ok guys... getting my license to carry in the next couple of weeks.. so without dumping a fortune on holster mistakes. I wanted to see what your opinions were. I'm gonna carry a full size 1911. specifically a sig with rails.. i know that they are different in a couple of ways. so I'm looking for an own holster option and an iwb as well. I'm thinking kydex makes the most sense. but theres tons of options.. help please!

Concealed or Open ?
What do you do for a living ?
Spend most of time sitting or standing? ?
Extra magazines ?
How many hours a day will you carry ?
What do you consider a "fortune" ?

well i would like opinions on both concealed and open. I'm in sales, so IF i carried at work it would be concealed and i sit and stand about 50/50 I'm in car sales. so like 10 hours a day. most likely not at work though. id carry one extra mag, could do that in a pocket or even an ankle strap if need be. i don't mind spending up to 100 on a holster if its exactly what i want. i just don't want a pile of holsters that i don't use. thats what i meant.

I have a box full of holsters. I only carry with a few now and my favorite is Alien Gear IWB. I prefer the 1.0 and 3.0 versions. I carry everything from a small Sig P938 to a full-frame P226.

The only other holster I carry with is a Shepherds leather IWB for summer minimal with the P938. I've carved that poor thing into a bare resemblance of what it started as, but it does the job.

Where and how you carry is a very personal choice, and unfortunately it is usually not something you nail the first time. your carry style and equipment will evolve over the years as you gain experience. My personal journey started with a single stack 9 in a Crossbreed, on to a G-19 in a Milt Sparks SSII, and now a H&K P-30 in a JM Custom Kydex AIWB. I started small, and worked my way up to bigger guns as I gained experience. Don't get frustrated, you're swinging for the fences with your choice of weapons.

IWB at about 4 o' clock is a pretty prevalent carry style. With your lifestyle, it sounds like a good place to start at least. A Milt Sparks Summer Special II would serve you very well, they have them in stock at Brownell's most of the time, (don't know about the rail though.) My personal experience was that this style holster was much more comfortable than the hybrid style holsters, because it takes up a lot less real estate, and it gets hot in Texas. Your mileage may vary. The hybrid thing is cheap to try out, and may work fine for you. As far as Kydex is concerned, opinions are like [censored], but I've not found any other product that meets the quality of JM Custom Kydex. Call Jim, tell him what you're looking for, and he'll steer you in the right direction.

On the subject of spare mags, I never have been able to carry one comfortably on the waistline. So I weak side pocket carry in a cheap DeSantis mag carrier thingy, works great for me.

Concealed carry/open carry- as a guy that has been concealed carrying 24/7 for the last 5 years, I find the concept of open carry absolutely ludicrous. It's nice to not have the repercussions from accidentally showing your concealed weapon, but other than that you're just begging for negative attention. And putting yourself at a tactical disadvantage if you should ever have to use your weapon in self defense (God forbid!)

I bought the Aliengear combo for my 1911 commander. Both the IWB and OWB fit the weapon well and are comfortable, especially considering the weight of the gun. They offer a 30 day money back trial, so I would give them a look. They are not the best made holster out there, but for the money, they are a good deal.

El Paso Saddlery.

Partner you are going to have holster mistakes...accept that. If you are serious you will end up collecting several different holsters over the course of your time carrying. Get to a gun show and try on several w your gun, that should give you some idea of what you will be needing...

went with a blade tech total eclipse... first go round. probably will change again.

Where are you located?

You are going to try a few holsters to find "the one"... Heck, I have several pistols in the safe to go with the holsters because I was trying to find "the one"...

Carrying a big gun like that, your stomach size plays a big factor. Skinny guys don't have to worry about the gun stabbing them in the side as much, bt if you don't have much structure around the hip and butt area, its hard to get a heavy pistol to stay around your waste.

Stealthgearusa.com
Carry my 1911 all day, just got one for my new glock

+1 on the Milt Sparks Summer Special II. Have carried my 1911 comfortably for years in it. Got it from Brownells.

so i have been playing with that blade tech total eclipse that I got. it fits well and I really like the thin size of it. But what i don't like is the fact that it rubs on the top of the slide every time that I take it out. feels relatively smooth inside the holster, and I realize that the gun is a tool and should be used as such. I would just like to preserve the life of the finish as long as possible. Thoughts?

think about a good gun belt too. unless have already

i ordered a magpie belt... also, a friend had one of the alien gear holsters, and it really was comfortable so I'm thinking i wanna go that route