Gun holsters are an important component for those who own guns, but they are essential for those who carry. They are designed to offer protection to the handgun, secure its retention, and provide ready access to it. Over the years, I have acquired about a dozen different holsters. They each have a different use / purpose, some I use more often than others. Holsters are accessories that you can expect to change as you carry over the years due to wear and tear or because you find another that better suit your needs.
Living in South Florida, the most comfortable way for me to carry a firearm regardless of what clothes I am wearing is IWB (inside the waistband). OWB (outside the waistband) holsters would require for me to wear a light jacket or a very long shirt in order to conceal it (not happening in Florida summer), and I don’t like to pocket carry. I need to have a holster I can wear year-round so after wearing it and practicing with it, pulling my gun out when I most need it becomes as easy as pulling out my phone. Under stress, this is critical. I also like to stick to one firearm, that firearm is the one I practice with, the one I carry, the one I am most comfortable with all around. My current carry gun is the Glock 19. I carry my gun at a 5 o'clock position, right above my right back pocket and wallet.
Today I will be reviewing my favorite IWB holster, the Galco Kingtuk. I have been wearing this holster for the past 2 years. The Kingtuk is considered a hybrid holster because it is made out of leather and kydex. The leather part goes against your body, making it very flexible and comfortable. This leather piece keeps the gun completely away from your skin, the rigid kydex is what holds your gun in place. It is very similar to others made by well known brands like Cross-breed and Comp-tac.
One of the most important features in a holster which everyone should look out for when shopping around is that the holster should completely cover the trigger. You do not want the trigger to be exposed, you will have an accident sooner or later. You can see that there is only a small gap, which will not accidentally set off the trigger.
As you can see from the picture above, the holster is designed to keep your gun at an angle or cant. This makes it easier to grip and draw when you are carrying it on your back. You can notice the combat cut as well, which is the edge of the holster under the grip of the gun, which is parallel to your belt. You can adjust the cant angle by unscrewing the belt clips and moving them up or down accordingly. You can see the extra holes on the picture below, which shows the backside of the holster. One of the main reasons I switched to this belt is because it has dual belt clips. Once you put this holster on, you do not have to adjust it again. This was not the case with my previous holster, because it had a single clip I was constantly adjusting the angle of the gun, to sit, to walk, it was a pain.
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After 2 years, paint is chipping, but no rust |
I can run with this holster, I can turn it upside down and shake I lightly, my gun does not fall out. At the same time drawing requires almost no strength. This was not the case at the beginning, I am not surprised to hear of people drawing their gun and pulling it along with the holster right out of their pants. You must break in the leather and allow it to take the shape of the gun. You can do this by wearing it around a few nights while watching TV or doing stuff around the house. It is no different than breaking in a baseball glove.
Below, I had my wife model the holster. I decided to use her as a model because shes petite, the holster would be more noticeable on her body. The holster does a great job at hiding the gun close to her body, of course with the help of a good belt (See my post about why a good belt is important).
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You cannot tell she's wearing it |
This holster is in my opinion worth every penny. You can find it online for under $55. You can get it from Amazon here.
Galco KingTuk Inside the Pant Right Hand Black 4.5" Glk 17,19,22,23,26,27,31,32,33 Kydex and Leather KT224B
GALCO KINGTUK IWB HOLSTER - GLOCK
Galco KingTuk Inside the Pant Right Hand Black 4" 1911 Kydex and Leather KT212B
GALCO KINGTUK IWB HOLSTER - 1911