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I agree that if you choose to carry a gun then it should always be loaded without any exceptions. I even keep every gun in my safe loaded just in case I need to grab one in an emergency.........but I think that advice still applies to some new gun owners. Why? Because I don't want them to shoot themselves or anyone else on accident! It's like driving I guess. When you're new then you're more prone to having accidents with you being the one at fault. But when you do it for a while then those chances drastically go down. Sure accidents still happen but with more experience then the chances of you being at fault for that accident is lowered. I just think time and practice is key to getting good at doing anything. Some of us just need to start out slower to make sure safety is always a priority. I know I took my time practicing before drawing and holstering my gun when I decided to try out appendix carry. And for good reason! lol I'm still extra cautious too when I do it with the gun loaded when I practice drawing and firing. Especially when I re holster the weapon! I'm not trying to become an Eunuch like Varys from Game of Thrones! lol

Yes it was a gun belt. Just feels too heavy on my body this way. Plus I'm somewhat skinny and my hip bones don't appreciate the gun sitting on it for very long. I only like IWB carry in the appendix area or around my back area. Never works out well for me on the side. I forgot the clock reference to carry positions but you know what I mean. That's probably why I also don't like it too much even when using OWB holsters. It still digs into my hip. Especially when moving around or leaning over. I can't stand it! Too uncomfortable for me to do for long periods of time.

C-dub wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 6:49 am

Winston wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:58 amI'll probably choose to open carry my pistol anyways since I hate IWB holsters.

What? IWB is not the only way to carry concealed. I've been doing it OWB since I got my license around 16 years ago.

Also, CHL is no more in Texas since open carry passed. It changed over to LTC and all of us with CHL licenses were changed over as we renewed when our CHL expired.

I've practiced carrying with one OWB holster and don't know if I like it yet. Tends to dig into my hip and pull my pants down a bit. lol But then again maybe that's because I only tried it with a full sized pistol. When I get my license I'm going to look into trying some shoulder holsters and wearing a jacket. I might even just opt to keep it in a tactical fanny pack. I have one of those and love it!

The only experience I lack is carrying my gun in a holster anywhere in public where it's not legal for me to carry it. I've carried on my person enough to have plenty of experience. I'm a fast draw and can re holster any of my guns in kydex quickly. Not so much with leather or soft shell holsters. Which is why they suck imo. Other than that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to using certain holsters that I own. With that said all holsters are different and I haven't used them all to comment on any of them specifically. Just the ones I've owned and that's why I have an opinion on the different types. Because I've used most of them and prefer all the kydex ones. What type of holster you get will technically come down to what type of pistol you plan on carrying. I won't use anything other than kydex unless I start carrying a small revolver or smaller sized pistol. I've tried some leather and soft shell holsters with my full size pistols and they don't work well....at least not for me. Other people may have different results but then again most people don't carry full size pistols as their daily carry. Most licensed holders I know also tend to carry small compacts or revolvers and you don't need a kydex holster for any of those guns. Soft shell and leather probably works better. That why I preferred using my operator bag to carry for the last several years. I can carry full sized pistols and as many magazines as I want. I also like using tactical fanny packs too!

My expertise is from buying, owning, and shooting firearms for at least 15 years. I've purchased a lot of firearms and firearm related items over a long period of time. Just because I don't carry on a daily basis doesn't mean I can't have an opinion about holsters. I've owned many of them because I use to carry on my person around the house, driving, and at work where it was legal for me to do so without a license. I have preferred carrying my pistols in operator style bags ever since. I even Mexican carry sometimes and do own trigger guards to do that safely. My experience with holsters are.......

Leather holsters = gets sweaty and smells bad because we live in Texas where it's hot and also tends to rub the finish on your pistol the wrong way. It scratched some bluing off one of my 1911's. Threw that holster in the trash! Also they're not very comfortable (especially when you start sweating) and they're not good for drawing and re holstering your weapon quickly. I do however like the leather holster I have for my .45 Colt Revolver but that's just a range gun and collectors item. I probably won't carry it unless I'm pretending to be a cowboy that day. lol

Soft Holsters = not enough retention to be safely carrying, and also not easy to draw and re holster your weapon quickly. These are probably the most comfortable but I don't trust carrying anything in them other than revolvers. It 's easy to hide a small revolver on your person with these. Then again some small revolvers will fit inside your pocket and you don't even need a soft holster to carry it but the soft shell holster does make it safer. I don't recommend them with other guns. Maybe a small compact glock but I don't own, shoot, or carry any of those. I prefer have mid size and large frame pistols and kydex works the best for those in my opinion.

With that said I prefer Kydex. Every pistol I've carried in a kydex holster has treated the finish on my slides well. This may not be an issue to most people but I prefer keeping some of my pistols looking new. Especially my 1911's. Some others not so much. My striker fire and other hammer fire pistols that have been carried in kydex holsters still look brand new. Yes kydex can scratch the finish over time but that depends on how many times it's used and how much retention you set the kydex to secure the gun. That's another pro for kydex! You can set the retention. This makes it easy to draw and easy to re holster quickly. Also for IWB and OWB holsters they are fairly comfortable and safest ones to use.....IN MY OPINION! Of course everyone has their own. I also own one Kydex OWB holster and that was purchased to be used with my Viridian green laser/light combo. It activates the laser and light as soon as you pull the gun out of the holster. It's heavy on my belt but I trust using it at the range when training.

With that said anyone can use what they want and what works for them. I was just stating my opinion and I'm pretty sure a lot of people would agree that kydex is the way to go because it works well. Especially when you purchase a kydex holster for a specific pistol! Just my opinion!

So to sum things up....Leather and Soft Shell holsters = revolvers and small frame pistols ; Kydex Holsters = everything else!

I wouldn't worry about it Dcastrojr. I'm pretty sure everyone with a CHL or LTC is able to legally open carry a handgun as long as it's properly holstered. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this? Does it matter whether you have a CHL or a LTC? Is that the same thing here in Texas now since open carry is legal? I would just think that a long as you're carrying in legal areas that printing underneath your clothes wouldn't be a big deal as long as you're licensed and carrying legally. Also don't feel bad about not carrying with a round in the chamber. It's also better safe than sorry. Sometimes getting use to handling your gun and learning more about gun safely before carrying a loaded weapon is ideal. Sometimes time is what's needed to become more confident in your abilities. I didn't keep a round in the chamber for over a year after purchasing my first pistol because it didn't feel safe. But once you start practicing carrying around the house and have more experience handling firearms then that fear will go away. I think every new persons fear with carrying a gun is that it will just go off all of a sudden. Once you practice and do it long enough that fear will go away.

With that said I only practice carrying with kydex holsters. I don't trust anything other than kydex and personally think anything else are trash holsters. Especially the soft ones! I don't have my license yet but when I get it and start carrying I will probably also feel nervous about people seeing me carry. With that said I'm glad we have legal open carry now for licensed holders. I'll probably choose to open carry my pistol anyways since I hate IWB holsters. I'll just wear a hoodie or bigger shirt to cover up my pistol and OWB holster. Or I might go with one of those shoulder holsters and wear a jacket since I like carrying full size pistols. Carrying a full size Glock 22 or 1911 with a IWB holster doesn't really work. It's just not very concealable or comfortable.