AlienGear iwb holsters, gun belts

[darnskewered]

I'm a freshly minted shooter and just bought my first pistol (see pic in Gun Pictures). I have a LTCF and I'm hoping to carry eventually once I feel comfortable enough with the weapon and more familiar with state laws should I ever have to use it.

Prior to that though I figure I should invest in an IWB holster and practice drawing from it at the range, as part of my training. Someone here suggested Crossbreed holsters, so I looked those up and found a lot of people are also comparing that brand to AlienGear holsters such as this one:

http://aliengearholsters.com/springf...waistband.html

Any opinions on these holsters? Also---what is the advantage of a gun belt versus just any old belt like the one I already have?

[JDA58]

Your going to get a lot of different opinions from different people... I have one of their first runs of holsters with the leather back and it was only $29 shipped back then..
for the money it is a very good holster.. and you can switch shells if you get another gun down the road.. I know people with the newer holsters and they like them ...
Gun belts are much stiffer.. to hold the weight of the pistol and holster with out sagging .. 14 /16 ounces of leather in most cases

[Sgt.K]

The belt will make or break your system. A belt that is floppy, stretchy, or just generally weak is not going to hold *any* holster in place. I actually have more money in my belt than my holster.

I've been carrying a 5" 1911 in a crossbreed-type IWB holster on the same 1 1/4" leather gun belt (business pants for work) daily for a year now. In addition to daily carry I use the exact same belt and holster for my 1911 in IDPA, where last Sunday I shot my 5th match in 22 days. It just stays where I put it.

...I figure I should invest in an IWB holster and practice drawing from it at the range...

Practice at home with an UNLOADED gun. Your range may not permit drawing from a holster.

Consider IDPA (or other action shooting org, but I'm biased) as a way to get comfortable with your gun handling skills. You don't even need your LTCF to participate, and you can walk around all day with your gun on - somewhere beside your house - to get used to the feel.

My 2¢
YMMV
etc...

[R.A.D.]

i love my Tuck 3.0 much better than the 2.0

[Aggies Coach]

I have 3 of them. Wouldn't wear anything else now.

[yeahbuck36]

I carry a few guns in the crossbreed holster, I have both the mini-tuck and the super-tuck. I had tried a buddy's alien gear and wasn't a huge fan of it because the clips seemed kind of flimsy, but other than that it was a very nice holster. I think both would make good options. As for a gun belt, I currently use a double layer nylon belt for the wide range of adjustment it offers. In the past I've used a standard double stitched leather gun belt with your run of the mill 1-inch spaced holes, but I didn't like having so little options for adjustment. In some cases one hole would make my pants too loose, and the next would be too tight. I have been looking into getting one of the Kore Essentials trackline/ ratchet gun belts (http://www.koreessentials.com/gun-belts), as I do prefer a leather belt over a nylon one.

[danhr]

Gun belts dont have to be leather.

I rock an SOE EDC belt..... it is more comfortable and practical than any leather belt I have worn before.

I have tried several holsters, and my favorite is still my crossbreed supertuck.

Alien gear is a knock off from cross breed. Granted a good knock off, but still a knock off.

[ManiacMatt1782]

I carry a few guns in the crossbreed holster, I have both the mini-tuck and the super-tuck. I had tried a buddy's alien gear and wasn't a huge fan of it because the clips seemed kind of flimsy, but other than that it was a very nice holster. I think both would make good options. As for a gun belt, I currently use a double layer nylon belt for the wide range of adjustment it offers. In the past I've used a standard double stitched leather gun belt with your run of the mill 1-inch spaced holes, but I didn't like having so little options for adjustment. In some cases one hole would make my pants too loose, and the next would be too tight. I have been looking into getting one of the Kore Essentials trackline/ ratchet gun belts (http://www.koreessentials.com/gun-belts), as I do prefer a leather belt over a nylon one.

I have the trackline. Highly recommended even for just a regular belt. Much easier to find the ideal comfort spot.

[GrumpyOldRetiree]

I own several Crossbreed Supertuck Deluxe holsters as well as several Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 2's (in addition to a few Cloak Mod's). I like them both, but favor the Alien Gears. The AG is less expensive, fine tuning the retention is much easier and the leather back seems to perform as well as the Crossbreed optional Horsehide backing. Additionally, the option to to swap out the AG shell if you decide on changing out your carry gun is a nice feature. You can also specify metal belt clips (which I did) instead of the plastic ones that are standard on the the Cloak Tuck. Regarding belts, Alien Gear is offering a $15.00 discount on their steel band reinforced belt if you buy it with a holster. That brings the price of the belt down to a reasonable $45.00. I am very satisfied with the 2 AG belts I own.

[yeahbuck36]

I own several Crossbreed Supertuck Deluxe holsters as well as several Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 2's (in addition to a few Cloak Mod's). I like them both, but favor the Alien Gears. The AG is less expensive, fine tuning the retention is much easier and the leather back seems to perform as well as the Crossbreed optional Horsehide backing. Additionally, the option to to swap out the AG shell if you decide on changing out your carry gun is a nice feature. You can also specify metal belt clips (which I did) instead of the plastic ones that are standard on the the Cloak Tuck. Regarding belts, Alien Gear is offering a $15.00 discount on their steel band reinforced belt if you buy it with a holster. That brings the price of the belt down to a reasonable $45.00. I am very satisfied with the 2 AG belts I own.

I didn't know Alien Gear offered the metal clips, the plastic ones were my major problem with their holsters. Might have to check back into them, as the price is very nice.