ACCESSORIES YOU’LL NEED AFTER BUYING A GUN IN TEXAS: A LOOK AT CONCEALED CARRY HOLSTERS

Today, we’re going to talk about how to choose the right concealed carry holster.  This is one of the first things you’ll need to be doing after buying a gun in Texas for self-defense.  Also, it’s just as important as the choice of firearm for ensuring that you’ll be able to protect yourself should the need arise.

Here are the qualities you’ll want in a concealed carry weapon (CCW) holster:
 

1. Concealment – This might seem obvious, but it’s important to look at the reasons why this feature is so important.  For one thing, the days of the old west are long gone; these days, it’s considered downright impolite to walk into a local store, post office, or cafe with a pistol strapped to your side.  For another, concealment gives the carrier the benefit of having the element of surprise on his or her side in a defensive shooting situation.  A mugger or rapist will be unprepared for the sight of that handful of cold steel in the intended victim’s hand.  The shock value alone may cause them to turn tail and run.  If not, then it will be necessary to use the weapon, but that’s a topic for another post.

2. Easy draw – A handgun that can’t be drawn quickly and smoothly is worse than useless.  So your CCW holster must allow you easy access, ideally in a small fraction of a second.  The worst possible scenario is the weapon getting stuck just at the moment you need it most.

3. Comfort – No one wants to go about their daily business with a gun barrel poking into their stomach or rib cage.  Enough said about that.

4. Retention – A holster’s most basic purpose is to keep your weapon in place until it’s needed.  For CCW holsters, this purpose is usually accomplished with the addition of a strap/thumb break. 
 

Those are the four purposes any CCW holster must serve if it’s to be worthy of your consideration.  With that in mind, let’s talk about the features you should look for when choosing one:

1. Exact fit – A good CCW holster is one that’s designed specifically for the type of gun you carry.  There’s no such thing as “one-size-fits-all” in the world of concealed carry.

2. An open, rigid mouth – After you’ve drawn your weapon, you’ll need to re-holster it, which is nearly impossible to do if the material it’s made of collapses on itself.  So look for a holster made with rigid materials around the mouth.

3. Cover for the trigger guard and safety – The last thing you need is to accidentally depress the trigger while you’re going about your business.  So a good holster will include a feature to prevent this from happening.  On some occasions, such as when you’re in a potentially dangerous situation, you may wish to release the safety while leaving the weapon holstered.  A good holster will allow for this while preventing the safety from being released unintentionally.     

4. Removability – Lastly, the holster should detach from your clothing easily at the end of the day.  Different models are designed for various clothing styles, with some being intended for wearing under a sports jacket and others meant to be tucked inside the waistline.  Still others are designed specifically for ladies to carry in their purses.  So choose a model that works with your most common wardrobe choices.

This is just a quick introduction to the subject of holsters.  In later posts, we’ll go into the subject in greater detail.  In the meantime, why not take a few moments to look at our great selection of used guns online?  Each one has been inspected and test-fired by our expert gunsmiths and is backed by a full lifetime warranty.