Best holster for Malhotra champion

[POD86]

Hello,
been a long time follower of this forum.
I currently have a Malhotra Champion pistol which I carry daily.
I currently use a Kydex lock tactical holster that leaves the upper half of the weapon exposed.
I am facing an issue with the hammer and the tang digging into my right side every time I sit and need to change it to something more comfortable which will give some cushioning between my side and the weapon.
Ive looked online but am not able to understand which kind of holster to purchase as there are many OWB options including appendix carry, pancake type holsters and sticky holsters.
I would appreciate it if someone could guide me with what kind of holster to use for comfort and also which brand of holster etc as I can call for it from the States.
Hope someone can guide me.
thanks

[dev]

Hi,
Dimensionally this resembles the Colt Officers model (a 3.5” 1911). So accordingly MTR Custom holsters or Don Hume holsters should work as per a quick google search. Just search and I am sure you will arrive at the solution.

[timmy]

It is just my preference, but I don't care much for plastic holsters -- I like leather holsters. So I'm not able to give any advice on kydex or other such holsters, only leather ones.

You haven't said whether you carry IWB (inside the waistband of your pants) or OWB (outside the waistband), but one of my preferences has been for Galco Holsters. You should note that, if you can get shipping from a company like MidwayUSA, Sportsmans, or other large sales company, you will obtain a 20% - 25% discount over ordering from the manufacturer.

OWB: I have the Galco Fletch holster for my Colt Detective Special.



(click on the photos for enlarged views)

This sort of holster has a thumbstrap with a snap to retain the weapon on your person. This is often thought of as a law enforcement feature, to prevent a goon from sneaking up on the policeman and grabbing the gun easily, but I like it because it shields the hammer spur from my body, and I wear the gun while hiking and don't want to risk it coming out when I'm scrambling over some rocks.

I also have a Fletch on order for my 1911, which will be here in two days (I hope!). I have read that the thumbstrap won't work when carrying in Condition 1: "cocked and locked. One must carry in Condition 2: round in the chamber with the hammer down -- here, I'm assuming that the Malhotra, being a copy of the 1911, has an inertia firing pin like the 1911. You should check to make sure. You can't carry in Condition 2 wihout having an inertia firing pin (for instance, a "Star" pistol doesn't usually have an inertia firing pin. Carrying with the firing pin resting on a chambered live cartridge is understandably a VERY DANGEROUS thing to do! It could result in a very "eunuch" experience, or worse!) Condition 2 requires cocking the hammer to bring the weapon into action, while Condition 1 requires thumbing the safety off.

I have read that people have gotten the leather thumbstrap to work with the hammer cocked. I can't comment about that, and won't do that with mine, because I only carry it to the range or might on a hike -- I don't use my 1911 for concealed carry anymore.

For my current carry gun a CZ 70 (similar in size and shape to a Walther PP), I use a Galco Royal Guard.



This is an inside the waistband holster. It is made from horse hide, rather than cow hide. Horse hide has much smaller pores, so it resists sweat much better, an important consideration when the weather is warm, since the holster is next to the body. However, cow hide takes dyes better than horse hide, so the finish of a cow hide holster is often superior. For me, this isn't an issue with an IWB holster, because the holster isn't seen, anyway. The Galco Royal Guard has replaceable belt loops, so when that leather is worn or the snaps wear out, the belt loops can be easily and inexpensively replaced.

Note that the side of the holster that's against the body comes up to shield the body from the hammer.

You can also see that the Royal Guard has a metal band around the mouth of the holster. The mouth of an IWB holster will compress closed when the gun is drawn, due to the pressure of the waist belt, but the metal strip on the mouth enables one to replace a drawn gun without needing two hands, one to open the holster, or some other contortion to replace the gun in the holster.

I was going to get another Royal Guard for the new 9mm that I will buy in February, but after researching the matter, I find that I can get a quality custom made holster for very little more money, and an even better IWB design than the Royal Guard. So, I plan to get a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2.



You can see that this IWB holster has the metal strap (Milt Sparks also offers a holster very similar to the Royal Guard at about the same price, but recommends the Versa Max 2 as a better holster) that allows replacing the gun in the holster one-handed, but note that the belt loops are spread more widely, anchoring the holster to the body more securely, and allowing a thinner design that lays flatter against the body.

The holster also comes up high on the body-side to prevent uncomfortable rubbing from the hammer.

The Galco is a factory holster that one buys ready-made. Milt Sparks holsters are available from a few dealers, like Brownell's (they have about eight dealers in the USA), for common guns like 1911s, but I'm not sure about the availability of others. So, other than the common ones, the holsters have a wait of 6 months or more, because they are made to order. Milt Sparks also offers cow hide or horse hide, or even exotic leather, if you have the money for it.

Another thing to consider is that a concealed carry gun holster should be retained by a proper belt. Usually, these are made about 37 mm wide, and are quite thick. You need to pay attention to the sort of belt the holster is made to use for the proper fit. For IWB holsters, both Galco and Milt Sparks holsters offer belt loops to accommodate different belt widths, but effective concealed carry isn't going to be facilitated by tying a necktie around the waist like some fashion type: a firm, stiff belt, somewhat or the same as what the police use is what's needed here, with a strong buckle that will do the job of holding the holstered weapon in place for when it is needed. That won't be when one has time to fumble around for a flimsily holstered gun!

The Galco website is here: https://www.galcogunleather.com/

The Milt Sparks webside is here: https://www.miltsparks.com

These aren't the only holsters available. Dev has named a couple, and others are Bianchi and Safariland (now the same company. I have a couple of Bianchi holsters. I don't rate them as highly as Galco.) Triple K and Hunter also make holsters, and I have some of those, along with leather rifle slings. (I use Hunter military style rifle slings for the utility they offer.) Hunter and Triple K holsters are more utilitarian, but quite serviceable.

So, these are my suggestions based on what I use and my experiences, and thus what I can talk about personally. As to whether these things would be available in India and such issues, I can't say.

With any kind of conceal carry, you will have to adjust your wardrobe to keep your weapon concealed, which can change when you lift your arms or make other movements. Now that I'm an old man, I wear a traditional old man's uniform: a cheap cotton sporting vest that comes down low and keeps everything tucked in and out of site. It also has a lot of pockets for phones, ear plugs, a measuring tape, and other sorts of fiddly-bits that come in handy to old men. Otherwise, my sports coat works if I have to dress up (which is hopefully not often).

I prefer to carry on my side, 3 o'clock to 4 o'clock position, because this works best for me when walking or driving, or getting in and out of the car.

Good luck!

[timmy]

Just a word to add:

I got the Galco Fletch holster for my 1911 today. I am perfectly happy with it, but I should mention that the thumb snap retention system would not be the best for quick deployment of the weapon.

(Remember, I don't conceal carry my 1911. I carry it to the range and possibly for hiking, so a quick draw capability isn't in my list of needs for this gun and holster.)

When the hammer is down in Condition 2, quick access to the thumb strap is somewhat blocked by the hammer spur, and in Condition 1, "cocked and locked," the same is true.

The holster's quality, like the other Galco holsters I have, is quite high. I'm quite happy with my purchase, which was at a cut-rate price.

Galco also has similar belt holsters with the handy forward cant without the thumb strap feature, however, as can be seen by browsing their website.