I’ve been carrying my spare magazine in my rear left pockets for a lot of years. And it assures me of one thing . . . I’m going to replace those pants after about 8 months of wear because there will be a nice little “wear hole” right where the baseplate of my Glock 17 magazine rests most of the time. As well as a distinct “wear outline” of the magazine just a bit like a “dip can”, though a distinctly different shape!
I’ve tried OWB mag carriers but honestly they print more than my Glock 17. So, I’ve kept my eye out for an IWB carrier that would fit my needs and be comfortable to wear. Let me define “comfortable” just a bit.
You always give up something when you choose to carry everywhere you possibly can. Types of clothing usually quickly dials into the mix. My days of tightly tucked in shirts are pretty much over replaced by outside the pants polos, henleys or cover shirts that simply don’t need to tucked. Sports Coats can also work, though they do a fairly poor job of covering an OWB holstered weapon.
So – these considerations led me to IWB carry long ago. Heaven knows there’s a host of IWB holsters on the market today, made of a mix of material yet . . . I migrate towards tried and true materials so my choice of a holster material for IWB has always been leather. I’ve made no secret of my fondness for Blackhawk’s leather IWB holster. I probably have well over 5,000 draws from it and it meets all my specs. It has good retention, is very concealable and . . . after the first minute or two of wear, I simply forget it’s there. Over years of use and wear its comfort is simply unmatched by any other holster I own.
And THAT is the type of comfort I am expecting from my IWB magazine carrier.
About 2 months ago I ran across GALCO’s leather IWB magazine carrier at a local gun store. I wasn’t too impressed at first sight. The leather was porous, it didn’t seem all that “special” and a single under the belt clip held it in place. Still, it was the closest to what I’ve been looking for to date so I thought I’d give it a try . . . pretty happy I did.
As you can see, it’s a simple design with a leather pouch and a molded plastic clip – nothing tricky. And it does a fine job of securely holding my Glock 17 spare magazine as well.
Once clipped in place at my 8 o’clock it rides essentially where my magazines have always been without trashing my pants pocket.
The leather is fairly soft and has worn to a comfortable condition in only 2 months of daily use. And, though I questioned the porous nature of the leather, I find that helps the carrier grip my clothing better thus making the draw of the spare magazine quite easy.
It fits snuggly with the bottom of the magazine just over the belt line which also makes grasping it very easy and providing excellent concealment.
So, after just 2 months of carry – I’m calling it a “keeper” and thought I’d share a review just in case anyone else has been on a quest to find a good IWB magazine carrier.
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