Do IWB holsters work for Ladies?

When I carry the LCP .380 auto I carry IWB. I can't even tell you what brand it is because when I went to look there is not a tag/stamp/label anywhere. It is a plain, black clip on. In my opinion if you want repeat business then give me your name. As far as I'm concerned it is their loss.

Dave, at Little Bear Holsters made the holster for my OWB Walther PPS 9mm and he put his stamp on the holster and I know how to find him. He also has my loyalty because he put Momma Bear on the other side. Go Dave.

It would depend on what size gun your lady would be wearing as to whether she needs a custom IWB holster. Depending on her shape and clothes style she could get away with a larger IWB if she does not mind looking a bit thick around the waist. I will not sacrifice style just to carry a larger IWB holster but that's just me.

Right now I'm in a grumpy mood. Personally, I can't imagine carrying anything but the LCP IWB because everything is so tight NO MATTER HOW MUCH EXERCISE I DO that I'm good to get a credit card in my pocket let alone a bigger gun. GROWL! Oops, sorry, that is not your problem nor an answer to your question. My apologies.

It would be my opinion that if a bigger gun was carried then bigger clothes would need to be worn unless you are one of those young, hungry looking girls on the Dillon Press catalog cover.

Did this help or did I use you as a punching bag? Maybe I'll go exercise and answer your question again when I'm not quite so grumpy.

Personal experiance

Just from building quite a few holsters for ladies, I found it was possible.

I have had to place washers between the loops to close the gap between the hip, the space at the waistline and the pants.

I have modified kydex clips (shorter, longer) to make it work.

I have even "dropped" the gun FURTHER down the holster, raise the wings to allow for the "curves" of a woman.

It really all depends upon the shape of the woman. One customer was not curvy at all... she wore a typical man's holster.

The best one made was for a woman who I sent a holster to. She wore it and traced it onto a piece of paper and drew in where she wanted it changed.
I remade the holster and it was darn near perfect. I think one of the members is her brother-in-law... I kept her pattern so I could make her future holsters. I am glad I did, I made one for her new Sig P250 a few months back.

There are other makers who make IWB's and various holsters for women. Some I have heard are GREAT! Others.... not so great. But it really depends if the maker is asking the right questions.

I am in no way saying mine are the better, I am just stating my experiance. I had one BOMB no matter what I did because this woman had some SERIOUS curves and NO waistline. It was hips, then rib cage. No matter how I made it, even with her there, I couldn't find anything that worked.

Ask MB, she and I talked for A LONG TIME about her holster. And to this day, it isn't PERFECT for her. Just waiting for her to let me know when she wants me to replace the initial one.

There are alot of makers who I am sure who would share advice:

Kevin: K&D
Eric: HBE
Nate: UBG
Matt DelFatti... I am sure he would be happy to share his opinion via email or phone. Really great guy to talk to. A wealth of knowledge.
The staff at Milt Sparks, Mitch Rosen and quite a few more.
There is/was a woman maker. I think it was womansholsters.com or something.

Good luck!!!\

MamaBearto2 said:

PM667,

It really would depend on the lady. For me there is no way I would carry my gun in a purse. It's all about easy and fast access and in a state of emergency and/or attack time would need to be on your side. Speaking personally, I do not see myself ever being able to access and draw a gun to thwart an attack if I had to dig it out of a person, even one of those 'gun purses'. My gun needs to be on my person. My humble opinion, of course.

Click to expand...

Good points, MB, but there is also the security aspect to consider. If a purse snatcher goes for the purse, they'll be going for you gun as well, whether they know it or not.

I've seen many women at the office or someplace similar set their purse down somewhere and then leave it there as they go about their business, leaving their gun someplace else if it's needed. Also, unless that location is absolutely secure, someone can dip into the purse looking for cash, meds, or credit cards, and get a free gun.

Then there is the safety consideration of possibly using a purse not designed for concealed carry and leaving it in the purse without adequate trigger coverage, which raises the possibility of ND.

This goes for men as well, with portfolio/daytimer holsters, and in general, all methods of off-the-body carry. Devices not designed to carry guns are being kludged to do so, inviting accidents. And again, there is the risk that the off-the-body carry method chosen can be stolen, lost, or the gun stolen from the bag/daytimer/purse/etc.

However, I am aware that some people, due to dress codes, comfort, or some combination of factors simply cannot carry on their body, so these off-body carry methods are their only options for defensive carry. If that's the case, then these people need to be intimately aware of the additional risks involved in these carry methods. Otherwise, they should do as much research as possible in finding some carry method that gives them secure and ready access to their weapon on their body.

Galco has a page devoted to "top picks" for women:

http://www.galcogunleather.com/Women.asp

Cornered Cat has an excellent article on holsters for women on her blog:

http://www.corneredcat.com/Holster/straighttalk.aspx

Fist, Inc. has their LadyFist line:

http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/lady/Default.htm

And here is a video clip from Fist showing advantages of their holsters made specifically for women:

http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/holster/Ladyfist Holster.wmv

I know there are a few other makers, but I can't find links right away.

If an IWB solution can't be found, OWB seems to be fairly popular with women, both strong side and crossdraw, though crossdraw would probably need some training in drawing the weapon properly so as not to sweep non-threats with the muzzle. The same could be said for shoulder holster carry, which is another option. Unfortunately, OWB, crossdraw, and shoulder holsters would require some sort of cover garment.

Not just for women, but anyone looking into IWB carry and not wanting to acquire their own, dreaded, "holster drawer" or rejects, I'd recommend visiting your local IDPA match and asking folks there about their IWB carry methods. I use the same holster (Crossbreed Supertuck) in IDPA competition that I do for EDC, and wouldn't mind letting folks try it out.

In between stages or after the match, of course.

Ye gods, I've rambled...

-JT