How much money does it cost to carry?
Tl;dr: To budget for these items, I would set aside:
• $80 for a gun belt
• $70 dollars for a holster
• $70 for carry ammo
• $500 for a new handgun.
You may need to also factor any courses or application fees associated for your given state.
I bought a handgun. That’s all I need, right?
Well sure; you could also eat a steak with your bare hands, but you’re probably not going to have the best time. Media, for the sake of theatre, has given the illusion that all you need to do to carry a gun is just tuck it in your pants. Aside from this being unsafe due to the high likelihood of an accidental discharge, it also prevents you from reliably drawing while under pressure as the gun won’t have a stable place to sit. This is why purpose built gun belts and holsters exist.
Gun Belt – The Foundation
No, you can’t just use your off-the-rack leather dress belt. That works fine for holding up your pants, but a gun belt has to be rigid in order to support the weight of a loaded firearm. Dedicated gun belts also tend to have additional design features to prevent the belt from coming apart, such as screws that bind the buckle to the belt. Every instructor has stories of students trying to use a regular belt and then when they go to draw, they pull their gun, their holster, and belt all together.
The best practice is to get a quality nylon gun belt, preferably in a 1.5” width for concealed carry. Leather will tend to wear down over time and will lose its rigidity, where nylon will not. 1.5” width belts work well for concealed carry as they are about the normal size of a dress belt, and will fit just about all belt loops and holster attachments. 1.75” belts may be better suited if you carrying in an overt manner. You can also opt for something with a cobra buckle, but those tend to be overbuilt for this use case and are more of a tell that you’re carrying compared to a low profile buckle. At this time, Kore Essential, Nexbelt, and Blue Alpha all make a quality gun belt that I would consider using. You can consider others so long as they’re quality.
Holster – The House
Your handgun will likely live in your holster for a good amount of time, so long as you are carrying actively. Ideally, you only need to draw the gun out of the holster for cleaning, training, and in the necessity that you need to stop a threat. Any additional administrative handle can be dangerous. With that in mind that the holster is like a house that sits on the foundation of a gun belt, a quality holster should follow.
My first tip is to avoid most, if not all, holsters sold in your local gun store. Most of the ones sold in-store are some combination of low quality material/construction, bulky, or outright dangerous in design. These are common complaints for We The People Holsters, Alien Gear, and the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, respectively.
As far as keywords and features to look for while shopping online, I would search for:
- Made of Kydex
- Inside-the-waistband (IWB)
- Can fit optics
- Have weapon light fitments available
- Optional wing / claw
- Non-paddle holster attachment
Why those features?
Kydex is fancy brand name for a thermoplastic. Basically, kydex has a reputation for smooth, consistent draws, where leather holsters will have a bit of drag to them. Leather will also hold moisture, which can lead to rust on your firearm, whereas kydex can be easily wiped dry. Kydex also will not deform or soften over time, which keeps kydex holsters safer over time as the leather holster could eventually allow for movement of the trigger from external forces. This source of potential danger also applies to nylon holsters.
Inside the waistband holsters offer more concealment as the muzzle end of the firearm is covered.
Being cut for optics eliminates any future problems involving DIY holster trimming to accommodate a red dot. Similarly for weapon light fitments, knowing that your handgun and weapon light combination are able to be accommodated means less headaches, as not all handgun and weapon light combinations are made by all holster makers.
Wings and claw attachments are additional holster pieces that can aid in concealment as they help push the holster and gun into the body, helping to reduce printing.
There are variety of holster attachment methods, and the details are bound to change over time. I would simply advise to avoid paddle attachments as they have the ability to come off your belt almost as easily as they slip into the belt. They also tend to stick out further from the body, leading to less concealment.
Some of the manufacturers I would consider include (but are not limited to) Vedder, Tenicor, Blade Tech, Gunfighters Inc, and Phlster.
Carry Ammo – More than Premium Fuel
Quality carry ammo can mean the difference between stopping the threat, and failure, along with potentially injuring bystanders. Quality carry ammo varies by caliber, but assuming we’re talking about 9mm ammo, Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, and Hornady Critical Defense are all viable options. Buy a couple boxes and run at least 1 full mag of ammo through your handgun to ensure it will run reliably.
Generally, I would avoid full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo at all costs due to the likelyhood that for most handguns, FMJ will not only punch through the threat, but any bystanders behind them. However, calibers smaller than 9mm may require use of FMJ ammo in order to reach sufficient penetration deemed useful to stop a threat (typically 12-18” of penetration in gel block testing is deemed sufficient).
Handgun – Skies the Limit
Generally, the middle ground for pricing tends to lead to the most value. I found that a budget around $500 for a handgun will allow for enough range that there are almost no wrong answers. Glocks, S&W M&P 2.0’s, Canik TP9’s, CZ P10’s, and many others are in this range for quality handguns. The danger comes in going less than $250, as new handguns in that range will likely have more lemons than reliable guns. Naturally, the high end of $700+ leaves nothing on the table, but it’s easy to spend more and have diminishing returns on reliability.
Additional Cost Considerations
Some states may require additional steps before being able to legally carry a firearm. Using Minnesota as my example, Minnesota requires the completion of a Permit to Carry course from an approved instructor, generally costing around $75. Additionally, the county may also charge an application fee up to $100. Be aware of your state’s laws and plan accordingly.