Any notes on "Smart Carry".. Feed Backs??

[Reysc]

While awaiting my CHL, I'm kind of researching what holster(s) to use. Six days a week I wear shirt and tie/coat and tie... I was browsing their website last night and I'm getting impressed.. Your thoughts and experiences will be appreciated..Thanks in advance..BTW, my carry will be a G26 or a snubby 5 shot 38 ..

[nitrogen]

While awaiting my CHL, I'm kind of researching what holster(s) to use. Six days a week I wear shirt and tie/coat and tie... I was browsing their website last night and I'm getting impressed.. Your thoughts and experiences will be appreciated..Thanks in advance..BTW, my carry will be a G26 or a snubby 5 shot 38 ..

I dress similarly, and carry with a comp-tac C.T.A.C. which is tuckable. There are also other IWB solutions that are tuckable. I tried a smart-carry type solution, but it felt weird, having the gun sloshing around near my unmentionables was unnerving. I carry an XD-9 subcompact which is a similar size, and it conceals wonderfully in the CTAC.

[Reysc]

Thanks Nitrogen.. Sure appreciate the feed back!!

[John]

I have one in my holster drawer that you can try. Egads... did i just say that, think of where that things been ... nevermind.

I've used it some in the summer time, but hardly ever any more. It's not a bad idea, I just don't like where it places the business end (remember - never cover anything with the barrel that you are not willing to distroy).

[Reysc]

Thanks.. LOL!!! I thought of that and while I trust the three way safety system of the Glock... hmmmmm I need to draw a line somewhere. Never point your barrel........ is right!!! Well, thanks again and we share the sentiment!!! Thanks!!

[OverEasy]

My $.02,
Go ahead and get a SmartCarry. You may not want to wear it every day, but there will be some times when a SmartCarry is about the only thing that will work. (ie. to insure that people hugging you and bumping up against you won't detect your gun)

I use IWB with an untucked shirt or windbreaker or sportcoat.

I have a 'tuckable' IWB but it is a real pain to 'tuck' and for me it is hard and slow to 'untuck' and draw.

Another $.02; Get a good "gunbelt' for whatever you end up with.
(http://www.thebeltman.net, Galco, Don Hume, Aker(B21) )

Others will chime in about holsters, C-TAC, VersamaxII, Summer Comfort, The Answer, etc. there are alot of good ones.

I use a Threat Solutions UCR, IWB/kydex, for my Glock. I like it.

I don't want to spend the money for a Tucker, The Answer.
I found a similar holster at http://www.crossbreedholsters.com for less than half the price. I'm waiting for it to arrive, so I can't tell you anything about it yet.

You can't play golf with just one club and I haven't met a woman with only one pair of shoes..... Just prepare yourself for the "search for the perfect holster".

Regards, OE

[Reysc]

Thanks OE.. Wow, a wealth of info from everywhere. You're right I need different holsters for different occasions. Goodness, gotta go shopping armed with all the ood recommendations ya'll providing..

[John]

Warning thread hyjack coming...

Everyone ends up with a holster drawer and I've given some of mine away and traded some too. An interesting concept spawned by some hotel chains is a book exchange. I've been in hotel lobbies where they had a rack of books and a sign that stated "Leave a Book, Take a book". It seems like a pretty good concept, you finish up a book on the plane or while at the hotel and you swap it for one on the rack for the trip home (these were all paper backs).

Since we all have holsters that we never use (you know you do ) , why not have a holster exchange area?

[nitrogen]

On another board i'm on, we have "Pay It Forward" threads, where people give away and claim various things, like holsters, mags, speedloaders, etc.

That might be a good idea once in a while.

[Reysc]

Not a thread hijack.. just expounding on the subject... ..Or maybe a holster garage sale.. or a holster meet.. That would be great specially for new chl holders like me... OK now, somebody start a new thread on the subject..

[G36Packer]

My experience with Thunderwear (similar to SmartCarry) is good. The smaller the gun the better. I wear it when I tuck. I use the new Fobus IWB when not tucked.

[Flatland2D]

I just got my Smart Carry in today. I'm still waiting on my CHL so I haven't been out and about with it yet, but after a little playing around getting it right and comfortable I'm really starting to like it. Sitting down and standing up isn't much of a problem. Drawing is faster that I imagined. I'd say concealability is almost perfect, or as good as it's going to get. There's really no unnatural bulges once you get it situated correctly. Even with my shirt pulled up it wasn't very noticable. A shirt that hangs over your waist a few inches will even out anything in your pants and will give you some added piece of mind. I tried a tucked in shirt and again there wasn't much noticable.

My only dislikes so far is that the stitches that hold the strapping to the denim part line up right with my hip bones and rubbed against me. I've pretty much solved this problem by moving the holster a tad lower. But, you can't move it down too far because your waistband helps hold the butt of the grip close against you. Also, I can see this being a bit of an inconvenience having to drop your pants every time you want to put it on. I may try and get in the habit of putting the holster on when I get dressed and leaving it on the entire day whether I'm carrying or not. It's barely noticable without a gun inside.

My general attire is t-shirt and shorts; jeans and jacket if it's cold enough. I'm also 5'8" and 140lbs so I don't have much to work with as far as concealment goes. I wanted something that offered very high concealability even in light dressing, and I think this'll work. I also plan on getting an IWB holster for when wearing heavier clothing. Having a jacket or sweatshirt on makes things a lot easier to conceal. I'd feel more comfortable with an IWB holster when I have more padding on, plus I'd avoid the inconvenience of putting on the Smart Carry (it only takes a few seconds but I'm lazy).

All in all, it appears to be a great holster from the few hours I've been walking around my home with it on. My only worry is that putting it on every morning will become a hassle, compared to an IWB holster you can slip right in. I'm hoping that by leaving it on most of the day I can avoid this. It's really not that bad, and I figure I'll get faster at putting it on the more I wear it. Just another added step before walking out the door. I've been looking forward to getting one for a while now, so I was very happy it came today. Took exactly one week to get here from the day that I ordered.

Edit: Forgot to add that I've been wearing this with a Steyr M9, about the size of a G19 in case you're not familiar with them.

[jclif1995]

i never could get that thing to work properly. couldn't sit down correctly. and that is anything from a commander sized down to a beretta tomcat.

[No4Mk1]

I tried one and was dissapointed after hearing positive things from a few people. Could never get it in a comfortable position, and also like others was unnerved by the idea of a pistol flopping around "up there". Ended up returning it, so I was only out shipping, but I would say try other methods first.

I generally carry tuckable IWB and use a Comp-Tac shirt tucker, or a Tucker Texas heritage depending on the size of the pistol. I also have a "Defender" from Action Direct that I use on the rare occasion that I want to use a "belly-band" type holster, and have been very pleased with that, particularly for the price.

Here is a link for the Defender:

http://www.action-direct.com/defender.htm

[GrannyGlock]

The Texas dealer lives in Lubbock and we are meeting him this week to see about getting at least one for me (medium for Glock 19) and maybe a large for hubby (17, or 21) He says we can have them for several days to see how we like them. Looking forward to trying it because I don't do belts at all right now and wasn't loooking forward to suspenders with elastic waist pants.