IWB ?

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tws3b2

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I'm new to carry concealed. I tried carry inside the waist band with a revolver and semiautomatic. I've tried on the side. I've tried in the back. I've tried in the front. I don't see how anyone can do it. Uncomfortable at least. Especially when you try to sit down. I know some guns are thinner, lighter. But that doesn't help much. Outside the waist band? Not very concealed unless I'm wearing something heavy like a coat. Pocket? My jeans don't hide it very well if I can even get it in my pocket. The only way I found to carry comfortable is in a heavy coat pocket. But it's not winter all the time.
How do you guys do it?
 
I mostly carry IWB in a Kydex holster. I am not a big fellow. I am 5’10” and weight 165 lbs. my waist is size 33, but I buy size 34 pants to allow for the holster. The rig I carry most is a Ruger Security 9 Compact. It’s 6.52” overall length and 1.02” wide. The holster is a DeSantis Slim-tuck (photo below). It adds no more than 1/8” in width to the gun. I carry it in different positions depending in the shirt and magazine size loaded. It is comfortable no matter where I carry because it is not too wide, my pants are size for it to fit comfortably, and it is not so long as to be uncomfortable even when sitting while doing appendix carry. I suspect the size of your gun is causing your discomfort along with the holster. Some a IWB holsters add so much mass that they are bound to cause discomfort,,

9A352467-BF0A-471D-83CF-FCA238FB7E3E.jpeg
 
I'm sure IWB comfort is quite individual - and also open to interpretation. I have never carried a gun and still been as fully comfortable as I was without it.

Things that I have done to make IWB carry tolerable:

Larger waist size. I have to add another couple of inches to my waist and belt size to make room for the gun and holster.

Suspenders. Especially with full-size guns, cinching the belt tight enough to hold everything into place can be uncomfortable. Non-stretch suspenders take a lot of the load and allow a looser belt.

Holsters with a generous amount of material facing the body. I prefer a minimalist holster for outside carry, but for IWB I find that small holsters focus too much pressure onto whatever part of me they're touching. A broad flap of leather facing inward, though, spreads the contact more evenly.

Watching my weight. I'm admittedly not great at this. When I put on too much fat, it rolls out of the top of my pants and pushes uncomfortably on the gun.

I carry a 4" K frame revolver in a Tucker Gunleather "Texas Heritage" holster. I use a double layer horsehide belt from Beltman, and non-stretch leather suspenders from wherever they can be found.
 
Uncomfortable at least. Especially when you try to sit down.
Lots of folks try to wear their IWB holsters pretty deep, which could be your issue here.

If you wear your IWB holster at essentially the same ride height as an OWB holster, siting with either should be about the same.
 
You need to have a system to do it comfortably. A combination of proper pant size, sturdy belt, proper holster. Most important being the holster. I've got no less than 25 different holsters , all in search of the perfect one. Don't believe the nonsense from online holster sellers, they all claim they feel great and what works best for one person may be impossible for someone else. No single holster does it all and holsters designed for multiple positions will me mediocre at best in all positions and total garbage most of the time.

So it's an impossible question to answer. I'll show you my absolute best, most concealable and comfortable holster to give you an idea of what works for me.
20210202_183822.jpg

That's a black rhino holster and it's kydex. I can't use leather anymore after using kydex, leather is miserable for me and I find it hot, grabby , noisey and flimsy. But some guys love it.

The holster you select must be made for your exact gun, that's very important .

Next is belt.
Get one you can't fold in half width wise. That's important if you can grab it between your thumb and index & middle finger and fold it, it's no good. I've gone down the leather/bullhide belt route and plain and simple they collapse if not internally reinforced. Plus if you're bound by having specific holes for sizing it isn't ever going to be just right. I prefer a nylon belt with reinforcement , the one I've been using for the past few years is a 5.11
https://www.511tactical.com/operator-belt-1-34-wide.html

You can cinch it up a little or loosen it a little if need be. Wider will be better.


Pants, just go up a size or 2 so you're not straining to button them. I wear a 34 waist so I buy 36 pants. Not much more to explain.

Many folks will say how great appendix carry is . For me it is not. I have a few holsters of that design and only use them if I'll be walking or on my feet a lot and concealment is essential and I'm lightly dressed. I've heard people say that it's great if you don't have a gut ect. Well, im 6'1" , 185# and have zero gut, it's awful for me. But that's me. This method conceals the best and keeps access to your gun right there but it's impossible for me to sit comfortably with a gun in front.

4:00 position is very comfortable but will be exposed when you bend or reach. It's common for me to wear a button down shirt open in the front and obviously untucked to hide my gun better.

The last thing I can think if is to consider the grip length of your carry gun. That's the only thing that will show. For me a 2 finger grip is fine. I train like that and shoot like that regardless of grip length. The barrel can be 10" long and it'll conceal fin but if the grip is long it's likely to poke out.

Goodluck and let us know how it's going for you
 
I carry IWB all day, every day just like this. 20210524_201106.jpg
I don't own a gun belt because I haven't found a buckle-less type and buckles can be hell on the vehicles I work on. Sitting down with the 5" barrel is a little trickier, but I don't even feel the compact one at all unless I'm laying on it working under a dash.

I think the wider backing keeps the pressure spread out better. I wear the same size pants that pre-date carrying, and I certainly haven't lost weight in any measurable amount.
 
Next is belt.

Get one you can't fold in half width wise. That's important if you can grab it between your thumb and index & middle finger and fold it, it's no good. I've gone down the leather/bullhide belt route and plain and simple they collapse if not internally reinforced.
Yikes! I admire your incredible strength.

I'm wearing one of these right now https://agcustomgunleather.com/product/1-5-black-bull-hide-belt/

I can't imagine bending this belt with a pair of pliers and a set of vice grips, let alone with my thumb and index finger.
 
Do you find that removing the slide and barrel on the second gun makes it easier to carry? :ninja:
It doesn't stay in the holster as well, but man it's soooo much lighter. Not very reliable that way though.

That's the one I took the slide to have the ugly tribal graphics removed from. I've since got it back and been carrying it. Complete. :thumbup:
 
Yikes! I admire your incredible strength.

I'm wearing one of these right now https://agcustomgunleather.com/product/1-5-black-bull-hide-belt/

I can't imagine bending this belt with a pair of pliers and a set of vice grips, let alone with my thumb and index finger.
Is yours reinforced? I assume so. If that's the case in sure I couldn't bend it, without reinforment I'm pretty sure I can. My last one was from bullhidebelts , double sticthed. Started out pretty rigid but it only took a month or two until it gave up and became pretty flexible.main complaint though is the holes never seem to be right where I need them.
 
I carry IWB all day, every day just like this. View attachment 1005832
I don't own a gun belt because I haven't found a buckle-less type and buckles can be hell on the vehicles I work on. Sitting down with the 5" barrel is a little trickier, but I don't even feel the compact one at all unless I'm laying on it working under a dash.

I think the wider backing keeps the pressure spread out better. I wear the same size pants that pre-date carrying, and I certainly haven't lost weight in any measurable amount.
When I'm at work I put my buckle to the side. Been doing that for years. If I'm under a dash I take everything out of my pockets and sometimes take my belt and boots off too. I get comfortable if I'll be there a while :rofl:
 
When I'm at work I put my buckle to the side. Been doing that for years. If I'm under a dash I take everything out of my pockets and sometimes take my belt and boots off too. I get comfortable if I'll be there a while :rofl:
I try to make those tasks as short and sweet as possible. I've definitely emptied pockets, removed gun and holster, and taken my shoes off at times. I've been wearing a buckle-less belt for so long I don't know if I can work a regular buckle anymore.

20210618_181953.jpg
Updated pic with the whole gun. Holster screws are a little rusted. 3 hours submerged in a creek...I was more worried about cleaning the gun. :rofl:
 
It’s not comfortable at first. But after a while you just get used to it. I carry iwb at 3 o’clock position to make sitting more comfortable.
 
If I had stopped trying with my first uncomfortable IWB holsters I would have never carried IWB. I bought three different IWB before I found one that is comfortable. The first two were uncomfortable. It was an expensive trial and error
 
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