Can anyone help with holster suggestion?

[customfret]

I'm looking for a hip holster with retention that will carry my Heritage Stealth 40 high enough to be concealed beneath an untucked t-shirt. Many of the shorts I wear in the summer also don't have belt loops, so if possible I would prefer beltless. Although I haven't tried one yet and I may be wrong, it looks to me like an IWB would be difficult for a fat boy to draw quickly and looks to me as if it would be uncomfortable to wear all day. I have a couple of months before my CCW permit arrives, so figured you guys would be a great place for some ideas & for suggestions to point me in the right direction. Thanks for your help!

 

[Jeff OTMG]

I don't know what level of retention you need, but a BS-2 from M/D Enterprises can be made with a thumbreak if you feel you need it. Keep in mind that custom leather is molded and boned to the gun and that us normally good enough. The BS-2 rides the highest of any holster so a T-shirt should cover. For your beltless pants and shorts you are only going to get good retention in an IWB holster and the best system for IWB without a belt is the Alessi Talon which uses the J-clip. If you are a 'fat boy' you can order the Talon with the added 'flab flap' that brings the inside piece of leather up higher to keep the pistol from digging into the love handles.

 

[IamNOTaNUT]

I am both a big man and a fan of IWB carry. Unfortunately I have found that with some large frame autos, a belt slide holster is more comfortable, and with some pants that don't fit me as well as they used to this is the only option.

I could, of course, go out and buy larger pants, but I like to delude myself into believing that I have not gotten larger over the years.

Oh yeah, holsters. If you MUST have a retaining strap on your IWB holster make sure that the portion of the strap that "breaks free" up against your body is reinforced or stiffened. Otherwise what you will find is that there is too much give in the holster once it is broken in. Instead of a nice crisp release, the softer leathers will want to flex into your abdomen a bit before release, which considerably slows your draw.

I use a basic leather IWB holster, thinner is better in my opinion for an IWB rig, so what I have done is cut off the strap on both of my leather IWB holsters. The gun remains quite secure even without the strap. They have both passed the "BOWLING TEST" and the "RUNNING AFTER THE DOG TEST" with flying colors. That is I can both bowl or run after my escaping dog without having to worry about the gun falling out!

One other point, based on your initial post, with some pistols the weight of the gun will almost require you to wear a belt, even with an IWB rig. Otherwise you are going to want to keep pulling your pants up all the time.

These are just some points I have learned over the years, YMMV.

 

[customfret]

Thanks guys!

Both holsters look like they should work just great! The reason I wanted extra retention is because I ride a bicycle 15 to 30 miles most mornings, always on country back roads here in middle Tennessee, (not always real smooth) and I would like my pistol to stay put. By the way, although I qualified & carried a 1911 while in the Army in the 60's, I haven't done much shooting, other than messing with an 1858 Remington revolver & a Ruger MKII since this fall. Local law enforcement has discovered over 50 "meth" labs in this county this year, and four times this summer, I rode my (mountain) bike past an old car (not the same one) with 3 or 4 pretty scroungy looking guys inside, parked bu the side of the road 2 or 3 miles from the nearest house. I ride at daylight, and am usually home by 8, so these guys evidently have been up all night & they don't throw up their hand & say "howdy". Last couple of times I felt pretty uneasy, pedaling by on a $800 bicycle with only a can of "Halt" for protection. My old knees are also not in shape to do much running anymore, so I figure it's time to start packing.