In the shooting world of 1911 vs. Glock, there are holsters that each tribe swears by and are carried with pride, a few of which comes with bragging rights and numerous “word of mouth” decision making purchases. While I am in the 1911 tribe, I do understand the other tribe’s choice about weight, maintenance, and extensive reasons why a Glock is a more logical choice. Setting those specific pistol reasons aside, holsters are usually the unanimous topic of conversation, due to the overall numbers that people purchase in their quest to find the right fit, feel, and look.
Many holsters are more expensive than the pistol, due to material. In my quest for finding the right holster for appendix inside the waistband carry (AIWB); I have tried materials like leather, kydex, molded plastic, and hybrid combinations. This article is about the facts, not what material is better, or what brand of a holster you should buy, as that is a choice for you and how it works for you. The Loadout Room was provided the opportunity by Bravo Concealment to test out their Custom Drop Out-of Site (DOS) holster in a 1911 Colt Defender design.
The custom DOS AIWB Bravo Concealment kydex holster arrived in its package with some additional motivational patches and stickers; always a plus! Removing the holster from the packaging the smooth edges and slick design caught my attention and appeared to be “good to go.” However, upon mounting it on my belt and holstering my 1911 Colt Defender it was immediately noticeable that the fit was a bit loose; the holster rode too high over the belt line.
If you have never worn an AIWB holster, this is the incorrect way to wear it, as it is printable, as well without the precise retention pressure could easily fallout if you were pushed, rolled, or ended up in a position where your pistol falls out; which is not cool. The best part of kydex is that it can be molded under heat, so I put it under the blow dryer to heat it and create the appropriate tension. Next I removed the G-Code belt hooks from one of my other holsters to give it the proper belt depth. Note, that these belt hooks are $10.50 a piece, a bit ridiculous when you think about how much it costs for a sheet of kydex. Once all this was accomplished, the holster was extremely comfortable, sat properly on the belt for maximum concealment and afforded the wearer the benefit of being able to holster with one hand.
Benefits:
- Deep Concealment
- Designed specifically for IWB concealment.
- It virtually drops out of sight and erases your weapon’s visual signature. With a change out of belt clips
- Conceals to its fullest potential when worn in IWB appendix carry. Again with a change of belt clips
- Our holster adds minimal mass to your weapon.
- Unlike other holsters our DOS IWB Kydex Concealment Holster retains its shape for efficient one-handed reholstering.
Improvement opportunities:
- Deeper sets of Belt Clips either included or provided as an optional choice when ordering.
