[PM667]

I was looking at a Galco IWB holster yesterday, it had a plastic clip to hold it in place. I noticed that alot of others, Little Bear included and maybe Dave can weigh in here, use belt loops. What is the difference between these methods? Do the belt loops add to the stability of the holster and do they make it harder to conceal with the added material?
Thanks,

Paul

 

[Mountain Dew Man]

Clips

It's all opinion, to be honest.
Clips are "sturdy" but good leather loops are sturdy as well.
If you get loops that match your belt, it hides easier. Kydex clips like C clips or J clips, hide on the edges of your belt. But, you have to make sure they fit the belt properly or you have a holster flying at about 1,200fps w/ your first shot.

The balance and stability, in my opinion, is in the actual holster design itself. If it is really narrow 4 clips can't help it. If it is too wide, it won't be comfortable.

Note: Thanks to an idea I saw from K&D holsters, you can take material and cover your Standard clips. I first saw one of KMan's rigs w/ that and you could not tell it had clips. Just looked like an extra belt loop on your pants.

Here is a link to Tucker Gunleather who explains the clips. He (Rob) actually helped me get started w/ clips. They are great folks there; and if you want a tooled rig, in a traditional manner, they are the place to go.

http://rlcompanyusa.stores.yahoo.net/kydexbeltclips.html

Here is KMan's gear: http://www.kdholsters.com/iwb-defend.php

If Kevin could chime in as well, he can give you a few more decades of experiance which may clear up the matter more.

I hope I helped.