El Paso Summer Cruiser Gun Holster – A Hand Boned Delight

March 19, 2013 By Tom Leave a Comment

Here’s another holster featured in our new book, The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters:

El Paso Saddlery has a deep and storied tradition of holster craft. Literally.

Peruse their online catalog and you’ll see holsters like the John Wayne, Patton, Jesse James and Doc Holliday to name a few. The interesting thing is that El Paso didn’t just name these holsters — they made them for the actual folks on the label! You’ll notice dozens of absolutely gorgeous western style holsters and if you’re a fan of spaghetti westerns, and pay close attention, you’ll see plenty of their models in the movies.

The El Paso Saddlery Summer Cruiser is an inside-out design to help it stay in place via friction with your clothing. It has two belt loops that are interchangeable. You can swap loops to fit different sized belts and choose black or brown to better match the belt you want to use.

For a comfortable inside the waistband design, the El Paso Summer Cruiser has a lot of structure. The holster mouth is reinforced with an interior metal band so it stays open to facilitate one-handed reholstering. A sight rail is molded and stitched into the holster that allows for snag-free holstering and reholstering. There’s even an extended leather flap on the inside to help keep the hammer, safety and/or beavertail from chafing your midsection.

Like many other El Paso designs, this one is hand-boned for near-perfect gun fit.

Holster Terminology Alert: Before you start questioning the PG rating of this book, know that hand boning is a process where the wet leather is pressed — by hand — around the specific contours of the gun. Back in the fourth century BC they used to do that with actual bones instead of metal tools, hence the name hand boning. Artisans skilled in the art of hand boning had little to do for centuries however, as gun holsters were not to be invented until the 1800’s. As a result of hand boning, you’ll actually see a pretty good outline of your specific type of firearm shaped into the leather. Hand boning isn’t done just to sound funny or look cool, the very detailed shaping is what provides solid holster fit and retention.

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters – available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: buyers guide, El Paso, el paso saddlery, Gun Holster, holster reviews, holsters, insanely practical guides, reviews

Holster Review: 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt

February 20, 2013 By Tom 5 Comments

We’re just days away from the release of our new full-length book – The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters. We hope you enjoy this excerpt:

Some thoughts on Holster Shirts

5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt – Note the reinforced and padded pockets on both sides.

There’s something sexy about those spandex-y undershirts that are all the rage now. Whether you’re cut like The Situation from Jersey Shore, or built more like Paul Blart, Mall Cop, wearing one of these shirts improves your self-rated body mass index by 92.4%.

Superman shirt holsters are a great idea on the surface, especially if you’re exceptionally paranoid about being outed as a concealed carrier. It offers deep concealment as your gun is held along your side in a pocket built into the undershirt. Which also means the odds of you getting your gun out quickly are about as good as Nancy Pelosi speaking at the next NRA Annual Meeting. Well, in fairness, the odds are better than that, you just need to practice and carefully consider your choice of outer shirt.

With that said, undershirt holsters can be a great option when you absolutely, positively, have to conceal your gun and wearing a photographers vest would be considered inappropriate. Or at least un-stylish.

About the 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt

The 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirts aren’t cheap. However, like most other 5.11 Tactical gear, they are exceptionally well made. We’ve been using the 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirts for years and have yet to wear one out. And that’s here in the humidity pressure cooker of America.

The 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt is a polyester / spandex blend — so they are very sexy looking. More importantly, the holster pockets are sewn in as a padded mesh system on both sides. This provides full ambidextrosity (my word.)

The holster sections are supported by material looping all the way over the top of the shoulder, so carrying full weight handguns is not a problem. We do it all the time.

The pockets are closed with two velcro patches, so weapon retention is good. One thing we like about this model is that accessibility is good as the carry pockets are a little lower and more forward than other makes and therefore a little easier to reach. Another benefit to dual pockets is that you can store a spare magazine or two on the other side.

By the way, the material is anti-microbial to keep the, umm, odor, down to manageable levels.

The Good

The level of concealment would make a tax-evading Congressperson proud. Folks will find your Swiss bank accounts and campaign staffer romances long before they find your concealed gun with this carry method.

With most body carry methods, gun security is fantastic. You feel it. You know its there. There’s very little chance that your gun will tumble out of your control without your notice.

The Bad

Drawing your gun is kind of like removing your underwear while keeping your pants on. For those of you not quite following, that means that drawing your gun from a deeply concealed body carry location will be slower than drawing from your hip. Practice is a must with this carry method.

The Ugly

Hugging Aunt Martha can be really weird if you’re not careful. If you carry the gun on one side of your body or the other, you can adjust your hugging style to be more angular. If you carry a gun on one side, and spare magazines on the other, then you have to quickly develop a serious case of Aphenphosmphobia. That’s fear of being touched, which should cover the bases for most hugging encounters.

We highly recommend the 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt. We own about a half-dozen of them and they’re well used.

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters – available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: 5.11 tactical, 5.11 Tactical Gear, 5.11 Tactical Holster Shirt, concealed carry, Concealed Carry In The United States, handgun, holster reviews, holster shirts, holsters, reviews, Shirt Holster, shirts, Tactical Holsters, Undershirt, Underwear

Holster Review: N82 Tactical Concealed Carry Holster

February 5, 2013 By Tom 2 Comments

Let’s clear something up right off the bat. How do you say “N82 Tactical?” The “tactical” part is pretty easy, so we’ll focus on the “N82” part.

En – eight – two? Nope.

En – eighty two? Nope.

Nate two? Nope.

It’s “Nate Squared.”

N82 Tactical Professional Series Concealed Carry Holster

We know this because we met a whole slew of Nates at this years SHOT Show – and they were all holster makers. In fact, it seemed that the whole booth was full of Nates. Well, at least two, and that’s plenty for most legal uses. We’re not going to get into the political ramifications of whether high-capacity Nate’s should be legal, but common sense will indicate that two is plenty. Can’t we all just agree on that?

Fortunately, we got the name thing cleared up pretty quickly and one of the Nate’s gave me a thorough rundown on their concealed carry holster designs.

It’s a good thing, because we had previously only seen these holsters in advertisements and from (an admittedly very unfair) first glance, we had a bit of a ho-hum reaction.

And, as frequently proven by our readers and former math teachers, we were very, very wrong. Here’s why.

The N82 Tactical holsters have come interesting innovations. Spurred on to entrepreneurial enterprise by the belief that holsters should be both comfortable and comforting, the dynamic Nate duo and a rental squad of Oompa Loompas created a basic design that makes for an inherently wearable, yet solid and secure inside the waistband holster.

The N82 is a multi-layer affair. A large backing panel goes between the gun and your tender midsection skin areas. The panel is large enough to completely cover the gun and all or most of the grip – depending on the specific model. This keeps sharp and abrasive metal and wood stuff away from your belly. A belt clip is affixed to the gun pocket so the whole holster with gun is tucked inside the waistband with the clip securing to your belt. Pretty simple.

Here’s where the layering comes in.

The body side of the panel is made from soft suede. N82 Tactical chose suede for several reasons. It’s a natural material, so it allows your skin to breathe and feel cool – even in hot and humid climates. Another reason for the suede lining is that it has a friction coefficient. Yeah, I told you we wouldn’t get into quantum physics in this article, but hang in there for a second. Since the whole suede area has some “grip” it serves to spread the weight of the gun over a broader area. Not that we’re calling your area broad or anything. OK, Enough of the fancy science.

Sandwiched in the middle is a layer of neoprene. If you saw the movie Jaws, or have been to Sea World, you’ll know that this is the stuff that diver’s wetsuits are made of. It’s waterproof. While you probably won’t be diving with your N82 Tactical holster, the neoprene barrier does in fact create a moisture barrier between your sweaty broad area and your expensive gun. Even if you sweat, your gun stays dry. Within reason of course. The other reason behind the neoprene moisture barrier is to prevent the leather portion of the holster from becoming mushier and mushier over time. All of the Nate’s believe that leather doesn’t break in to the right point and then stop breaking it. It continues to get softer and softer over time, especially with exposure to moisture.

The outer layer is leather. This provides structure, stability and a safe backing for your gun – whether it be steel or polymer.

For the gun pocket itself, N82 Tactical offers a couple of separate options – the Standard and Professional Series.

The original model, or Standard Series, utilizes a stetchy material to secure the gun to the leather holster panel. N82 got a lot of feedback from law enforcement customers. They loved the comfort of the tuckable design with its stretch band holster pocket, but needed additional positive retention for more active situations.

On the Professional Series models, the gun pocket is made from a polycarbonate material. Yes, the same material that is used to make impact resistant glasses, bulletproof glass and Justin Bieber CD’s. The polycarbonate is molded to that it protrudes slightly into the trigger guard of the gun to provide positive retention. When wearing the holster, your body presses the gun even more into the trigger guard mold. To draw the gun, use a rotating motion along the axis of the barrel. This releases the trigger guard and allows the gun to exit the holster. It sounds complicated, but when you wear this holster just behind the hip bone, your natural draw motion tends to rotate the gun exactly as needed to release the gun. After a couple of tries we had it down pat.

We were pleasantly surprised at the engineering involved in this concealed carry holster. While it looks simple, there’s a lot under the covers. So to speak.

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters - available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: Carry Holster, Conceal Carry Holsters, concealed carry, holster reviews, holsters, Leather Holsters, new products, reviews, SHOT Show, Tactical Holsters, Waistband Holster

Holster Review: Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment Carbon Fiber Finish

November 28, 2012 By Tom 4 Comments

Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment with Carbon Fiber Finish - 1911

Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment Holster with Carbon Fiber Finish – Shown here with a Springfield Armory TRP 1911 Armory Kote

The internet is an empowering place when it comes to guns and shooting. If you can type, you’re an expert. If you have broadband internet service, you’re a guru. If you own an X-Box, you’re a genuine strategy, tactics, and equipment ninja. While we would never want to disrespect a well-trained internet ninja, we’ve heard lot’s of opinions about Blackhawk! Serpa holsters. Some great. Some awful. Many second-hand and/or uninformed. So we decided to find out for ourselves whether the Serpa is a winner, or not.

The Serpa Holster is designed to offer what gun people call “Level II Retention.” In Average Joe’s English, that simply means that there are two separate methods in use to secure the gun into the holster. For most Level II Retention holsters, the first method is simple friction. The second method is almost always some form of mechanical lock that must be disengaged for the gun to be removed from the holster. This sounds complex, but holster makers like Blackhawk! have gotten really smart about engineering ways for the person drawing the gun to disengage the lock as part of the natural draw, while making it difficult for someone else, like an attacker, to remove the gun.

The Blackhawk! Serpa uses both methods. The Kydex is molded into a perfect form-fitting design that provides plenty of friction on its own for solid retention. In fact, the Blackhawk! Sportster Standard holster is essentially a Serpa design without the second level lock retention. For the second retention level the Blackhawk! Serpa utilizes a mechanical lock that grasps the trigger guard from the inside. To disengage the lock, the trigger finger applies pressure to a paddle that is mounted directly over the slide of your pistol. While drawing, simply apply a little pressure to the paddle button and the lock releases.

Here’s where the fun starts. Many important couch commandos with thousands of hours of Gears of War and World of Warcraft experience have speculated on potential downfalls of the Serpa design. Some folks don’t like it and claim it’s dangerous. When you sort through all that hard-earned internet knowledge, the controversy boils down to the following line of reasoning. If the retention release button relies on your finger pressing towards the frame of the gun, it’s possible for this motion to lead to your finger pressing into the trigger guard. Add a trigger pull to this motion and the gun may discharge.

Umm, yes. If you pull the trigger, a gun will discharge.

Bypassing the plethora of knowledge from nameless X-Box players commenting on internet stories, I decided to try the Serpa myself with a Springfield Armory TRP full size 1911. After getting the appropriate size Serpa holster from the folks at Blackhawk!, I proceeded to perform hundreds and hundreds of draws – with an unloaded gun. I used an unloaded gun so I could intentionally draw a bit faster and perhaps a tad more carelessly than normal to see if I could find any truth to the internet controversy – trigger finger lock deactivation causing a discharge during the draw.

Personally, I don’t see the problem. Here’s why.

With any drawing motion, from any holster, your hand is performing a grasping motion. That means at least five, and maybe six in some rare cases, fingers are closing around the grip of your pistol. If you are hooking your index finger while you grab your gun from a holster with ANY type of holster, you run the risk of negligently pulling the trigger.

What I find with the Blackhawk! Serpa is that the placement and motion of the activation lever causes my trigger finger to do two distinct things. First, it encourages my index finger to be straight. It has to be extended in order to reach the retention disengagement lever. Second, it encourages my index finger to line up with the slide. In order to release the catch, your trigger finger literally can’t be in a hooked position over the open area of the trigger guard. If you choose to deliberately press your finger back into the trigger after the holster release is complete, that’s an operator error issue possible with any type of holster.

In my opinion, this is more of an issue related to sympathetic motion of your fingers. When you grasp something, your fingers will all want to close. Heck, with some excitement, the fingers on your other hand may exhibit a closing motion also – another concept of sympathetic response that has been explored by many people with numerous letters after their names. It’s how the fingers work and why practice is mandatory with ANY gun and holster combination you choose. Practice, practice, practice.

Bottom line? I don’t see the issue. After billions and billions of draws with the Blackhawk! Serpa I see no discernible difference in likelihood of a draw related discharge than with any other holster.

Reholstering is a snap. No lever manipulation is required and a positive click lets you know that the gun is secured.

Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment belt and paddle mounts

Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment holsters include both belt and paddle mounts. Belt width and can’t adjustments allow personalization

Now, with that out of the way, let’s look at this holster in more detail.

All Blackhawk! Serpa holsters come with both paddle and belt loop mounts. Both mounting systems allow the holster itself to be oriented vertically, with a forward cant, or a reverse cant. The belt mount features an adjustable slide, allowing the user to create a perfect fit for various belt widths. You can easily swap the paddle and belt mounts via three anchor screws.

The Blackhawk! Serpa Concealment holster is available in multiple configurations. The evaluation holster was the Carbon Fiber finish. This one features a holster body with a textured weave appearance. It looks great. A matte finish version is also available. For less money and consumer oriented use, Blackhawk! offers an injection molded Sportster model which is a flat grey color. Last but not least is a Serpa configured for use with a limited number of pistols with the Blackhawk! Xiphos NT light mounted.

With an MSRP of $59.99, even the most expensive Serpa – the Carbon Fiber finish model – is a great value. This is a solid holster and mounting flexibility is excellent with the highly adjustable paddle and belt loop options.

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters - available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: 1911, blackhawk, Carbon Fiber, concealed carry, Concealment Holsters, Guns And Holsters, Holster Makers, holster reviews, holsters, OWB Holsters, Paddle Holster, Retention Holsters, reviews, Serpa, Serpa Holster

Holster Review: Pretty Dangerous Accessories Ladies Gun Holster

October 30, 2012 By Tom 2 Comments

Shhh. It’s our secret…

Pretty Dangerous Accessories Holster with Springfield Armory EMP 9mm

Pretty Dangerous Accessories Holster shown with a Springfield Armory EMP 9mm

That’s the very appropriate tagline advertised by Pretty Dangerous Accessories. While Pretty Dangerous Accessories offers innovative jewelry designs and clothing for shooting women, we elected to take a look at their holster line.

We had to solicit the skills of our female staff for this assignment because, well, let’s face it, men have the fashion sense of Silly Putty. You see, we needed feminine input not only for functionality testing, but commentary on more intangible factors like fun, fashion points and cuteness. And “cuteness” is as foreign to guys as choir practice is to Lindsey Lohan.

Ways To Use A Pretty Dangerous Accessories Holster

Gun fit versatility is designed in to the Pretty Dangerous Accessories holster. It features an open top / open bottom design somewhat like the famous “Yaqui Slide” style. This allows the holster to fit a variety of pistols and revolvers regardless of slide length. As long as the body fits and the trigger guard is properly covered, you’re good to go. There is a metal clip on one side that allows for different mount options as we’ll discuss in a sec. The clip is removable if you can figure out a scenario where that would benefit you.

We tried to get creative and figure out a variety of ways to use this holster. Here’s what we found:

Clip it on jeans for an easy mount / easy removable outside the waistband holster.
Clip it to an interior pocket in a purse or other carry bag to keep it exactly in place and out of the clutter.
Clip it on a boot!
Clip it to other clothing items. We’ll leave that to you.
While driving, clip it to a surface in your car for accessibility. Be sure to check local laws regarding car carry with and without a concealed carry license.
And more…

Fun for Fashionistas

Pretty Dangerous Accessories inventor, founder, accountant, production manager, and chief designer Julie Ruster Price has an interesting background which led to this combination of style and function. She was a cop for years, but also had experience in fashion and merchandising.

Yes, you guessed it, Julie was the driving force behind the creation of the first Elite Tactical Response Unit for Lifetime Network’s hit show Project Runway. In between emergency deployments to resolve cat fights in the contestant’s shared apartments, Julie hatched the idea for Pretty Dangerous Accessories.

Some ask why devote energy to fashionable materials and designs for a product that will be rarely seen by others. “Why not?” responds Julie. “YOU can enjoy it!”

Gun Fit

We tried the Pretty Dangerous Accessories with a variety of concealed carry friendly handguns. With few exceptions, we found this holster design to do an admirable job of protecting the trigger and providing a stable means of carrying a gun.

One of the keys to the multi-fit design is assigning a specific gun to a specific holster. That means you’re better off getting different holsters if you plan on using multiple size guns. Being made of leather, the Pretty Dangerous Holster quickly conforms to fit a specific handgun. For larger guns, it will stretch to fit – within reason.

Here are some of the guns we tried with good success:

	This combination of a Cylinder and Slide customized Walther PPK and the Pretty Dangerous Accessories Hair-On Cowskin Holster was a winner. The fit was excellent and we found it easy to get a good solid firing grip. And let’s face it – Walthers are just plain elegant and need a holster with equal style.
	We were somewhat surprised to find that a full size Glock 17 Gen 4 worked just fine in this Eggplant Ostrich Holster.
	Of course, all of the Glock models in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .357 Sig share the same slide and frame width, so the Glock 32 equipped with Crimson Trace Lasersights fit perfectly in this Black Lizard Holster.
	Here’s a Glock 26 Gen 4 equipped with a Pearce Grip Extension with a Duty Rose Leather Holster.
	The Beretta Tomcat 3032 .32 ACP with custom grips is wide enough to get a reasonably snug fit in this Red Croc Holster.
	The Ruger LCP .380 ACP fits in this Eggplant Ostrich Holster, but it’s somewhat loose. It will work fine with certain carry methods – although the gun positions a little too deeply in the holster to get a proper firing grip without adjustment.
	A full size Springfield Armory 1911 TRP Armory Kote in the Red Croc Holster. A pretty dangerous gun in a Pretty Dangerous Accessories holster. Just right for the pretty dangerous lady in your life. Notice the trigger is fully protected.
	The Ruger LCR Revolver has a slightly atypical trigger guard. It’s more of an oblong, egg shape – but it still makes lousy omelets. In any case, the fit is a little iffy on this holster. We had 5 different ones in for evaluation and we managed to fit the LCR in two of them. If this is the combination you want, just let the folks at Pretty Dangerous Accessories know you need a bit of extra room. Or gently encourage your LCR to cut down on the late night snacks.

Closing Arguments

This is a versatile and functional holster design. One has to be careful about checking fit with your choice of handgun as it’s a one size fits all design, but we found this holster to work with a broad array of handguns. When tweaking the design, the Pretty Dangerous Accessories team scoured the gun shows to try as many models as possible, so if in doubt, just give them a call before ordering. The only drawback to the one-size fits many approach is fit can be a little loose depending on your choice of gun. We found revolvers and mid size semi-automatics like the Walther PPK and Springfield Armory EMP to be quite snug and secure.

Our Rating

Three Nuns! Stylish AND dangerous. This is a nice holster design. For certain “mid-sized” concealed carry guns, the fit is perfect. It particularly shines with short barrel revolvers. We also liked the variety of leather finishes. Why not make a personal holster fashion statement?

Check out other My Gun Culture product reviews here!

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters - available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: glock, Gun Holster, handgun, holster reviews, holsters, Ladies Guns, Leather Holsters, pocket pistol, revolver, ruger lcr

Buyers Guide: Blackhawk! Leather Speed Classic Gun Holster

October 11, 2012 By Tom 2 Comments

Blackhawk! Leather Speed Classic Snubnose Revolver Holster

We recently reviewed the Blackhawk! Leather Speed Classic Holster for a Ruger LCR revolver and found it to be an excellent concealed carry solution for several reasons.

It’s discreet. The design causes the revolver to ride high relative to the belt line. This makes for easier concealment and reduces the need for a knee-length photographers vest.

It’s fast. The gun is held in place by shape and side pressure. To draw, simply rock the revolver forward. An elastic strap connected the two leather halves of the Speed Classic. The forward rock allows the gun to release above and out the top front side of the holster.

Retention is great. The leather fit, with additional pressure applied by the elastic strap makes your snubbie revolver stay where it’s supposed to.

It’s comfortable. The outside the waistband design and high ride keep the gun out of the way in sitting and standing positions.

Fast, secure, and discreet. This one is a great solution for snubnose revolver users.


Available Here	Blackhawk! Leather Speed Classic Gun Holster

Filed Under: Buyers Guide, Holsters Tagged With: blackhawk, concealed carry, Gun Holster, holster reviews, leather, Revolver Holsters, Ruger, Snubnosed Revolver, Speed Classic

Buyers Guide: Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Gun Holster

October 8, 2012 By Tom 1 Comment

The Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Holster is versatile and comfortable

We recently did a full holster review on the Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Holster and found it to be amazingly versatile.

You can use it as a small of back holster
You can use it as a small of kidney holster
You can use it as a small of behind the hip holster
It has an open top design that’s friendly to guns with large and/or ambidextrous safeties
It has a positive screw retention adjustment
It’s exceptionally well constructed out of nice leather

Oh, and it’s as comfortable to wear as all get out. That’s good.

We’ve really gotten to like this one. It’s great for carrying a full size gun and becomes even more comfortable and concealable for smaller guns.

Highly recommended.


Available Here	Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Gun Holster

Filed Under: Buyers Guide, Holsters Tagged With: blackhawk, buyers guide, Check Six, Gun Holster, Hip Holster, holster reviews, holsters, leather, Paddle Holster, Small Of Back Holster

Buyers Guide: Blackhawk Sportster Standard Concealment Holster

October 2, 2012 By Tom Leave a Comment

Blackhawk Sportster Standard Belt and Paddle Mount

The Blackhawk Sportster Standard holster includes both belt and paddle mounts

Like the Blackhawk Serpa, the Blackhawk Standard Concealment holster comes with two mounting options – a belt loop system and a paddle. Both gun holsters are insanely configurable. Cant is adjustable in two positions forward and two positions backward in addition to the default straight drop. The belt mount can be sized to fit belts from zero to 2.25 inches. So, in theory, if you wanted to mount this holster on a string, you could, although we wouldn’t recommend it…

The paddle mount option features the same cant adjustments but also allows sizing to your specific belt. Even through the paddle option does not require a belt, it has adjustable pegs that are captured by the bottom of the belt – thereby improving stability immensely. This is the most solid paddle mount system we’ve tested. If you set it up right, it doesn’t move. It’s firmly anchored into position – like Rosie O’Donnel at the Dunkin’ Donuts counter. The paddle is also very large which noticeably increases comfort by distributing the weight across a large area of your hip.

The model we evaluated was for a full size 1911 and the kydex was molded perfectly. While not necessarily required, the holster has an adjustable retention screw that allows the user to set the strength of retention to preference.

With a street price of around $20 and sometimes less, depending on your gun model, this holster is a tremendous value.


Available Here	Blackhawk Sportster Standard Concealment Holster

Filed Under: Buyers Guide, Holsters Tagged With: blackhawk, Blackhawk Serpa, Concealment Holsters, Gun Holster, holster reviews, holsters, kydex, Serpa

Holster Review: Galco King Tuk IWB Holster

September 25, 2012 By Tom Leave a Comment

Galco King Tuk IWB Holster, shown here with a Springfield Armory 1911 TRP Armory Kote, is beautifully constructed.

While neither CrossBreed nor Galco invented the idea of marrying large amounts of leather support with a kydex shell to hold the gun, both have done a stellar job of implementation.

The Galco KingTuk inside the waistband (IWB) holster offers a huge leather panel that separates you from your hard and uncomfortable gun and a kydex gun pocket for smooth and quick draws. One important difference from the CrossBreed model – the KingTuk has a “C” Hook option which offers improved support on your belt while still being discreet to the casual observer. Another is the included combat cut – standard with the KingTuk.

During months of testing this model in the hot and humid summer conditions of South Carolina, we noticed an even bigger difference when compared to the CrossBreed designs. The Galco King Tuk is built with lots of attention to detail. The leather is of noticeably higher quality and has stood up exceptionally well to lots of sweat and humidity. While the holster has molded to body shape, it’s still as sturdy as the day it came out of the box. The Kydex is of thicker and more durable construction and the edges are beautifully finished – nice and smooth around the edges.

One last detail to note. The belt clips are fastened on with two screws instead of a single one on the CrossBreed model. And the flat nuts on the inside of the holster are made of brass for corrosion resistance.

Like just about all of the other Galco products we’ve tested in tough conditions, the Galco King Tuk IWB Holster is an excellent piece of gear. Highly recommended – this is our go to holster for 1911 carry and we’re looking forward to adding King Tuk’s for other handguns to our collection.

Read about more carry styles and over 120 different gun holsters in The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters - available at Amazon.com! Learn more about our Insanely Practical Guides!

Filed Under: Holster Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: concealed carry, galco, holster reviews, holsters, Iwb Holsters, King Tuk, kydex, reviews

Holster Review: Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Gun Holster

September 20, 2012 By Tom 1 Comment

Our Holster Review of the Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Holster

The Blackhawk Leather Check-Six Holster is versatile and comfortable

The Blackhawk Check Six holster can tell time.

The “Six” in “Check Six” refers to the six o-clock position in reference to the circumference of your waist. This is otherwise known as a small-of-the-back holster design. It can be worn on the belt, outside the waistband, right in the center of your back. Hence the Six o’clock reference.

Small-of-the-back Holster Lovers and Haters

Small-of-the-back holsters are one of those topics sure to create a good old-fashioned internet argument. Some people love them. Some people hate them.

The lovers, who are also fighters, might be folks who spend a lot of time standing, wearing garments like sport coats, and are fairly mobile throughout their days. For these types, concealment and comfort are outstanding.

The haters, who are fighters too, are convinced that a gun held in the small of your back can be dangerous for two reasons. First, in order to draw, you have to bring your gun around to the front of your body. This action can cause the user to muzzle, or point the fiery end of the gun, at other people or things on its way to the firing position. The second concern is the risk of back injury if you fall, or are pushed, to the ground. There’s a big hunk of steel, polymer, plastic, bullets, and magazine between your spine and the ground. It you hit the ground back first, it could certainly leave a mark.

For me, this is not a concern, because the Blackhawk Check Six holster can tell time. Meaning I like to use it as a Check 5:30, Check 4:17, and usually a Check 3:52. Simply put, the design lends itself to placement in different positions.

As you can see by the photo, the design of the Blackhawk Check Six has the gun aggressively raked forward. This is a fancy gun term meaning that the holster, and your gun, are tilted clockwise if you’re a righty and counter-clockwise if you’re a lefty. This design accomplishes a few things. First, it makes the holster work as a small-of-back design. A vertical holster placed in the center of your back would be, well, kind of dorky. Second, it makes concealment easier. The tilted design means that the muzzle of the gun is not nearly as far below the belt line as it would be if vertically mounted. This comes in handy if you mount the rig in different times as well. For my own Check 3:52 use, a shirt easily covers the holster and full size Springfield Armory 1911 TRP shown here. Third, the forward-raked design helps create a smooth, rotational, draw.

There is one other thing I particularly like about the Check Six design, especially when used as a Check 3:52. The top is open – there’s no retention strap going over the back of the slide. Normally, a retention strap is a great feature. However, I like to carry a 1911 with oversized, ambidextrous safety levers. Why? Because I can! I find that some holsters with retention straps can flip the safety into the off position while you’re going about your daily routine. Of course, this is not an issue for most polymer gun designs, or most 1911’s with standard safety levers. It’s just something to be aware of for certain handguns.

The Check-Six features a retention adjustment screw that allows you to adjust how tightly you want the holster to grip your gun. This feature mitigates any disadvantages of an open top design as you can secure your gun as tightly as you wish.

One other thing. If you’re a professional tactical type, the Check-Six mount placement allows you to carry a long gun without the frustration of it getting hung up on your sidearm. As your handgun is placed well behind the hip, your rifle is less likely to get caught up on it. This feature is also useful for shooting competitors and hunters.

The Blackhawk Check-Six Holster is a versatile – and comfortable – design.

Our Rating

Four Nuns! Versatility, construction quality, and comfort get this design a four nun rating in our holster review. The Blackhawk Leather Check-Six is highly recommended.

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