Shield sights digging in my side

[NasHouston]

Hey guys,

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or the leather gear section.

Today I decided to wear my foxx hybird holster and M&P shield just to see what it felt like. The weight doesn't really bother me, but the sights dig into my side when I sit. I've got a nice red mark in just a couple of hours.

Is it just this holster, the gun, pistols in general?

 

[jmjones1118]

I use a little foxx for my shield with no issues. Carry at 2 or 3 o'clock. I have stock sites.

 

[Indynick]

ditto.......

 

[NasHouston]

I use a little foxx for my shield with no issues. Carry at 2 or 3 o'clock. I have stock sites.

Exactly what I have. Do I need to lose the gut?

 

[Bkreutz]

Exactly what I have. Do I need to lose the gut?

That.... or pull your underwear higher.

 

[shotgun693]

You might try it in a different place. Move it around on your belt.

 

[NasHouston]

You might try it in a different place. Move it around on your belt.

Yeah, 4 o'clock does the trick but prints bad, even comes out under my shirt when I sit. I'm trying 2 o'clock but it feels a little uncomfortable.

 

[Ballistic147]

To me it looks more like the edge of the leather is what's causing the discomfort but I could be wrong. You could try wearing an
Undershirt tucked in behind the gun and see if that helps.

 

[scooter123]

Pull your pants up and it won't print at 4:00. Note, I have no idea what is pushing the top of your pants down so much but IMO that is part of your issue concerning printing. What works best with an IWB holster is to position the holster so it's at a kidney position. It's also usually helpfull to swing the holster so that the barrel is tilted towards the rear. Do that and the grip snugs into the recess at the waist. I carry a Sig P239 in a Galco Skyops at the 4:00 position which is much larger than the Shield and it doesn't print at all.

 

[Willcoe]

Uhhhm, it's called fat.Time to lay off the holiday cookies maybe? Oh yeah, it's not the sights. It's the holster.

 

[My9]

Yeah, looks like the top of the holster or the "beaver tail" of the grip is what's causing the chub rub. Try a different IWB holster that covers the entire grip,...or it's time for OWB.lol

 

[bigwheelzip]

Pull your pants up and it won't print at 4:00. Note, I have no idea what is pushing the top of your pants down so much but IMO that is part of your issue concerning printing. What works best with an IWB holster is to position the holster so it's at a kidney position. It's also usually helpfull to swing the holster so that the barrel is tilted towards the rear. Do that and the grip snugs into the recess at the waist. I carry a Sig P239 in a Galco Skyops at the 4:00 position which is much larger than the Shield and it doesn't print at all.

scooter123 gave some excellent advice.

When my husband started CC, his body type (spare tire) required getting higher waistline pants to comfortably carry the Shield, IWB without printing at 4 o'clock. Before replacing his pants, he had the same abrasions you did, and tried fixing it by wearing t-shirts. That masked the issue, but the higher-waist carry fixed it.YMMV

The photo seems to show a rather loose belt. That might give the holster enough slack to move about and rub the skin.

Also, while the belt leather appears thick, it does not come close to filling the belt loop. A proper 1.5" holster belt will fill those loops, and maybe keep the holster properly planted.

Good luck.

 

[Stilltrying]

I carry my shield in my front pocket. I am ready to stone the razor like edge off the rear edge of my rear sight. The sight is wearing a hole in the top of my pants pockets!

 

[Willcoe]

I carry my shield in my front pocket. I am ready to stone the razor like edge off the rear edge of my rear sight. The sight is wearing a hole in the top of my pants pockets!

\

Not a wise way to carry a pistol.

 

[NasHouston]

Thanks for the replies.

It's definitely the sights, I can put finger exactly where they poke at the inner corners.

I loosened the belt so I could show the marks. The belt is on pretty tight I can't tighten it anymore and still breath. It could be the style of the jeans. I'll try with my dockers, they sit a little higher.

 

[Whitwabit]

The factory night sights on my 40c are very sharp too and has scratched my arm a few times but I was wearing a cheap dress belt that tended to twist under the weight of the 40c ..

Getting a proper 1 1/2 inch gun belt will allow the holster to ride properly on your waist without twisting with the weight of the pistol your carrying .. A new gun belt may well fix the problem your having ....

the holster also doesn't look like it completely covers the back of the slide .. looks a little short for the weapon.. my IWB holster comes up about 1/2 inch above the slide while yours looks to be below the end of your slide ..

 

[Houser52]

I agree that getting a good 1 1/2" belt would probably help eliminate the waistband from rolling over and provide more support for the gun.
Also softening the inside edges of the top of the holster with some sandpaper might help with the skin irritation.

 

[AZ_M&P]

Yeah, 4 o'clock does the trick but prints bad, even comes out under my shirt when I sit. I'm trying 2 o'clock but it feels a little uncomfortable.

I've got a "spare tire" as well, and I carry everything from my Shield to a full size 40 at 4 o'clock with no discomfort or printing. The trick is to cant the pistol a bit (FBI cant) so that it's tilted slightly forward. This keeps the grips in tight to your body instead of sticking out and showing the world you've got something under your shirt.

For me at least, mid hip (3 o'clock) is not happening. The guns are uncomfortable and it looks like I'm hiding a bag of flower under my shirt.

Appendix carry? Don't even go there...

 

[pigbike]

I gave up on IWB holsters they are too uncomfortable for me. I use a OWB pancake and a loose shirt. Works great and easy to draw from.

 

[shotgun693]

For about 40 years I have just stuck my gun between my outer shirt and undershirt on the left side butt forward under my pants belt. I've carried everything from a K Frame to a 1911 to a SAA.