single point without (significant) additional support, the risk of the weapon falling out of the holster naturally increases.

However, these holsters are professional tools that require an immense amount of training to perform correct drawing and holstering processes. Due to the lack of support, there is a tendency to simply draw the weapon from the holster, ruining the clean drawing process and wasting the gained time for aiming corrections or multiple re-aiming.

Speedholsters have their justification, but they are more suitable for real top athletes than for shooters in competitive sports.

Concealed Carry

Concealed carry is exactly what the name describes - carrying a weapon in a way that outsiders are not aware that a weapon is being carried. Ensuring this is not as easy as one might think.

Just throwing a jacket or shirt over the holster is by no means enough, as it is also important to avoid exposing the weapon during various movements and activities or making it visible to others through revealing contours in clothing (printing). In this case, the IWB (inside the waistband) holster is particularly suitable, as the majority of the weapon is concealed within the clothing; however, this does not work with every clothing item and every weapon.

Two "golden rules" apply to concealed carry:

1. The weapon must be easy to draw and holster with minimal effort

This means that access should not be hindered by layers of clothing and/or equipment.

Furthermore, it is equally important that the weapon does not get stuck in the holster when drawing or holstering, or require endless fiddling to get the weapon out or back in the holster. This is especially true for IWB carry.

What is certainly possible with training is the use of holsters with an additional safety mechanism; this is prescribed in various service regulations for plainclothes officers, for example.

2. No fabric or other material should get caught in the holster

This means in particular that clothing fabric or cords, etc. like to get caught in a holster that is not suitable for concealed carrying. This, in turn, can get tangled in the trigger guard when holstering and there is an opening in the body that should not be there. For precisely this reason, holsters suitable for close-to-the-body, concealed carrying have an elevated side that is meant to prevent clothing fabric from getting caught in the holster. At the same time, this side serves as a guide for the weapon during holstering.

This way, the risk of an unintentional discharge is reduced by at least 50 percent.

That's all well and good, but how do you prevent displaying and printing?

The answer to this question depends on whether the weapon is carried IWB or OWB (outside the waistband). In general, to avoid displaying, long and loose clothing should be worn, usually with a jacket or similar as the top layer. However, care should be taken to ensure quick access to the holster. This is something taught in appropriate courses.

Once the holster is worn, it should be checked to see if it remains concealed during extreme movements, such as stretching or crouching, etc. IWB holsters are better suited for this than OWB, but they could limit movements. In particular, the special form of the appendix carry, i.e., carrying IWB at the 12 o'clock position (on the abdomen), may restrict movements.

The visible restriction or obstruction of movement is also considered as a type of displaying; even if inexperienced individuals may not necessarily recognize that a firearm is carried, they may still notice that something is not right.

The outlining of revealing contours under clothing (printing) is another way to reveal to others that one is carrying a firearm. Sharp edges that are visible under clothing, or clothing that hangs unnaturally, are always indications to others that something is not normal. For this reason, it should be avoided when carrying concealed. The shape of a weapon in a holster, even if only partially visible, is recognizable to everyone.

If this is the case, you might as well carry openly.

So the goal is to avoid revealing contours under clothing; the more layers of fabric over the holster, the more the contours are blurred. However, each layer of fabric also means more effort to access the weapon.

To blur the holster contours, it is advisable to use a holster with as few edges as possible that could be visible.

Furthermore, the weapon in the holster should be as close to the body as possible and should not protrude from the body contour or extend beyond it. Such protruding elements are barely concealable. Depending on the positioning on the body, this also limits the size of the weapon that can be carried.

Another tip is to wear dark colors, as slightly visible contours may be less noticeable than with light colors.

A large part of the holsters shown in the article come from the Austrian top holster manufacturer BLACK TRIDENT. Here you will find top-notch advice and high-quality holsters and more: www.blacktrident.com

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