But what suits Jim or Fred or Betty or Ralph is not forced to suit you. Narrowing the choice down to match your own particular set of needs is not always easy, so you shouldn't be discouraged if you don't get it right the first time. The first step is to try out all the basic options. You can start by experimenting with the holsters of colleagues or friends at work or at your regular gun-club. Before proceeding any further, it is important that we consider the subject of Rake.
Rake is the angle at which a weapon positioned in a holster is tilted laterally from the vertical.
With most handguns, the hardest part to conceal is the butt or grip. This is where Rake plays an important part. Tilting the weapon forward from the vertical for a strong side draw will produce a muzzle rear rake which not only facilitates the draw, but aids concealment by absorbing the grip into the band of flesh just above the waist. With either a muzzle forward or neutral rake, however, the grip may have a tendency to protrude, which can compromise successful concealment. Having decided on a category and style of holster, we now need to select a particular model.