This is cross-posted from another forum and was posted on 12-21 so there has been some time to wear both of these since the first post.

Im a newb to the forum and to the M&P line of pistols. I picked up a full size .40 after wanting to step up from my Sig P938 in hopes I could conceal a full size pistol. As most do I picked up a few holsters. Price is a major factor being that it usually takes a person a few different holsters to find the right one. Im not loaded, so throwing down $100 on a single holster just wasnt going to happen.

Im mildly built, 6ft 2in, 205, but suffer from igottanobutt-itis. I was afraid the lack there of wouldnt be able to hold the larger pistol up so a shoulder holster was suggested. But those dont conceal very well. So I picked up a Kangaroo Carry Air Marshal 2. Im glad Im not a woman because I wouldnt be able to wear a bra. That holster just wasnt going to work for me. I couldnt stand having elastic around my ribcage. So I went back to trying a typical IWB hybrid and had two that caught my eye.



The first holster I ordered was the last received. This one was from www.firearmholster.com after seeing the rave reviews on XDTalk. Very customize-able, very good looking holsters for a very fair price. $49 shipped with a bit of a lead time. I ordered the holster on 11/29. Received on 12/20. This is a one man show, not much communication with the owner, just a notice when it shipped. I was very interested in this holster due to the looks, and the construction with the felt lined backing/rubber lining/leather. My previous Shielded Holster brand IWB holster was very rough on the back side and irritated my muffin top when worn in the 3 o'clock position. :stuart: This holster is very comfortable, very soft back, good clips, very good retention of the firearm. Easy to holster and un-holster. Smaller than the Alien Gear but not as flexable. It seems this one will take a little more breaking in. The cant isnt as severe as the Alien Gears either, but has more clip adjustment.






This seems to be the only "Problem" with the Firearm Holster. My M&P was equipped with the thumb safety. With the safety on the Kydex just barely contacts the lever. There is no pressure on the lever. With the safety off there is no contact.



Another possible problem would be where the leather contacts the magazine release. Its right on the edge of the leather and could possible flex enough to release the magazine. Ill keep an eye on that.


The "Tactical Cutaway" a lot of the other companies charge for is included in this holster. It provides a very good easy grip.

Next up, the Alien Gear Holster. This was the cheaper of the two coming in at $36.83 shipped, but was also the one with less frilly options. Very good reviews of this holster as well were found online. Very fast shipping as I ordered on 12/11 and received it on 12/18. Very thick leather with smooth backing, and very thick kydex. The kydex is screwed to the leather with rubber fuel line acting as spacers vs the Firearm Holster being riveted to the leather. Firearm retention can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the screws, or even adding taller spacers. With the thicker kydex the little details of the pistol arent transferred into the shell so its smoother than the thinner Firearm Holster. The pistol doesnt "snap" into the holster so the adjustable retention is kind of needed. The metal belt clips are VERY strong on this one and combined with the screws that stick up just a tad past the washer makes this holster difficult to install/remove as Ive been doing a lot of that trying to find the sweet spot. There is only 3 holes per side for height/cant adjustment on this holster. This holster is also wider than the Firearm Holster.





The more flexible leather does tend to let the firearm push the leather into my body a bit more but barely noticeable while carrying.


Safety lever has plenty of room with this holster.


Tactical Cutaway is also standard on this holster and is more defined allowing just as good of a grip if not a bit better.


Magazine release is fully un-covered and shouldnt have a problem.

Now just a few comparison pics of the two.

The thickness of the backing of both are about the same even though the leather is thicker on the Alien Gear holster. The rubber/fleece backing even things out.


Here you can see the thicker kydex of the Alien Gear holster.


Overall size comparison. Both holsters are lined up cant angle wise.




Im going to have a hard time deciding which will by my everyday carry as both are very comfortable. I think the Firearm Holster will need a bit to break in before it becomes as comfortable as the Alien Gear, but the size of the Firearm Holster might be of advantage. Ill come back and update this after some break in time.

So a little update. Its almost been a month now.

The smaller size of the FirearmHolster makes a big difference for me in wearing this thing all day every day. The Alien Gear is just a bit too big for me.

Another hit against the Alien Gear. The backside is way too smooth/slick. The holster constantly slips and moves around. Now granted Im still rocking a cheapo store bought belt while I have a gun belt being made, but I do not have this problem with the FirearmHolster. Some have taken sandpaper to the backside of the Alien Gear to rough the leather up a bit to help with that problem.

The fleece backing on the FirearmHolster is GREAT. While it hasnt been really hot here lately in NE Texas, it has yet to bother me. It helps hold the holster in one spot, and doesnt irritate my delicate skin.

I like the retention of the FirearmHolster as well. It tends to "click" via the slide lock lever on the gun. Still easy to un-holster but no fear of it falling out if I ever find myself hanging upside down from a tree or something. While it has no adjustment like the Alien Gear, I dont think it needs it.

One good thing about the Alien Gear is the amount of cant it has. I can angle it more towards the front and seems to feel better and conceal better. After playing with the FirearmHolster Ive gotten it angled almost the same. The Alien Gear can angle more though I havent needed anymore.

Im going to say so far the FirearmHolster was well worth the wait.

Nice review and comparison. I may have to look into one of the Firearm Holsters you showed.

A few minutes with a knife and a file would fix your issues with the mag release and safety lever.

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Freedom isn't free.

i'm currently wishing that the holster i chose was a bit thinner. the comfort is good, but the padding thick, which i can feel in the tightness of my pants.

Very nice write up! I ordered the Alien gear a few weeks ago anxiously awaiting its arrival.

After wearing the holster, the mag release and safety lever have not given me a single problem.

Excellent review. I have both the AG and FH for my XDm. Although it is difficult to pick which is best, I find myself using the FH most often. So, I guess that's the one my sub-conscience likes the best. I have one more of each on order for my Shield. Actually, just the Kydex shell for the AG holster.

Maybe it's not the holster? Are a few less hamburgers in order? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Actually, this is the reason I don't like IWB; my pants are too tight. I don't want to buy more pants. However, I've lost about 15lbs lately and think I could make an IWB work. The Firearms Holster (he needs a new name) is the right price for something to test.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

You are lucky to have gotten the Alien Gear holster so quickly. My daughter ordered one for me for Christmas on 12-18. They charged her card on the 20th and still no holster. I called, left a message since no one was answering the phone. They finally called back within a week. They confirmed that the holster had not shipped and that they were running about 4 weeks out. What I don't get is how the turn around went from a few days on the 11th of Dec. to 4 weeks 7 days later. So far I am not pleased. They have had my daughter's hard earned money for almost a month and still no product.

Do let us know once you are rocking your new gun belt - it will make all the difference in the world.

What's really interesting to note, is Alien Gear will give you a front half for a new gun if you change guns... on top of their life time warranty.

That's pretty damn good.

Probably because of Christmas. Most quality holsters take a while to get. They are usually manned by only one or two people and often get flooded with orders around Christmas. Getting a custom holster in 4 weeks is pretty good when you consider that most custom places take 3 months or more.

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Freedom isn't free.

Ordered mine on the 28th and received shipping notification yesterday. Holster should be here by Wednesday! I would call them just too double check on your order.

The ability to change the Kydex is nice.

I have a CrossBreed from when I carried a compact - now that I have a Shield I am looking to replace the hoster.
Of course I could drill the rivets and reform and then find some bolts ...

Changing a holster because you add a light or a laser or what ever the next aiming aid will be, seems to be inevitable.

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-Ric
Keep Calm and Carry

Well, here is a little update.

I purchased a good quality gun belt from a local guy and WOW it DOES make a world of difference. Should have been my first move.

The Firearm Holster is still my favorite and have been wearing it everyday since. I just couldn't get used to the large Alien Gear and its smooth backside. Even with he gun belt it still wanted to slide down. The one thing I did like about the Alien Gear was the amount of forward cant. It just tucked the pistol better for me.

I'm not a fan of the metal belt clips. It seems like on me they catch/scratch/cut seats/shirts/surfaces.

With that being said, I've been in contact with Gavin at Firearm Holsters and he is working on making me another one of his holsters, this time with more cant built into it, and leather belt loops instead of the metal clips. I can't wait!

I'll update once I receive the new one.

Update!

So Gavin hooked me up with another holster. I really really liked his holster. I just wanted to tuck the handle up into my back/side a bit more so it didn't print so bad. So I had him whip up another holster with more built in. It's PERFECT.

New one on the left, old one on the right.





He even trimmed down the shell so it wouldn't interfere with the safety(which will be gone as soon as S&W sends me the frame plugs).




The man does nice work!

What degree of cant did you specify on the one on the left? Looks good!