Alien Gear Holster - inside or outside waistband ?

[indyyy]

I'm considering an alien gear holster since they now have one for the S&W SD9VE. Currently I have a cheap cloth/nylon one that is harder to draw if inside the waistband vs outside. Since alien gear looks sturdier, I'd like some input whether inside or outside is about the same as far as drawing your gun as well as preferences between the two and any reason for your preference. Thanks!

 

[jturner3]

I have both for my 24/7 g2. Either are very easy to draw from. Reholstering is a challenge in either sometimes but if needed why would you re holster. For the price point both are wonderful. I would consider upgrading the clips to the iwb. Either steel or loop type. Have had mine a year and wished I would have gotten the better ones. Oh well looks like I'm headed to the website now!!! Lol.

Edit: as I sit typing I am using my owb. Get a good belt for either. I'm still hunting for that myself.

Edc: taurus 24/7 g2 compact 9mm.

 

[bofh]

Just a general observation. Alien Gear and a number of other holsters, such as the Comp-Tac MTAC, use spacers with screws between the kydex and the leather backing. I found this to be a major design weakness. Not only can the screws become loose if they are not pinned with loctite thread locker, but the rubber spacers weaken over time (leading to re-holstering issues). In contrast, Crossbreed and similar holsters, such as the N82 Tactical Pro, use rivets and no spacers. The clips still use screws that should be pinned with loctite thread locker.

In any case, I wouldn't go with a hybrid holster for OWB, like the Alien Gear Cloak Slide OWB Holster, but with a full kydex pancake holster for OWB instead.

 

[bofh]

I have both for my 24/7 g2. Either are very easy to draw from. Reholstering is a challenge in either sometimes but if needed why would you re holster. For the price point both are wonderful. I would consider upgrading the clips to the iwb. Either steel or loop type. Have had mine a year and wished I would have gotten the better ones. Oh well looks like I'm headed to the website now!!! Lol.

Edit: as I sit typing I am using my owb. Get a good belt for either. I'm still hunting for that myself.

Edc: taurus 24/7 g2 compact 9mm.

I guess you have never done any defensive handgun training. While you should re-holster reluctantly after using a handgun for self defense, you should not get distracted by fiddling around with your gear. Keep scanning the area, secure witnesses and evidence, and watch out for arriving law enforcement, have all higher priority than trying to figure out why your gun is not going back into the holster. Also, during a full-day defensive handgun training class, you will draw and re-holster your gun 50-100 times. Use a crappy holster and you will have a very frustrating day. A good holster lasts for years. There is no need to go cheap on something as important as a holster.

 

[jturner3]

I guess you have never done any defensive handgun training. While you should re-holster reluctantly after using a handgun for self defense, you should not get distracted by fiddling around with your gear. Keep scanning the area, secure witnesses and evidence, and watch out for arriving law enforcement, have all higher priority than trying to figure out why your gun is not going back into the holster. Also, during a full-day defensive handgun training class, you will draw and re-holster your gun 50-100 times. Use a crappy holster and you will have a very frustrating day. A good holster lasts for years. There is no need to go cheap on something as important as a holster.

Agreed with this. Haven't done any classes, no. That's on the list soon though, after the wife has the baby and we get our new house settled. That's when the new holsters come too [emoji3]


Edc: taurus 24/7 g2 compact 9mm.

 

[bofh]

Agreed with this. Haven't done any classes, no. That's on the list soon though, after the wife has the baby and we get our new house settled. That's when the new holsters come too [emoji3]


Edc: taurus 24/7 g2 compact 9mm.

That doesn't sound like soon to me, unless your wife is 7 months in and you are about to close on a house. The best time to do training for a beginner is summer. The majority of courses are held outdoors and they teach many valuable skills. Those ~$150-$250 + 300-400 rounds of ammo per day are well spent. Courses range from single day only to up to three days. A training day can be a LOT of fun. Just find a range nearby and sign up for a single-day course (if you have the money and the time). leasantry:

Reid Henrichs - Valor Ridge Pistolcraft I
Krysta Blade - Tactical Response Fighting Pistol Day One
Krysta Blade - Tactical Response Fighting Pistol Day Two

Note, these videos are from multi-day courses in Tennessee.

 

[indyyy]

Just a general observation. Alien Gear and a number of other holsters, such as the Comp-Tac MTAC, use spacers with screws between the kydex and the leather backing. I found this to be a major design weakness. Not only can the screws become loose if they are not pinned with loctite thread locker, but the rubber spacers weaken over time (leading to re-holstering issues). In contrast, Crossbreed and similar holsters, such as the N82 Tactical Pro, use rivets and no spacers. The clips still use screws that should be pinned with loctite thread locker.

Interesting - I watched this video earlier today that compares alien gear and crossbreed. He likes the spacers because they make the fit somewhat adjustable as the holster gets worn in. I haven't owned either, so maybe I'll take a little time reading what you guys post and learning a bit about different holsters before buying:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4kOoImZDfc

 

[bofh]

Interesting - I watched this video earlier today that compares alien gear and crossbreed. He likes the spacers because they make the fit somewhat adjustable as the holster gets worn in. I haven't owned either, so maybe I'll take a little time reading what you guys post and learning a bit about different holsters before buying:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4kOoImZDfc

Interesting review. I have a Crossbreed holster for my Glock 19 (which is also usable for my Glock 26) and a separate one for my Glock 20. I regularly carry the Glock 19 (or Glock 26) for the last 2 years and to not have such wear and tear issues. I carry the Glock 20 when hiking or training only. I do take better care of the leather (see CrossBreed Holsters | FAQ | #1), as it is holding up pretty well. My holsters do have similar cuts in the leather from drawing. As for the kydex, mine is still a pretty snug fit. Note that there is a way to adjust the retention on any kydex holster (see Crossbreed retention adjustment for Crossbreed-specific instructions).

May be this guy tried to adjust the retention and had some mishap with the heat gun, because a handgun should never have that much play in any kydex holster? Note that screws wouldn't fix his problem as the kydex shell is clearly out of shape. The retention is created by the trigger guard dent in the kydex shell and the pressure applied by strapping the holster between the belt/pants and body. Screws around the kydex shell only help with adjusting the pressure, but do help with the trigger guard dent. This is why I think screws around the kydex shell are useless, while a single screw right next to the trigger guard below the barrel can help adjusting retention (like with the FlashBang holster he has).

I have zero issues with that barrel thing that he seems to have and I carried both, the Glock 19 and the Glock 20, with extended barrels for a while. I just don't wear tight pants and my guns don't have sharp edges.

I recently ordered a NSR Tactical (LLC-4) Leather Lined Concealment Fold Over Adjustable Retention holster for my Glock 19. I have heard only good things about them. The production backlog is quite long though (8-10 weeks).

 

[jturner3]

That doesn't sound like soon to me, unless your wife is 7 months in and you are about to close on a house.

Haha closing close yes. Baby= not so close. Close snuff that my allowance has stopped. For "upgrades" like furniture, paint, baby stuff etc.




Edc: taurus 24/7 g2 compact 9mm.

 

[SCfromNY]

While I am no a fan of the Hybrid holsters because of a dislike of Kydex they do seem to fulfill a niche. Consider the price you are paying and do you really expect that holster to last for years of hard work. I did try one for a while but did not like the feel. it did have a nice draw. For that money you can go to Don Hume and get a surprisingly good quality leather IWB for under $30 as well as a nice OWB leather for under $40.

 

[JTauscher]

Just a general observation. Alien Gear and a number of other holsters, such as the Comp-Tac MTAC, use spacers with screws between the kydex and the leather backing. I found this to be a major design weakness. Not only can the screws become loose if they are not pinned with loctite thread locker, but the rubber spacers weaken over time (leading to re-holstering issues). In contrast, Crossbreed and similar holsters, such as the N82 Tactical Pro, use rivets and no spacers. The clips still use screws that should be pinned with loctite thread locker.

In any case, I wouldn't go with a hybrid holster for OWB, like the Alien Gear Cloak Slide OWB Holster, but with a full kydex pancake holster for OWB instead.

Alien gear holster have a lifetime warranty on the holster, and a lifetime guarantee that if you change your gun you get free new kydex shells for life. no matter how long you have your holster. that to me is what convinced me to buy alien gear.

I have both an IWB and a OWB. depends on how i feel to what i wear.

 

[rugerhoyt]

Last I knew, Alien Gear didn't use Kydex in their holsters. They use Boltaron. Better impact resistance than Kydex I believe.

I just ordered a cloak tuck 3.0. Tough to beat their warranty; 30 day trial, free shells for life, and no questions asked lifetime warranty. for $50 bucks I'll give them a shot.

 

[indyyy]

Thanks for all the input - i wound up getting one of these Uncle Mike's. May get a few others, but so far I like this one because I can put the belt to the outside of the holster and wear it outside or inside the pants and it keeps the pistol close to the body either way. It conceals a full size pistol pretty well with only a slightly loose t shirt.

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