Long ago, I had the experience of trying to hand my carry-gun to a companion while attempting to do two other things at the same time. I was carrying my little Detonics .45 in a simple IWB clip-on. And when I drew it, the whole arrangement, holster and all, came along in my hand. A little difference in my surroundings and that could have been a killer.
That was a wake-up, and the beginning of a years-long search for the BEST holster for a given set of circumstances. And one of the things I discovered is that ‘The Best Holster’ will change from day to day, depending on projected activities.
For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume that I’m going to be around the yard and garage, but I know I’ll be going over to a local store. And recognize also that I live in a western suburb of Detroit, the most violent Metro area in the country. I always have a ‘Little Friend’ with me, but a trip to the inner city will call for my Kimber Ultra CDP II and a double magazine carrier.
On the other hand, a simple trip to the corner for a gallon of milk will only call for something I can carry in my pocket. And after several false starts, I’ve settled on a Kahr PM9 in a Meco Pocket Holster. The combination will easily disappear into my left front pocket in a pair of sport shorts or sweat pants, or, on a little bit more formal occasion, a pair of chinos. And it’s great for going to church. The weight and bulk are both so slight that it’s easy to forget it’s there. Until you need it. The shape of the holster, with the ‘hook’ protruding slightly past the butt, makes it very unlikely that it won’t stay in your pocket, and there’s no gun ‘print’ to the slight bulk it makes in the trouser fabric.
Meco is a one-man shop that started as a hobby. The first items produced were for the little Seecamp .32/.380. But the quality of these hand-crafted carriers was such that the demand caused Bob to expand to cover other small pistols as well. And because he makes each one to order, you can have just about anything you want.
I ordered a left-hander for my Kahr, including the attached Crimson Trace laser. I asked to have it made from genuine black shark leather, and ordered a single magazine carrier to match.
It came just as I ordered it, taking a couple of weeks to arrive. The fit of the holster to the gun was well-neigh perfect as delivered. Completely boned to match the shape of the pistol, it’s just tight enough. The gun comes readily to hand, and on all the thousands of practice draws, from a variety of apparel, the small black holster has always stayed behind properly.
The mag carrier required a little bit of breaking in. Slightly too snug to start with, I heeded Robert’s instructions and forced a butterknife, borrowed from the wife, in alongside the magazine. I let it set all night this way for several days. This stretched the leather enough to make the grip on the magazine just right. It slides out smoothly, providing just enough cling that repeated shaking while upside-down does nothing to dislodge it.
For my purposes, this combination is virtually perfect. And you can have the best thing for your combination without a long wait. You can find the Meco catalog online here. You can reach Bob at: [email protected], or call him at 210 626 6570. You’ll be glad you did!
