There are many different types of holsters available. Most people who begin carrying firearms have a hard time finding the right holster. Let me try to save you some money up front and spare you the expense of filling a drawer full of holsters that don't work for you.

I am a big fan of Kramer holsters, and all the of the pictures in this post are from their website Kramer Leather (I hope they don't mind.) I am not affiliated with Kramer in any way except being a very satisfied customer.

The holster serves to hold the gun until it is needed. Any good belt holster should have following attributes, and any holster that doesn't meet these minimums should just be ignored.

• Completely covers the trigger area to prevent anything from coming in contact with the trigger while the gun is holstered.
• Is rigid enough to remain open without the gun for easy reholstering.
• Securely attaches to the belt.
• Holds the gun firmly.
• Allows you to get a full firing grip on the gun in the holster.

Good holsters and belts are expensive. If you paid $500 for your pistol don't skimp and buy a $20 holster. You belt and holster are at least 50% of the handgun retention equation. Cheap holsters either don't hold the gun in place, or won't let go of it. I have seen many a cheap holster torn right off of the belt in handgun retention training.

Notice that comfortable is not on that list. Unless your holster is a big fluffy pillow it will probably never be comfortable, but the discomfort from a good holster is pretty minor. I have fallen asleep on top of my holstered pistol more than once. It is not a big deal.

The holsters pictured here are all horsehide. Kydex is a very popular holster material, but I do not feel that it is as well suited to private citizens as it is for more specialized applications. I have seen a number of kydex holsters break in training (they are not very crush resistant), and they are more sensitive to extreme temperature fluctuations.

Holsters should be made to fit a specific type of gun. Holsters that fit "most medium frame autos" fit a range of guns badly, rather than fitting a single gun perfectly. This matters because a sloppy fit on the holster will allow the gun to fall out at the worst possible times, or make reholstering a dangerous process of fiddling with the holster to get the gun back in.

Generally the best holster is a strong-side inside the waistband (IWB) holster. I say it is the best because it is the best compromise between concealment, speed to draw, and ease of retention. The holster goes inside the waist band inside the pants, the belt loops go over the waist band, and the belt runs through the belt loops:

A the top of this post is a Kramer IWB #1. Notice the the belt loops are almost vertically in line with the holster. This means the gun is supposed to ride with very little cant. Ergonomically, holsters with little or no cant need to worn on, and not behind the hip.

Contrast this with the Kramer IWB#3 Below:

The cant is more pronounced, so the holster is designed to ride just behind the hip. Both of these holsters use screws to secure the opening of the belt loops - not snaps. I have used holsters with snaps and they always wear out. Metal belt clips are the worst. Screws are the way to go.

Above is a Kramer belt scabbard holster. This is an excellent carry option, but because the holster is worn on the outside of the pants it requires a longer concealment garment.

Above is a crossdraw holster. It is canted in the opposite direction of the other holsters, and the user reaches across their body to access the firearm. This is a reasonably fast draw stroke, but it is much harder to conceal and retain than other types of carry. I would only recommend this to people who do cab driver amounts of driving.

Above is a Kramer paddle holster. Paddle holsters are designed to be easily attached and removed from the belt. Unless you have a particular need to remove the holster from the belt frequently throughout the day (like a detective that has to go in and out of the jail) I would skip the paddle, and get an IWB or belt scabbard.

Some people swear by small of the back holsters, but I think they are among the worst holster choices because it is difficult to draw from without sweeping your muzzle over things you don't want to shoot and I don't like to put myself in a near-arm bar as part of my draw stroke. These holsters are very difficult to access when seated and are a liability in a physical confrontation.