Holster Lean

[thefinder808]

Hey everyone I need a little advice: My HCP should be in the mailbox any day now but due to my current broke-ness I can't afford a good holster for a couple weeks. I ended up buying the cheapo Blackhawk hip holster they sell at wal-mart. The first time I wore it I noticed the because my belt is so worn out and flimsy the part of the gun above my belt leans outward. I know people are going to say "Don't skimp on a gun belt" and they're right, but in the short term I can't really afford a nice $60.00+ belt, it'll have to come later. Has anyone found a relatively good cheap belt ($20-30) that would work ok for the time being? Any help would be appreciated.

P.S. When an HCP is issued what does that mean exactly? I assumed at first it meant mailed but

I guess I was wrong.

Thanks,

TheFinder

[UncleJak]

I got a nice leather belt at the flea market in bowling Green KY. It was like $20 and nice firm leather. And it has my name on it...

[Sandman]

I have a 5.11 belt that was 25 bucks I think...check ebay or online.

[Guest bkelm18]

Walmart sells Dickies brand work belts. They work pretty good.

Issued means (I'm guessing) it has been approved and printed. It'll show in a week or so at the most.

[Tuffus]

Tractor Supply has some good wide sturdy belts. Reasonable price.

[Pain103]

What kind of firearm is it? You may just find someone with an old holster that doesn't need it.

[thefinder808]

It's a Glock 19. Thanks for the tips guys I'll check out the Dickie's and see what Tractor Supply has to offer. I never really thought about how important the belt was in the whole equation, but now I see it shoulda been obvious how vital a stiff belt is. I figured I'd have the HCP by now, they told me it was issued on the 28th. Hopefully be here tomorrow.

[Mike]

What's your waist size?

Mike

[thefinder808]

I usually go with a 40 in waist in pants, if I'm going to be carrying IWB I might go up to 42 it just depends on how it feels.

[Mike]

I was going to offer you one of my comp tac belts, but it would be a bit short on you.

Mike

[Pain103]

I'll check my pile o junk. I should probably have some old glock holsters I don't use. I'll let you know.

[BrasilNuts]

I was going to offer you one of my comp tac belts, but it would be a bit short on you.

Mike

You could offer him two.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

Go to TJ Max (or a few different ones). Look through their belts. You can usually find one that is nice and stiff. Take them and squeeze the edges. You're looking for one that doesn't curl under the pressure. Should run you $10-15. Might now I'm using a reversible Calvin Klein I found there. There was also a suitable Levi's belt, but they were all either too big or too small for me.

[southernasylum]

CCW Belt - Amish Work Belts - Free Shipping

I've got a couple of these and they are great! Free shipping so $28.99 delivered. These are not vanity sized so measure your waist and order a few inches larger than that if you are going to IWB carry.

-southernasylum

[thefinder808]

Thanks guys for all the generous offers! Very nice people on this forum for sure. Those Amish belts look pretty cool and that's a really great price.

[EastHipster]

A bit of advice based on my experience....

Don't buy a bunch of crappy stuff when for just a little more you can get the solution.

You don't have to spend a fortune

I bought several cheap belts and ran all over town looking in stores....ended up getting a Wilderness Instructor belt. EXCELLENT. $40

As long as you are ok with a nylon belt...you'll never need to replace it.

You don't need the lined version

I bought several holsters and drove all over town looking for different ones and then got a good clip/IWB Holster.

www.shieldedholsters.com is a good balance of cost/quality and they ship FAST.

$40-$50 including shipping

I have a Double clip for my Glock 17 and a Single Clip for Glock 26

The Double is more stable, the single let's you adjust the Cant freely but doesn't stay in one position....good sometimes.

[EastHipster]

Oh yeah...

Get the Belt first

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

Don't buy a bunch of crappy stuff when for just a little more you can get the solution.

I completely agree... except belts can be a bit tricky. If you want a leather belt for one reason or another (don't want to look "tacticool," prefer something dressier, just prefer the style of a leather belt, etc.), a nice leather gun belt tends to be really expensive and/or not amazingly stylish.

I know I looked at a lot of true gun belts in leather, and I didn't really see much that I would want to wear regularly, style-wise. I know choosing to wear a gun every day comes with certain sacrifices, but I think the trade-off of finding inexpensive but sturdy leather belts intended as fashion accessories rather than gun accessories, with the understanding that they will need to be replaced every once in a while, is well worth making. Others may disagree, but that's where I've come down on the issue.

[Schadenfreude]

I got a nice leather belt at the flea market in bowling Green KY. It was like $20 and nice firm leather. And it has my name on it...

My 2 cents, don't wear a belt with your name on it some con artist can come up to calling you by name & catch you off gaurd while your trying to remember who they are because you forgot that your name is on your belt.

[Guest msparks]

I've been using a belt that I got from Tandy Leather. Works great so far, it's about 8 months old. I think it cost $12, plus the kit to stain it and seal it. I need to go back and get another one to dye in black.

[JAB]

The Dickies belts that I have seen at my local WalMart locations lately are a bit 'flimsy'. The ones I get at the Dickies store are stiffer, sturdier and seem better made. They pass the 'squeeze' test like BenderBendingRodriguez was talking about (that is how I check belts, too.) I like the ones with a double-row of holes and two 'tines' in the buckle. This is the type of belt I wear pretty much every day - even at work where I can't carry. They cost something like twelve bucks at the Dickies outlet where I get them (blue roof mall in Sevierville.) I've been wearing the one I currently have on pretty much every day for about a year and a half or so. With my lighter carry guns (642, P3AT) it still works well. It is just about getting to the point when I probably need to consider a newer, non broken-in one if I am carrying something a little heavier like my Ruger P95 or my CZ82.

I like playing around with leather projects and am considering putting together a 'reinforced' belt for carry (probably just a double layer of leather.) As long as these Dickies belts are available and relatively inexpensive, however, it is a little hard to get motivated to do it.

[Guest boatme99]

Tractor Supply. You can get a pretty good heavy, black leather belt for $9-15.00 that will last a good year.

[tnhawk]

Several years ago I ordered a belt from Tucker Gunleather and it's held up better than several cheaper belts combined.

[strickj]

My 2 cents, don't wear a belt with your name on it some con artist can come up to calling you by name & catch you off gaurd while your trying to remember who they are because you forgot that your name is on your belt.

Yanno, I've read some pretty wild and ridiculous stuff on the internet before but this post has to take the cake!

[frankmako]

5.11 makes one of the best dress gun belts going. i have been wearing one for two years and it is just as good a day one. the price has dropped on the belt and you can find them under $40.00. they have the plastic insert that makes them work.