Shooting - Holsters

Prior to getting a permit to carry, I didn't own a holster or magazine pouch that was suitable for concealed carry.  My experience is with military style holsters and when in military situations you really don't care if folks see you carrying your sidearm.  I didn't think that the process of finding a holster and magazine pouch would be too difficult.  Well, I was wrong.  I have really decided that holster and magazine pouch selection for concealed carry is not easy.  It was one of the most frustrating things that I had to figure out.  It frustrated me because having the proper holster and magazine pouch allows you to safely and securely carry a weapon and extra magazine.  It can also facilitate the deployment of that weapon.  Carrying a weapon in my belt or in my pocket just doesn't appeal to me.  If it's in my belt it could fall out of or slip into my pants or get snagged when I try to deploy it.  If it's in my pocket it would be very difficult to deploy in a self defense situation and I would think that the possibility of the weapon jamming would increase due to things like lint.  Having a lint ball between the hammer or striker and firing pin could be bad.  Also, having and carrying an extra magazine or two could be the difference between life or death in a self defense situation.  Without a magazine pouch it would be difficult to carry any extra magazines except in my pocket.  I would think that could cause problems such as jamming or snagging also during reloading.

After doing some research I decided that I wanted to purchase one of the molded paddle type holsters for comfort, flexibility, safety, and that I didn't have to wear it on a belt.  I feel that those type holsters would allow me to lock the weapon in place without a thumb strap (they hold the weapon in place by clamping down on the trigger guard), but would still allow me to draw and deploy the weapon in a reasonable amount of time if needed.  I also liked the option of being able to adjust the tension that holds the weapon in place.  So, I looked online at several different manufacturers web sites to find the type of holster that fit the weapon I was planning to use as my carry weapon.  I couldn't find a good match for both the weapon and magazine pouches. I also felt that looking online wasn't much help since you can't try it on for fit and feel and some of the descriptions of the returned search results didn't match the pistol type I was trying to fit.  I then went to some of the big box outdoor retail stores with the same result.  I searched through the holsters they had on display without results and when I asked I got a lot of "we don't carry holsters for that weapon".  I then went to some of the local gun stores. One of the guys told me to look online even though they sold the weapon I used and had it in stock in the store.  I couldn't believe they didn't have a holster for it.  I finally did find one online that fit it and I ordered it.  I then had to purchase a generic magazine pouch to carry my extra magazines.

I am not too sure why handguns, holsters, and magazine holders don't come as a package or as options.  I am also not sure why handgun manufacturers don't work with holster manufacturers to ensure that holsters and magazine holders are available for all of their models.  I would guess that they could put a slip of paper in the fancy box that they give you with at least a list of holsters and magazine pouches that fit and where to purchase them.  I am also not too sure why a store would sell a weapon without having the proper accessories for it.  I would guess at the time of sale they would tell you which holsters and magazine pouches fit or don't fit.  I would think that would be great customer service.  Hey, maybe that will be a new business line for Outdoors with Bill.  Have a weapon?  What do you want to use it for?  Here are your accessories.