Armored Carry
https://www.armoredcarry.com/products
These are the three products I have tried from Armored Carry, which used to be called Double Tap Holsters. The top is a pocket holster, the left is the neck holster, and on the right is the trigger guard shield with a lanyard.
I had a conversation with several other gun writers yesterday about carrying a gun on your belt. The consensus was that if I am going to belt carry a pistol, it ain’t gonna be no pocket 380. My experience over the years is that belt carry is seldom practical unless you want your whole life to revolve around carrying your gun. For that reason, I pocket carry, and as a fairly big guy, I can easily get away with the Springfield XD-S .45 in my pocket. Once before in these pages I shared my “secret” $25 source for pocket holsters, and I will do so again, but this time I want to share some of the other products from this ingenious company. If you carry in a purse, pocket or other “pouch” type of concealment, or if you want to hang a Kel-Tec P32 from your neck, you should check them out. I call these deep concealment holsters.
First I have to explain, this company used to be called “Double Tap Holsters” but after a threatening letter from another “double tap” in our industry, the owner decided to change the name of the company to Armored Carry. The products are the same but the name has changed.
I have personally carried this pocket holster every day for my XD-S going on a year now. It is an incredible buy at $25 and you’ll never need another.
Perhaps we should start with “why do I need a holster for my pocket/purse anyway?” Because it is certainly a fact that women have been carrying revolvers in purses for generations without a holster. Plenty of people have carried revolvers in their pocket without holsters as well.
The answer is really twofold. One is that just because it has been done doesn’t mean that there haven’t been accidents. Sure, keeping a revolver in a separate compartment of your purse, especially a zippered compartment, is a no brainer for most women concerned with being able to protect their own health and welfare. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make a mistake and throw your keys in there without thinking, which could get hooked into the trigger guard upon removal. The same goes for a dedicated right front gun pocket in your pants.
The inside of the holster curves and has a hook, so when you draw it, either the bottom hook or the top hook catches on your pocket or bag.
Worse than that, just as an aside, is what I have seen many women do, which is to keep the gun in a snapped leather holster inside their purse. This 100% prevents quick and effective access, which requires you to “stage” your gun when you perceive a threat. Once you cry wolf a few times on that it not only gets old in a hurry, you end up discounting real threats when they occur.
My second point, or way of looking at what I would call “deep concealment” holsters, is that small autos are not revolvers. A double action revolver has a built in “safety” of a long, hard trigger pull. No so on small autos, especially striker fired small autos. I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever carry an XD-S without a protection for the trigger guard. Likewise a Kahr CW/P380, Taurus TCP, Ruger LCP, or any of the small Kel-Tecs. You could argue that they have a long trigger pull with resistance, but it just isn’t enough resistance, and certainly not the resistance of a revolver. You absolutely must have a trigger guard cover of some kind that will stay on the gun no matter what.
The neck holster comes with a lanyard and hangs like this for the Kel-Tec P3AT.
Armored Carry makes what in my opinion is the best pocket holster on the market, and it also is great for purses, fanny packs and what have you. If you look at the pictures, both sides of the holster have a hooking mechanism on them. When you remove it from your pocket, it snags on the edges and pulls free. This makes for the fastest pocket quick draws possible. The holsters are made of molded Kydex, so they never wear out, and more importantly, they never fold over the way that leather pocket holsters inevitably do. Currently Armored Carry has these holsters available for most common pocket pistols, as well as revolvers and some compact versions of full frame guns. They can custom make a holster for your gun if you send it in as well, and they come in both right and left hand versions. Contact the company directly at [email protected].
The neck holster is an interesting idea. I have seen other neck holsters over the years but haven’t tried them. The Armored Carry holster works great for the Kel-Tec P3AT, and they also make it currently for the Ruger LCP and Kahr P380. Again, these can be custom molded if a blue gun or sample is available. I find that the gun has to be really light for the neck holster to not feel like an albatross. The P3AT is like carrying nothing.
This trigger clip shield is not the model for the Kahr, but you get the point. The included lanyard ties into your bag.
Of all of them the one I haven’t really tried is the trigger guard shield you see here in the pictures. At $10, there is little reason to ever carry a revolver in your purse or fanny pack without a trigger guard protector again. This is 10x truer for small autos. In a purse, you can tie the lanyard off to a cut made inside and the holster will fall away when you draw it. If you are going for the absolute lightest and smallest, this trigger guard clip holster is an incredible deal, and one that will do what you need and nothing more. Currently this holster is available for most small autos, revolvers, and many full frame guns as well, because a lot of people have ordered them for their nightstand guns as well.
When you draw the gun it comes off.
Deep concealment isn’t for everyone. Some people just aren’t comfortable unless they have a full frame large caliber auto with 17 rounds in it on their belt. But if you prefer convenience and comfort, yet feel compelled to always have a gun within reach, present company included I might add, the Kydex deep concealment holsters from Armored Carry are a huge score, and absurdly cheap. I have carried their pocket holster for well over a year now and it is still 100% as new in appearance and function. Armored Carry is a tiny company, so like with many articles here, get your order in early Monday morning when the digest goes out if you want it in a timely manner. By now I already would have clicked and ordered after looking at the pictures, but thanks for reading until the end.
I have purchased 2 of their holsters in the past when they went by double tap and earlier this summer I ordered another and have never received it and they do not return e-mails. This is very poor customer service. I am done with them and ordered what I needed from another company.
I ordered one of their iwb trigger holsters on Jan. 1, 2015. Don’t believe the ten business day turn around. Finally had to contact Pay Pal to get a refund, and they very rarely answer their e-mails.
Does anyone know how to contact this company? They don’t answer their e-mail and there is no telephone number. I am trying to check the status of my order that I placed on Jan.1, 2015
I have tried several pocket and hip holsters, for my CCW. They all have comfort issues when seated or hard to get at when in a seated position. I have found a company called WEARCCW it is a modified and reinforced T shirt with a underarm holster, it is very comfortable and I hardly notice the weight. If you order one get a size smaller then you normaly wear. You need a snug fit I got mine at a gun show in Ohio they are online.
I recommend checking out this deep concealment holster @ http://www.urbancarryholsters.com
Interesting… I like this one. IWB always cuts into my torso, and never liked the 6 o’clock position
Their stuff looks great, but, they have never answered any of my emails. They do not show a phone number. II will spend my money somewhere else. The lack of courtesy over powers a great idea!
RT
I carry a KELTEC P-32 with the extended clip in an Uncle Mikes size 1 holster in my front right pocket. Much softer holster than the Armored Carry. The pistol comes out clean and smooth. Never have a problem. The holster also has a clip on it for belt carry if you like. Now I’m a skinny guy and this holster just about completely disappears in my pocket. I have ask people to see if they can spot my pistol and where I am carrying and most cannot tell where it is at. Love it. Jim
I bought a Double Tap pocket holster for my Khar. The retention hook design works, BUT it will also tear a hole in your pants pocket. I know because this holster ruined TWO pairs of pants. After the second torn pocket, the holster immediately took up residence in my garbage can.
In retrospect, do you think a little emory board filing on the kydex may have helped?
I really don’t think so.
Interesting that the majority arguement for these deep carry holsters is ensuring the trigger is not inadvertantly pulled and the gun goes off when not intended. I carry and do not carry with a round in the chamber. I understand th arguements to have a round in the chamber. I prefer the safety aspect of not. When I put a round in my chamber, I plan on firing that round. Arguements of loss of speed to cock the gun, not having both hands to do so, ect, are all valid to a certain degree. I choose to carry no round in the chamber and always practise with this setup. It gives me peace of mind and alleviates all unintentional firing issues. I have had no fold over issues with my pocket leather holsters.
You don’t live in an area where gunfights happen all the time. Historically the first person to fire in a street face to face gunfight generally wins.
Do YOU live in a place where gunfights happen all the time??? If so…move.
Miami is 8x the national crime rate.
I always practice like there is a round in the chamber, because there is!! You can practice with an empty pistol until you are comfortable you have erased your practicing without 1 in the chamber. I could probably shoot you twice before you can rack one in and get on target.. Carry a revolver with the next hole in the cylinder empty, then at least you have one arm to deflect an attacker and you just have to pull the trigger twice……
I go around in my house like Allen, (not chambered) but not outside.
The revolver tip is real good advice for his way of thinking.
As a long-time pocket carrier (Ruger LCP, Kahr P40, Springfield XDS, Sig P290) I really like the holsters from Recluse. Their holsters for the small pistols like the LCP frequently have a neoprene block that the trigger and trigger guard fit into, making it impossible to pull the trigger until the pistol is removed from the holster, and it’s incredibly thin and easy to conceal even in dress pants. I currently carry the P290 95% of the time, and their holster is a clamshell design which keeps anything away from the trigger until the gun is drawn, and one side covers the length of the gun to prevent printing. I might think about giving armored carry a try, just wanted to put out another option for those thinking about pocket carry.
Great Article