Post questions here about open and concealed carry, as well as general law questions.
 #109405  by dtm87h
 
Hey Folks,

I've got my CCDW for Delaware. Going next week to apply for my PA license.

My question is this. I am a big guy. Short and round build. I'm using a "We The People" IWB kydex Holster for my S&W SD9VE. I like the gun. I love carry it. I wanted to see if any other "fluffy" people have a recommendation for a comfortable and concealable holster. My other holster is a Blackhawk CQC holster with belt loop attachment, I have the paddle attachment also but I prefer the belt loop for comfort.

The IWB I have now is nice when I'm standing or walking. However it digs into me wickedly bad when I'm sitting. It does this with or without the gun in the holster.
 #109406  by whatevah
 
Assuming that the holster is all plastic... I'd suggest trying a hybrid holster, with either leather or neoprene against your skin. Alien Gear holsters are cheap and the reviews are great. I use a leather/kydex holster with a combat cut sweat guard (leather rises up to shield the slide from the skin, but the grip is exposed) in the usually around 3-4:00 position. 4:00 is slightly more comfortable but 3:00 conceals better when sitting or bending. In either position, the holster is so comfortable than I sometimes have to check to see if I holstered the gun!

Thankfully, with the winter weather you can likely CC with just your Blackhawk CQC holster. :)
 #109408  by GatorDude
 
I have one of the N8 Tactical holsters and I agree with Soundman. They are very comfortable (although I do not wear mine very often any longer).
 #109410  by dtm87h
 
I was looking at the Alien Gear holsters. They are nice and cheap. I found the N8 Holster at online and they look pretty good. Then slide isn't the too bad for me when I conceal it's the grip that gets me.
 #109419  by Kuntryboy816
 
I'm a big guy too... 6'1" @ 265 and I usually carry in the 3-4 o'clock range. I have both a full size M&P and a M&P Shield. I also employ 2 types of holsters for CC usage...
1. Alien Gear - Cloak Tuck Gen1
2. Blackhawk/Uncle Mike's - ITB soft shell holster w/ clip

I wear the AG holsters with any belted pants/shorts that I wear. They are super comfortable right from the get go and they seem to disappear once the leather base gets broken in and forms to your body more. I'll post pics of the difference between the M&P's and the Shield's holster after I get home from work. I carry the full size M&P more often so the leather is definitely more worked in than the Shield's holster. The other great thing about AG is that if you choose to carry another pistol, you can send the Kydex part of your holster back and they'll send you the shell for the new pistol... FREE FOR LIFE! No need to break in another brand new holster if you decide to switch.

The soft shell holsters work great for when I'm wearing clothing like basketball shorts, sweats, track pants, etc. The material that they are made from is cushy and comfortable, protects your pistol from body sweat, provides excellent grip to keep your pants/shorts from sagging and also pretty good retention for your pistol. They also work well as a pocket holster for the Shield but a full size pistol will leave the grip exposed from the pocket. The only reason that I have both a BH and an UM is that I found the UM for the Shield before I found a BH. They are EXACTLY the same in every way except the name on the tag. My brother exclusively uses the BH soft holster to carry. The only complaint I have with the soft holsters is that it isn't as easy to reholster the pistol while it's IWB whereas the AG holster is very easy to reholster due to the Kydex shell that doesn't collapse when you unholster. It's only annoying during dry run drills while practicing drawing and aiming... not annoying enough to stop using them though.
 #109431  by coolwrld
 
I'm a big guy too 5'8" and 300+. While I do not have my CCW permit yet (filed paperwork in November and fingers crossed) I have also been looking around at different holsters. I originally purchased a Safariland Model 578 GLS paddle holster. I originally purchased because it looked like something that would be good for open or concealed carry. I really like the holster because it fits a wide range of guns and it has their grip lock system (hence the GLS) that secures the gun better. Unfortunately, what I found with this holster is that being big and having this being a rather large OWB holster I feel I could only effectively conceal it during the winter months wearing heavy bulky clothing.

After that I purchased a StealthGear hybrid IWB for my full size Walther P99. I really like this holster as it conceals very well even with that size gun. I also like the material it is made of because it is breathable (or so they claim). One thing I did find is that when I ordered I got the full size holster not the mini that has clips closer together and what I'm finding is that trying to get the holster positioned perfectly around 4 o'clock gives me a bit of trouble because the holster clips run in to the jeans belt loops if that makes sense.

Recently I have been looking at the JM4 Tactical QCC holster that uses magnets to both secure the holster to itself (over/through clothing) as well as the gun to the holster. The premise looks interesting but in practice may not live up to expectations. I have looked at a couple of reviews online that seem positive but if anyone here has any experience with it I would be interested in your opinion.