Appendix Carry Holster Reviews

Once I purchased a Shield, I decided to look into the world of appendix carry. What I have used to date which I’ll give a brief review/rating of for those doing the same. Not pictured but tested briefly, was Haley/G Code…Left to right,

JM Custom, Fury Solutions, Blade-tech, faux leather holster (don’t remember the brand) and that’s Fury Solutions belt side mag holder.

UPDATE: see review of Fury Holster post#18.

The first I purchased was the Blade-tech as it was cheap and I knew would be delivered quickly and would allow me to try this method of CCW before committing. It’s not kydex but injected molded plastic, has not tension adjustments, etc. and is what it is. However, I found it surprisingly comfortable, concealable, and for the $, and excellent choice for those who just wanna try that method of CCW. I’m actually happy I started with it and would recommend it as a “starter” appendix rig. I’m also happy I started with it, because I figured if that was good, a more expensive better built holster would be that much better. I was wrong. I used it to work on dry fire work, etc and waited like six weeks for the Haley/G Code.

Haley/G Code (not pictured)

Not for me: it concealed poorly and was very uncomfortable whether one or two clips used and I hope the M4C member who purchased it had better luck with it than I did. Don’t think I have evr taken a dislike to a holster that fast. Maybe my expectations were too high… I suspect it may work better for those built more like it’s designer who is on the taller and thinner side. For a shorter thicker guy, it was a no go. I can say it’s a very well built holster if it fits your needs. Maybe it makes a decent IWB as strong hip carry, but it was a real let down as an appendix holster for me.

JM Custom

That was/is a loaner from someone who let me use it for a few weeks. It’s comfortable, conceals well, and I can see the reason it’s on the short list for those recommending appendix carry. The only real issue I have is the lack of sweat guard on that model. If it had had a sweat guard, I would have bought it without reservation. My only issue with JM is the long wait time and it seems a tad pricy to me for what it is. However, it’s a solid choice for appendix in my experience if wait time and or price not an issue.

Fury Solutions.

I have had excellent experience with this company, and own a belt slide and mag holders for my VP9 and the Shield. Design, quality for $$, and reasonable shipping times, had made them a favorite for me. They didn’t have an appendix rig when I was looking a while back or I would have started with them. They do now, and I decided to have some fun with “Fury red” color. So far, it seems a winner as with their other holsters. However, they do one thing I’m not a fan of which seems taken from the G code, and that’s to put an angle on the clip vs making it parallel to the holster as the JM does and most others do. I have not worn this holster for an extended time, so cant fully report, but will in a week or two. I don’t like that way the clip is bent, and it tends to stick out and print. I can theorize as to why they might do it (forced the gun int your body, etc) but in real world use, I don’t like it, and it’s one of various things I didn’t like about the G code. The good news is, they clips are adjustable and or removable, so I may inquire about different clips or simply heat and bend it to my liking.

See:

faux leather holster.

Just something I decided to try to compare to rigid holsters. Comfort and concealabilty were decent, but it suffers two major drawbacks that made it a no go. The faux leather is very sticky and with pressure from the belt, etc, damn near impossible to draw gun from and once drawn, collapses so you can’t re holster. Total fail. It does make for a decent gun protector at least. :slight_smile:

Your Experience is consistent with mine for the incog. Its pretty difficult to conceal.

I have a JM customs I will review eventually, its my go to and pretty good all around.

And the tactical fuzz was a fail for me. What did you think the bent clip(s) of the incog?

Seems hard to go wrong with that choice.

Currently trying Eaton tactical innovations out for Glock, as well as FIST k8

http://eatontacticalinnovations.com/holsters/

http://www.fist-holsters.com/novoerfide/iwb-holsters.html

Tactical fuzz is a no go.

+1 for JM Custom Kydex. Used one for a couple years for my EDC G19. In fact, I have another one in my mailbox right now, that I’m headed home to try out. I’ve loaned my original out to several friends, who have all bought their own eventually.

+2 for JM Custom. My order took about ten weeks (knew that going in) but I’m happy. I have an appendix rig for both the Colt Defender and Gen 1 G17, + mag holders for each. I got extra clips and soft loops to try the options. Very comfortable rigs.

That review is very helpful Will. Thanks for posting that!

Glad it helped.

So your conclusion is Tactical fuz is tactical fail? :wink:

I have a few JMC holsters and for AIWB they seem to be the best for my body shape. My MP did conceal better in a CCC Shaggy. The P30, VP9 do well with the JMC. The G42 rides in a Blade Tech Klipt and like you I did the quick and dirty Amazon thing and it works surprisingly well, even with gym shorts. Thinking about Smart Carry for the gym.

On the Fury; can the clips be ditched and replaced with something else. Like CompTac or something from Knife Kits?

JM’s work well for me. You can get it with a full, mid or no sweat guard.

I had the same experience with the G code incog. I put it on, said nope and right into the drawer.

Out of curiosity, why do so many people hate the “tactical fuzz” on the G-CODE?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The tac fuzz eventually flakes off due to body sweat.

I agree. The bent clip prints way too much. I paid $7 for a straight kydex clip w/no holes on ebay and simply drilled the holes in place and cut off the excess. The holster is great now. For the price and the wait time, it should be perfect though.

The clips themselves easy to bend. Heat them up, bend them straight, done. I used a heat gun, but other methods would work fine. Just did that on the Fury Holster (clip is supplied by G code so same clip…) and that helped a ton in comfort and concealment. I can’t fathom who decided those bent clips are a good idea, but they greatly reduce comfort and concealibility in my experience. I can see what the idea was “on paper” but as with so many an idea, does not seem like anyone really tested in the wild to see if it actually works.

As mentioned in the OP, a follow up on the Fury appendix holster. As mentioned, I have had good experiences with them and I think their designs/quality/cost/delivery has put them the short list for me. I think this holster is a good choice, but for two issues. As we all know, holsters are very dependent on the person wearing it, which is why one of many reasons person A loves a holster and person B does not. Now that I have spent time wearing it, here’s my thoughts. My two issues with this holster I suspect mostly a product of my being a short stocky type. If you’re of the taller/thinner shape, may be a non issue to you. One issue as mentioned in the OP is the bent clip which is from G code. The idea of that clip is to push the gun back into the body and help prevent the gun from tipping forward. For me, it reduces comfort and concealability.

My answer to that was to take a heat gun at low power and straighten the clip. For me, that made a big improvement in both comfort and concealability.

However, I did communicate with Nick A at Fury, and he did not recommend heating the clip to bend it as the heat may permanently alter its strength characteristics. Some materials lose strength and integrity when heated/re heated. My altering it’s shape seems to have had no negative effects on the clip which remains very rigid. However, heat & bend at your own risk as they don’t recommend it.

Issue two, the corner of the holster digs into the thigh/hip crease at times when sitting and walking forcing me to make physical adjustments more often than I’d like, or a sore area is the result. Again, that’s likely my short torso, how I wear my pants, etc and may be a non issue to others. However, I have noted other designs do a better job of rounding that area off/minimizing the shape making it more comfortable for short and taller types. My advice to Fury (which I’m passing onto them) would be to remove one of those tension screws, and take the edge off by sloping it up and rounding off more. If you have a shorter torso and or wear your pants on the lower side (or both!), that edge becomes a problem and you find yourself having to adjust the holster more often than you should:

If a straight clip, and or perhaps the choice of a belt loop (similar to the JM and others) were offered and that corner improved per above, would make the Fury a great choice for an appendix holster. As is, for me at least, I’d give it a B-. If I’m right about those two issues being mostly related to the body shape issue, and you’re of the thinner/taller shape, the Fury may be the perfect choice and worth a try for sure.

As always, a quality gun belt is a must, and that’s another topic!

I’ve been using an OTG for my shield aiwb and so far it’s my go to. The JM belt loop doesn’t do it for me and the gcode is so much bigger overall. The OTG offers a full sweat guard as well (which I prefer) with decent shipping times.

https://otghex.com/products/mki-inside-waistband/?navselect=group3

Another vote for JM Customs. I AIWB daily with my glock 26 and glock 19 and it works flawlessly. Can’t wait to get one for a glock 19 with the new surefire XC1!