It’s not always the best idea to flash your firearm while in public. Whether you want to take advantage of the surprise factor or feel awkward carrying a firearm in the public, you’d need a concealed holster for your gun.

And if you just so happen to be looking for a 1911 concealed carry holster, you are in the right place. Today, we’re going to showcase a couple of great carry holsters for the 1911 pistol, as well as provide you with some guidelines on choosing a proper concealed carry holster.

Let’s begin without further ado.

Knowing the the benefits and drawbacks of each type of carry holster would allow you to make the most appropriate choice based on your specific needs as well as potentially help save you some money otherwise spent on a model you may not need.

Inside the waistband holsters, or IWB holsters, are excellent at concealing the firearm.

This is thanks to the fact that IWB holsters go between your pants and underwear. This not only keeps the holster away from others’ eyes but also keeps it closer to the body. The outline of IWB holsters is thus nearly invisible behind the clothes, especially with baggy ones.

The not so good thing about IWB holsters is that it is harder to draw a firearm out from them with a combat grip. A lot of practice will be required in order to retrieve a firearm properly from an IWB holster.

Besides, IWB holsters will be poking your side, somewhat restricting freedom of movement. With bulkier firearms and holsters, this will be much more noticeable.

Outside the waistband holsters, or OWB holsters, are anchored on the outside of your pants, usually on the belt. OWB holsters are obviously less concealable than IWB holsters. In order to conceal an OWB holster, you would need to wear a larger shirt or a jacket.

However, when it comes to comfort and easiness of drawing, OWB holsters are noticeably better than IWB holsters. OWB holsters won’t poke you in the side, and it is easier to draw a weapon from them with a combat grip.

Resting around the belly, belly band holsters are pretty good in terms of concealment. In baggy clothes, it’s pretty easy to keep a belly band holster away from the eyes. However, these holsters may make your belly sweat, so they should probably be worn in cooler areas.

Shoulder holsters have straps wrapping around the shoulder, as you could guess from the name. The actual holster sits against the rib cage under the arm. Usually, the holster is placed on the side opposite of the hand you use to shoot.

Shoulder holsters work good with coats or jackets, and they also look pretty cool. However, they have several downsides that may outweigh the benefits for some.

First off, the holster is oriented horizontally, so you’re muzzling anyone who is behind you. Besides, firearms tend to fall out pretty easily from such holsters, unless somehow secured in place.

A pretty big drawback of shoulder holsters is that they need to be worn under a jacket or a coat. When you take your jacket off, the holster will be no longer concealed.

And the last con of shoulder holsters is that they tend to leave sweat marks on the shirt.

Ankle holsters are commonly used for backup guns. Besides, they do a good job of keeping the firearm concealed, given that you wear proper apparel.

On the other hand, it isn’t easy to draw a firearm from an ankle holster. To do this, you’d need to pull your pant leg up and only then retrieve the weapon.

And besides, ankle holsters may rub on the skin of your leg or even pull some hair out. Wrapping the holster around a boot would be a workaround for this though.

Trigger coverage

The trigger of your firearm needs to be covered at all times in order to prevent accidental discharging. Discharging would compromise your weapon’s concealment, as well as would most likely harm you. The area of the holster that covers the trigger needs to be rigid enough in order to prevent a random branch or another object from accidentally pushing the trigger.

There are a lot of holsters out there with flimsy trigger areas. Avoid such holsters since they are a risk to your safety.

Easy drawing

Your holster needs to allow you to draw the firearm right into a combat position. What we mean by combat position is that you can disengage the firearm’s safety mechanism and fire, all with one hand.  In an emergency, every second counts, and the time you’d waste onto readjusting your grip of the firearm could be fatal.

Aside from getting a proper holster, you’d need to practice retrieving your weapon, obviously. But do make sure to avoid badly designed holsters that do not allow you to consistently draw your weapon with a combat grip no matter the practice.

Retention over the firearm

Your holster needs to securely hold your firearm in place. This is crucial for two reasons.

First, with tight retention, there is significantly less risk that the firearm will just slip out of the holster. The last thing you’d want is to lose possession of your weapon. This would also allow you to make potential thieves’ job much harder.

Secondly, if your firearm shifts while in the holster, it may be much more difficult for you to draw your weapon with a combat grip. Imagine that the gun’s grip is not where you expect it to be – would you be able to draw it out properly? Probably not.

If you do care about the looks of your 1911 concealed carry holster, then you may like this holster by Dazzling Pro.

This holster is rather inexpensive, but it does feature a beautiful design. Made from genuine cow leather and well-put-together, the Dazzling Pro could be a delight for your eyes. Not for others though since you’d be wearing this holster concealed!

The Dazzling Pro leather holster also seems to be pretty supportive and stiff, allowing it to work well with both 4- and 5-inch 1911 pistols. So this holster is not only good-looking but practical, which is a much more important thing with firearm holsters.

In the end, if you’d like to just get a simple and quality, this one may be a good option for you.

For a 5-inch 1911 pistol, the 1791 GunLeather holster is going to be a nice option.

This holster is made from genuine leather, but it is less fancy-looking than the Dazzling Pro holster. The build quality is very similar in the two holsters though, with the 1791 GunLeather holster featuring double stitching for reinforcement.

1791 GunLeather has designed this holster to work with both 4- and 5-inch 1911 pistols, but it seems that it works much better for 5-inch models. 4-inch pistols don’t sit as stiff in this holster, which probably is due to its length.

We’ve already showcased two 1911 concealed carry holsters, but none really suitable for pistols with rails and attachments. The Fobus holster is that and more some.

This holster is made with a little more room in it in order to accommodate 1911s with top rails. In addition, it is open from the backside, which allows it to take in pistols with attachments like laser sights or flashlights. This holster may not be able to work with every bottom rail attachment out there, but it should have enough room for most.

The open design in this holster also makes it pretty lightweight, which may matter for some people.

A very nice thing about this holster is how well the pistol sits in it. This holster has a barrel stud which rather tightly holds the weapon by the barrel. There is also a safety strap in this holster for additional support.

Speaking of the strap. The way a pistol is drawn from this holster differs a bit from traditional holsters. You’ll need to first unfasten the safety strap with your index finger and then pull the weapon slightly back and up. This unusual design will require some practice and getting used to.

And the last holster on our list is the G2 Concealment Holster by Urban Carry Holsters. If you care about concealment of your firearm more than about anything else, the G2 holster is a great option.

This holster is designed to be placed between the pants and underwear. It clips onto the belt area of the pants from the outside, so only the top of the holster’s flap is visible from the outside. If you don’t stuff your shirt into your pants, this holster could become nearly invisible.

In order to retrieve the firearm from the holster, you pull the flap upwards with one hand and grab the weapon out with the other. When you pull the flap, the weapon is brought up above the belt, allowing you to easily retrieve it. All this could be done with one hand as well.

Since this holster basically is a carry case for a pistol, it can be used by either left- or right-handed individuals. This is a huge plus for this holster since all the previous models work best when attached on the right side.

Besides, the G2 holster can accommodate not only 1911 but any other pistol that can fit into it. And thanks to a magnet at the bottom, the G2 holster can securely hold the firearm in place.

As great as this holster is, it has one notable drawback. It is rather bulky, which may pose some inconvenience to you while sitting, for example. Besides, this holster obviously isn’t very comfortable with tight pants, so do keep that in mind.

In Conclusion

Unfortunately, concealed holsters cannot be both excellently concealed and convenient. You’d need to make compromises somewhere in order to get a good 1911 concealed carry holster.

Make sure to keep in mind your needs. Where will you need the holster? What kind of clothes you will be wearing? And how important is concealment for you versus speed of drawing or freedom of movement? Answer these questions, and you should be able to find the right concealed carry holster for your 1911 pistol.