Now that it is winter, I am wearing so many more layers of clothing to keep warm.  Plus as I am in my vehicle, I am wearing a seat belt.  The realization came to me yesterday as I could feel my cell phone ringing and I was frantically unbuttoning my coat, taking off my seat belt, and pulling up my sweater to get to the phone.  Even then, it was not easy or fast.  Imagine if I had to get access to my pistol if someone was approaching my car or trying to car-jack me.  It would never happen quickly.

After going through these various scenarios in my mind, I spent some time looking at car handgun holsters.  These are typically holsters that can be mounted in your vehicle so you have quick access to your pistol.  They are unencumbered by clothing or seatbelts.  I was surprised at how many different types there were.  The major difference were where and how you would mount them.  Below are some options for a pistol holster for your car.  Just like there are 1000s of holsters for your hip and you may love some and hate others, same goes for vehicle seat hostlers.  You will need to think about your application and preferences and go from there.

By Your Knee Holster
This holster is mounted in your drivers side near the floor on the side of your console.  It allows for easy access to your pistol as you simply reach down with your strong hand.  The downside is that it is close to your gas pedal foot.  If get in and out of your car frequently, you may hit it often (especially if the foot area of your vehicle is rather small).  I know in my truck, because of the snow and salt, my carpets on my drivers side are always wet and full of slush and salt.  Not a great place to keep your expensive pistol!  While it is concealed pretty well, you would have to make a downward movement in your car to reach down and get it.  It may telegraph to a bad guy what you are doing.  Also, if you are on the heavier side, reaching down that far may be like doing a sit up in your car!

In Your Console Holster
If you have a large center console such as are in many full-sized SUVs and trucks, you have a couple options on how to mount this holster.  It can be mounted on the cover as shown.  Some owner prefer to mount it barrel down inside the console box.  I do like this application as it is easy to get to your gun.  You can often lock these consoles for added security, in the place of a vehicle pistol safe. The downside of this application is if you keep lots of junk in your console, your gun may not fit! Plus, if you are sitting in your vehicle, every bad guy is going to see you open your console.

Between the Seats Holster
This is a variation of the by your knee install, but better. Again your have quick access to the gun, but you can be more discreet about it. Being able to use this mounting is going to depend a lot on the layout of your vehicle. Some have a large amount of space between the seats and will make this easy, especially if you rarely have someone riding in the passenger seat. If your car has limited space between the seats, you can also mount it more forward of the seat on the side of the console, similar to this picture, but even further forward (maybe near the shifter in this picture).

On the Seat Back Holster
This holster is mounted around the base of the seat itself. I am sure you can understand why I think this is the least desirable mounting point. The gun is effectively behind you and in between the door and seat. You would need to draw across your body pretty far to get this gun out. I suspect that your seat belt may prevent you from making that motion. You can easily test this position by using an old belt or nylon tie to mount your existing holster around your seat.

Between Your Legs Car Holster
I am divided on this style of car seat handgun holster. On the one hand, it would be very easy to draw this gun discreetly as you can have your hand in your lap and easily reach the gun. It is hidden from view if someone looks into your vehicle better than all the mounts except the console holster. Unlike all the other options, this one is not permanently mounted to the car. On the downside, I am not sure I want to sit on the strap that holds it in place. That is an awfully large buckle! Plus, just like the by your knee holster, I suspect I would hit that thing every time I would get in my vehicle. I would be both frustrated and irritated that I was getting it dirty/wet.

As you can see, finding a car handgun holster is really a personal choice. It depends a lot on the type of vehicle you have and frankly your physical build. Take some time to play with your options by even taping an old standard holster in place and see if you like the position.

Enter their new offering the GV3000 Drawer Vault.  This is a much larger container with their typical hand print on the top for either standard or biometric opening.  It is made out of a light 18 gauge steel, which is really just enough to keep a child (or a worthless thief) away from the contents, as most gun safes are made of much thicker 12 gauge steel.  It does have a mount point for an optional security cable (which is disappointingly not included).

The GunVault Drawer Vault includes a backup key entry in case of electronics or battery failure.  The unit will beep when the battery is low as well as display a lit LED, but that battery is inside the cover so you will need the key if the battery dies.  The pistol safe weighs just a little over 8 pounds and has dimensions of 12x10x4.25.  This should be short enough to fit inside a drawer, but large enough to store a few items including a handgun, passport, and some spare ammo.

GunVault is estimating that the GV3000 will retail at $219 and the biometric version, GVB3000 will be $335.  Like most of its competitors, the biometric version will allow 30 enrolled fingerprints.

This unit is slightly smaller than the Barska top opening biometric unit and has thinner metal.  The Barska is about 16 gauge (1/16″) on the sides vs 18 gauge on the GunVault.  Not that the difference (and mentioned above) is going to slow down a determined thief more than about 20 extra seconds.   The Barska is $214 at Amazon right now, which is $110 less than the GunVault GVB3000.

The Stack-On biometric drawer safe is at Amazon for $107 and the electronic version is at Amazon for $50.  Both units are same length and height as the GunVault, but are just 1.4″ narrower (which doesn’t mean much).  This safe actually has 2 live action bolts versus the light weight metal tab in the GunVault.  If see the other GunVault units next to the Stack-on, there is really no comparison in thickness of materials and security.  The Stack-On is substantially heavier and feels more like a true safe than a metal box.

While I have not seen the GV3000, I am not sure I would spend double or even triple (in the case of the Stack-On), just so I could get the patented hand print on the top!

Smith & Wesson is packaging either a S&W SD9 (9mm) or a S&W SD40 (.40 S&W) with a NanoVault 200 and a compact pistol light.  They have taken their standard pistol and added their own Micro90 pistol light from the factory.  This flashlight produces 90 lumens and has a run-time of up to 2 ours on a Lithium battery (which can be expensive).  They then are combining that with the GunVault Nano200 to sell as a type of kit.

While I know that the Gunvault pistol vault is not their, it still makes for a great story.  I know that so often, I will buy the “kit” that is offered by a company to make life easier than assembling the pieces yourself.  There is almost an implied synergy when the manufacturer has decided that this is the part that should go with their product.

Additionally, I like that a new gun owner can get a great gun and have a place to secure it immediately, instead of having to figure that out.   Looking around the internet, it looks like this package is going to retail for about $479.

First and foremost there are a lot of options out there. Not only are there a lot of inconsistencies in products but also how they are presented, and understanding first what exactly you need to look for can save you potentially thousands of dollars and a poor investment.

To begin with when it comes to an intruder entering your home it is their goal to make it in and out as quickly as possible. The frustrating reality is that there likely isn’t a safe built on this planet that can’t be cracked given the right amount of time. The goal is not necessarily to completely keep out an intruder, although it would be nice, but to slow them down enough that they either run out of time and get caught, or have to escape. With this in mind even though you may not be able to afford the top of the line, try and get the most features you can for your budget. This will help to keep thieves from just getting in and then taking your valuable weapons.

When it comes to security ratings look for the tampering ratings provided by Underwritters Laboratories (UL). These are ratings that show how long a safe door is able to hold up against an intruder; however it is important to note that this does not represent how long it will take to penetrate the top or side of the safe.

Most often you will see the Residential Security Container (RSC) on home gun safes. This is an indicator that during testing the safe was able to withstand attack for at least five minutes. During the testing UL put the safe under serious strain using methods such as drilling, chiseling, punching, prying, and many other special techniques.

Of the UL security ratings there are a varying degree of times given to the ability of the gun safe to withstand tampering. The TL-15 Burglary Classification indicates that while putting the container under intense attack by an expert it was able to hold up against opening for as long as 15 minutes. It should be noted that for this test experts use more commonly found everyday tools. The TL-30 Burglary Classification is given to safes that are able to withstand attack by a UL expert for at least 30 minutes.

One thing that is important to know before putting down your hard earned money on a well advertised gun safe is that there is a lot of trickery used to convince you that the protection you are buying is superior in some way. Even though the UL may give the safe other ratings, there are important things to know about what some of the other terminology means. To begin with, the B and C rating that is sometimes given to safes only refers to the construction, in acknowledging that it has at least one inch thick doors and the body is either ½ inch thick. Although these are important facts to know, they do not mean there is something special about the actual construction of the container and sometimes the wording by manufacturers and advertisers can be misleading.

The main thing to remember before buying a gun safe is that before spending any money get the facts. There is a lot of information available out there so don’t rush into a decision. Your weapons are important assets to both you and your family and you want the best protection possible.

I recently was at my local locksmith’s store getting some keys made and came across the Fort Knox safe brand.  I thought it was interesting that they had testimonials from celebrities like General N. Schwartzkopf, Bo Derek (not sure what she knows about safes, but that’s another discussion), Steven Segal, and many other outdoorsmen and professionals that could really spend just about anything they wanted on a safe.

It turns out this company also manufacturers a very nice handgun safe.  They don’t make a big deal of it as it is only one of their more than 10 models.  Plus, if you check out their website, it is under safe extras, not even their main safe menu.  Despite being somewhat of the stepchild of the company, this little guy pulls his weight.  In fact, I can’t even call him little as he weighs 24 pounds.  Most of the other safes such as the Gunvault GVB1000 is a light 8 pounds.  The Barska AX11224 is a comparable unit at 25 pounds.

I would argue this is a safe!  With 10 gauge steel on the body and 3/16″ thick door the Fort Knox has much more steel versus the 16 gauge on the Gunvault.  A burglar will have much more difficult time using a crow bar, large screwdriver or even a fire ax to open this.  The Barska also has a very heavy 3/16″ door, but the sides are again just 16 gauge steel.

The locking mechanism on the Fort Knox is a Simplex mechanical lock.  Just 5 buttons that you can program to any combination (you can only push each button once).  No batteries and very fast to open.  I am disappointed, though that this unit does not have anything more than a simple catch to lock the door to the frame, much like the GunVault.  The Barska, has 2 heavy solid steel bolts that secure the door to the frame, making a brute force attack against the door opening very difficult.

Both the Gun Vault and the Fort Knox safe are close to the same exterior dimensions with the Barska AX11224 being slightly larger inside.  Cost-wise, they are about $150 for the GunVault, $175 for the Fort Knox FTK-PB Pistol Box Handgun Safe and about $200 for the Barska AX11224.  I also appreciated that unlike the 90 day warranty with the GunVault and 1 year with Barska the Fort Knox company have a lifetime warranty on this unit.  You can see this is representational of the heritage of it’s larger big brother gun safes.  This Fort Knox unit is truly a safe and it fits well in with the competition of both GunVault and Barska.

So I was looking at my ammo inventory the other day.  It was getting a little low since I had recently been out at the range with a couple friends of mine.  I realized that I had not been restocking.  While I don’t keep 1000′s of rounds like some preppers do, I like to have several boxes in case the SHTF.  Just enough to make me feel good that I am not totally unprepared, but not so much that I have $100s of rounds of ammo that my wife may ask what I am spending money on (just enough to keep it under the radar).

I also realized that since now that I live in the country, it is not as convenient for me to buy ammo.  The closest gun shop is probably 20 minutes away and not really on the way to anything.  I recently got the chance to test out some .40 Smith & Wesson, 180GR FMJ ammo by Winchester from BulkAmmo.com.  You can see their entire supply here of Bulk Handgun Ammo.  They have an extensive inventory, well more than the average gun shop.  They carry everything from .25 ACP (for your pocket pistols) to .50 AE (for Desert Eagles and handgun hunting).  All totaled, Bulk Ammo has about 275 different SKUs in handgun ammo.  You can order hard to find rounds (such as ones with different projectile types including:  SJSP, LRN, JHP, JSP and 8 other) as well as larger quantities including 1000 round bulk packs of your favorite ammo for your best savings.   Bulk Ammo even sells re-manufactured pistol ammo at about 40% off the new price.

I took the Winchester .40 S&W that I received out the to range.  This is a pretty standard 180GR round with a full copper casing and jacket.  I have shot the jacketed hollow point version of this product, but not these.  I found this ammo shot well, no mis-fires or jambs.  While I love buying less expensive ammo, I find that it often leaves a lot more residue in the gun, which cause issues if you don’t clean the pistol often.  I cleaned the Glock after putting 50 rounds through it and was surprised how clean everything was.   This Winchester product is currently selling at $17 for a box of 50, plus larger discounts if you buy more boxes or in a bulk 500 pack.  This is an excellent value for a good name brand product.

If you are in the market for ammo, take a look a BulkAmmo.com.  You will be happy you did.

In this time of chaos, it is possible that the government could come in and take everyone’s guns like they did during Katrina, leaving those gun owners defenseless against armed gangs of outlaws.  What really burns me in that situation is that I would be OK to give up my gun if you committ to protecting me, but that didn’t happen.  The authorities took the guns and then left the people helpless.

Some will tell you that “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands”.  While that seems very Charlton Heston and poetic, I don’t think that is a practical solution.  What if there are 5 army guys with M-16s in your face demanding your guns?  I suspect you are going to give them up and let them search the house.  Or what if your home is destroyed in the disaster or burns down after the disaster.  What do you do?

Let’s talk about prepper’s (a person that prepares prior to change in normal life as we know it) and their answer to this issue.  A prepper will have multiple guns, but also guns in multiple locations.  They may have one in their bug-out-bag (BOB), several in their house, many at their bug out location (alternate location in case they need to leave their primary residence) and maybe a handgun on their person.  As further insurance against the theft, loss or confiscation of their guns, some survivalists and preppers are starting to hide a couple guns in an underground container.  They bury a couple guns, ammo, maybe some food away from their location in the event they need access to it.  It is done where no one else would expect to find something.

Disclaimer:  Firearm burial is specifically not recommended for public safety reasons.  If any portion of this becomes outlawed for any items, do not follow this advice.

One such container is called a Bury ‘Em Tube.  These tube come in multiple sizes from 1-4 feet in length and 4-8″ in diameter.  While you can make a cheaper version using some PVC pipe and fittings, these are much heavier construction and thicker wall than traditional plumbing PVC pipe.  These kits come with waterproof ends and several layers of bagging to keep water and moisture out of the interior.  The company that manufacturers these also has a pretty thorough process that they recommend to further insure no water penetration,which includes sealing the screw threads with wax.

Each tube can hold 1-2 weeks of food or valuables, first aid kits, or other survival tools.  The tubes come with a carrying strap, several bags for organization and some CO2 absorber packets to remove all oxygen from the kit to slow down decay.  I would also add several desiccants to absorb any water in the tube.  If you chose to put any guns (and Ammo) in there, you may want to invest a couple dollars in a handgun storage bag.  These will further inhibit any rust or corrosion inside the tube.

Now, these Bury ‘Em tubes are not cheap.  They can run $85-$325 each and it appears the original company went out of business, so  I am unsure how long they will be available.  With the money in the tube and the contents, you could be burying $1000 worth of stuff in the dirt.  Make sure you know where you bury this.  You want to conceal it so know one expects something is under the ground, but don’t do it so good that you can’t find it.  One way to locate the tube is to pace off equal distance from two permanent landscape features such as large rocks.  Also, realize that this does contain some metal, so it could be found with a good metal detector if someone suspected something.  Additionally, you should select a location that is unlikely to be washed away during a flood or dug up during construction.

You should consider that having access to your handgun in an emergency may mean more than just being able to get to your pistol safe in the middle of the night.  It may mean hiding a gun or two in other locations in the event that the SHTF.

These instructions and tips are going to assume the safe has some type of mounting holes in the bottom or back of the unit.  Here are some major items to think about for placement of the safe.

• Where this safe is located in your home is very important.  If an intruder is trying to break into your home at 3:00am, you will have just seconds to get your handgun and defend yourself and your family.  Having your handgun in a large gun safe in the basement is probably not going to work!  Alternatively, your spouse may not appreciate the enameled black finish of your 800 pound gun safe in her bedroom like you do.  Plus, your upper floors may not be able to hold the weight of that heavy of a beast (if you install on upper floors, place the safe near a load-bearing wall as a precaution to support the weight).  These instructions are really for a simple 2 gun pistol safe, well then anywhere you can get to it in a hurry is the best place for it.  Spend some time deciding where to locate this unit.
• If you are mounting a smaller handgun safe in your closet, consider upgrading your closet also!  I have seen many people replace their closet doors with a solid oak door or even a steel door.  They then put a deadbolt on the door for further security.  While this also may not prevent the burglar from getting to the safe, it will again slow them down.  In a townhouse that I recent saw, they had constructed almost a secure room under the stairs.  They had a steel door with a steel frame and 3 deadbolts (one at the top, bottom and middle).  Plus, to prevent someone from simply going through the wall around the door, the interior of this room under the stairs had 3/4″ plywood screwed onto the walls.  Tough little room!
• Deception can also be used to slow down a thief.  Experts recommend buying a cheap gun cabinet and putting some old junker guns it.  The criminal may see these and think that is all that there is without looking for another safe.  Place a cardboard box over the safe and label it “shoes”.  Place a smoke detector in the same space on the ceiling as the safe.  If the bad guy uses a torch or cutting tool, it will set off the smoke detector, further frustrating him that he is making too much noise and taking too much time.
• Positioning the safe against the wall and in a corner can reduce its vulnerability to brute force attacks and crowbars.   This will slow down the burglar and make them think twice if this safe is worth the effort.  I have seen a couple installations where the owner pushed the safe into the corner, mounted it, then they built another brick wall on the other side of the safe or put in something immovable next to the safe to make it almost impossible to get at the sides of the safe.  All you are left with is access to the door, which is typically the toughest part of the safe.
• Before beginning any drilling or anchoring, consult the safe’s owners manual to see what they recommend.
• Every safe should be anchored in place with heavy-duty fasteners that are as large and long as possible and appropriate for the material it is being mounted to.  Ideally, you should mount to both the bottom and the back of the safe into concrete or another solid surface.  If you can’t mount to the floor, you will want to find the studs behind your safe and bolt the safe to the wall studs (assuming your safe has mounting holes in the back).
• One technique that thieves use successfully to steal even secured gun vaults is to simply pry them up using a large crowbar.  They will often be able to either break the bolts out of the floor or pull the bolt heads through the bottom of the safe (as many safes have thinner steel in the bottoms to safe on weight).  I recommend that you add a couple large “washers” made of 1/4″ steel about 4″x4″ with correctly sized holes drilled in them.  You can probably buy these for just a couple dollars at a steel shop.  Make sure the holes are drilled no larger than the bolt diameter to prevent pulling the heads through the washers.
• If you are new to hardware and bolts, consult the guys at Home Depot on best hardware to mount your safe.  It is much easier to install threaded bolts into the floor and then set the bolts through the holes in the safe and then use washers and bolts inside the safe with a socket to secure than to try and use standard hex bolts and hit a hole under the safe.
• Here is how to mount into different surfaces (remember, always consult the safe’s owner’s manual):
• When mounting into concrete, don’t spare any expense.  Use a hammer drill to drill the correctly sized holes, vacuum out the holes, use Red-Head concrete anchors with epoxy and hammer in the bolts.  Allow the epoxy to set up overnight.  Those are going nowhere.
• Wood installation is going to give you mostly one option.  Install using the largest and longest lag bolts that you can find.  Unfortunately, a determined thief will get these bolts out given enough time.  Wood is just not as solid as concrete.
• Tile can be tricky as it is very easily cracked.  I do not recommend this installation.  If you insist, you will need a tile drill bit that is the size of the bolt (which will be expensive).  You may then need to drill through the thinset (concrete like material used to set tile on).  Then anchor using either wood or concrete anchors depending upon what the tile is set on.
• Carpet and vinyl is mostly about using a very sharp knife to cut a tiny slit in the material and then installing per the concrete or wood installation above.  If you remove the bolts, a little glue (appropriate for carpet or vinyl) should allow you to hide the cut.
• Jack over at GunSafeHaven.com does a great job of showing all the places you can mount a pistol safe.  Go over and take a look.

With all these products related to optics, interestingly, they also manufacture biometric safes.  Unlike many of their peers in the safe business, Barska as a company has only been around since 1994.  They got into the safe business because of their connection to both technology and guns.  While it be a small portion of the company’s revenue and focus, they use their intense drive for quality and leading technology in these safes.  Just like their optics, these Barska Biometric safes are regarded a top of the line product.

The Barska biometric safe line consists of four different models:

• AX11224-The largest of the Barska pistol safes at just 16.5″ x 14.5″ x 7.75″ (outside dimensions).  It weighs about 31 pounds.  I find that this is the most popular biometric pistol safe that Amazon sells.  It retails for around $200.
• AX11620-They call this one the compact safe.  It has outside dimensions of 12″ x 8″ x 7.75″.  This is a very shallow unit with an internal depth of only 5.75″.  This is comparable in height and width as the  Homak Pistol box.  It weighs 12 pounds, which is right in line with the Gunvault GVB1000, but only half as deep.

• AX11556-This is the Barska drawer safe that is very similar to the Stack-On Handgun Safe with top mounted fingerprint reader.  Perfect for a nightstand or desk drawer.  It is similar in size to the other units at 15.5″ x 11.25″ x 5″, but not as deep.  The door has 2 tiny hydraulic lifts to help you with the 10 pound door.
• AS11652-This is a biometric version of a more traditional gun safe/rifle safe.  It  stands 52″ tall, 8″ deep and 10″ wide.  It is meant to hold just 4 long guns, but also has a single removable shelf.  While this safe has a biometric lock, putting it in a small class of large gun safes with biometrics, it doesn’t appear to have the same features you would expect from a gun safe such as:  6 bolt door, heavier 1″ bolts, scope stand-offs, and additional shelves (for converting it into a safe for no long guns).  Fortunately, they price it more like a gun cabinet than a gun safe with the suggested retail price of just $299.  It is also not available at Amazon and must be ordered from Barska directly or limited resellers.

Every Barska safe comes with mounting hardware, pre-drilled holes and instructions to secure the safe to the floor or wall to prevent a thief from simply walking away with the unit.  The biometric versions will hold up to 30 different users, which is more than enough for even business applications.  They come with two back-up keys to open the safe in case of electronics failure or emergency (remember to always keep your key far away from your safe).  These small gun safes have a body thickness of 1/16″, which is comparable to many gun cabinets and small personal safes, not larger/heavier gun safes, but sport a door thickness of 3/16″ which is better than most handgun safes.

The Barska safes have some good and bad features built into the electronics.  One positive feature is that if you forget to re-lock the safe after 2 minutes, the safe will beep at you to remind you.  The bad feature is that there is no way to turn off the beeps when you are opening the safe (which you may want to do for security/stealth purposes when in your home).  The battery housing is actually inside the safe (many electronic safes have battery access on the exterior).  If the battery dies, you need to remove the Barska name plate and use your manual key to open it (the safe does alert you of low battery with a flashing light).

When using any biometric safe, here are some good tips:

• Although you may never have 30 users or so accessing this safe, use those extra “user” accounts to scan your fingerprint in several different ways.  Push your finger in all the way, turn it to the left, turn it to the right and such.  Plus, scan your other hand.  In a panic situation you don’t want to have the biometric software deny opening simply because your finger is turned to the left too much.
• Remember that most of these safes do not re-lock.  Most traditional safes have a lever or handle that you turn when you want to lock the door.  Some electronic safes will auto-lock the handle to the locked position after 15-30 seconds.  On a biometric safe, the reader opens the bolts and then they stay open until you push the button to re-lock it. Remember to push the button to re-secure the safe!
• Because many of these safes have doors that pop open or unlatch, be careful to not pack too much stuff in the safe that you may interfere with the door operations.
• Lastly, since there is a battery involved, it may be good measure to replace the batteries every year.  Then you never have to be concerned about having a power problem.  This is just like the fire department giving you the tip to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors yearly!

Most handgun owners that carry their gun concealed on a regular basis will probably have 2-4 different holsters.  Again, kind of like shoes, they have different applications.  Plus, I found that although this one came highly recommended, it is not very comfortable to wear.  If you don’t  have a conceal carry permit or don’t take your pistol out for anything other than target practice, this post may not mean anything to you.  Otherwise read on!

The holster that I use the most is a Blackhawk! Serpa holster.  It is made of a carbon fiber material (like plastic).  It is lightweight, but tough.  It is considered a level 2 retention holster, which means that the handgun will not simply fall out or can not be pulled out with some additional action.  In the Blackhawks!’s design, there is a small flat, rectangle button that is situated right where your trigger finger would normally rest on the handgun in a safety position (along the slide rail).  You grip the pistol, put your finger on the button and pull the gun out.  Your finger automatically goes to the proper safety position on the weapon.

Putting the gun back in the holster is very easy as you simply slide it down and listen for the click.  I know that some people have shot themselves in the foot by keeping their finger on the trigger when re-holstering, but I think the design of the Blackhawk! Serpa would make that difficult (but not impossible). Re-holstering was actually easy even when I was training outside in the winter with several layers on.  This holster has either an old school belt loop, where you take your belt and put it throught he holster (too much work and not tight enough to your body for me).  Or it has a paddle attachment that effectively clamps the holster to your pants with a big piece of plastic on the inside (see the picture).  This cost about $40 and it highly recommended for most first time conceal and carry users.  Despite hanging off your belt, if you where a  loose fitting shirt, you can easily conceal your handgun.

My second holster is an IWB (in the waist band) holster made by Crossbread holsters.  This is a large piece of leather about 9″ long and 6″ high.  The plastic gun holder is attached to this and then some small belt clips are also attached to the leather.  This is then slipped inside your pants at 3:00 to 6:00.  The clips hold the leather in place when you remove the pistol.  A IWB holster takes some getting used to as you can imagine that your pants need to be about 1″ larger to accommodate the gun sticking out of them!  Plus, these leather units need to be worn for at least 30 days to be broken in and molded to your body shape.  That can be an uncomfortable 30 days, but once broken in you can wear this for hours.  I use this mostly during the summer when I have less clothing bulk to conceal my Glock 27.  I do notice that it does get uncomfortable after a day of driving and getting in and out of the car, though.

So, even though we usually talk about pistol safes here and this is not really a handgun guide, I thought I would give you my $.02 on pistol holsters since they are so related!