Kinetic Concealment is a relatively new holster company that is making a new kind of hybrid IWB holster that looks to raise shooters’ expectations on comfort.
Hybrid IWB holsters generally use a Kydex shell mounted to a slab of leather. Â The leather acts as the platform for the unit and stabilizes the gun. Â Many people claim these types of holster are more comfortable than traditional IWB holsters. Â However, Kinetic Concealment goes one step farther.
In the final weeks of the year, DeSantis announced several new products: a pink Clip Grip, a new line of inexpensive leather gun belts and a Pocket Shot holster for the Ruger LCP with a Crimson Trace LG-431 attached.
The Clip Grip is a polymer revolver grip with a portion that sticks out to hook onto your belt or waistband. Â This allows the shooter to carry the gun without using a holster. Â This new model is in pink and will fit Smith & Wesson J-frame revolvers with a round butt.
While I don’t care much for pink gun parts, I have to admit that pink stocks are less likely to get you “made” should your shirt ride up and expose them briefly.
DeSantis states the grips are for right handed carry only, and is not recommended for “fast-paced physical activity.”
For less than $30, you can get a black leather belt that is reinforced for concealed carry duty. Â DeSantis originally designed this belt as garrison belt for NYPD, but discovered it worked extremely well as a CCW belt also. Â [Ed. note: Â A garrison belt is used by police officers as a normal belt, that the heavier duty belt then attaches to. Â The garrison belt runs through the pant loops and is not visible when a duty belt is worn.]
The Economy Belts use a powder coated (black) buckle an will be available in sizes 28 – 54. Â A version of the belt with a Velcro-like closure, instead of a buckle, is $23.99 and is available in sizes S-XL.
The DeSantis Pocket Shot is a leather pocket holster that allows the user to shoot the gun without removing it from the scabbard. Â The new model fits a Ruger LCP with a Crimson Trace LG-431 Laserguard attached. Â The Laserguard mounts on the exterior of the LCP, and requires specially fit holsters.
This Pocket Shot carries a MSRP of $41.99.
I expect we will see these new products at the DeSantis booth in January when we travel to the 2013 SHOT Show.
At the NRA Convention, I stopped by the N8 2 Tactical holsters booth to follow-up on the pictures I took the night before the show started. There I got to talk with Katie Johnson about what could be one of the most comfortable inside the waistband (IWB) holsters on the market. The name of the company is an acronym for the two founders, Nate Beard and Nate Johnson. Pronounced properly the company name is “Nate Squared Tacticalâ€.
The N8 2 comes in Original, Original Tuckable, and Professional holsters. Each holster is hand crafted for the highest quality possible. In fact, the two Nate’s are so confident in their patented design that they offer a lifetime warranty from any manufacturing defects.
Each holster has a large backer, or carrier, that completely supports and extends past the handgun in the holster. This backer is kind of in the shape of an inverted triangle with the edges rounded off, with the wider portion on top to support the pistol’s handle, even on full-sized pistols.
The front of the backer is made of high quality, oil-tanned leather, with the back being made of very comfortable soft suede. This suede backing is so soft that you wouldn’t think twice about having this holster ride right next to your skin all day long. The suede allows the holster to breathe so your body doesn’t get too hot wearing this really nice holster. In addition, the Nates claim that “the natural friction coefficient of the suede displaces the weight of your handgun. This allows you to carry the firearm without its weight pulling down against your waistbandâ€.
If you want a holster for the Ruger SR-22 pistol announced yesterday, you do have a few options available immediately. Â These are going to be the more generic, “one size fits many” type holsters, but they will work.
These holsters should fit the SR-22 pistol:
Gould & Goodrich announced a new model 874 Taurus Judge holster for 2012. The leather holster is called a sporting holster, suggesting it is designed for hunting or other outdoors activities. The leather is dyed chestnut brown, which I happen to prefer for these kinds of holsters.
The holster can be worn as a straight up draw on the strong side and as a canted forward cross draw holster. I imagine the ability to wear the holster in either of these positions will appeal to a lot of people.
Gould & Goodrich is making the new model 874 holster in two sizes. Size 1 is for the 2.5″ chambered Taurus Judge with a 2.5″ or 3″ barrel. Size 2 is made for the 3″ chambered Taurus Judge with a 3″ barrel. Both holsters fit belts up to 1 3/4″ wide.