NO-HOLSTER CARRY

It's the Clipdraw connection!

By Todd Lofgren Back in the early 1970s, I was always on the lookout for a better, more comfortable, more concealable way to carry a handgun.  This was because, as a state narcotic agent, all my work was plainclothes, requiring that my handgun and allied equipment be concealed under non-descript civilian clothing, while some of it was undercover, requiring an even more hidden, yet accessible carry.  We worked with a lot of local jurisdictions back then and I distinctly recall the day I got a look at a brace of Colt Detective Specials that were being carried by a couple of narcs from the local police department.  Not only were these six shot colts equipped with the seldom seen bolt on hammer shrouds that effectively turned these reasonably small wheelguns into, for all practical purposes, hammerless guns, they also wore an odd-shaped black plastic grip on their right sides that allowed safe, secure, and discreet carry of theses snubs without a holster.  I was soon to learn that this grip was called a Hip-Grip and, to this day, I've never been without at least one J-framed Smith & Wesson wearing this innovative handle.  Still available from the Barami Corporation, this is a good method for carrying and concealing a small wheelgun.
Not too long after encountering the Hip-Grip, one of my partners showed up with a unique metal clip that bolted up under the right grip panel of a Government Model .45 that accomplished essentially the same thing.  With only the removal and replacement of a couple of grip screws, one could now carry a full-sized heady-duty handgun securely without a holster.  One of these devices found its way onto one of the Swenson .45s I routinely carried and helped to make this relatively large handgun quite concealable.  I think these original belt clip devices were made by an outfit called Brown & Pharr, but his device, as well as the company that produced them, disappeared from view some years after that. Well, all that has changed recently with the reintroduction of the original Clipdraw design for the 1911s as well as a whole array of other Clipdraw models available that attach to a myriad of other handguns as well.	The author's Kahr is held securely and discreetly in place by the Clipdraw.
I had seen an ad for the "Original Clipdraw" for 1911s recently and a little research revealed that it, as well as a plethora of other Clipdraw models, were being made by an outfit called Skyline Toolworks out of Malvern, Pennsylvania.  A call to Skyline put me in touch with John Rugh, who was kind enough to send me an example of every model of Clipdraw he produces.  And there are quite a few.  Counting them all up, I arrived at 14 different offerings that fit virtually any and every semi-auto or revolver worthy of carry.  Some are weapons model specific, that it, they are designed for a specific make and model of firearm like a J-framed Smith or GLOCK, while others are universal in nature, allowing attachment via the use of a "very high bond" two-side tape.  They are offered in blue to match a like finished handgun or nickel plated for your plated or stainless pistols. The Universal Model I started my review of these devices by installing a Model SA on my custom Kahr P9.  This is a universal model Clipdraw that Skyline says will fit virtually any semi-automatic pistol.  I selected the one that was nickel plated to match the stainless slide on my P9, but could also have used the blued model that would have matched this pistol's black polymer frame. I began by determining how far down inside my pants I wanted the P9 to ride.  Of all the guns I've carried over the years, the P9 was the only one that stayed put when carried "sans" holster, but this type of carry would be all the more secure with a Clipdraw in place.  Following the directions included in the package, I first cleaned both the slide and mounting plate with the included alcohol prep pads.  This is to remove any oils present that would destroy the integrity of the double-coated 3M Corp. tape used to secure the mounting plate to the slide.