How much does a gun belt help concealment?

[two/three]

Although I'm not new to concealed carry I have only been doing it on a daily basis for the past couple months. I do intend to buy a gun belt but wondering if it's something I should rush out to get. The holster / gun being more secure is an obvious reason but I'm curious how much of a difference does a gun belt help conceal the weapon with an iwb holster? Is leather or nylon better or is that more of a personal preference? Also any suggestions on who / brand to buy without paying a small fortune would be helpful. Thanks.

[QuickDrawMcgraw]

I'm a big boy - 269lbs

For me I've been CCW'ing for close to 15 years.  At first I just used a Carhartt or Dickies belt from Bass Pro/Wal-mart.  I didn't want to spend the money on some fancy belt.  But I had to keep buying these belts over and over I noticed because they were just not made to hold a pistol and a mag carrier and would eventually start to sag.

But once I got a belt made for CCW it helped me out tremendously, especially for those days when I was carrying all day.  The stiffness of the belts is the main thing IMO that helps with that.   Not sagging of the belt after months of carrying and then going out and buying another belt from Wal-mart.  That sagging on long days can lead to discomfort and you constantly adjusting. 

I have used 2 brands of leather gun belts.  One of them has a steel core and I love it to death - but I can not recommend them because both times ordering from them my credit card miraculously started purchasing stuff in other states I was not at.  But man it is a great belt with that steel core...another good thing about a stiff belt for me...when I draw my pistol the holster doesn't move - whereas with my old Carhartt belt the holster would move up as I drew the pistol and not stay in position.

I also use Magpul belts - mostly because I got them on sale one time for half price and wanted to check them out.  I love them and think they are great - they have a reinforced polymer inside.  I can recommend them from my experience.

There are a ton of brands out there - and I have never tried any of the nylon ones.  Good Luck 

[Earl Keese]

A proper reinforced carry belt makes a world of difference. Don't underestimate how critical it is for all day carry. I have a Kore Essentials belt and love the ratcheting buckle.

[two/three]

I'm a big boy - 269lbs

For me I've been CCW'ing for close to 15 years.  At first I just used a Carhartt or Dickies belt from Bass Pro/Wal-mart.  I didn't want to spend the money on some fancy belt.  But I had to keep buying these belts over and over I noticed because they were just not made to hold a pistol and a mag carrier and would eventually start to sag.

But once I got a belt made for CCW it helped me out tremendously, especially for those days when I was carrying all day.  The stiffness of the belts is the main thing IMO that helps with that.   Not sagging of the belt after months of carrying and then going out and buying another belt from Wal-mart.  That sagging on long days can lead to discomfort and you constantly adjusting. 

I have used 2 brands of leather gun belts.  One of them has a steel core and I love it to death - but I can not recommend them because both times ordering from them my credit card miraculously started purchasing stuff in other states I was not at.  But man it is a great belt with that steel core...another good thing about a stiff belt for me...when I draw my pistol the holster doesn't move - whereas with my old Carhartt belt the holster would move up as I drew the pistol and not stay in position.

I also use Magpul belts - mostly because I got them on sale one time for half price and wanted to check them out.  I love them and think they are great - they have a reinforced polymer inside.  I can recommend them from my experience.

There are a ton of brands out there - and I have never tried any of the nylon ones.  Good Luck

Thanks for the information, very useful. Hadn't thought about the draw being easier and belt not moving during a draw which makes a lot of sense.

[jurek]

Gun belt make difference. Doesn't matter if nylon or leather. Must be reinforced. And racheting buckle helps a lot.
Kore is my choice as well.

[two/three]

A proper reinforced carry belt makes a world of difference. Don't underestimate how critical it is for all day carry. I have a Kore Essentials belt and love the ratcheting buckle.

Thank you sir. It seems like I should expect to pay more than I had thought but I don't have a problem with that to make sure I have the proper equipment for safety and security.

[double-d]

This is my go-to gun belt company....http://www.abetterbeltusa.com/the-ultimate-gun-belt/
Own three of them (each matches a different holster color wise) and a business partner purchased two.  Love their belts!!

Make sure to get the reinforced strapping material incorporated.

One of mine threaded through a Milt Sparks VersaMax-2

[two/three]

Thank you double-d, will for sure check them out.

[CCWLearner]

A proper gun belt is really important for CCW.  Your belt, along with your holster and gun, are components of an overall system.  If your holster is on your belt, you really need a good belt.    The only way you get by without a decent gun belt is if you're pocket carrying a really light firearm, like a J-frame or pocket 380.  Even then a good belt is still helpful.

I have been through a few different belts over the years.  I have had Galco, Relentless Tactical, Hanks, and for the past couple of years I've used Kore Essentials belts.  Because of their ratcheting system, I find them superior to all previous belts I have used.  There's no way to overstate how much easier it is to carry IWB when you ex. get out of your car to enter a business and you can adjust your belt tension at 1/4 inch increments vs 1 inch increments.

[Tok36]

Thank you for the tip on the Kore belts gents. The ratcheting system looks interesting.

[jurek]

Thank you for the tip on the Kore belts gents. The ratcheting system looks interesting.

Not only looks interesting. It works perfectly!

[Czechbikr]

After carrying for a couple of years with a standard WalMart type belt I bought a Hank's belt on a special offering.  No core but a solid 3/16" thick (approx) x 1 3/4" leather belt that provides the support that the old belt could not.  I will never use a standard belt again, the difference is that great and worth the money.  I mostly carry IWB with an Alien Gear Kydex/leather hybrid which currently houses my S&W Shield 45. 

[CCWLearner]

I wore a Hanks kydex-reinforced belt for about one year, and the kydex stiffener inside ended up cracking.  The belt was then obviously sagging at that point.  I contacted them about it and they offered to replace the belt with a steel core model, since their experience was if you crack the kydex once with your carry rig, you're probably going to crack the next one also.

I took them up on their offer and received a new steel core belt from them.  However, that thing was extremely thick and heavy.  I ended up selling it new in the pack because that just looked like too much belt for me, unless I was going to OWB carry a Desert Eagle or something.

I ended up going back to using a leather gun belt from another company that had no stiffener for a while, then picked up a leather Kore belt and was extremely pleased with that.  I have both leather and nylon version of their belt.  Over the course of about 1.5 years, I wore bare spots on the edges of their nylon belt which I wear more often than the leather belt, and with heavier gear.  I replaced that belt with a new one, trimmed the worn section off of the old one, and gave it to one of my sons who has a waistline several inches smaller than mine.

[two/three]

Thanks for your guys' help, a couple of Kore Essentials recommendations on here and talking with a couple others I've got one ordered.

[tomboyjr]

   I'll give another plug for Kore belts. Had mine a couple of years now and I'll never go back to a buckle.

  I bought their regular belt, not their 'gun' belt, and it works great for me. I'm not a big guy, 5-10'' and about 180. But I never carry anything bigger than a Sig P938. And usually its my Kahr P380 in warmer weather. Both in a Crossbreed Mini-tuck. I suppose if I carried OWB I'd get the heavier belt. But this setup works great for me. All day comfort.