Hi,
I'm relatively new to handguns. I purchased my first (XD40) in July of this year. I am going to be attending a defensive pistol course where they will be teaching presentation from a holster.
I will be buying this holster primarily for the course. Ability to CCW is not really a concern as I am not a "well-connected" citizen of California. So a basic outside-waist-band holster will do fine. Shoulder & Thigh holsters are not allowed for this class.
The first question is kydex vs. leather? I have heard that certain leathers can cause accelerated corrosion (though I won't be storing the pistol in the holster). I'm currently leaning toward Kydex due the face I won't be using it on a day-to-day basis. I imagine kydex requires less care than leather.
The next question is paddle vs. belt holster. I really have no knowledge here. I imagine that paddle-style is more versatile since it essentially "clips" to the top of your pants like a giant paper-clip where as a belt holster has to be attached to your belt. It would seem to me that a paddle holster would be less confortable. The paddle-style also seems to feature an adjustable-cant which I assume means the angle of the pistol relative to vertical when in the holster.
Lastly, are there any particular brands that are recomended. I've been looking on xd-gear.com and they seem to carry bladetech, uncle-mikes, and fobus. From the pics they all look about the same but the bladetechs are about double the cost of the others ($55ish vs $25ish).
I definitely intend to try to do some local shopping to get a hands on feel for the different types before I buy.
thanks,
drc
I'm relatively new to handguns. I purchased my first (XD40) in July of this year. I am going to be attending a defensive pistol course where they will be teaching presentation from a holster.
I will be buying this holster primarily for the course. Ability to CCW is not really a concern as I am not a "well-connected" citizen of California. So a basic outside-waist-band holster will do fine. Shoulder & Thigh holsters are not allowed for this class.
The first question is kydex vs. leather? I have heard that certain leathers can cause accelerated corrosion (though I won't be storing the pistol in the holster). I'm currently leaning toward Kydex due the face I won't be using it on a day-to-day basis. I imagine kydex requires less care than leather.
The next question is paddle vs. belt holster. I really have no knowledge here. I imagine that paddle-style is more versatile since it essentially "clips" to the top of your pants like a giant paper-clip where as a belt holster has to be attached to your belt. It would seem to me that a paddle holster would be less confortable. The paddle-style also seems to feature an adjustable-cant which I assume means the angle of the pistol relative to vertical when in the holster.
Lastly, are there any particular brands that are recomended. I've been looking on xd-gear.com and they seem to carry bladetech, uncle-mikes, and fobus. From the pics they all look about the same but the bladetechs are about double the cost of the others ($55ish vs $25ish).
I definitely intend to try to do some local shopping to get a hands on feel for the different types before I buy.
thanks,
drc