Holsters

If you want your handgun to accompany you during hunting, hiking, running or you just want it to be as near as possible, you can’t go on without a holster. It is meant to serve several purposes. First of all, accessibility. Quick access to the firearm can be crucial when you need to hit a game you just caught sight of or to draw a weapon in the hour of danger. A holster also provides safety preventing a gun from an accidental pull of the trigger, as well as secures your weapon from getting hold of.

To decide what holster suits you best, we’d like to introduce you to this world. Let us first consider the way of wearing.

For concealed carrying, inside the waistband holsters (IWH) are perfect. They are attached to the belt, and the only gun part sticking out of the pants is the grip, which can be covered by a shirt, for instance. IWH does well with smaller guns (like 9mm). Still, if quick access matters a lot to you and you don’t care so much about the concealment, you may need to see through other options, as IWH takes a little of your time to draw the gun.

Outside the waistband holsters (OWH), on the other hand, don’t claim concealed carrying as a feature, but provide maximum draw speed. The market offers lots of size options, so you can feel free to choose from a wider selection of firearms. Let’s take hunting, for example. You may be a fan of modern cool-looking pistols or stick to a more classic revolver design. No one will be left behind. There are hunting holsters of every kind for both pistols and revolvers.

You might consider pocket, shoulder, ankle, chest, and other types of holsters by wearing method depending on your personal preferences and situations you see yourself using a gun in.

For women who want to enjoy jogging to the fullest and feel secure, there are gun holsters for running.

Now let’s have a look at the materials. Modern gun holsters are made of leather, plastics (like Kydex), or synthetic fabric. Leather gun holsters look cool and make a case for concealed carrying, but to preserve the beauty you need to take great care of it. And if you expose a leather holster to water too much, it can cause damage and make further usage impossible.

Kydex gun holsters need no super-special care and are easy to maintain. Yet, they are not so good at concealing.

Synthetic fabric makes something in between the above-mentioned materials. They are tough and can deal with water (still, not as effectively as Kydex ones), but hard to keep clean.

One more thing to consider when buying a gun holster is the retention method. Friction holsters use no other means to hold a gun but friction. This works well for those who prefer concealed carry. Holsters with flaps and straps delay you from drawing a firearm and, at the same time, prevent other people from immediately getting hold of your gun. Trigger lock holsters achieve maximum security level as they are the slowest. Typically, you’ll see them on policemen.

We shouldn’t leave off the fact that no lefties will suffer deficiency in ambidextrous and left-handed holsters.

On GritrOutdoors.com you’ll find various options that suit your taste, needs, and budget. We carry products of such reputable brands as Galco, Don Hume, Fobus. And as wearing a holster takes a high-quality gun holster belt to provide comfort, make sure to visit our belts page.