The forefront advantage offered by IWB holsters would be “Concealment” – IWB holsters are easy to conceal, to disguise. The fact that they rest close to the body, inside your waistband, makes them less detectable, less likely to print and show.
Safety
Next in the order of priority advantages would be its safety feature. The fact that your gun is tucked away inside of your waistband, simply put, spells security, defined as the fact that your gun is highly unlikely to fall out of the holster as well as making it very difficult for someone to take it from you.
Ease of Drawing
Admittedly, IWB holsters are slower to draw than the OWB [Outside Waistband] models, however, they are swifter and faster to handle than other concealable holsters, i.e., shoulder holsters, paddle holsters, belt holsters, ankle holsters, thigh holsters, belly-band holsters, and pocket holsters.
Disadvantages of an IWB Holster
As is true of most things in life, there is always a downside, and IWB Holsters are no exception.
Discomfort
Yes, IWB holsters can be uncomfortable to use, more so with mid to full-size handguns. As you well can imagine tucking your gun inside your waist inevitably will cause skin friction to where it can become annoying and frustrating at times, speaking of which, overweight can be a very relevant issue in this respect.
Regardless of your weight or build though, your IWB holster should always be adequately paddled and should be able to sustain sweat as otherwise, you can well anticipate getting skin rashes. Our advice: always strive to have adequate coverage in your clothes to minimize possible skin friction.
Clothing Issues
If you are one of the many who likes fitted-type clothing, IWB holsters are probably not for you, as you will likely experience printing – meaning you can see the outline of the firearm visibly through clothes or the cover garment while concealed.
When purchasing an IWB holster, you will have to be prepared to wear clothing that best suits the use of this holster type.
Drawing Issues
Notably, IWB holsters have a fast-drawing capability that is contingent on you having done some pre-pulling exercises to get the hang of it. While, as we mentioned earlier, IWB holsters afford you security by holding your gun and holster close to your body, by the same token, it also makes them somewhat more difficult to complete the grabbing and establishing of a safe grip before the actual draw takes place.
Safety
As is the case in much of life, there is a flip-side to the safety that we spoke about above when it comes to inside-the-waistband carry, especially when we’re talking about appendix carry. There have been many instances of accidental discharges while re-holstering or even simply bending over, many of which occurring even with experienced handlers. In a situation where you are carrying that close to vital organs such as femoral arteries & obvious reproductive organs, your first mistake can easily be your last.
So, now that we have covered some of the most basic principles needed to make your purchasing decision easier, how about if we go on to our suggestions on which holster you should buy.
