Under $50 IWB Shield Holster?

Another vote for FOXX holsters. I use the "Little FOXX" and it is the best IWB holster I have tried so far. I have an Alien Gear holster...the new neoprene model and all I can say is I really don't like it at all. Of course, I'm a bigger guy, 6'1", 285 lbs. The Little Foxx works great. I am seriously considering getting the N82 Professional and trying it out. The base price of the LIttle Foxx is around $40, but I recommend getting the horsehide (if available) and the felt lining. Those will cost extra, but help in comfort and sweat prevention.

"Little FoxX" for Smith & Wesson
 
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I use a Tagua 4 in 1 holster for my Shield. $39 at your local gun store. It's a leather holster that can be used IWB, OWB, Crossdraw, or small of the back. Best holster value.
 
How's the fit on yours? I have one of their holsters for a Sig p238, and the fit is a little to tight.

The ones for my Shield and 40C fit great from the get go but the 45C's was a little snug at first but eventually wore in.
 
Another vote for FOXX holsters. I use the "Little FOXX" and it is the best IWB holster I have tried so far. I have an Alien Gear holster...

Ditto...use the Little Foxx on my 40c daily. I had the AG, still have the clone Old Faithful...it sits in a drawer.
It doesn't hurt that Foxx is 1 mile from my work..though.
Not a fan of their J Clip, I have all three sizes of their standard Kydex clip. Bought one of each to set the ride height where I want it.
 
Check out foxx holsters. My shield rides in a foxx trapp kydex iwb. Comes in a variety of colors, I chose OD green. Received mine in 4 days. Good retention, holds close to body, conceals nicely. Grab and go system, easy on and off. Would highly recommend
 
I carry my shield 40 in a old faithful holster. The kits are a nice value and easy to put together. I have a alien for my colt 45 and love it too. The biggest diff between the alien and the old faithful is the leather on the alien is a tad bigger and a tad thicker. Both are nice. The old faithful kits give you the opportunity to customize it to your liking.
 
I originally used the original N82 which was $39.99 plus shipping. I LOVED it, but wanted the ability to re-holster easily so I upgraded to the N82 professional which is around $70.00. N82 Professional is, IMHO, the very best and most comfortable IWB available. I would go for the professional. Its worth the money.
Another vote for the N82 Professional. Had mine in 2 days after ordering. Most comfortable IWB holster I have used.

NC
 
On Your 6 Designs. Kydex holsters. Get this holster, $30 bucks, period, end of discussion.

https://onyour6designs.com/shop/firearm-holsters/smith-wesson-holster/

I do not understand charging $5 for an alternative color. Unless it's camo, the price in color varies very little.

We are talking some cents per holster.

Camo is crazy expensive for the good stuff though.

I guess they might be buying crazy bulk in black, but even then... that's a crazy nuts mark up for the colors.
 
After careful thought, I decided against anything leather being I'm going to be wearing the holster everyday, 365 days a year, in the cold, heat, rain, and snow. Leather will look like cr@p after a while, it will absorb some sweat and odors, I'd have to worry about getting it wet should I get caught in the rain, and it can not be easily washed, so it's more likely to retain debris.

On Your 6 Designs. Kydex holsters. Get this holster, $30 bucks, period, end of discussion.

https://onyour6designs.com/shop/firearm-holsters/smith-wesson-holster/

+1 On Your Six Designs. Best bang for your buck period!

Thanks, I really like that holster. Not bad for $30 and better than the Foxx Trap holster for $49, but I already ordered one that's a little similar.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, but I settled on OverWatch Holsters' - The Treadstone. It's almost like the On Your Six Designs holster but, the kydex is thicker and more sturdy looking, and it has a better clip... They also do not charge extra for a different color....

I'll prob. will post pictures and do a review once it gets here...
 
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I tried the N82 original holster, but didn't like it. I returned it and got a refund -- excellent customer service. I wrote them a letter indicating why I didn't like it, to hopefully help them expand their product line in the future. For what it's worth, I'll post that here:

To begin with, the quality of construction is quite good. I haven’t tried too many holsters in my life (I’m new to concealed carry), but compared with the ones I have handled, yours is constructed the best of all of them. The elastic seems durable and the materials and fit-and-finish of the soft backing is excellent. I am quite impressed with the quality of the product, especially for the price paid.

Having said that, I really want to like the holster, but it just doesn’t fit me very well, and I think that there are a few reasons for that:

There’s a lot of “extra” material in the backing. By that, I mean that it seems that there are “universal” back padding sizes used to fit a lot of different firearms. The compact holster certainly covers all of my Shield, but there’s also a lot of material on the sides, bottom, and top of the firearm. More than is really necessary. I understand that concessions have to be made for universal-fit products.

The back pad of the holster completely covers the slide and grip of the gun. Excellent for comfort, but it also makes getting a secure grip on the firearm very difficult. I thought this wouldn’t be a big deal, and that I’d be able to slide my thumb between the grip and the back pad, but I really can’t. The only way I can draw the gun is to get my middle and ring fingers cupped under the grip, which is not very secure. A “combat cut” here would be a significant improvement, and might be enough to overcome all three of these negative points.

The holster with the gun ends up being thicker than I expected. With the belt clip centered on the holster, you get a pretty thick “stack” going on...you get the clip’s backing and elastic, the gun itself, then the padded backer. It ends up adding nearly ½” of thickness to the gun. This is not insignificant. With such a large backer pad, consider using two belt clips, one on either side of the gun; this may help lessen the “stacking” effect.

I regret to say that the holster doesn’t fit me well, and I am requesting a return. As a North Carolina resident and a promoter of small business, I want to extend my appreciation for your company and your product; I will be watching your website for future products, and will not hesitate to buy from you again in the future if I see a product that I think will meet my needs.

After much thought, I find that it's most comfortable simply sticking my (empty) Shield into my waistband. I find that I can walk around, sit, and move around the house and not even feel the gun. So, while I haven't yet bought a holster, I'm shopping for many of the excellent super-slim Kydex holsters like from PJ Holster, On Your 6, Overwatch, Custom Carry Concepts, etc. I will follow this thread with great interest to see what others are using. For example, I had not heard of On Your 6 before this thread. They look like great holsters.
 
I tried the N82 original holster, but didn't like it. I returned it and got a refund -- excellent customer service. I wrote them a letter indicating why I didn't like it, to hopefully help them expand their product line in the future. For what it's worth, I'll post that here:



After much thought, I find that it's most comfortable simply sticking my (empty) Shield into my waistband. I find that I can walk around, sit, and move around the house and not even feel the gun. So, while I haven't yet bought a holster, I'm shopping for many of the excellent super-slim Kydex holsters like from PJ Holster, On Your 6, Over-watch, Custom Carry Concepts, etc. I will follow this thread with great interest to see what others are using. For example, I had not heard of On Your 6 before this thread. They look like great holsters.

I would never feel confotable sticking a loaded or unloaded gun bare in my pants. I like the security and protection, safety wise and cosmetic wise, that a Kydex holster gives me at an affordable price.

On Your 6 looked alright, but they look as if they use .06 Kydex. FYI, All of the other companies you mention use .08 Kydex which is usually standard...

I personally don't like the clip on the PJ Holster holster, the folder clip also got bad reviews on a few YouTube videos I watched, and there's a long wait for their holsters. Nine weeks! If the clip brakes, you'll need to wait another 9 weeks for a whole new holster to be made, plus, being a Kydex clip, you'll have to periodically ad heat to regain tension.

I never head of Custom Carry Concepts before... They seem to be okay as well. Unlike the Overwatch Holsters, their holsters have a retention screw. I'm not sure if that is needed or how useful that is or not, but I guess it would be a nice option to have either way... Custom Carry Concepts also offers different styles of holster clips, leather backing (at an extra cost, but that's not something I would want), and they support a wider variety guns. The down side is that they have an 8 week backlog.. FYI, both companies support M&P line of guns.

Overwatch Holsters had more images of the holsters they offer on their site than Custom Carry Concepts who only had 1 image of one version of their "THE UNO" holster. I would like more than a description of what I'm buying. Overwatch Holsters also had more color options which are free of charge. Unlike Custom Carry Concepts which currently has an 8 week wait before they even start on your holster, Overwatch current wait time is around 1 week or less delivered. The owner of Overwatch is also a M&P owner and a member of this forum, so that also played a roll in my throwing business his way. With all that said, if not for the ridiculous 8 week wait time for an all Kydex holster, I may have taken a closer look at Custom Carry being that I have the option of getting a different clip should the standard clip not work for me, and because they have a retention screw. Two options that Overwatch Holsters, if you read this, might consider adding later on....
 
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hokiefyd, well written letter. Some of the issues you addressed in the letter have kept me from considering the N82, although it does look comfy.

I have 3 holsters for my shield and I fine I keep coming back to the original one I bought. Its a hybrid from Hidden Hybrid Holsters. The quality and attention to detail surpasses any other hybrid I've been able to look at. This holster is top notch, I'm convinced its as good as any hybrid out there, and better than most.
I also have a Pro Carry HD from the Holster Store. This is a single clip all leather holster, its nice well made, and made specifically for the shield for about $35. Not a bad deal.
Like hokiefyd said above, I noticed my shield was more comfortable when I put just the gun in my waistband, so in an attempt for iwb carrying nirvana I bought an all kydex holster from 4 corners concealment. Its very well made for not a lot of $$$. Has adjustable retention and cant, comes in a bunch of different colors some cost more most don't. I need to spend a little more time wearing this holster for an honest review. I can't carry at work so it hasn't got a lot of belt time on it yet.

http://shop.hiddenhybridholsters.com/HHH-C1-HHH-C1.htm

http://www.theholsterstore.net/Pro-Carry-HD-p/procarryhd.htm

Custom Kydex IWB holsters with adjustable cant and retention.
 
I would never feel confotable sticking a loaded or unloaded gun bare in my pants. I like the security and protection, safety wise and cosmetic wise, that a Kydex holster gives me at an affordable price.

Yes: to be clear, I was walking around with the (unloaded) Shield in my pants around the house for "feel" only, to see if a Kydex holster that essentially just "skins" the gun with plastic would work well. I tried a number of holsters, including the N82 that I bought and returned and including a Hidden Hybrid for the Shield that a friend let me borrow, and I kept coming back to the general size of the bare gun. The only type of holster that approximates that size is a Kydex "skin".

And to be sure, I don't walk around with a loaded gun just sitting in my waistband. I don't want to be misunderstood on that... :)
 
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