What is a Concealment Holster Claw?

Concealed carry is both a science and an art. That means making sure that your weapon doesn’t telegraph its presence to the people around you should be one of your first priorities. As a result, you should always be looking for a way to get more stealthy if you concealed carry a handgun. That’s where a concealment holster claw can offer some significant benefits. We’ll look at some of the ways one of these devices can decrease printing on your AIWB holster while you appendix carry.

What is a Concealment Holster Claw?

Sometimes, the best solutions to a problem are simple ones. That’s true of concealment holster claws, too. This little device comes in many forms, but they all try to achieve the same goal: reducing the amount that the grips of your gun “print.”

If you’re not familiar with the term “printing,” don’t worry. It essentially refers to your gun forming an outline against the inside of your clothing. Since you want to eliminate any sign that you’re holding a gun when you concealed carry, you want to minimize printing.

In general, the barrel of your gun doesn’t print as much as the grips do. While your belt will hold your gun’s barrel tightly against your body, it will simultaneously cause your grips to jut sideways. As a result, grips tend to print, even on loosely-fitting t-shirts.

However, a concealment holster claw comes equipped with an extra hook that attaches to your belt. This hook, or “claw,” pulls the grip of the gun closer to your body. By keeping your grips flush with your skin, a claw can significantly reduce the amount you print.

While a concealment holster claw is a super useful tool to prevent printing, it’s not perfect. They’re only really helpful if you’re using a specific type of concealed carry technique. We’ll dive deeper into this technique, called “appendix carry,” below.

AIWB and Appendix Carry

It’s important to note that concealment holster claws only really help hide your gun when you’re using an AIWB holster for appendix carry. AIWB, short for “appendix inside the waistband,” holsters are a type of holster made especially for appendix carry. This means carrying your gun in front of you, slightly to the right of your belt buckle (for righties, on the opposite side for lefties). 

Appendix carry has become one of the most popular ways to carry a gun concealed. One reason for that is because it’s an extremely quick way to draw. And in situations where your life's on the line, seconds count. There is one downside to using an AIWB holster to appendix carry, though. You can’t really sit comfortably with them for long periods of time, since they’ll force your gun to dig into your skin.