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How to Choose Your Gear

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    Jon Payne

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    Nov 16, 2010
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    How to Choose Your Gear

    It's 2010, almost 2011... The most popular handguns these days are polymer (fancy plastic). As far as gear goes kydex is replacing leather. There are several reasons to choose kydex. The main one is longevity. Kydex will simply outlast leather. I carry a handgun pretty much everyday of the year. I live on the Gulf Coast, it's almost tropical here and it's a saltwater environment. I used to wear strictly leather, but found after awhile it begins to stink from sweat and stain. Leather also has to be maintained with conditioner and polish. No matter how good you are to your leather gear it's made of cow skin, which is biodegradable, and it will wear out. Leather is still cool though and you can use the same guidelines to select leather gear. When you choose leather there is a certain degree of "pride of ownership".

    The gear I'm writing about is for defensive purposes. Let's look at the belt first. The belt should be of sturdy construction. That means no Gucci belts or Kmart Specials! If leather, choose either two ply or saddle/skirt leather. Some nylon belts have stiffeners, some don't go with what you feel comfortable with. The belt I use the most is a Sneaky Urban Fighting Belt. It is comfortable enough for all day wear, supports my gear very well, and holds my pants up. The belt should fit the belt loops of your pants for maximum support. You can find gun belts from 1.25" to 1.5" to 1.75" . It's never a bad idea to measure your belt loops. When I buy a belt, I buy it large enough to wear a holster on the outside of my waist band or inside my waist band Your belt is the foundation of your carry rig, pick it carefully.

    Holster

    Buy a holster made for the pistol you're carrying. Close doesn't cut it, don't buy a nylon holster made to fit several pistols. Make sure the slots on your holster fit your belt. The strong side outside the waist band holster should be worn just behind your hip. The holster should bring the butt of the pistol up close to your body in order to aid in concealment. There are other choices out there, but for working the fundamentals and getting used to concealed carry it's hard to beat the strong side holster.

    Magazine Pouches

    Single pouch or double pouch? It's entirely what suits you. Again. make sure the slots on the pouch fit your belt and the pouch is made for the type of magazine you're carrying. The magazine pouch should be worn on your support side behind the hip. Make sure your magazines are in the pouch with the rounds pointed forward. If you're using a double magazine pouch both magazines should be placed in the pouch with the rounds pointed forward. With your magazines worn in this fashion it makes it easy to grasp your magazine properly.

    Good gear will give you years of service. Cheap gear is not good and good gear isn't cheap. You do get what you pay for. I live by the rule "Buy Once Cry Once". Remember, cheap should never be considered when studying life saving equipment.
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