Nylon...
Leather...
Elastic...
What do all of these have in common?
People make holsters out of them.
Open top?
Level 1?
Level 2?
Level 3?
What are all these levels?
All are important to know when selecting a carry holster.
For concealed carry, certain concessions are made for that whole "concealed" part. As for open carry, I personally feel that if you practice carrying openly with an open top holster having no retention features you are stark raving mad and I must question whether you have any business possessing, let alone carrying, a weapon of any form.
Do you want leather or kydex or nylon or what?
Personally, I have never found a nylon holster that fit any particular gun very well.... precision molding just is not possible with a pliable material. That being said, if you're a civilian security contractor who may be issued an unknown weapon when you get to your worksite downrange this isn't a bad thing... as long as you get a high end (Tactical Tailor, older Blackhawk, London Bridge Trading, HSGI, etc.) reinforced nylon rig it'll do OK... Not as well as a Safariland 6xxx series but it will be serviceable.
There are a few concealed carry rigs that use an elastic pouch to hold the gun... Whoever had this hairbrained idea had to have been smoking crack... Remember that whole "Doesn't fit any one gun well...." statement above... There it is again.
As for leather holsters, I really dig custom bullhide holsters from my good buddy Eddie Berry at OOAK Leather in Asheboro, NC. If you don't want custom for whatever reason, Galco, Bianchi, Safariland, DeSantis, Aker... There are several reputable companies that make outstanding products. Got a question about a rig? Shoot me an email HERE and I'll help you as best I can. Hell, call headquarters (phone number in the contact section of the page) and ask me direct.
As for kydex, I really dig BladeTech, Safariland, Raven Concealment, and Armordillo holsters. If you want a full blown custom rig, there are MANY companies doing good work on custom kydex right now and I find this to be a very good thing. Again, if you have questions about one give us a shout and I'll help you the best I can. If you want a security holster, Safariland is the gold standard. BladeTech's WRS system is a great transition from a traditional leather holster's thumb break as well. More on this to follow.
So, what is your mission?
Let's start with anyone carrying concealed.
Most of y'all know I'm a very big proponent of appendix inside-the-waistband carry. I'm partial to belt loops over clips because I was carrying my AIWB rig with a clip (the clip was built of 1.5" wide .093" thick kydex) while I was bouncing and got into a bit of a wrestling match with a fellow and I hear a "POP." I think to myself "Pop... what is this "POP" I just heard?" and it was that damn clip breaking.... End result: No more clips for this dude. Another thing to consider is a thumb break strap. I actually emailed Safariland a few years ago about making one of their FANTASTIC ALS rigs with an IWB setup... and they said it wasn't feasible. I will say, if you're carrying appendix IWB and have a bit of a gut (kinda like yours truly) then a thumb break probably ain't gonna work... Just sayin'. Where you wear you IWB rig (position, cant, ride height) are totally up to you.
Next step, open carry as a civilian (i.e. you're not wearing a full blown duty belt).
Raven Concealment's custom offerings with the thumb break are a good choice here, as is any reputable leather holster with a thumb break strap. I don't care for most paddle holsters as the paddles are usually too small and not very stable... the exception to this is the Safariland 6378 ALS paddle as it is plenty sturdy and stable. Other options include BladeTech's thrumb break offerings and Uncle Mike's Reflex holster. I don't like Serpa holsters... I just don't. They jam up if you roll around in the dirt (think or a ground fight) and the mounting system attaching the holster to the belt loop or paddle breaks in a retention scenario.
While I'm on this subject... Wearing a thigh holster like you're about to kick doors in Af-trash-istan while you're walking around town makes the rest of us gun owners look bad. If you're carrying openly, you still need to be discreet about it (as in don't try and attract attention, to you or your weapon) and you ABSOLUTELY NEED a form of active retention!
A few systems to consider:
-Safariland ALS (Automatic Locking System)
Uses a small thumb switch and is VERY fast.
-Safariland SLS (Self Locking System
Uses a thumb operated rotating hood
-BladeTech or standard thumb break strap
Standard strap over the rear of the weapon with a snap that the thumb "breaks" when you get a firing grip
-BladeTech WRS
Rotating hood that is released like a standard thumb break
-Safariland SLS/ALS
Both SLS and ALS together
-Uncle Mike's Reflex
Weapon is rocked in a peculiar direction
-Safariland 0701
A middle finger snap is broken and the weapon is rocked in a particular direction.
Are there others? Sure. Some of the others are quite effective as well... I just don't have time or room to list them all. But as you can see, there are quite a few options out there so there's really no excuse to not have a retention system.
Open carry on a duty belt.
For this, an SLS hood or WRS is a minimum. This requires a police security holster in my book and the absolute best of the breed is the Safariland 6360 using the SLS hood and the ALS or the BladeTech Level III WRS which has an addition thumb operated rotated covering over the WRS release lever.
Carry in a thigh rig.
There's only one group that should ever carry in a thigh rig on a normal day in public.... The group that kicks in the doors no one wants to knock on.
But if you're one of those, the Safariland ALS, SLS, SLS/ALS, and BladeTech WRS are all available as a thigh rig. Remember to wear it as high as you can stand it... The lower you carry the more it'll flop around the the slower your draw will be.
But wait.... THERE'S MORE!
The one acceptable place for an elastic holster is a belly band... which if you're doing true deep concealment work, then this is a GREAT option and I'd recommend the UnderWraps from Galco.
What about shoulder rigs?
I like shoulder rigs and use one frequently. I prefer a horizontal for the same reason a lot of folks are afraid of them... my muzzle is pointed straight behind me. There is ONE holster that is the fastest solution to a rear bearhug or choke... and for this reason (muzzle orienation) it's the horizontal shoulder rig. Galco makes awesome ones, and they have their QCL attachment that allows you to carry 4 spare mags... and yes, you read that right. Safariland has an ALS shoulder rig and the Bianchi Tuxedo is a nice one as well. If you want a vertical rig, the VHS from Galco is your best bet.
How about ankle rigs?
They're love 'em or hate 'em so I'm not even going to get into this one... as I'm not educated enough to go there so I'll leave it at when you try one, shoot me an email with what rig you have and what you think so I can fix this.
Pocket Carry...
DeSantis Nemesis or SuperFly, any offering from Galco or Safariland, or the Tuff Products pocket rigs are all good to go. The ones included with Crimson Trace products I've heard good and bad about so I can't pass judgement.
Off body carry.
Not recommended. If you do, I can't speak to purses but Maxpedition products are top notch for man-bags.
If anyone has any feedback or other options to add to this list by all means get up with us.
Until then, Stay Safe and Watch Your Six
1*
-Kenny Smith, Chief Master Instructor
TFTG President and CEO