Kydex IWB Holster Issue w Red Dot Pistol - How is this supposed to work?

Jerzsubbie

Jerzsubbie

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I got a new Shield Plus w micro red dot, and the red dot interferes with my belt as if the gun is sitting too low. Is it normal that your red dot presses against your belt like this? Or how do you guys carry IWB w a red dot?

I have the 4” Performance Center model and had it cut for a 507K (coming soon). I found that there aren’t many companies making a basic kydex holster for a 4” w red dot. I tried a CYA brand but no matter how I adjust the cant, the top of my belt hits the red dot. I normally carry with a lot of cant so this is a big deal.

I tried elongating the holes to move the clip down (raise the gun up), but there isn’t much play there without remolding the kydex and I’d prefer not to do that if I can help it.

Red line is top of my belt.
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EDIT: I’m going to start a list of holsters I find
1)https://www.crossbreedholsters.com/xecutive-holster-by-n8-tactical.html
2)https://wethepeopleholsters.com/pro...ed-carry-holster?_pos=28&_sid=718a04676&_ss=r
3)https://tulster.com/m-p-shield-plus-4-9-40-oath-iwb-holster-ambidextrous/
4)https://www.triadholsters.com/kydex...-0-and-2-0-achilles-iwb-inside-the-waistband/ Could cut the bottom to fit 4”
5)https://lasconcealment.com/products/shogun?variant=31349646262381
6)https://www.bravoconcealment.com/collections/smith-wesson-m-p-shield-2-0-9mm-holsters/products/s-w-m-p-shield-9-2-0-torsion-iwb-gun-holster
 
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No, thats not normal. I would go with a different holster that lets the gun sit a little higher. Here’s a couple of mine. The Sig doesn’t have an optic yet but you can see that it wouldn’t be an issue with the holster. The Glock is in a Phlster pro and the Sig is in a Tulster.

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Not normal, my pistols don't sit that deep atleast.

Pic attached of my 2 iwb rigs, tan is a MiHilsterco, gray is a T1C msp.
 

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Thanks for the pics @Cole_McD & @Derek8404. That confirms what I was leaning toward, that this holster is a standard IWB clearances for a red dot but doesn’t actually work in that role. A red dot holster needs to sit higher, and I’m fine with that.

Both the Tulster and MiHilsterco look like something I’d like. I like that the MiHilsterco has 2 different mounting locations for the belt clip. I’ll check these out, hopefully they make one for a 4” Shield!
 
I’m struggling to find a decent holster either in stock or available for order anywhere. I’ve looked at Phlster, MiHolsterco, Reactive Concealment, and a few others that I found via google but they either don’t make one for the 4” shield or aren’t taking orders. They all have similar designs with the two hooks that can be adjusted to multiple positions.

Any leads on who else makes this style holster?
 
I would check Alien Gear. If you don't see your exact model listed, look for a listing for a similar slide/frame.

As an example:

I have a P320 Compact that I have a TLR-7A on. Called Alien Gear. No. We don't make one for that combination.

BUT.... They do make one for the P320 Carry with the TLR-7. The Carry and the Compact are the same slide with the main difference being the grip length.

The 7 and 7a share the same footprint. The holster fits fine. I did modify it to fit the Holosun after I put that on
 
Thanks but Alien Gear doesn’t make that style holster at all. As for model fitment, there’s only 3.1” and 4” shields. I could use a 3.1” holster and cut the bottom of the holster but that’s a last resort. Shield 1.0, 2.0, and Plus frames are nearly identical so no concerns there.

I’m not in tune with the various holster makers out there and there are tons of them.
 
I use a local kydex holster maker for most things. He makes it exactly like I want. I have used a guy on here for one kydex chest holster and was pleased.
 
Just Tripp said:
Another vote for @RR holsters. I got one for my 365XL with the optic cut. Fit is perfect.
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I looked at his sale thread and it doesn’t look like he offers holsters for the 4” shield (it’s the odd ball shield). I also like the adjustability of some of the models I linked in the OP.

I’ve tried no-name Amazon holsters up to $90+ ANR and Raven holsters, and thankfully I’ve had really good luck with the cheap ones. That said, I have no issues spending $100 on this holster, it’s just a matter of finding the design I want with a reasonable lead time.

I’ve found a few decent candidates that don’t have 3mo+ lead times so I should be good.
 
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Jerzsubbie said:
I looked at his sale thread and it doesn’t look like he offers holsters for the 4” shield (it’s the odd ball shield). I also like the adjustability of some of the models I linked in the OP.

I’ve tried no-name Amazon holsters up to $90+ ANR and Raven holsters, and thankfully I’ve had really good luck with the cheap ones. That said, I have no issues spending $100 on this holster, it’s just a matter of finding the design I want with a reasonable lead time.

I’ve found a few decent candidates that don’t have 3mo+ lead times so I should be good.
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PM him and have a talk. He’s pretty good and flexible. Especially if you’re willing to go to him and wait a few minutes while he knocks it out.
 
CZfool68 said:
PM him and have a talk. He’s pretty good and flexible. Especially if you’re willing to go to him and wait a few minutes while he knocks it out.
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I did notice that in some of the comments but he’s about 90min away and I don’t have the time right now. New baby today 👶, so half-day trips are out of the question for a while.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
I did notice that in some of the comments but he’s about 90min away and I don’t have the time right now. New baby today 👶, so half-day trips are out of the question for a while.
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Maybe someone on the CFF train has the same rig and can stop by and have him make something. Send out a bat signal in the members section. This place will surprise you sometimes. If that doesn’t work hope you find something that works. I have felt that pain.
 
I carry appendix with a thumb on my holster. I really like Spider Concealment holsters, I have a few. You can find coupons. I think they even have a pop up on the main page. They are busy though.
 
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I took one last gamble on a cheap holster before ignoring cost and it seems to have paid off. “We The People” makes the holster I was looking for and it just barely clears my belt after adding some forward cant. If I leave the cant neutral, it clears easily. For $34 after coupon, I’m happy.

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After carrying it for a couple weeks, the We The People Holster didn’t work out in the end. When I installed the 507K, which is slightly larger than the Riton, the optic was again sitting on my belt, not a fan. Also, the single clip design couldn’t support the 17* of cant with the gun sitting up as high as it needs to in order to clear the red dot. This holster will work well with zero or only a little cant. I carry IWB @ 4 o’clock and I like a lot of cant to better conceal the grip.

After playing around with various different holsters I have, and doing some mock-ups, I realized I need a holster with 2 clips due to how much higher the red dot gun sits above my belt and possibly due to the added weight of the 13rd mag vs 8rd on my standard Shield. The standard shield didn’t seem to move around quite as much while using the same WTP holster.

I got the Bravo Concealment torsion holster and added their “wing”. Since the holster is for standard 3.1” shields (non-plus) I had to cut off the end as well as reform the area that covers the mag release. The shield plus is 0.19” wider at the mag release, so the holster was dropping the mag. After making these small changes, this seems to do the trick! I’m going to give it a couple more weeks but so far it’s great. The only complaint I have about the BC holster is that the clips are very tight making it a little difficult to put on.

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The wing helps a lot, so much so that I don’t need so much cant to hide the grip. I previously had a $90+ ANR holster w wing for my M&P9c 4” but hated the wing, it was too much. Apparently not all wings are created equally. I may try a mild wing on the WTP to see if that allows me to run less cant and salvage that one and give me options.

I know this is an odd gun (4” shield plus w red dot) but I learned a lot going through this process of shield to 4” plus w red dot and hopefully it’ll help someone.
 
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It’s for other purposes as well. Such as keeping your site from hanging up on your belt, or from pinching your love handles when reholstering.
 
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