Scheduled trip hiking, camping far Northwoods. Need to carry anonymously, too many details to go into. M29 4 inch., don't want to spend a lot of money on leather to carry it in, only to find out I coulda', shoulda" bought something else.
Quality is important, close to the body with comfort, loose fitting shirt will conceal, belt or shoulder? Lined or unlined ( to protect the nickle finish) how much bulk does lining add?
Please, any experienced advice is greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Leonard

I use a rig from simply rugged, for under $150 you can get a great holster, belt and cartridge slide that just plain works, I can carry a 4" N frame and do a good job of concealing it with little more then an untucked T shirt, there's lots of good outfits that advertise on the forum but I only have experience with simply rugged. Hope this helps

Most of my herd rides in Kramer and Milt Sparks. They are NOT a cheap solution however. They are some of the finest available at any price.
You need to make some decisions on type of holster that you need or want...IWB?OWB?Paddle? Shoulder? Crossdraw? Safepacker style?

What type of material will you need or want? Leather? Kydex? Hybrid? Nylon?

How long will you wear it? short time? Medium ? All Day? Etc. Do you need a retention strap or Open Top? Will this need to be concealed or Open carry in the woods? Will you be carrying with a back pack?

How much is too much money? It is hard to spend too much money on a high quality holster which is what you need for this application.
( At least that is what works here in Montana)

For the scenario you
described, you also need a very sturdy belt to go with you holster purchase.

Lots of things to make a decision on..........

Randy

PS.. I would also invest in a goodly amount of ammo and practice time with your M29 and some speed loaders.
Just my thoughts.....

Of the commercial variety, I've always found Galco to be the best. I winter carry a 3" 629 in a Galco Silhouette with no issues. They run around $70-$80. They other thing I would say is this, even if you have to go to Wal-Mart to get one, if you don't own one, buy a 1.5 belt, it makes a huge difference. YMMV.

Thank you for your opinions

As per questions raised by a previous post.

Medium time carry, leather rig, holster and belt, concealed by overshirt. Price no object. Quality, comfort, functionality, primary concerns. Will carry additional speedloaders with me,
I am proficient with a 29.

Thank you for your time,
Leonard

There are a lot of holsters $150 or less, especially if you're willing to wait a few weeks for delivery. Generic holsters like Galco use inferior materials and have a poor fit.

I have an Alessi CQC "pancake" holster for my 29-8 Mountain Gun. I couldn't ask for a more comfortable holster. It holds the revolver close to your side, and is easily concealable if you have a cover garment long enough to cover the muzzle with a little room to spare.

A 4" barrel is a little long for an IWB, like a Milt Sparks VM2, but would probably work OK with a steel reinforcing band. Otherwise your belt puts too much tension on the cylinder, making it hard to draw. It's also hard to keep your pants from sagging with a heavy pistol inside the belt. An OWB holster works much better in that regard.

I would go with a Lobo Enhanced Pancake with Optional Thumb Break. I have 8 Lobo Pancakes for various revolvers from 2" J Frames to 4" N Frames. They carry and conceal well.

All of my Lobo Pancakes are open top with Inner Hammer Shields. For your hiking activities, I would get an optional thumb Break added for added weapon retention. When I am bumming around in the woods I normally dig out an old Bianchi #5. It has good retention. The Lobo Pancake with thumb Break added will have great retention and carry much closer to the body than the #5.

Carrying a 4" N Frame you will need a sloppy fit long shirt. Something like a Columbia Fishing Shirt about 1 size larger than you normally wear might fill the requirement nicely. Today I was wearing a Dickie shortsleeve Kaki shirt from WalMart one size to big with the tail out about like a lite Jac Shirt. I can cover any handgun I conceal carry under the kaki shirt with the tail out.
Lobo Gun Leather - Home

Also you will need a good 1.5" leather belt.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

I carry my 4 inch 29 in a Simply Rugged pancake on a Ares Gear Ranger belt. It conceals under a shirt, doesn't sag, and is comfortable.

I got a Roy Baker pancake holster about a month ago from a fellow that advertised in the acessories for sale here on the forum, it holds a 6.5 barrel N frame it has 5 slots, can be carried cross draw on the left side and with a long tailed shirt it wont show, fits very close to your side. I would check ebay for one of his, he has been gone for several years but they still come up for sale. The holster was sold by semperfi71, you could search back in the acessories from about 4 orr 5 weeks ago and see how they look. Jeff

Price no object? I've always wanted to be able to say that...

Seriously, though, I can't imagine going hiking with a 4" N-Frame in an IWB holster. I know many members here use an OWB belt holster, and you may decide to do that as well. But I much prefer a shoulder holster in that situation, where I am walking on uneven ground, taking uneven steps. I won't deny that it does take quite a bit of fiddling to get things arranged so that the pack straps do not interfere or get hung up with the shoulder holster. The size and type of backpack you are going to use impacts this decision. Your posts say hiking and camping, with medium time carry, but doesn't indicate what type of trip it is. It is a multiple night stay in a single, central location, with day hikes, using a small to medium, non-framed pack? Or a full-sized, framed rig designed for multiple days on the trail, carrying everything including the tent to the next nights camp site? The latter circumstance makes it a lot more challenging to conceal something since the pack itself takes up so much space on you.

For me, and maybe only me, a shoulder holster is more comfortable than a belt holster, and if belt is the only option a crossdraw is more comfortable than strongside carry.

Enjoy your trip.

Old West mod 1177 6. Has faithfully carried my 6 1/2" 29, my 10 1/2" Ruger, and my 4" 581. Great sturdy shoulder holster that nicely conceals all above under a normal jacket. Never had a slip-out or retention issue.
Very comfortable. Great holster.

I don't carry a M-29 concealed, but I do carry mine when hunting out west for deer/elk.

I prefer a crossdraw for 4inch or 6inch barrels and use a "Bianchi Cyclone 111" leather holster....the "Galco Phoenix" in crossdraw is another good option.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I own a 329NG that I carry all during hunting season in a Kramer horsehide leather Speed Scabbard holster. It is an excellent OWB that carries the revolver high on the hip and close to the body; it will work for concealed carry with a outer shirt or jacket covering it.

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

Don't tromp the hills like I used too...But when I did and wanted to carry a four inch 29 discreetly, I used this rig,





Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I carry my 629 Mountain Revolver in a Del Fatti shoulder rig. Covers easily with a big shirt. Two dump pouches on the right side hold Tuff strips with spare ammo. Very secure ans comfortable.

The most concealable way to carry a 4" 44 Mag, is a Milt Sparks Summer Special IWB holster.

They do have a long waiting period.

For an OWB, ie a Belt Holster I would take a look at something that was a High Rise from Galco or Bainchi.

You can cover it with a large shirt, with the tail out, or a longish vest like a Filson or a 5.11.

A few months ago I was in a Large Metroplex in a small resturant eating right next to 4 LEO's. I was on my way to the deer lease and wearing [Legally] a 4" 44Mag Mountain Gun, with 2 Speed Loaders on my belt, covered by a 5.11 shirt untucked. They never noticed.