So I have this 28-2, serial number n100xxx. It is pristine, and I am about to buy some grashorn stocks for it. I need some grips that are nice looking, and have a small profile. I am going to carry this gun.

Background: I work at home. I live in a state that allows carry open or concealed, with permit. I usually conceal, and I intend to conceal with this 28-2, as best as possible.

Current Problem. When I carry a gun on a belt, even with a gun belt, my pants sag. I have a double thickness belt I bought from a maker years ago that doesn't appear to work for me. Maybe it is my style of jeans, but belt carry on my pants doesn't seem workable.

Another issue for me is grip height. I do not like the grip riding up very high. In fact, I can't stand it. I prefer for the weapon to sit lower on the belt.

So I am looking at some field rigs made by Mernickle. I like the FC567. From the pics on their site, it looks like I could carry a revolver lower, but still close in to the body. Another benefit is the ability to take the entire rig off and put it back on quickly, without having to work around belt loops, etc. I would prefer to be able to strap on the rig and hit the road to do my errands and such without too much trouble.

Questions; does anyone here use that or a similar rig? Does that wider belt help with the weight better than the 1.75 inch pant belts?

I want to carry this gun because I plan to shoot it quite a bit with full power loads. This gun soaks up the recoil nicely. I will also carry a jframe for a bug.

Someone here surely uses or has used one of these field rigs. I've seen the pictures on here.

I have a 4" 28 with Executioner's stag grips and T-grip.......

Not the best concealed carry rig but I'm using a Bianchi 111 cross-draw..works well for country/woods/field carry with an LL Bean lined Hurricane shirt.

ricky 45,

You may not care for this solution, but it works very well for me, especially when carrying a handgun that weighs as much as the HP Model 28. I do wear a double thickness leather belt. It took a bit of break in before it was really comfortable, but it wasn't long until the leather assumed the curve of my body and became much more comfortable. (Be aware that my body is fairly large and this situation may be a bit more acute if your girth is much smaller than mine!).

For several years, I have been wearing Perry suspenders. These have plastic belt clips that fit over the belt instead of attaching to your waist band. Wearing these also took a bit of getting used to. I buy their "dress" suspenders which have straps that are 1 1/2" wide instead of the standard width of 2". They are very durable and once you get them properly adjusted for length so that there is just enough tension to hold your belt at the height you wish without too much tension, they make it very much more easy to carry any side arm without much pant sag at all. Perhaps it is even easier for me to wear the suspenders now since I am old enough nobody pays much attention. I mostly always wear jeans as well. With a good belt and these suspenders, carry has become a much more comfortable process for me. I carry all day everyday.

You can tuck your shirt and wear a vest, etc, or you can wear a tee shirt with the suspenders over it to hold up your business and wear a shirt with the tail untucked and do a good job of concealment if the shirt is darker or has a pattern and is not very light weight material and too tight. My pants tend to head south even if I'm not wearing a handgun around my waist, so the suspenders have really been a good solution for me. I tried suspenders with waistband clips first, but the Perry method of attachment has been very much better for me. They allow easy removal from your belt when you need to drop your pants in the toilet, especially when you have a cover garment that you don't wish to remove. When you are finished with that business, you can pull your pants up and reattach the suspenders without having to remove anything to manage reattachment. I have no experience with the Mernickle holsters except to know that they are quality products and I believe they do make models that will carry the handgun a bit lower on your belt. I do not personally like a high ride holster for the reasons you mention. To conceal the 28, you will have to have a covering garment of sufficient length to hide it, and the Perry's are comfortable underneath such a garment if you wear them over a tee shirt. I summer time, I wear a moisture wicking tee and it is very tolerable in the heat where I live (mostly pretty low humidity, but in my experience, high humidity isn't comfortable whatever you wear!). Just thought I'd pass this information along for your consideration. It sure works for me!

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So long ... Ken

I was going to suggest suspenders, but I thought someone might say they make you look like a storm trooper. Glad that Pudge mentioned that option.

The only other alternative is you could just let your pants sag down around your knees and say you are following the fashions of today's youth.

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You're shy a few manners.

I think the suspenders would be ok if I use a pant belt and belt holster. But I would have to go with a scabbard type holster, I want to avoid a high ride. I'm not worried about total concealment, it isn't required here.

Sounds like you should have a holster made.

Ricky,

I'll make one more suggestion. I've been wearing and using holsters since the mid 60's, both in a duty context as well as off duty and personal protection carry. Yes, I have a large box of holsters that I don't use, and that's after selling and giving away a good many. I haven't tried every brand or model of holster, but I feel comfortable saying that I've tried examples of about every kind of holster that's readily available, both expensive and cheap. I personally prefer leather, although I've got just a few kydex holsters that work, but I seldom wear them. All this said, I'm not an expert on holsters, and even if I was, it would only be based on what works for me. We are all different and have personal considerations and needs.

A couple of years ago, I became acquainted with a holster maker named Tim Thurber who operates as TTGunleather.com. Tim makes very good quality holsters, his business practices are exemplary in my experience, and he uses very good quality materials. He makes holsters in similar styles to many made by other makers, as is pretty much the case with all of them. But he has a very good eye for design, and his designs work VERY well for me, as well as for most others who have tried them. I've never been able to abide an IWB holster for any length of time, so the first holster I bought from him is his Model DDOO OWB holster. It is made to work like a pancake style holster, but it has wide belt loops which spreads the weight of a heavy handgun (or a light one, for that matter) across several inches of belt line. I normally mount the holster with a belt loop between the two loops which gives me about 3 to 4 inches of room to position it where it works the best for me. With a double thickness belt snugged up properly, there is no sagging and the handgun is held very closely and securely to my body, yet still allows a complete grasp on the grip. Draw from the holsters is very smooth, yet the firearm is held very securely in place. It takes about a week of daily wear for the holster to conform itself to the shape of your body with the gun in place, but when that is done, the grip of your firearm will always be in exactly the same place each time you reach for it. The wide loops are very snugly built to your belt width, and the holster is held firmly in place to allow a smooth clean draw. ( I tend to like more forward cant rather than less. My holster have about 20 degrees of forward cant. Reholstering is not a problem, especially after that break in, even with my revolvers. I now have them for several guns, both revolvers and semi autos, including an N frame S&W (Model 325 Night Guard with short barrel and alloy frame) as well as steel framed 1911's. The only parts of the N Frame that extends above the belt line are the grips and a small portion of the back side of the trigger guard. Large or small gun, this holster just flat works very well for me! It also conceals as well as any OWB holster I've ever carried since the gun is held very closely to my body contour and does not extend outward more than a couple thickness of leather on either side of the cylinder. The profile of the holster and gun is spread out in pretty much a gentle curve as opposed to a large "gob" of gun and leather in one spot. No flopping, flapping or allowing the grips to move outward or inward.

After talking at some length with Tim (first of all about the degree of cant available which he is willing to accommodate to the extent the holster design will allow), I decided to try the latest design of his IWB holster, the Slim XC, designed to carry the gun as low as possible on my waist in the thinnest package possible IWB. There is no extra support around the holster mouth, and none is needed. This holster has a flat back, with the moulding all done on the outside piece, and again, it's wide enough to spread the support over a larger space on my belt and waist. It's very secure, very easy to access and use, and to reholster. The revolvers, because of the cylinder width, don't reholster quite as easily as a semi auto, but do so with very little issues. This is the first (and only) IWB holster I've ever been able to wear and use, and that's cost me money, since I have this holster for several guns, both large and small, and both revolvers and semi autos. It is extremely comfortable compared to the several other IWB holsters I've tried to wear.

I've bought no other brand of holster since I bought my first holster from Tim. Yes, I'm always recommending them to others. I've allowed friends to borrow one and wear it for a few days, after which every one of them has bought a holster from Tim. I get no benefit from Tim for this. I just want others to experience for themselves the quality and utility of his products. Based on my experience, I think the model DDOO would be an excellent holster to carry your Model 28. Tim's wait time is 6 to 8 weeks. If you have questions, you can call him and talk to him. You'll probably have to wait on him to call you back. His prices are reasonable for a semi custom holster, and I don't think you'll wear it out in years of reasonable use.

Sorry to take so much time and space with all this, but wanted you to know where I'm coming from. You might not like the holster at all, but I'd be very surprised if you don't. Based on what you've said here, I think it would be a good fit for you, especially with a set of those Perry's to help carry the weight. If you have questions for me, PM me with your contact info or I'll provide mine and will be glad to talk. Hope this maybe helps!!

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So long ... Ken

I have a 4" 28-2 and I use an old S&W field holster. I use this for out and about open carry in the warm weather and concealed carry in the cold weather. As for a belt I will say the wider the belt the more stable the carry. Mernickle holsters are excellent and worth the expense and the wait.

I happen to be carrying my model 28 at work today.

I am what you might call a "larger" frame, and have the gun in an IWB holster from Theis Holsters. I have it supported on a Triple K Garrison belt.

Very comfortable, doesn't drag my pants down much at all due to the spread out pattern of the holster and quality of the belt. I can certainly tell it is there, but I generally get all day comfort out of the combo. The Theis holster is adjustable for ride height and cant as well.