[bushytail man]

most holsters have too much cant. This makes the weapon tilt forward and becomes unsteady. It also causes an extreme bend in the elbow to draw the weapon.

What are your opinions for the best amount of cant for an IWH and OWH and still be concealable?

 

[3rdgen40]

Depends on the size of the gun.Too little cant on a duty size gun can leave the butt stickin out like a sore thumb.

 

[BK63]

CB Supertuck or MTAC. Adjust the cant to what you want.

 

[Rosco Benson]

The degree of cant needs to increase when the pistol is worn farther back on the hip (say at 4:30 versus 3:00). This is due to how the wrist bends as one reaches back for the pistol. The ill-advised "SOB" holsters having to so much cant as to be nearly horizontal.

If the pistol is worn at 3:00-3:30, as I prefer, then about 15 degrees of cant (maximum) is as much as one will want. It suffices to keep the butt from pressing against seats and keeps the wrist at a reasonable angle when presenting the pistol.

Too much cant also tends to make the rear of the pistol's slide "print" through cover garments.

Rosco

 

[Shadyscott69]

The degree of cant needs to increase when the pistol is worn farther back on the hip (say at 4:30 versus 3:00). This is due to how the wrist bends as one reaches back for the pistol. The ill-advised "SOB" holsters having to so much cant as to be nearly horizontal.

If the pistol is worn at 3:00-3:30, as I prefer, then about 15 degrees of cant (maximum) is as much as one will want. It suffices to keep the butt from pressing against seats and keeps the wrist at a reasonable angle when presenting the pistol.

Too much cant also tends to make the rear of the pistol's slide "print" through cover garments.

Rosco

You are correct on all counts. Most holsters are made with around 15d of cant. There also the adjustable holsters as mentioned above.

If you are carrying a gun with a short barrel OWB you can get away with less cant such as...

Most holster builders will make you one with any cant.

 

[mattyd123]

I carry at about 3-3 30 with zero cant. This conceals the best for me and make the draw a little more natural. I couldn't stand having a lot of cant. After I spent a few minutes practicing my draw my elbow really started to hurt. I do have tendonitis though...

 

[Alcoy]

+1...

the degree of cant needs to increase when the pistol is worn farther back on the hip (say at 4:30 versus 3:00). This is due to how the wrist bends as one reaches back for the pistol. The ill-advised "sob" holsters having to so much cant as to be nearly horizontal.

If the pistol is worn at 3:00-3:30, as i prefer, then about 15 degrees of cant (maximum) is as much as one will want. It suffices to keep the butt from pressing against seats and keeps the wrist at a reasonable angle when presenting the pistol.

Too much cant also tends to make the rear of the pistol's slide "print" through cover garments.

Rosco

 

[Jim S.]

A good gun belt will help in making a holster with a lot of forward cant steady.
It would have to be extreme to be unsteady.
Most OWB are set with X amount of forward cant. Some have extra slots, some don't.
IWB usually offers more adjustment.
The Crossbreed Supertuck (my favorite) among others, offers any amount you may need.
Just a matter of experimenting.
As others have said it depends on the size of the gun.
I carry a 21SF in a Supertuck and it needs a good bit of forward cant so the big grip doesn't print more than I want it to.
But the gun belt makes a lot of difference as to how it feels and how stable it is.

 

[dosei]

Whatever the cant is on a KyTac Braveheart is absolutely perfect for me. FBI tilt is too much for me.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Zero cant is preferable. Only when the weapon is worn behind 3 or 9 o'clock, or where the butt of the weapon is exceedingly long (think 22 or 1911), is cant generally preferable.

 

[steveksux]

Warrior mindset is lacking in these holsters with cant.

Get a holster that CAN!

But seriously, a moderate amount of cant really helps concealability and doesn't significantly affect the draw. There's a good compromise in there somewhere.

Randy

 

[swinokur]

A good gun belt will help in making a holster with a lot of forward cant steady.
It would have to be extreme to be unsteady.
Most OWB are set with X amount of forward cant. Some have extra slots, some don't.
IWB usually offers more adjustment.
The Crossbreed Supertuck (my favorite) among others, offers any amount you may need.
Just a matter of experimenting.
As others have said it depends on the size of the gun.
I carry a 21SF in a Supertuck and it needs a good bit of forward cant so the big grip doesn't print more than I want it to.
But the gun belt makes a lot of difference as to how it feels and how stable it is.

+1. I carry a full size 1911. All my holsters are adjusted for maximum forward cant to hide the grip. As long as the grip does not break the plane of your back, it usually doesn't print. I have no issues with drawing at this angle. Wear mine at 3:30

 

[sciolist]

An EDC setup has to address a wide range of factors. Concealability, comfort, accessibility, durability and others. Priorities will vary greatly between people and circumstances. Body geometry and biomechanics are important personal issues.

Considering only biomechanics of draw, it is true that you'd want neutral cant at about 3:00/9:00, increasingly positive cant in the more rearward positions and increasingly negative cant in the more forward positions.

If for some (other) reason you prefer a less stable holster (high ride, single connection to belt, etc.) then adding cant probably increases instability.

What I have found (at least tentatively) is that the benefits of relatively steep cant outweigh the liabilities. Even with my 26 in stock form, ~25* of cant conceals much better than 10* or less.

With an IWB, depending on how deep you wear the holster, how long the gun is and how tall your torso is, adding cant can help keep the muzzle from poking you in the glute and interfering with access to your back pocket.

Something to consider about body geometry is that a smaller, leaner person has a more complex shape at 3:00 - 4:00 than a larger, fatter person. This is less of an issue with OWB, but an IWB rig needs to be able to work with the adjacent body form. Cutting a horizontal cross-section through someone with a 30" waist and 5% bodyfat reveals several compound radii, whereas someone with a 36" waist and 20% bodyfat will appear more circular. Same with a vertical cross-section. So cant can be used to align the gun tangent to the curves on the smaller person. I find it much more comfortable to align the gun to my hip and then adjust my wrist when drawing than vice-versa.

Steeper cant also greatly reduces the extent to which the gun's butt prints rearward when I bend forward. With the gun at 3:30, I would rather have the rear sight printing as I lean backward than the butt printing as I lean forward. One reason for this is that I can make eye contact with someone in front of me, but not someone behind me.

So at this point, for a carry rig, I'm leaning towards IWB with two widely-spaced loops, just deep enough to give a comfortable radius for middle finger at draw, ~25* cant, and positioned at 3:30 - 4:00. For matches, OWB, 3:00, neutral and a little lower.

 

[IndyGunFreak]

A good gun belt will help in making a holster with a lot of forward cant steady.

There you go..

IGF

 

[GunFighter45ACP]

More cant may let you carry/conceal a bigger gun, but less cant may be more comfortable to carry/draw from. These 2 factors are always in flux for me depending on what my carry & concealment needs are. For EX: I can comfortably & easily carry & conceal a 4" or less sized 1911 OWB in a 0 cant/straight drop holster right on the hip. I can't do that nearly as well though when I switch to a compact sized Glock or an HK. When I move the weapon further back behind the hip & add some cant, my G17 feels even better. If I try to carry an all steel 5" 1911 back there, it won't be long before I have to take it off due to the pain.

 

[fuzzy03cls]

An EDC setup has to address a wide range of factors. Concealability, comfort, accessibility, durability and others. Priorities will vary greatly between people and circumstances. Body geometry and biomechanics are important personal issues.

This. Experiment for yourself & choose what works best for you. I need more cant for bigger guns to hide the grip.

 

[fredj338]

+1. I carry a full size 1911. All my holsters are adjusted for maximum forward cant to hide the grip. As long as the grip does not break the plane of your back, it usually doesn't print. I have no issues with drawing at this angle. Wear mine at 3:30

I'm in the same boat. Most IWB have a 15deg cant, about right for 3:30-4:00 carry. A straight drop would only work well @ 3:00 & print badly w/ anything but very short grip, like a G26.:dunno: BTW, who knows anyone w/ 5% body fat?