RevolvingGarbage
Member
Those who have been carrying for any length of time will always be quick to point out to a beginner that the choice of belt is just as vital to carrying comfortably as the holster, if not more so. The beginner may or may not heed this advice, and if they are anything like me, their progression went something like:
Gun>License>Holster>Cover-Garment>Belt
When it really should be:
Belt>Everything else
Because really, even if you aren't carrying a firearm, a sturdy belt will hold pockets full of keys/knives/phones/change up much better than a $13 wimpy Walmart special.
Anyway, I am on my second day of full time carry now, and today I decided to finally go on a hunt for a real belt. I had considered going online and browsing the gun related websites, but I decided to try locally first. Well all the gunshops only carry the real huge instructor style belts, which while im sure they work great, just aren't what I wanted. No luck at the local Security/LE store either (Closed at 1:30PM on a Monday, worse than a bank
).
My last stop before going home was a small thrift store that was so packed full of old crap, you could barely walk inside. They had a small rack of maybe twenty belts or so, but one caught my eye. Real brown leather, thick and sturdy with a good buckle, and it was even the right size! It was marked $3, and I gladly paid it.
This is the exact belt, available online for $27+S&H
http://www.cavenders.com/product.asp?cat=1&dept_id=5005&pf_id=LGN53717
The difference from my old 1/8" thick piece of crap was night and day! My 5" 1911 no longer drags my pants down, it doesn't shift forward and back, and I just plain don't feel it there on my side!
The lesson here that I learned, and I hope others pay attention to is that its really true what they say. With the right belt, and a decent holster, you really can comfortably carry just about as big of a handgun as you could find.
Even better, if you know where to look, you really can find good quality for cheap, especially if you don't mind gently used gear!
Gun>License>Holster>Cover-Garment>Belt
When it really should be:
Belt>Everything else
Because really, even if you aren't carrying a firearm, a sturdy belt will hold pockets full of keys/knives/phones/change up much better than a $13 wimpy Walmart special.
Anyway, I am on my second day of full time carry now, and today I decided to finally go on a hunt for a real belt. I had considered going online and browsing the gun related websites, but I decided to try locally first. Well all the gunshops only carry the real huge instructor style belts, which while im sure they work great, just aren't what I wanted. No luck at the local Security/LE store either (Closed at 1:30PM on a Monday, worse than a bank
).My last stop before going home was a small thrift store that was so packed full of old crap, you could barely walk inside. They had a small rack of maybe twenty belts or so, but one caught my eye. Real brown leather, thick and sturdy with a good buckle, and it was even the right size! It was marked $3, and I gladly paid it.
This is the exact belt, available online for $27+S&H
http://www.cavenders.com/product.asp?cat=1&dept_id=5005&pf_id=LGN53717
The difference from my old 1/8" thick piece of crap was night and day! My 5" 1911 no longer drags my pants down, it doesn't shift forward and back, and I just plain don't feel it there on my side!
The lesson here that I learned, and I hope others pay attention to is that its really true what they say. With the right belt, and a decent holster, you really can comfortably carry just about as big of a handgun as you could find.
Even better, if you know where to look, you really can find good quality for cheap, especially if you don't mind gently used gear!
