Holsters

Hey ladies, Dene Adams has a holster solution for you

SHOT Show 2019 has helped me find a holster solution for the ladies in my life, Dene Adams a company making holsters for the ladies. Men – show this article to your gal. With the right holster, maybe she’ll want to start carrying concealed after all.

Founded on a Legacy, Holsters Made for Women

Founded on the legacy of Anna’s grandfather, Dene Adams supplies creative solutions for concealed carry with women in mind (and now a new line for men.)

Anna Taylor of Dene Adams has a passion for what she does and it shows in her creativity and enthusiasm for her products. Anna calls her holster creations a “compression concealed carry holster for women.” Anna’s innovation and design efforts allow women to carry concealed comfortably without a change in wardrobe.

I teach a basic pistol course for civilians and a question that I am frequently asked is from the ladies. “What holster options do you have for us women? I don’t want to wear a belt, I want to keep my pretty outfits.”

I usually show the ladies in my class a collection of holsters that I have that work for me. Kydex, leather, and even some plastic that are mostly OWB hip carry and some IWB appendix carry. These holsters work for me but I’m a big fella at 6’6″. I always wear a belt and usually a loose shirt that easily conceals even a large frame pistol. My girth helps with the concealment.

My big fella holster solutions don’t always work for the ladies.

Solutions by Anna

Instead of listening to a big dumb guy tell you why these holsters work and make me awkwardly talk about things like “the ladies,” “boob sweat,” “smoothing the back fat,” and stuff like that; how about you listen to Anna tell you about it.

Bravo Concealment Torsion 3.0 Holster: Makin’ it disappear

Bravo Concealment is a company that has risen from just another polymer holster manufacturer to one of the leaders in concealment holsters. In a short period of time, they have dominated the market. They are like 5 Guys Burgers and Fries in a lot of ways. Bravo Concealment doesn’t make a million different holsters. They keep to a core group of holsters and magazine pouches and focus on making them the best they can be. When they release a new holster the industry takes notice. The new Torsion 3.0 is their newest holster. I recently received one for my SIG p365 and have been rocking and rolling with the holster as my EDC for quite some time.

The Torsion 3.0 is an IWB holster designed to work with appendix and strongside carry. The holster is of course polymer in construction. The 3.0 can function with two clips or a single clip depending on how you are feeling that day. The Torsion 3.0 comes with two clips. The Torsion 3.0 is also designed for the Glock 19, 19X, 45, 23, and 32. The holster will not work with the 80% lower Glocks so be aware of that. That being said the SIG is the only non Glock model the Torsion 3.0 is molded for. However, I’m positive more and more guns will be added over time.

What’s New with the Torsion 3.0

One of the biggest changes from the older Torsion holsters is the addition of the ability to adjust the retention between two positions. This includes a heavy medium and a light medium retention. With a simple twist of a screwdriver, the tension is easily adjusted. Additionally, the holster uses a new injection molding. This gives the holster a much smoother design and more of a gloss appearance. The holster feels thinner and hides very well.

Carrying the Torsion 3.0

The Torsion 3.0 is a very deep concealment holster. It instantly makes the svelte and small P365 disappear under a t-shirt. I prefer a 5’clock carry for concealed IWB and this is the perfect holster for it. I ran two clips because I like the security of that design. What I fear most when carrying IWB is my shirt coming up over my gun.

The Torsion holds the gun at an angle that it’s not going to happen. The grip is presented for a right proper presentation and I can grab the gun and get into action, but at the same time, the gun stays concealed.

I’ve carried the P365 in the Torsion 3.0 holster over and over again, day after day and found it to be quite comfortable. The 5 o’clock position does make it prod a bit when sitting in a vehicle, but I have no other major complaints. The utter smoothness of the holster makes it extremely comfortable.

I love that the old seamlessly blends into my daily wear. The inward cant keeps the gun close you your body and less likely to create printing. The Torsion 3.0 is invisible when concealed.

Drawing and Firing

Hitting the range with the Torsion was a must. I experimented with varying positions beyond my normal IWB carry position. Drawing and firing from the Torsion 3.0 is easy to do. While the gun is held tight to the body you can still get your hand on the grip and draw the gun with.

In my normal carry position, I typically would rest my thumb on the rear of the slide until the gun was drawn. Then I could wrap my thumb around the gun and achieve a proper firing grip.

For appendix and strong side carry this wasn’t necessary. There was plenty of room to grip the gun fully in these positions. As long as I didn’t goof moving the cover garment I could easily draw and fire for any position. I tried both retention levels and never found the retention level to be so rough I had issues drawing.

In both the light and heavy settings the gun was natural to draw, with a noticeable difference between the two. I run the light-medium setting for daily carry. I could see great usefulness in a heavier form of retention for those most arduous days.

A long time ago I worked in a truck moving furniture in and out of homes and warehouses and all that climbing, moving, and lifting basically required me to have an active retention device on my gun. With passive retention, I’d feel the gun move way too much. I think in these kinds of situations the medium heavy setting would be perfect.

Crank It Down

The Torsion 3.0 IWB holster is a simple design, one that works, and will serve you for a very long time. It adds minimal weight and bulk and best of all it’s ready if you upgrade your gun. For example, this model is designed to function with my P365 if the barrel is extended and threaded as well as if it was wearing a red dot sight.

It’s perfect if you choose to adapt your weapon to your needs. The added ability to adjust retention is a nice touch, that doesn’t add bulk or much in terms of price. I think Bravo Concealment has made good on upgrading the already excellent Torsion series. Check them out here.

The Phalanx Defense Stealth Operator – New and Improved

A long time ago I purchased my first Stealth Operator holster. It was a kydex holster that could accommodate over 150 different holsters securely. I was curious, and I consider most universal holsters to be absolute garbage. However, the holster was quite affordable. This was 4 years ago and to this day that same Phalanx Defense Stealth Operator holster still works like an absolute champ. It accommodates a wide variety of guns, including big name guns like Glock, S&W, and even Walther and CZ. It accommodates mostly double stack, polymer frame guns.

That being said it has no problems with my Walther PPS, which is a single stack 9mm. They’ve updated the construction of the Stealth Operator to last even longer, and they’ve utilized redesigned belt loops and more modern screws. Additionally, they’ve created a special edition model that is Hydro dipped in the colors of Old Glory. This is the compact model and it does leave the barrel and slide of most guns exposed but fits nearly any modern gun. For a complete list of guns that are compatible with the system check out their new website here.

The Stealth Operator Improved

The kind folks at Phalanx Defense sent me one of the new Stealth Operator compact models, hydro dipped in Old Glory. Comparing it to my older model I see a few differences. Instead of screws, the two halves of the holster are bolted together. The belt loops are slightly curved more than the older models and this allows for a more form-fitting design.

This pulls the gun in closer to the body. This holster arrived at the right time as I did need a new holster for a Polymer 80 Glock I finished some time ago. Most Glock holsters won’t accommodate it, but the Stealth Operator does so with ease. This is the full-sized model and the holster makes it easy to secure.

It holds the gun close to my body and makes it nearly invisible under nothing more than a T-shirt. It prints just a hair, but it still an impressive amount of concealment for such a big gun.

Because it holds the gun tight to the body you will feed some abrasion from the grip on the gun as it rubs throughout the day. That’s just part and parcel of concealed carry though. The holster itself is sized for 1.5-inch belts and fits nice and tight on those belts. I’ve used it in combination with my Propper Carbon Carry belt and they’ve been a great combo

Hows the Retention?

Retention is going to be a concern when you try to design a holster to accommodate a wide variety of guns. However, the design of the Stealth Operator uses a rather simple but elegant solution. This is a bulge on both sides of the holster that creates a friction point. This clips in over the trigger guard with a nice and loud ‘click’. It secures the weapon well and for concealed carry it works well.

You can hang the gun upside down and it’s not going anywhere, but when it comes time to draw the gun its a smooth move. I’ve only had and used this specific holster for a couple of weeks now, but durability wise I trust it. My previous model has lasted me a good four years without any issues. Retention has always been tight, even with the old school screw design.

Oddballs

What I originally loved about the Stealth Operator is that it accommodates guns that can be tough to find a holster for. Newer designs or those not well known don’t always have the best holster market. The Stealth Operator is often an excellent go to if your gun isn’t the most common on the block.

I will say at the time the Stealth Operator will fit most popular pistols, especially if they are polymer frame double stack guns. This is an affordable and well-made holster assembled in the Great State of Florida. I’ve been a fan, and continue to be a fan. If you need an affordable and reliable holster designed for daily carry this is a great choice. If you have a multitude of guns and don’t want to break the bank buying holsters this may be the ultimate solution for you.

Bravo Concealment Glock 43 IWB Torsion holster

Loadout Room writer, Tim M, pits the Bravo Concealment Torsion holster up again a few other options and weighs in on why the Torsion holster stands above them all.

QUALITY KYDEX TORSION GUN HOLSTER FOR GLOCK 43 FEATURES:

Custom-made for the Glock 43 pistol.
Even Deeper Concealment with NEW Torsion Technology.
Integrated 10 degree inward cant for greater conceal-ability.
Designed specifically for IWB / Appendix concealed carry.
Virtually drops out of sight and erases your weapon’s visual signature.
Comfortable to wear.
One of few IWB holsters offering retention.
Holster adds minimal mass to the weapon.
Holster retains its shape for efficient one-handed reholstering.
Gun Holster allows for Sights up to .355 (In).

For more information and to purchase

Holster Selection: Things to Consider

During my 1,900 hours as a defensive shooting instructor one of the dominating questions I was asked was about holster selection. In my experience this is the hardest one to answer. I have good news and bad new for you: The perfect holster match for your body shape, selected firearm, carry position, and attire exists. It’s also likely to be the fourth or fifth holster you try.

Dara, Theis, Alien Gear, Clinger, Raw Dog Tactical, High Threat Concealment, 1791 Gun Leather, Coast, the guy down the street, and that latest-and-greatest brand they push at the local gun store. They all are the perfect match for someone, just maybe not you. What makes them either the prefect match or not depends on features, comfort threshold, carry position, cost, and mission of the day.

Personally I break one of the fundamental tactical rules and rotate between a few different holsters and handguns depending on my attire and tasks for the day. This is a tactical no-no because it means that my draw and pistol handling will vary from one combination to the next. Fortunately thousands of rounds and hundreds of hours of training along with weekly practice give me a false sense of confidence in my decision. Besides, if I wasn’t willing to try different combinations how would I know what worked best?

The video below has some knowledge nuggets that with any luck can help you find a favorite by your third or even second attempt instead of fourth or fortieth.

Now this guide is merely a guide and not a definitive end-all, be-all of holsters. The same considerations listed above have applied to me and so I can’t speak to holsters for every gun model, carry position, or clothing type. What I can say is that using my Bersa BP9CC in an Alien Gear holster with Ulti Clips I’ve been able to comfortably conceal at a trade show while wearing slacks and a tucked-in dress shirt. I love my Grand Power P11 and found it to fit nicely and ride very comfortably in an outside-the-waistband from 1791 Gun leather. My Walther PPS M2 rides very nicely in my No Print Wonder from Clinger Holsters. For the worst-case scenario my Walther P99AS is easily concealed in my SOG bag which also houses an Ally One from Angel Armor.

Yes, every one of those links takes you to more information about those options, so bookmark this page and use this as a guide and hopefully we’ll help you feel safer sooner than unguided exploration might have done. Let us know what you carry and in what in the comments below.

MFT Versatile Holster: Everything You Need At a Price You Can Afford

Mission First Tactical, LLC (MFT™), famous for their rifle/carbine accessories, has just released the Versatile IWB Holster, handcrafted from Boltaron polymer. MFT’s proprietary Polymer design, technology and production has developed a laser precise, passive retentive, holster offering carry in the IWB, OWB, & Appendix positions for a right or left hand shooter.

“We created these holsters for the shooter looking for a rugged, durable, precision fitting holster that is versatile and comfortable to wear in a variety of carry positions. It’s also great for shop owners-one holster to do it all. Laser scanning of the handguns translates to the creation of CAD files from which unneeded elements are eliminated creating less wear and a smoother draw and reholstering.

Hand formed in our plant using Boltaron, a polymer offering superior fit and finish with greater wear, chemical and temperature resistance. Our goal which we have met is to provide hand finished holsters each meeting our exacting standards and we can do that with immediate delivery. Shooters may customize the retention and cant to their exact liking. Highest quality hardware provides lifetime service. Each unit includes our 1.5″ belt clip yet other hardware may be easily substituted. Available boxed or bagged with eye catching displays” said MFT’s Vice President David Edelman.

Features and Functions:

IWB-Inside the Waistband, OWB-Outside the Waistband, Appendix Carry
Adjustable cant to over 15%
Ambidextrous hole patterns for right or left- handed carry
5″ Belt Clip
Quality Screws and Hardware
Molded, Trimmed, Assembled and Buffed by Hand
Laser CAD Design for Perfect Fit, Smoother Draw, Less Wear
Comfortable for Constant Wear

For more information on Mission First Tactical, visit www.missionfirsttactical.com.

About Mission First Tactical:

Mission First Tactical (MFT) designs and develops select USA Made rifle/carbine accessories specifically for the Military, Law Enforcement and Civilian markets. The MFT team has over 75 years of industry experience in taking concepts to front-line deployment. From the beginning MFT’s mission is to develop leading edge products for individual’s operating in harm’s way. Success for every operator’s mission is Mission First Tactical’s intent. www.missionfirsttactical.com

Photo by Mark Miller