On concealment choices.

A friend of mine just submitted his paperwork for the CCW and he's opted for a Kahr PM9 for his carry weapon. One of his concerns was anything larger would be impracticle to conceal effectively. I've mentioned it before, I think. But if not, I believe that the two best things you need for concealment are an appropriate belt and a well designed holster. I carry a full size Springfield M1911A1 and have no unusual troubles with printing. In fact I've had friends at gun shops mention that they didn't know I was carrying till I lifted my cover.

A good belt and holster don't need to break the bank. In fact the best IWB holster I've owned only ran about 70 dollars and it's the one I use every day. My belt is a Looper Leather belt. The internal kydex reinforcement completely changed the way the holster hangs on my frame, and that belt alone did more for pulling the butt of the gun snug against my side than any holster has ever done. My holster is an AKJ Concealco IWB. The design is great, the fold open mouth works as good as the all kydex holsters I have for ease of reholstering. The snap loop system allows me to take the holster off and put it on without having to drop trou to do it.

His other concern was comfort. I didn't tell him at the time, and maybe I should have, but we don't carry a gun because it's comfortable, we carry it because it's comforting. A good belt/holster combo can help in that area too. A holster that rides on the belt higher may be better for someone long waisted than someone long legged. There are as many different body types as there are, well, people. Fortunately, there are a great many holster and belt makers out there. A holster that fits me comfortably may not be right for you. On top of all that, men and women are shaped differently (Vive la differance!) and a women's curves mean a completely different class of holsters. For the same reason jeans are cut differently for men and women. Did I mention vive la differance?

I, like many others, have a drawer full of holsters that for one reason or another weren't right for me. I've collected them in my way to finding the right holster for me. Unfortunately, I can't think of any other way to find the right holster. And I'm still looking for an OWB holster that fits me.