holster for bigger guy and CCW

[870 expressmag]

I am about to take my CCW class.  I have a glock 23 and a fobus rotate paddle holster. my problem is i am a big guy and the holster i have seems to hold the pistol very low and close to me so drawing it is a challenge....my brother is a cop and he suggested a Gould and Goodrich Gold Line holster..3 slot pancake holster....he has one for his glock 27 and his 1911....my question is..will this be my best option or are there others out there......i will not be carrying 100% of the time but i will carry some of the time so i would like it to be concealable but also not hard to draw because i am big.

[HiPressure]

Hey 870,
You pretty much have a decision to make here. Do you want to conceal a handgun or do you want to make speed draws? I don't know of any truly concealable holster out there that will compete (draw speed) with an openly carried rig. You're going to be carrying the pistol more than than your draw it, right? The best is to make a compromise with the bias going towards keeping the pistol concealed, in my opinion. The closer to the body your pistol is, the easier it is to conceal. To top it all off, I don't believe that any one single holster is adequate for all situations, much like only wanting to wear one pair of shoes for all activities. Keep in mind that when first starting out most concealable holsters will probably feel awkward to draw from but a lot of it goes away with practice.
I can't bring myself to recommend the G&G holsters, the ones I've looked at don't appear to be made to last. Look at Bianchi, Alessi, Galco or El Paso Saddlery rigs for quality. BTW, consider yourself lucky that you're a big guy. I'm a fairly skinny type and that makes it really hard to hide anything bigger than a derringer!
HP

[870 expressmag]

well at least there is some advantage to being big......well i have a hard time turning down the G&G holster since my brother carries his everyday and likes it so well.....i know it's going to feel weird but i want to make sure it's easy to sit down with....sitting in a car with a model 66 S&W i had was like sitting down with a sword strapped to your side

[HiPressure]

Heh-heh! I know all about that!
If you like the G&G, go with it. A three-slot holster is handy to have.
I'll make a prediction (back me up, anybody) that before you're done you'll end up with a box in the closet full of holsters. Some will be there as a "just in case I'm going to the opera", etc., others you'll try and not care for, but you don't want to get rid of, for whatever reason. Eventually, you'll settle on the two or three that you use most often, but keep that box in mind for the time that a buddy says "hey, I just bought a pistol like yours". Then you can be the hero and tell him "ya know, I've got holster here that you might like, try it".
HP

[870 expressmag]

haha that sounds about right....i am going to try my brothers with his glock 27 and see how i like it when he comes for christmas     our holidays are always well armed!