Will it fit my carry weapon? What about the guarantee?
If your
gun ranges in size from a classic S&W snub-nose .38 Special to a full-size
1911 .45, the answer is yes.
But I already have a perfectly good
IWB holster fitted to my gun! Why do I need this one?
Do you ever
leave your gun at home? Do you go to places where it's not possible to "dress
around the gun"? Is it embarrassing when everyone else takes their jacket off,
and you keep yours on? Can you take your rig to the beach or the pool? Is the
dress code at work slacks, tucked-in dress shirt and tie, but never a coat?
Could you take your shirt off?
Won't the draw from inside
clothing will be slow?
Contrary to what you might expect, with a
little bit of practice the draw isn't slow at all. But one also has to be
careful of what one is comparing. I'm not suggesting that you necessarily want
to replace your IWB holster with this holster in all circumstances. I'm
suggesting that if there are times when you find that you leave your gun at home
because you can't dress around the gun, then you need this holster - because
taking the responsibility to be able to protect your own life and the lives of
your loved ones, is too important to be forsaken just because you go out
jogging, or walk on the beach, or can't wear a jacket.
Won't it
show? There's no way that it won't be obvious that there's a gun in my
pants.
Like a magic trick, the Lightningwear holster conceals by
misdirection. Let's face it - most people (even those in professional law
enforcement) are embarrassed to direct a lot of visual attention to other
people's groins in public. The Lightningwear holster sits directly in front of
the groin, is softly padded, and completely breaks up the sillouette of a
pistol, except possibly for a bulge caused by the end of the weapon grip -
depending on the size pistol carried in it. As you can see from the pictures
below, even medium-sized guns disappear into it almost completely (the .40 Kahr
is 6" long) .
Noted author John Ross [Unintended Consequences] is
reputed to carry a four-pound 4" S&W .500 X-frame revolver in a
Smartcarry(tm) holster nearly identical to the Lightningwear, every waking hour
of the day. " 'In every class, someone complains there isn't any good way to
conceal anything but a mousegun when wearing typical indoor clothing. I smile
and draw the .500. Their eyes just bug out,' John says."1
It sits
in front of your groin? Is that safe?
Yes it is. Because it sits in
front of your groin, the barrel of the weapon does not point at you, but at the
ground between your feet. It is always necessary as a basic safety issue
when drawing from every sort of holster, to keep your finger off the
trigger of the weapon until it is aimed at its intended target.
This
holster design is very secure from a weapon retention point of view. You can get
down on the floor and roll around with kids or grandkids without worrying about
retention problems, or even about the gun being visible. I practice Aikido
- the Japanese martial art of hitting your opponent with the ground. Practicing
Aikido means spending about half the time getting up after being tossed at the
ground. I wouldn't do an Aikido roll or fall with a gun in an IWB holster - I'd
be afraid of either the gun falling out of the holster, the holster falling
off the belt, of just falling on the gun itself. But I can do Aikido rolls with
this holster: There are no movement restrictions.
A steel
athletic cup?
Many people over the years have discovered that this
style of holster has one unexpected side benefit: If somone attacks you and
kicks you in the groin, the holstered pistol is a very effective
shield.
How does the draw
work - doesn't your shirt get in the way?
As noted above, one of
the reasons that guys find this holster to be useful is that there are styles of
business dress where it is only appropriate to have a neatly tucked-in shirt and
a pair of dress pants, thus eliminating the cover of bloused shirts and / or
jackets. This holster works best when worn on top of a tucked-in shirt, so that
the holster actually keeps the shirt from blousing - thereby making sure that
the fabric doesn't get in the way of the draw if the weapon has to be drawn.
Women can also do this if they are in office-professional attire with a formal
tucked-in blouse and pants or a skirt.
Of course, this holster can be
worn with your shirt or blouse untucked - or, for women, even with a bare
midriff, or a bikini top and a skirt or sarong. Guys can take their shirts
completely off and wear it under a bathing suit or shorts. The actual draw is
accomplished by sticking the thumb of your off hand into your waistband, drawing
it out, while sticking your strong hand in and drawing the weapon. There is no
need to wear a larger pants size, as long as your pants are currently
appropriately sized. If you currently use an IWB holster, there certainly will
be no problem drawing with the Lightningwear holster from the same pair of
pants.
Are there any gender-specific benefits?
Yes! There are women-specific benefits: This holster is not dependent on
clothing or belts for support Men wear belts. Compared to women's fashions, even
a man's dress belt is a big sturdy belt. Women often wear fashionable belts
barely capable of keeping up the pants or skirt that they go around. Or, they
don't wear belts at all.
For most forms of on-body carry,
this is a real problem for women. As you can see from the picture below, the
Lightningwear holster is that it is completely self-supporting: It is its own
belt, so it puts no weight on your belt or your clothes. This is a real
advantage for women, allowing them to wear light skirts or sarongs or other
fashion choices that would never lead anyone to suspect that you were armed. For
the guys, this means that they can be armed when dressed in elastic-waist
jogging shorts or sweat
pants.
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