What is a Billfold Holster?
Billfold Holsters: Types & Concealed Carry Uses
A billfold holster is designed to carry a small semi-automatic pistol in a holster usually in your back pocket, resembling a billfold. The idea is to allow fast access to your pistol.
There are multiple designs of billfold holsters on the market, some with better construction and warranties than others. If you are interested in a billfold holster, what should you look for?
What guns do they fit: Most billfold holsters are designed to carry the super small sized, sub-compacts such as the Ruger LCP, Sig Sauer, Kel-Tec, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard, and Taurus pistols. Some billfold holsters are made to fit only one pistol, others are designed to fit pistols that are so close in overall size, a 1/16 of an inch size difference does not matter. What’s nice about the nonspecific holsters is you can swap like sized pistols if needed.
Lasers: I have only found a few billfold holsters designed to fit pistols with a laser, such as a Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec with the Crimson Trace Laserguard or the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard with the Insight laser.
Draw: This is where the designs get interesting. Sometimes a billfold holster is an offshoot of a standard wallet holster. They require you to remove your firearm from the holster and then acquire your target. Other billfold holsters are a small pouch with a zipper for total concealment but takes a lot of time to get into a firing position. Others allow you to fire the pistol while it remains within the holster. Commonly referred to as a shoot-through holster, when it comes to pulling your pistol out of your pocket and acquiring your target, this is the type that works the best.
Construction: I have seen billfold wallet holsters made from nylon, leather and nylon and all leather. I’ve discussed leather quality and the pros and cons of designs of types types of leather wallet holsters before.
Legality: Years ago, a wallet holster that completely enclosed the pistol was produced. They were classified as “containers” and outlawed. Personally, I have only seen one. The new billfold or wallet holsters do not fully enclose the gun. They allow you to pull the slide back, activate the laser and swap magazines. Here is a copy of the ruling from the ATF stating the holsters I sell are not containers and do not require tax stamps or extra background checks.
