SHIELD - Printing

[OldCat]

I have the AlienGear Cloak 2.0 and am returning it, not because of printing but because it's just plain uncomfortable. No matter what position I tried the Kydex portion is very wide and causes the holster to stick out from my body. The only place it feels ok is at the small of my back but that's not my preferred position.

I have a Galco King-Tuk which is my main IWB. It's very comfortable and secure. It is also adjustable for height and cant. However, it's twice the cost of the AlienGear. The negative is that it's not as adaptable to other guns as the AlienGear since the Kydex is riveted not screwed to the backing.

 

[PastureOfMuppets]

I just don't worry about printing. Many that carry around here don't seem to either. Also, many here in Virginia just open carry.

That's nice for you and other people that live in Virginia.

In other states, it can lead to a lot of pain in the buttery.

 

[ScrapmasterFlex]

listen I recently got an Alien Gear Holsters "Cloak Tuck" (original) IWB Holster * AND* recently got a M&P Shield... in actuality I had ordered the holster for my new Sig P226 MK25 I got in May... but when they told me it would take 4-6 weeks, I had second thoughts, and then I realizes two things- I was never going to carry the MK25 IWB for CCW (I am a small dude) and I bought a Lasermax Genesis green laser, which is not going to fit in the holster- I called Alien Gear and said listen, I am waiting a long time anyway, can you just change it to a Glock 23 ? They said sure... it took 7+ weeks for the holster to come.

Now I was having CCW problems as I am fairly new to CCW and using the Glock 23 for EDC in the Alien Gear Holster was nice, and better than the holster I HAD, but it did not disappear or anything. I made some adjustments, dropped it down a bit, better but not perfect. I had to realize that it was particularly bad when I carry 2 spare, full magazines for the G23 + the actual gun... it's a very heavy load on my hips that seems to make the gun stick out more. Now let me make several points here-

I hate the Alien Gear people, but the holster is very nice. Probably as good as the fancy brands at 1/2-1/4 the price depending. But they are downright jackaces and I think it's absolutely wrong how they took my money, sent me an email saying Order confirmed/payment confirmed, then sent me another sayiing "THANKS- IT WILL BE 6 WEEKS" - I think that is borderline illegal but this is another conversation. I think the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck IWB would be PERFECT for a Shield but I am very hesitant to do business with them again and certainly not interested in waiting. I cannot speak to the 2.0 version as I got the original.

Now as far as carrying the Shield and printing- depending on how I carry it and what I am wearing, I guess it might print oh so little bit. Another point I needed to make above- I am in FL and it's HOT all day every day ... shorts and T-shirts are necessary. So , it's different than maybe other people's carrying. If I was carrying the G23 with the Alien Gear IWB in pants and long shirts and such, I think it would be fine. But it's not and I am not going to just sacrifice half the year - that is one of the main reasons I decided to get the Shield.

Now, as far as printing with the Shield, (again), As said above- if you are finding you absolutely cannot or will not carry it, you're in trouble because anything smaller than a Shield is simply a backup/extremely-dedicated Carry Gun... And I am a small guy, 5'8" maybe 140-145lbs. ... so if I can carry it I think ANYONE can carry it. So far I have been using a Galco Gun Leather holster, a "Walk-a-bout" w/ a spare mag pouch, for a Glock 23... I had it , tried it, fit perfectly... but it's made for front/appendix carry, and generally the Shield fits fine as long as I am not in a tight t-shirt and shorts.. otherwise it's fine.


I did just buy a Blackhawk! pocket holster for trying out, so far so good... I don't think pocket carry is a long-term EDC solution but it has it's uses... but again I think the Cloak Tuck would be ideal I just am not sure I want to buy Alien Gear again- I might go with the Galco King Tuck or a comparable style competitor holster... I am not sure. As for the Alien Gear the poster has that isn't seeming to work- if you don't want it I'd prob be interested but I think you could make it work if you tried playing with it! Hope my info helps someone.

 

[dfhawkins]

Old Faithful and Alien Gear Holsters are owned by the same folks... good folks from my experience. Here in hot, steamy Florida one can carry concealed and even tuck in the shirt or tank... and not print. I carry a Shield 40 every day as you see in the images. Cant, position on the belt, and the fact that people don't look for concealed firearms helps the weapon stay undetected. After a while you will stop being self conscious.

 

[dlbutler]

Here is another thought. Have you thought about a Sneaky Pete holster? It is completely concealed and can be worn with any clothes.

 

[RO73]

Still waiting for the one I ordered to arrived, did you get the new (cloak tuck 2.0 IWB) holster? Can you show a picture?

The Cloak Tuck 2.0 is a great holster. Here I am wearing just a T-shirt over it carrying a Glock 19. Carrying at 4:30 results in zero printing. Hope this helps.

 

[johnnyk71]

I've been making a single belt clip holster for a while now. Smaller guns are ideal for it, although I have a FS M&P on one and don't have any issues at all.



It really depends on the clip is the bottom line. A wide clip is obviously going to allow the holster to twist around.

(You can see the kind of clip I'm talking about as a wider clip here - also in the pics above, the leather holster shown has an excellent width piece to attach to the belt)

The real key though is a good purpose made stiff gun belt to go with the holster.

yep, that's a nice holster you make. hope to have you make me one soon.

 

[NCavi8tor]

Love my N82 Pro with my M&P 45c!! No problem concealing with shorts and a T-shirt. Very comfortable IWB holster!!

NC

 

[MCM]

I went from this:

To this:

100% improvement. (For me at least) Honestly forget its even there.
And the retention is a plus for me. No issues at all.

 

[deriter]

I probably did give a wrong title for this thread. But as I did say, it does not print as in you see the outline of a gun, but of something sticking out a little. Most of the time in the summer I am in shorts and a t-shirt. I am about 5'6" 175 lbs. I can not show pictures as I don't know how to do that. But I will try the cant and see if that helps. I did try the deep conceal and that did help. Maybe adding more cant also will help. I am wondering if even less cant might work. I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions for my problem. I have been carrying for a few years now but still don't want people to figure out that I am carrying. I mean the ones that don't carry as it is a little harder to hide from edc folks.

I totally understand your frustration Scrapmaster with alien, but I do feel I received a good holster. It is the black leather iwb I suppose the standard. It is comfortable. I figured it would come from Idaho, but it came from Arkansas. It does have the alien logo.

Again, thanks for all your support on this topic!

 

[PastureOfMuppets]

I did try the deep conceal and that did help. Maybe adding more cant also will help. I am wondering if even less cant might work.

It might take a little moving around... there are lots of different body types and sizes.


Just don't forget you have to be able to draw the thing - so wardrobe may be the key. Just going up a size in t shirt may do the trick and give you a nice simple draw stroke.

 

[Smitty357]

I went from this:

To this:

100% improvement. (For me at least) Honestly forget its even there.
And the retention is a plus for me. No issues at all.

What holster is that 2nd one. I've been looking for one similar to it. But I'm afraid of side to side movement of the weapon while the body is in different positions. I've always been a fan of 2 point holsters, such as the 1st one u have in the pics. But I'm curious about the 2nd pic and whether or not u get any aide to side movement through the day. Keeping in mind I wear my weapon 12+ hours a day 5 days a week. And on weekends as much as possible.

 

[rwsmith]

And some people here.......

And some people here say carrying a 1911 is just fine.

 

[davemercer]

Don't know what belt you are using, but the proper belt can often make a big difference, esp in holding gun butt close to your body.

 

[PastureOfMuppets]

And some people here say carrying a 1911 is just fine.

A full size single stack polymer striker fired is my unicorn.

 

[STRONGNUFF]

I carry in the 3 to 3:30 position with zero printing, as others have said, dress around your carry weapon also try changing the tilt angle.

 

[dullh]

Change the way you dress.

Possibly change your holster.

I am not familiar with your holster, but I have no problem concealing a full-size M&P in a Desantis Intruder. I wear button-down shirts with a pattern (no solid colors) and a straight hang (like the Royal Robbins and Woolrich Tactical Series) and Polo shirts (solids and stripes) one size too big.

I can conceal certain pistols in belt holsters with these common modes of dress, too...

When you carry a gun you must modify your wardrobe - but the modification doesn't have to be extreme...the two keys are straight hang pattern and one-size-too-big...

Your size matters, too...I am 6'2" and weigh 230#...I can conceal guns smaller people can't...you gotta tinker to get where you want to be...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The one thing you didn't mentioned, which is too often overlooked, is your belt.

What kind of belt are you using? Flimsy, squishy belts from Kmart or JCP will NOT serve you well.

The selection of a belt is just as important as the selection of a holster!.

I wear a Wilderness Explorer. If you require a dressier belt, check out Galco and numerous other holster makers. Whatever you choose must be rigid to keep even IWB holsters from shifting and moving away from you when you move. Belt selection is just as important for IWB as OWB.

The best concealment rig in the world won't live up to all it's hype unless secured with a good belt...

 

[cyphertext]

Without pictures, but with your wife saying that you can see something, but can't tell what it is... I think you are stressing over it a bit too much. The past couple of days I have carried my Sig P290 in the cheap paddle holster that came with the gun, with just a t-shirt over it. You can see that something is there, but you can't tell that it is a gun. That meets the legal definition of concealed in my state.

And as others have said, you need a belt designed for carrying the weight of a gun. A good belt makes all the difference.

 

[Smitty357]

U also have to take into consideration the people who are questioning the printing. For instance ur friends and spouses whom know u carry. They already know it's there and it's just something that are looking for.

To a stranger, they aren't looking at a certain area of ur body as does ur spouse of friends. A stranger isn't going to point it out nearly as easy. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. I'm just saying that most things are more noticeable when u already know it's there.

If I switched my weapon to weak side carry. I'd bet 90% of my friends who know I carry. Will tell me that my weapon is still on my strong side. And that's because they already know what side I carry on.

 

[PAFMAN3]

I went from this:

To this:

100% improvement. (For me at least) Honestly forget its even there.
And the retention is a plus for me. No issues at all.

What holster is that 2nd one. I've been looking for one similar to it. But I'm afraid of side to side movement of the weapon while the body is in different positions. I've always been a fan of 2 point holsters, such as the 1st one u have in the pics. But I'm curious about the 2nd pic and whether or not u get any aide to side movement through the day. Keeping in mind I wear my weapon 12+ hours a day 5 days a week. And on weekends as much as possible.

N82 tactical
https://www.n82tactical.com/index.php