From one of our roving TGL Reporters, Craig gives us his review of the Guardian Concealment Holster
I have been carrying concealed for 34 years and my philosophy has been if I knew I was going to be engaged today which gun would be best for me to have. I always choose a full size gun whether it is a 9mm with 19 rounds or a full size 1911 loaded with nine 45 ACP. I have had one incident in all those years that was to be just a quick run to the corner store. I lowered my guard and went without a weapon, which almost cost me my life. Never again always ready for the fight. Now living in Florida can be challenging in concealing a full size handgun. Due to the climate we usually dress light and that is where Guardian Concealment comes in.
I had a need for a in the pants holster that could help me conceal a 1911 while just wearing shorts and a t-‐shirt, casual dress or formal attire. I believe I found it with the hybrid holster.
Guardian Concealment’s Hybrid holster comes standard with some awesome features. They are handmade to order in the USA and come standard with the following features:
Premium Wickett & Craig black cowhide
Holsters come standard with black stitch
Inside the waistband and outside the waistband compatible
Adjustable retention, degree of tilt, and ride height
Genuine .08 thickness kydex
Holsters come standard with 1 1/5 – 1 3/4 US made metal spring clips.
Out of the box I saw a work of art with the materials and design of this holster. It was like something you wanted to display instead of use. The leather was soft and pliable, the black carbon fiber kydex was stunning and all the edges were smooth and clean. A pack of extra screws and rubber “o” rings came with the holster. You also receive a personalized letter from Guardian Concealment thanking you for your purchase and explaining use and maintaining your new holster.
First thing you notice in preparing to use the Guardian Concealment Hybrid holster is, it is not just a holster. It is a system that has to be set for the user and broke in just like a new pair of shoes. This holster can be adjusted many ways from high or low carry and straight or canted pistol positioning. It took me a couple of times to test it and make minor adjustments to the belt clip location for that perfect fit. Once I had it adjusted, the holster broke into the 1911 and me very quickly.
During carry I found that the holster spread the weight of my gun out around 1/3 of my belt. I also found I did not feel my aggressive grip or the safety digging into my side. Learning to put the holster on was difficult at first until I found where it fit best. Just like anything else a little practice improved my time on getting it set in the same place every time. Drawing the weapon with this holster was not a problem and re-‐holstering had to be practiced some just due to how low I wear the gun.
Like any new piece of equipment you should train with it to become proficient at using it in a fight. I am very active in the thing I do and had no problem with the weapon retention of this holster, over all this a very good product. The holster depending on the options you choose is between $69.00-‐79.00 USD, which I believe is a great deal for what you get. Check out this holster and other products from Guardian Concealment at www.guardianconsealment.com .
