Fifty Shades of FDE

It has been awhile since I’ve run a leather holster. My current lifestyle has me going with kydex solutions for my holsters. Everyone has their preference in gear and I know that for many people out there kydex isn’t their cup of tea and leather is still a relevant option.

When Luke at Craft Holsters contacted me to see if I was interested in trying out one of their holsters, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to test and review one of many holsters that they have on their website. I wanted to be able to give my feedback to my readers that already use leather solutions for their holsters or are thinking about getting one.

I went to www.craftholsters.com and chose an IWB holster for my Sig Sauer P320c. For a more personalized look, you can have up to three letters imprinted on the outside. I had FDE to make it mine. A week or so later, I got my holster in some nice packaging in the mail. Right out of the box, I can immediately appreciate the excellent craftsmanship and the nice smell of new leather, something you don’t get opening up a package of molded kydex. Due to some miscommunication,

I received a holster for the full-size P320. Not a big deal for me, there is just a bit of extra space. In the long run it’s good to have the ability to run a full-sized frame if I decided to swap out with a full length slide and barrel. The stitching on the brown leather was spot on and looked great and is a work of art. All of the edges were smooth without any burrs or deformities. Craft Holsters are made from suppliers in Europe with the highest quality in mind. My particular holster was made by Falco Holsters. The quality is top notch and the perfect appearance will be only appreciated by myself since it’ll be in my waistband and concealed most of the time, because nobody should know if you’re carrying if you’re carrying concealed correctly.

Breaking In:
It came with care instructions, which are also available online (link at the end)
If you want to run a leather holster, you’ll most likely have to break it in and take care of it, that might be a turn off for some but it’s nothing too crazy or difficult. Since it was made and designed for a secure fit and tension, it will be very tight. After putting my P320c in for the first time, it was pretty hard to remove it and that was to be expected. I chose to break my holster in via the plastic bag method. I wrapped my pistol in a plastic grocery bag, adding some thickness all around it and left it in the safe for two days. It was good to go with the right amount of retention for me. There is also a tension screw that gives you the ability to adjust it to your preference.

Carrying:
It looks great, but how does it work out while carrying it? Short answer, it worked very well.
Due to my build (short and thin) I am only able to conceal a compact sized handgun at the 4 o’clock position and usually with a button-up shirt to go over it. I’m glad I asked for an IWB holster as it conceals much more effectively than an OWB style holster. The two belt loops help give it a secure and stable place to have your pistol on standby. Drawing from the holster is smooth and easy to accomplish consistently. The leather is rigid and thick enough to make reholstering possible.

For this review, I wore it for over a month and a half while waiting for my Sig P365 to come in as it was starting to get warmer and I prefer to wear t-shirts over button-up shirts. The Craft holster was pretty comfortable to wear all day long. From all my daily activities which go from chasing after my kids to driving, it never felt uncomfortable. Keep in mind that I speak from the my experience of carrying many different platforms over a decade and when I say comfortable, I say so in the sense that you already know what it feels like to carry concealed. If you have done so, you know that having a pistol on your person is not done out of comfort, but out of the necessity to possess the ability to effectively defend yourself. With it being in the waistband, the pistol grip is pressed against my body, further preventing it printing through the shirt. The pistol was always snug when holstered, I never had any issues with it moving around even with it’s open top design. Between the tight, precise fit and the added tension from the gun belt, the pistol isn’t going anywhere until it’s time for me to draw if need be.
My only issue that I ran into in regards to concealment was when I would bend over to pick something up, my shirt would sometimes get caught on the end of my pistol grip. This isn’t the fault of the holster or pistol, it’s something that happens with any compact or full-sized pistol that I carry at my 4 o’clock. This is the reason why you practice with your gear to make sure you don’t have these issues come up for the first time when you’re in a crowded grocery store. For me, it is a simple fix, instead of bending straight over, I would either take a knee or bend my knees and squat down to grab something.

Overall the Craft Holster performed well and I plan on using it whenever I carry my P320c, probably when the weather cools down because having the biggest gun you can carry concealed is always better to have. Craft Holsters is a good outfit that makes high quality leather holsters and has great customer service. If leather holsters are you, I would highly recommend checking them out.

*Update: use this code at checkout for 5% off your purchase!

FIFTYSHADESOFFDE@CRAFT

For my particular IWB holster:
https://www.craftholsters.com/open-muzzle-iwb-holster-p79

Holsters for the Sig P320:
https://www.craftholsters.com/sig-sauer-p320-holsters

Breaking in and care:
https://www.craftholsters.com/leather-holsters-break-in-care-a18