prone, kneeling and lying on my side, my SR-9 stayed solidly anchored in the holster. As a matter of fact, the holster in the pictures is the same rig worn in the videos. Can you see the scratches? Nice rig!
www.blade-tech.com
Milt Sparks For several decades, Milt Sparks
The BLACKHAWK! Pocket Holster will fit a wide range of carry guns and stays solidly in the pocket. It’s shown here with an inexpensive, but effective, Ambidextrous Belt Holster.
priced and well designed. I highly recommend!
www.ntacholsters.com
FIST Best known for their extensive
line of martial arts training suits and strike pads, FIST also manufactures a line of holsters in leather, Kydex and hybrid combinations. While FIST of- fers a number of holster variations, I admit to being biased to a particular model. In the late 1990s, FIST own- er Jim Murnack asked for my input on what I thought would be a good concealment-holster design. Several years prior, I worked with the late, great Lou Alessi on a leather holster that was easy to take on and off the belt, but would conceal like a pancake rig. The result was a holster called the CQC-S and I wanted to see the same rig in Kydex. The “Dave Spaulding” rig was the result. I know, but I didn’t name it. This holster is made from very thin
Kydex that is stitched like a leather holster instead of screwed together. The holster has a vertical cant, but can be canted, with leather snap- on belt loops both fore and aft. The highly molded holster body retains the pistol well when combined with the outward pressure supplied when the flat holster is mounted on the belt. For the person who wants the speed of Kydex but the look of leather, Jim can apply a leather face to the holster, which is then hand-molded to the actual gun it is designed to carry (as shown in the picture). FIST holsters are fast, functional, good looking and convenient.
www.fist-inc.com
Ritchie Leather Speaking of the late Lou Alessi,
his former partner Skip Ritchie and brother Bob have opened a holster
WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM
shop in the same location Lou once occupied. While Alessi Holsters is still in business, Skip is making Alessi’s original designs the same way he did when working with Louie. Using only the best hides, each Ritchie holster is hand-cut, stitched and molded to the exact gun it is designed to carry. I’ve had the opportunity to use most of the holsters in the Ritchie line and I can honestly say, I believe Louie would be proud. They have the same, look, feel and smell as an original Alessi holster. I had Skip work up an appendix carry rig for me, based on his Vertical Speed Scabbard (VSS) that snaps on and off the belt like the aforementioned CQC- S, and it is simply outstanding! There is much to be said for the speed of an appendix draw and many knowledge- able defensive shooters are revisiting it. The VSS is fast, easy to draw from and reasonably concealable. Due to the precision hand molding of the leather, the rig also retains the gun very well.
www.ritchieholsters.com
Blade-Tech From the company that popular-
ized Kydex holsters, comes the next generation of composite carry rigs. Blade-Tech now offers a line of in- jection-molded holsters that have the look of molded Kydex but are less ex- pensive. The dual-slot Eclipse holster rides close to the body, while still be- ing fast to draw from. It also holds the pistol solidly in the pouch, even during strenuous activity. If you don’t believe this, check out the Ruger website and click on the tactical carbine tips (www.
ruger.com). While the tips focus on car- bine use, I wore a Blade-Tech Eclipse holster throughout the filming, while doing
some reasonably strenuous
movement, including unconvention- al positions. While going up, down,
Holsters has been known for the best-quality leather holsters money can buy. While rigs like the Summer Special and 55 BN (Bruce Nelson) are better known, I find myself drawn to the Mirage due to its simplicity. The original under-the-belt holster, the Mirage is a low profile, leather con- cealment rig with ambidextrous capa- bility via left- or right-side belt slots. This compact, bikini-style rig pulls the gun’s butt in tight against the body, and it’s not easily identified as a holster when the gun is removed. The Mirage features a cowhide lining, fits up to a 1-3/4” belt and is available for many small, medium and large semi- autos. Due to the popularity of Milt Sparks’ products, there is a waiting period for orders. In know, this is a pain in the ass, but Milt Sparks gear is worth the wait.
www.miltsparks.com.
Other Useful Rigs While I maintain strong-side belt
carry is the way to go, I recognize this may not always be possible. Such simple rigs as the BLACKHAWK! (
www.blackhawk.com) Pocket Holster are often the answer. This 2-piece, square, nylon rig can fit a wide vari- ety of guns and has a rubber-like band on the outside to help keep the holster in the pocket as the weapon is drawn. This would be a good selection for times when a low profile is needed or when a gun is not an option. For small guns like the currently popular .380s, a box-like holster such as the DeSantis Holster (
www.desantisholster.com) Pis- tol Pack would be appropriate. This lightweight pouch accommodates most small autos, along with a spare magazine. Heavy-duty YKK zippers, solid spring steel clip and padded bal- listic nylon assure you many years of continuous service. It looks like any- thing but a holster, and I have used it in many tourist filled areas without a second glance. Along the same lines, is the Wilderness Tactical Products (
www.thewilderness.com) Safepacker, another square piece of nylon that se- cures a pistol and spare magazine — though this unit is designed for a fast- er draw and to carry a larger pistol. In the end, concealment is about
what works for you and your real world of work. This said, keeping the gun hidden is only part of the equation. *
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