hss.strat
01-09-2012, 12:29 AM
I got my Compact Slim Jim IWB holster for my K9 a few days ago from Bruce at North Star Holsters.
I have been extremely impressed with this holster so far. Out of the box the leather was very stiff. Thankfully it came with a note saying not to put any oil on it and just let it break in naturally. After a couple days it's started to form to my waistline. Comfort wise it's on par with the way my PF9 felt in my crossbreed mini-tuck and only shows signs of improving with further break in. I wore it out to the movies tonight and had to check twice during the film to make sure my gun was still there. Impressive considering how much larger and heavier the K9 is compared to my PF9.
The shape of the holster matched with the curled under kydex belt loops makes sliding on the holster extremely easy. No tugging at my pants while trying to muscle in a holster. It just drops right in. I tried not using the loops and just quickly dropping the holster in over my belt a couple times and found it to be pretty secure. I'd be comfortable doing that for a quick trip to the gas station but would have concerns about the holster riding up and out during the course of a full day. The good news is, once you slide your belt through the loops (which he sizes to your chosen belt width) it becomes rock solid with zero movement. It should also be noted that this is a "tuckable" holster. A word about the belt loops, they are made of kydex. I don't really care for kydex, as it can break during a struggle over the weapon. I thought about it prior to getting this holster and came to the conclusion that for IWB it doesn't really matter. If the kydex does break the gun and holster will just end up being pushed into my pants which is fine versus an OWB kydex holster like Fobus where the gun is now in a tug of war out in the open. The advantage of the kydex is that it maintains its shape over the long run, where metal bends and twists with use.
I saw on the website that he made some models with multiple holes for setting the ride hide and cant. I didn't request it so I got what I got. The ride height is very low with almost no leather showing above the pants. I prefer a straight vertical draw from my holsters, this is definitely not that. There is a pretty significant "FBI" style forward cant on the standard setup. At first I was having a hell of a time getting the gun in and out but as I adapted to the draw angle and positioned the holster slightly back from where I normally position it, I found the draw smooth and natural. The big benefit of the forward cant is that the full length of the handle is exposed making it easy to establish a good positive shooting grip before drawing. That wasn't possible with any of my vertical IWB holsters. Retention is pretty good. The gun sits down low in the holster and with some belt pressure I have no concern about it coming out accidentally.
The holster conceals well. That's about all there is to say about that. It does what it's supposed to do.
I'm not a leather works expert. The leather looks good for my standards. I asked for a natural look. The stitching also looks good and everything feels tight with no movement or flexing where it shouldn't.
Bottom Line (for those not interested in reading the lengthy explanation above):
Great hand made holster which can be made to order for the price of a factory made big brand holster.
Check out North Star Holsters online (http://northstarholsters.com/default.html). He doesn't have the K series guns listed on his models list, but he can do them as well as the PM/CM models.
513251335135
I have been extremely impressed with this holster so far. Out of the box the leather was very stiff. Thankfully it came with a note saying not to put any oil on it and just let it break in naturally. After a couple days it's started to form to my waistline. Comfort wise it's on par with the way my PF9 felt in my crossbreed mini-tuck and only shows signs of improving with further break in. I wore it out to the movies tonight and had to check twice during the film to make sure my gun was still there. Impressive considering how much larger and heavier the K9 is compared to my PF9.
The shape of the holster matched with the curled under kydex belt loops makes sliding on the holster extremely easy. No tugging at my pants while trying to muscle in a holster. It just drops right in. I tried not using the loops and just quickly dropping the holster in over my belt a couple times and found it to be pretty secure. I'd be comfortable doing that for a quick trip to the gas station but would have concerns about the holster riding up and out during the course of a full day. The good news is, once you slide your belt through the loops (which he sizes to your chosen belt width) it becomes rock solid with zero movement. It should also be noted that this is a "tuckable" holster. A word about the belt loops, they are made of kydex. I don't really care for kydex, as it can break during a struggle over the weapon. I thought about it prior to getting this holster and came to the conclusion that for IWB it doesn't really matter. If the kydex does break the gun and holster will just end up being pushed into my pants which is fine versus an OWB kydex holster like Fobus where the gun is now in a tug of war out in the open. The advantage of the kydex is that it maintains its shape over the long run, where metal bends and twists with use.
I saw on the website that he made some models with multiple holes for setting the ride hide and cant. I didn't request it so I got what I got. The ride height is very low with almost no leather showing above the pants. I prefer a straight vertical draw from my holsters, this is definitely not that. There is a pretty significant "FBI" style forward cant on the standard setup. At first I was having a hell of a time getting the gun in and out but as I adapted to the draw angle and positioned the holster slightly back from where I normally position it, I found the draw smooth and natural. The big benefit of the forward cant is that the full length of the handle is exposed making it easy to establish a good positive shooting grip before drawing. That wasn't possible with any of my vertical IWB holsters. Retention is pretty good. The gun sits down low in the holster and with some belt pressure I have no concern about it coming out accidentally.
The holster conceals well. That's about all there is to say about that. It does what it's supposed to do.
I'm not a leather works expert. The leather looks good for my standards. I asked for a natural look. The stitching also looks good and everything feels tight with no movement or flexing where it shouldn't.
Bottom Line (for those not interested in reading the lengthy explanation above):
Great hand made holster which can be made to order for the price of a factory made big brand holster.
Check out North Star Holsters online (http://northstarholsters.com/default.html). He doesn't have the K series guns listed on his models list, but he can do them as well as the PM/CM models.
513251335135