If you’ve read my earlier blog articles you may remember that I came to my current appreciation of 1911 style pistols late in life. The gun that did it for me was a Ruger SR1911 Commander. A Commander-size 1911 is one with a full-size grip but with the barrel and slide shorted by 3/4 inch. This was done to make the gun a little easier to carry, especially if it is being carried as a concealed handgun. The Ruger Commander was not my first 1911. It was my fourth. The ones prior to it were a Taurus PT1911, a Colt 1991 and a Springfield Loaded Target Model. All of these were good guns, but for me they weren’t “carry” guns and I saw no reason to make them so. I was content carrying either a Springfield XDm or Smith & Wesson M&P, both in .45 ACP.

But, I got a Ruger 1911 Commander and loved everything about it. I loved the way it looked, the way it felt and the way it shot. It was (is) 100% reliable and it’s accurate and easy for me to shoot. With the right holster and belt combination it’s easy to carry.

The Ruger was followed by some others that are similar – a Colt XSE, a Remington R1 Carry Commander, a Sig 1911 Scorpion Carry Commander and a Smith & Wesson 1911 SCE Commander. The Smith & Wesson had become my favorite for several reasons, among them the bob-tail grip and the scandium/aluminum frame that made it at least 10 ounces lighter than the other Commanders. Now Ruger has come out with a lightweight model that matches the S&Ws weight.

Here’s what it looks like. Beautiful, huh? It shoots like a dream. Last Saturday I shot a CHL qualify course (50 rounds at 9, 21 and 45 feet) plus 9 more, all using the Colt 8-round, flush-mount magazines I told you about in my last post. The close up rounds were all in one ragged hole and even as the target was moved out to the 45-foot line I was keeping all the rounds within the 9 and 10 ring. This was all free-hand with me standing.  After shooting, I cleaned and lubed it and put it in my carry holster and that is where it has been every day since.  My old pattern of rotating the carry gun every day or two has been suspended, at least for the time being. I really like having this new Ruger by my side.

Not really related, but in approximately the same timeframe I changed my carry rig. The holster that has historically really worked well for me was a CrossBreed SuperTuck used with a Crossbreed gun belt. Every time I tried something different, I found myself coming back to the Crossbreed. But the instructors what work with us at Texas Gun Pros had been telling me about D. M. Bullard, a local leather goods manufacturer and the quality of holsters, magazine holders and gun belts made by this company. We made arrangements to carry these in our store and to make the special order ones available for our clients, so I figured I’d better try them. I got a Dual Carry holster for 1911s, designed so you can wear it inside or outside the waistband. Mine is set up for inside or IWB as we call it in the industry, and I’m using one of D. M. Bullard’s belts and an outside the waistband single mag carrier. That’s the holster shown to the right here. The belt is beautiful, thick leather and the magazine holder solved a problem I’d been having with my IWB mag carrier wearing a hole in my jeans from the inside. So I’ve become a user and promoter of D. M. Bullard’s leather goods, which you can find in our store or which we can special order for you if you have an unusual gun.

If you are paying attention to events here in the U.S. and around the world and are growing uneasy with the potential for harm to come to you and your family, join the club. Maybe, like me, you are or are becoming serious about concealed carry. From the perspective of someone who has carried 7 days a week, close to 16 hours a day for over 7 years now AND who has trained over 7,000 others in the Texas Concealed Handgun License Course, I can tell you how to do it.

First, get the training. The Concealed Handgun License Course is the minimum. If you can take advantage of other courses, I would start with the NRA’s Personal Protection Inside the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home Courses. You can find times and dates for these courses here in the North Texas area at http://www.trainersgroup.net.

Start reading. As a minimum you should read The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry by Massaad Ayoob. In fact, read anything and everything by Massad Ayoob you can get your hands on.  As far as periodicals go, American Handgunner and Combat Handguns for starters. I actually read pretty much anything on Walmart’s magazine rack that relates to firearms. I also suggest you join the NRA and get their monthly magazine American Rifleman.

You need a good carry gun, at least one. I’m NOT talking about a little pocket gun. I’m talking about a gun that can get you out of a scrap, one that can stop a fight. I can vouch for the following:  Sig Sauer SP2022, Sig Sauer P226, Sig Sauer 1911 Carry, Beretta PX-4 Storm, Taurus 24/7, Stoeger Cougar, S&W M&P, S&W 1911 Commander, Springfield XDm, Springfield 1911, Remington R1 Carry, Ruger SR 1911 Commander. Some of these guns are 9mm, some are .40 S&W and some are .45.  For the past 3 years it has been rare that I’ve carried anything other than a .45.  My preference is for a Commander-Sized 1911. I have several that I have 100 percent confidence in because I’ve wrung them out at the range with various types of carry ammunition without a single failure.

You MUST have confidence in your gun with good Defensive Ammo. That means either Jacketed Hollow Point ammo or an expanding equivalent like Hornady Critical Defense or Federal Guard Dog. DO NOT carry FMJ (ball ammo) in your defensive handgun. There is too much chance of over penetration which could harm an innocent bystander. For the most part I use Hornady Critical Defense, but I also have a lot of confidence in Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golden Saber and Sig Sauer Defensive Ammo.

Notice all my guns are big. YOU can carry a big gun. Here’s how:

1. Get a good gun belt
2. Get a good IWB holster with multiple mounting points (Crossbreed SuperTuck, Alien Gear, White Hat Holsters).
3. Buy some pants with either an expanding waistband or that are an inch or two larger in the waist than you usually buy.

I’ve written about holsters before, so go back and review some of my previous articles for details if you need to. For a good holster you will need to custom order one that fits your gun from one of these places. Although I like Crossbreed and continue to wear their holsters, Alien Gear makes a great holster for less money and I can’t tell the difference when wearing one of theirs.

• Crossbreed Holsters
• Alien Gear Holsters
• White Hat Holsters

I’ve had friends get by with less expensive holsters, even minimalist holsters, but they don’t really carry full-size guns or wear them all the time.

If you’re going to be serious about Concealed Carry, be serious about it. Don’t leave your gun at home or in the car. Carry it with you every where it’s legal to carry. I find that I very seldom have to go someplace where it’s not legal, so I’m pretty much armed all the time.

When you get your belt and holster rig, practice drawing from it – a bunch. I draw from my holster several times a day. I practice drawing so often that my gun is out and on target quickly and my sights fall right where I want them to.

Carry spare ammo. See the IWB mag carrier in the photo above. That’s Crossbreed’s offering. I always have at least one spare magazine on my support side.

If you are a Sheep Dog, you have got to be ready. You’ve got to be paying attention to what’s going on around you, always alert. You need to be skillful with your firearm and you need to keep it loaded and ready.

If you follow the steps I’ve outlined above and find that you can’t carry comfortably, come see me and I’ll buy your belt and holster from you.

Yesterday we taught an NRA Basic Pistol class and upon completion of the class shooting exercise, my son Phillip and I decided to hang around and shoot some of our guns just for fun. We both had new guns that we had not yet shot and we had some other toys we just wanted to play with. I started my shooting session by shooting a couple of magazines of my chosen defensive carry ammo (Hornady Critical Defense) in the gun I’ve been carrying as my concealed carry gun for a while. When I started shooting the S&W .45 ACP Commander-Sized 1911, I realized it hurt my hands to shoot. I’ve heard people talk about certain guns or caliber of guns being painful to shoot, but this is the first time I experienced it for myself. I’ve got both arthritis and bursitis, but the arthritis is concentrated more in my knees while the bursitis is in my shoulders. My hands have some symptoms of arthritis, but in general they don’t prohibit me from doing much. But now I know what some of my clients are talking about. I believe it was primarily the texture of the grip, which on this gun has a fish scale pattern, that hurt, but it may also have been a function of recoil.

One of the guns I’d brought along to shoot was a new Sig-Sauer Texas Edition 1911. I might carry that gun sometime, so I wanted to know for sure it would work with Hornady Critical Defense ammo and the new Sig Sauer personal defense ammo, so I loaded up a couple of magazines and started shooting. The gun did fine and was accurate, but this gun, too, was painful to shoot. The grips on this gun also have a somewhat aggressive texture.

Next I pulled out a Remington 1911 R1 Carry with a suppressor. Things got quiet all around me as shooters in the other lanes wondered what that sound was that sounded more like a carpenter’s hammer than live .45 ACP rounds. That gun didn’t hurt to shoot and surprised me with how easy it was to aim with the suppressor on it and how the suppressor didn’t affect it’s accuracy. There was oil in the can, so there was a lot of smoke.

That was so much fun I pulled out the S&W M&P .22 with suppressor and put 10 little holes in a small circle with little more than a “pssst, pssst” for sound (well, that’s what you hear when you have on ear protection). In the lane next to me, Phillip was banging away with his PMR-30. Both of us were attracting the attention of shooters in adjoining lanes, me because of my silencers and Phillip because that gun holds 30 rounds of LOUD .22 magnum and it seems to like you can keep shooting forever.

We invited nearby shooters to shoot our toys and they quickly took us up on it. To me, part of the joy of being able to own some cool guns, is being able to share them with others. We had invited some friends and family members to come shoot with us, but the scheduling didn’t work out. So we got to put smiles on the faces of some newfound friends.

We shot some other guns and after shooting a while, I felt I needed to breathe something besides gun smoke, so packed up as much as I could and moved out to the lobby. Phillip stayed behind and talked with some of the other shooters, eventually passing out business cards. For both of us it was an enjoyable day. I know Phillip saw his shooting improve as he worked on the fundamentals we teach in every class, and I came away thinking I might need to re-evaluate my approach to carrying a gun.

Though I have grown to love the 1911 Commanders, I’m thinking the M&P 45 or maybe even the M&P 9mm may be a better choice for me on days when I’m experiencing a little more pain than usual or when I know it’s going to be a very long day. Rainy days especially affect my joints, so perhaps on rainy days, all of the 1911s stay in the safe and I venture forth with an M&P instead. It’s something I’m still pondering, but I know that as I age there are other areas in which I’ve had to make adjustments in my lifestyle, so I promised myself not to be resistant to change when it seems the logical thing to do.

Crossbreed SuperTuck Holster

I read a lot about “drawers full of holsters” accumulated while a shooter tries to find the holster that works for them. I stumbled on a holster and belt combination that worked for me early in my concealed carry experience. The Crossbreed SuperTuck combined with a Crossbreed leather gun belt. I carry inside the waistband (IWB) at the three o’clock position (my right side). I don’t always carry the same gun, so I have a couple of Crossbreed’s, one that fits my 1911’s and another that fits my Sig P226, Beretta PX-4, S&W M&P, FNX-40, Glock 22 – yep, one holster fits them all. Here’s a picture of my 1911 Crossbreed. It shows some wear and tear because I’ve worn it a lot.

The guns I carry weigh anywhere from 32 to 40 ounces and this holster distributes the weight very well. Combined with the excellent gun belt I obtained from Crossbreed it carries the gun very securely, with no movement. You can only buy these through their website http://www.crossbreedholsters.com.

I’ve tried other holsters and until lately, I’ve always come back to the Crossbreed. Recently, however, other companies have started making Crossbreed knockoffs and I decided to try some of them to see how they compare. I’ve been favorably impressed, especially since some of them are priced at about half what a Crossbreed costs.

A local company in Arlington, Texas – makes a good Crossbreed knockoff. Their website is http://www.whitehatholsters.com. I find very little difference between the Crossbreed and the White Hat except that White Hat will customize the kydex part of the holster for you. I think they’ll also personalize the leather backing. Personally, I find very little advantage in that because if you’re carrying concealed nobody sees the holster. At least they’re not supposed to.

Alien Gear Holster

Recently I read some ads by Alien Gear (http://aliengearholsters.com/) and ordered one of their holsters to try. I wore it for several days last week with one of my 1911 Commanders and was impressed. Not only does it cost about half what a Crossbreed or White Hat costs, but for the lifetime of the holster, if you change guns, they’ll provide the kydex for the new gun at no cost. It’s easy to replace as it’s held on by four screws.  I’m not sure I’ll ever take them up on that, because for convenience sake I’d want a holster for my old gun and one for my new gun as well. I rarely part with a gun I like.

The Alien Gear has a couple of features that impressed me. Instead of brads, all the kydex to leather fasteners are allen-head screws with rubber bushings between the kydex and the leather. The instructions say you can tighten or loosen the fasteners on the kydex to adjust the tension on the gun. Mine seems perfect as it is, but I like the fact the gun can “breathe” inside the kydex and for some reason this seems to make the overall holster a little thinner than the Crossbreed or White Hat.  As far as wearing the holster goes, it’s just as comfortable as the others. Time will tell whether or not it holds up as well, but I see no reason why it won’t

MTR Custom Leather Holster

I saw some ads in several of the gun magazines for MTR Custom Leather holsters. I’d tried an all leather holster before – a Wilson Combat Summer Companion. It was very similar to the Milt Sparks Summer Special that a lot of the gun writers like. It’s a very well made holster, but it doesn’t work for me. The gun sits up too high and since the holster uses leather for the belt loops instead of adjustable clips like my other IWB holsters, I can’t find a way to get it far enough down inside my pants to be comfortable and not have the gun grip “kick out” from my body.

The MTR Custom Leather Holster does not have this problem. This holster has the adjustable belt clips I like, but the rest of it is pure leather – very good quality leather. The leather even curves around my body, fitting me perfectly. The holster was cured for a 1911 Commander and has slight indents for the grip, safety and slide. It is extremely comfortable! I believe this holster is going to become my new favorite. I’ve only worn it for a little while, but during that short time it’s easy to forget it’s on.

I got an IWB magazine holder for two 1911 magazines to go with it. The belt clips aren’t adjustable up and down like the holster, but they seem to be set right where they need to be. The back of the mag holder is smooth leather. I’ve been carrying a single 8-round magazine for my 1911s in a SnagMag, designed to be carried in your pocket, secured with a metal clip like a knife. I’m not particularly enamored with this method of carry. It works, but I find the clip slips a lot and the carrier is down in my pocket and not very comfortable in many seating positions. So I’m hoping this MTR magazine carrier will work for me.

Crossbreed Gun Belts

All of the holster mentioned above only work with a good gun belt. Let me repeat that all of these holsters, in fact any decent concealed carry holster worn on the belt will only work with a good, sturdy gun belt. People don’t listen to me when I tell them this and they have problems with their holsters, or say they can’t carry a gun. Why this reluctance to buy a good belt, I don’t know, but for some reason people just don’t seem to get this.

You need a big gun. Bad guys carry big guns. The odds are against you being able to defend yourself with a little gun. A good holster and a good gun belt will enable you to carry a gun that will do the job. They’ll allow you to carry a gun you can hold onto when you shoot. One you can point or even aim at the threat. One that sends enough lead at enough speed to make a bad person stop doing what they’re doing. Get a good holster and a good gun belt and don’t complain about the price. This is your life we’re talking about, or perhaps the life of one of your loved ones.

N8 Squared Tactical Holster

I need to mention a couple of holsters I’ve tried that don’t work for me, but work well for others. One is the N8 Squared Tactical holster (https://www.n82tactical.com). It’s comfortable, but a single point holster and for me, the holster pivoted on the single point clip, not once but twice and dumped the gun down my pants when I was in the bathroom. This never happens with the SuperTuck, White Hat, Alien Gear or MTR Custom Leather holsters. They all have two points of contact with the belt, making them very secure as well as distributing the weight across more than one contact point. But the N8 Squared holster is made well and it is comfortable and a lot of people like it

Hybrid N8 with Leather Back and Metal Clips

I liked the padding on the N8 Squared and had a piece of leather from another project so I created a sort of a hybrid. I mounted the N8 to the leather with some brads and wore it for a few days. It worked pretty well and now I can’t find it. I must have showed it to one of my sons or shooting buddies and he wanted to try it and liked it well enough I didn’t get it back. When I ask, nobody seems to know where it is.

I hope I’ve provided enough information here to help you pick a holster that will work for you. All of the ones I’ve discussed are inside the waistband options (IWB) because that’s what works best for me. They’re all tuckable, meaning you can tuck your shirt in around them if need be. I get to wear my shirt tails out most of the time, so rarely need that option.

Oh, and these holsters work for revolvers, too. I bought a White at Holster designed for my Smith & Wesson 686 and guess what. I can carry a Colt 45 Single Action Army in it, too. I have a nice birds head model from Uberti that conceals great in my WhiteHat IWB revolver holster.

If you need a good Outside the Waistband holster, I recommend the Gould and Goodrich Model 830, available for most popular handguns.

UPDATE MAY 2016

A couple of years ago my instructors began talking with me about supporting local companies and they brought to my attention one company I’ve already mentioned, www.whitehatholsters.com, plus one I haven’t mentioned, D.M. Bullard Leather Company in Azle, TX.

A couple of my Crossbreeds were showing wear, so to replace them I got a D.M. Bullard leather holster for my 1911s and another one for the Sig P226, P229, which also works with the M&Ps. I’ve been wearing a D.M. Bullard leather holster daily for probably two years now and can vouch for the comfort and durability of these holsters. We’re now stocking both White Hat and D.M. Bullard holsters in our shop and have arrangements with the companies to get custom ordered holsters at a discount. I have no qualms about recommended either brand, not just because I sell them, but because they work!

This is a follow up to my previous post about the 1911 Commanders. Every gun writer who gives the weight of a gun does it unloaded, as do the manufacturers. I wonder why, since none of us carry an unloaded gun for personal protection. Anyway, I decided to do my own measurements in regard to my carry guns and I weighed them on a digital scale fully loaded. Here’s what I found:

Weight (oz.)        Gun
41.75                    Ruger 1911 Commander
44                         Remington R1 Carry Commander
34                         S&W 1911 SCE Commander
43.85                    Remington R1 Carry (full size)
44                         Springfield Loaded 1911
36                         S&W M&P 45
39.35                    Springfield XDm 45
34.6                      S&W M&P 9mm
40                         Colt SAA 45
34.55                    Glock 22

Based on the weights I recorded there really is a decided advantage in the Scandium/Aluminum frame of the S&W 1911 SCE Commander as compared to the Ruger or Remington Commanders, but I’ll tell you honestly that with my Crossbreed SuperTuck IWB holster, I don’t really feel it. Maybe my back does with an all day carry, but I’m not consciously aware of the weight when I put on the gun or go through the day. Bottom line for me is 1) a good holster and 2) a good, heavy duty gun belt. People don’t really pay attention to me when I stress the importance of a good gun belt, but if they carry for any length of time, they’ll figure it out.

If you’ve been reading my blog posts lately you know I’ve gravitated toward Commander-sized 1911s for my Concealed Carry handguns. I now have 3 and will use this space to refresh you on the previous two and introduce you to the third.

My first Commander-sized 1911 was the Ruger. It’s the gun that converted me into a 1911 fan. It’s one beautiful, fine-shooting firearm that is the best value I know in a 1911. Street prices are seldom above $750 and if you shop carefully and are patient, you might get one for just a little under $700. I know you can buy cheaper 1911s, but I personally don’t know where you can get this made-in-America quality for less. This gun has highly visible sights, though they’re not night sights and I find it to be very accurate. I’ve never had any type of failure to feed, failure to eject or any type of malfunction whatsoever.

My second Commander-sized 1911 was a Remington R1 Carry. Though it came with very attractive wood grips, I swapped them out for some desert tan CV custom grips. Although it’s not Stainless Steel like the Ruger, it has a very attractive and durable black satin finish. Its edges are all rounded to help with concealment. There are three things this gun has the Ruger doesn’t:  ambidextrous safety, checkered front strap, and a front night sight. Each of these adds a little value to the gun from my perspective. I like the ambidextrous safety for one reason only. It makes it easier to check to insure my safety is on when I’m wearing the gun. The checkered front strap helps a little with the grip since I changed out the factory grips for a thinner pair with a little less traction and the front night sight does help a little with aiming when it’s dark.

Number three is a Smith & Wesson 1911 SCE. The “S” stands for Scandium, the “C” for Commander and the “E” for enhanced. This gun is 10 ounces lighter than the other two because the frame is made of scandium reinforced aluminum. It has a bob tail, which really does help with concealed carry, and it has Trijicon night sights front and rear. It also has fish scale slide serrations front and rear. The 10 ounces and bob-tail make a difference, really.

I’d trust my life to any one of these guns. I’ve shot them each enough to have absolute confidence in their reliability and they are all capable of making one ragged hole at 10-15 feet. Lately, I’ve been carrying the S&W every day. Maybe because it’s new, maybe because it’s lighter. I’ll probably set them up on some sort of rotation because they’re all three too good to spend much time in the safe.