Spare Mag & Knife Back Pocket Carrier

I'm probably like a lot of you and take advantage of whatever pockets I've got on my pants. A number of years ago I stopped carrying my wallet in my back pocket. My problem was the same one that George Costanza had in Seinfield. My wallet always got about two inches thick which is not conducive to sitting on so to avoid the sore butt I switched to front pocket carry or cargo pocket carry if my pants had one. From then on I've been happily sitting on empty back pockets...until now.

Since it's the summer I've been shying away from my typical two gun carry (Sig P239 IWB & Kahr PM9 in the pocket) and just wearing one (typically the PM9) along with a spare mag. A while back I had made a horizonal mag carrier that was tuckable and while it works it's not the easiest to put on so I've found myself dropping the spare in a pocket. We all know that's not the best way to do it. If I dropped it in my back pocket it would fall any which way and wasn't comfortable to sit on. In any other pocket I never knew which way it would be when I yanked it out. So I need a solution.

For my birthday this year I got treated to a new EDC knife - a SOG FlashII (thank you nutnfancy for his review on the blade). While it has a wonderfully low carry pocket clip I prefer to keep it as out of the way as possible. I've had the unfortunate car scratch from a similar clip. So my solution for my mag can also be a solution for my knife.

Here it is.
You'll notice I used a single rivet on the mag side. The reason for this is that there is no retention on the mag except for the little bit of friction of the kydex so I wanted to keep that tight. The knife has all kinds of little protrusions so it needs a bit of looseness so that it'll draw cleanly. I kept the clip on the knife so that I have the option to use it if I ever need to. You can see I angled them slightly away from each other so that there won't be any interference. You may also notice that it's been a while since I've molded kydex and I scorched a little bit on the mag side. That heat gun gets HOT! The whole thing measures 4 1/4 inches wide, under 5 inches high and less than 3/4 inch in thickness. I wear it in my weak side back pocket with the flat side out so it just looks like a wallet. The knife and mag stay where they are until I reach in and pull them. I can even "reholster" them without having to take the carrier out of my pocket. Sitting down I can tell it's there, but since it's pretty thin as long as I'm on some kind of cushion I'm comfortable.

All in all a success.

Modification to the AIWB for the Sig P239

I knew that my original design had a weak spot in the rear clip and the other day the inevitable happened and part of it snapped off while putting it on. At first I just cut off the rear clip and tried wearing it with the single j-clip. While it didn't fall through my pants it would rotate and hang by the grip making drawing difficult. Two clips are a must! I had a couple spare kydex clips left over from other holsters that I own and decided to re-form them into a usable substitute that would be attached to the ring rivet via a screw.

Here are the two different clips I came up with. One's a j-clip and the other is a velcro clip that attaches to the loop velcro sewn into my belt.
By making the rear clip pretty flat with no curve to it the holster now tucks the grip in towards my body nicely making it very concealable. It's comfortable to wear and is quick to access. This will be my go to holster when wearing untucked. I have the option to wear it with the velcro rear clip or the rear j-clip, but since really the only belt I ever use already has velcro sewn in I'll probably just leave the velcro clip attached.

The belt is made my Crossbreed (http://crossbreedholsters.com/) and I totally recommend it. If carrying a gun everyday is something you want to do then a study gun belt is a must. My CB belt is dual thickness with loop velcro sewn in. It is a thick belt, but very supportive. The buckle can be switched out if you want to use something a bit fancier than silver or brass.

Here's a video I made demonstrating this holster.

Grip Clip Holster for a Kahr PM9

Ok, I was in a rush with that last holster attempt and didn't fully commit to the process. I tried to wear it for an hour yesterday and it was pretty terrible. So I went ahead and started a holster from scratch.

Here's what I came up with. It's a scabbard design held together using one larger rivet and using two grip clips as attachment points onto the waistband. It's molded so that the gun is locked in if tried to draw straight up. To draw smoothly the gun must be pulled out to an angle instead of straight up. Here it is.


Just for fun I wore it for over 3 hours to dinner along with my S&W 469 both up front at centerline carry. I was surprised it was pretty comfortable even though I'm not used to carrying at the 11:00-11:30 position.

I know it looks funny, but it worked with a sweater over it. During most of the year I don't usually go about without a belt on so I don't intend on using this holster all that often. It is the best option I have for my Kahr when belt-less so I'm glad I have it in my holster stable.

Here's a picture with it worn without a belt as it's intended.

Here's a short video showing the holster in action:

New Clipping option - The Grip Clip!

I came across an ingenious idea last month while reading one of the many gun forums I'm a member of (in this case it was DefensiveCarry.com). One of the members (muddy, gotta give him credit!) came up with the idea to use plastic suspender clips (called Grip Clips) from a pair of suspenders he had on one of his kydex holsters since he rarely uses a belt. It allows him to use the holster in whatever pants/shorts he's wearing regardless if he wears a belt. Here's a link to his post - Kydex Creations using the Grip Clip.

Now, I typically always wear a belt especially in the winter months and during the work week. There are occasions during the summer or weekend where I can see the option of going beltless preferable. In the past, I've used my Stuff & Go methods when beltless. The holster I've used for the Kahr PM9 left a lot to be desired. It didn't quite cover enough of the trigger guard and worst of all the way it clipped to the waistband could cause the holster to be pulled out along with the gun on the draw. Using something like a Grip Clip seemed like the perfect solution. It would be easy on & off, yet when clipped would be secure and not slide off.

Normally, I would make this as a scabbard instead of a pancake (I've found scabbard designs to be cleaner and a little less bulky), but going through my misc. box of holsters & stuff I came across an early attempt at a pancake kydex holster for the PM9. I hadn't used it in a while since I pretty much always pocket carry the PM9. I decided to use this old shell instead of cutting up fresh kydex. In the process of reforming the kydex you'll notice there are a number of blemishes. They in no way affect how the holster actually works. I formed the kydex so the gun will not pull straight out. It is effectively locked in when a straight upwards draw is tried. To draw so that the gun pulls out smoothly it must be pulled back and up at the same time. It snicks out very smoothly when drawn correctly and it's a natural motion for my strong side hand.
I went simple and just used one clip. This is because it will be carried at the appendix location and a little bit of rotational movement helps with comfort. Also one clip is all I need to keep it from sliding down the pants or yanking out on the draw. I've angled the clip so that the gun has a little backwards cant where the grip limits how much it can rotate backwards.

To protect the gun from inadvertantly hitting the nut & screw on the inside of the holster I covered them with a little piece of electrical tape.
I plan on testing this one out after work and this weekend while wearing shorts or sweatpants. If I get a chance I'll make a video demonstrating:
- How well it conceals with a t-shirt
- How easy it is to put on and take off
- How secure the clip is
- How to draw from it correctly

In the future, I plan on designing a two clip version for more stability. Oh, and if you're interested in adapting these clips to a holster you have, they are available seperately from Seattle Fabrics. It's where I found mine.

AIWB Holster for the Smith & Wesson 469

Here's my latest holster. It's for my winter carry Smith & Wesson 469. I followed the same pattern as my AIWB I did for my Sig P239 with a couple improvements.

I thickened the rear section that supports the grip end and widened both J-hooks to improve on durability. I maintained the curve to the clips I used on the Sig holster which helps with allowing the holster to bend with my waistline. The holster is easy on/off and is surprisingly comfortable. It holds the gun securely until I need to draw it which it does quickly.

The Smith & Wesson 469 is a double stack so it's not a thin gun. With a t-shirt draped over it's still noticeable that there's a lump, but it could easily pass for a cell phone and in no way looks like a gun. Here's a short little video I made that shows how easily it comes on and off and how it conceals.

Smith & Wesson 469: A Proven CCW

Here's a look at an oldie, but goodie - Smith & Wesson's 469. It's a compact double stack 9mm with a blued slide, alloy frame, and DA/SA with decocker/safety from the early 1980's. I got this one on a trade a little while back and instantly liked the way it felt in my hand. The great thing is it's almost the same size and weight as my Sig P239, but it holds 12+1 rounds of 9mm vs. 8+1 for the Sig. The one place where it's noticeably bigger is in it's thickness. I've made it my winter carry gun so the extra thickness doesn't make much difference under a cover garment. In mentioning capacity one cool thing is that it can take any of the even higher capacity magazines that S&W produces. I've read where someone actually used a 30 round stick magazine and a 72 round drum. The more practical application is to use the 15 round magazines from the larger 59 series guns as a spare and leave the 12 rounder for carry.

Dimensions:
Barrel ----Total---- Weight
Length ---Length-- (empty)
------------------------------
3.5 in. ----6.875 in. --26 oz.


As you can see it has definitely seen some use. I like to think that it was a cop's gun and all the character marks are from years of reliable service. After putting it through it's paces I've found that it points well, is more than accurate enough and has been totally reliable. The trigger is a bit different than what I'm used to. It uses a half cock notch that you can feel when you pull the trigger in double action. To avoid that little hitch, the hammer can be put in half cock after decocking. The double action pull is fairly smooth and easy to stage. Single action isn't as crisp as the Sig's, but it's got a better reset.


One area that I had to change was the original front sight. It was a slanted blade with a vertical line going down the center of it that was integral to the slide. It was ok, but was really hard to see in low light. When I changed out the front sight of my Sig with a night sight I picked up a second night sight with the idea of putting it on the 469 slide. Now, most would then have taken the slide to a gunsmith to have the original sight taken off and a dovetail cut to fit, but I felt a little more ambitious. Yes, that's right using a small file set I hand filed off the front sight and cut a dovetail. It's not perfect, but it works. Take a look at my work.
It still needs a little cold blue on the raw steel, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Now I can easily pick up the front sight in the dark. After taking it to the range it withstood 50 rounds without budging. There I found that to get the right elevation using the new front sight and the original rear required holding the front dot right in line with the top of the rear sight. After a little practice it works well and puts me right in the black.

Future modifications might include a refinish and swapping out the rear sight for a slightly higher Novak style, but for now it's the way I like my carry guns: Compact, Light, Reliable, & Carried.

Overall, the 469 is a great CCW gun and one that I plan on using for many years to come. Smith & Wesson replaced the 469/669 with the third generation 6904/6906 which they have sadly stopped producing. If you happen to find one snatch it up. You won't regret it.

AIWB Kydex holster for a Sig P239

I've really only been using one holster to carry my Sig P239 for the last year & a half, Crossbreed's SuperTuck Deluxe, and it works well. One thing that it doesn't do so well is easy on & off for the times you have to go into places that are off limits for CCW. Since I've yet to really make a holster for it and I have a need for a different kind of holster than the SuperTuck I put one together.

This one is very similar to the one I made for my Norinco Tokarev clone, but with a few differences. It's a single piece of very thin kydex and uses j-hooks to latch onto the pants & belt. Since it has a shorter barrel than the Tok I only used one large rivet instead of two small ones. I also played around with the placement of the j-hooks by moving them as far apart as I could and curving them to better match the curve of my body. Well, here it is.
I know the back clip looks a little fragile and I may end up doing another holster with a more substantial section of kydex added between where the rivet is and the backend of the clip, but the way it is adds more flexibility so it can really bend with my body for comfort and it hasn't shown any signs of breaking (yet).

Surprisingly, this is a pretty comfortable holster. It helps that the P239 is fairly compact. When sitting the muzzle is high enough so that it doesn't pinch or poke and instead almost fits inside the pocket where my thigh hits my hip. Here are a couple pictures of it worn.This will be used only with a cover garment like a baggy untucked shirt, sweater or fleece. For tucking duty I'll still be turning to my SuperTuck. Over the next few weeks I plan on testing this one out and putting it to the EDC (every day carry) test.

Here's a short video to show how easy it is to access, take off & put on.