It’s surprisingly hard to find holsters for old guns. Especially if that gun has been out of production for a few years. One of my dream guns is the Beretta 81. It’s a mid-size handgun that chambers the .32 ACP cartridge. It has a double-stack magazine and gives me twelve rounds of John Browning’s most underrated cartridge. I love it, but it took me forever to find a holster. Then, the Bianchi 19L came across my browser.
The Bianchi 19L is a classic, old-school holster that fits the classic, old-school design of the Beretta 81 very well. The Beretta 81 is roughly Glock 19-sized but has all the Beretta stylings you’d imagine. The open barrel, the DA/SA design, the hammer-fired nature, and the general controls.
It won’t work in any suitable universal holster, like the Safariland 578 GLS series. It’s different, and I felt lucky to find a known name in the holster world making holsters for it.
Bianchi provided the holster for this review.
First Impressions of the Bianchi 19L
I entered the world of guns in a post-leather world. I never carried a firearm professionally with a leather rig, and most of my leather experience is limited to a Galco Miami Classic 2. Maybe that’s why I love the look and feel of the Bianchi 19L. It looks slick and old school, like something a detective in the 1990s would carry.
The Beretta 81 looks like a miniature version of something Martin Riggs from Lethal Weapon would carry. It’s a classic belt-loop-style leather holster that’s formed specifically for each gun. Bianchi makes the 19L for a ton of different guns, from old-school Berettas to the most modern Glocks.
It features a classic thumb snap that locks the gun in the holster via a simple button. A single wide belt loop secures the gun to your body and keeps it positioned on your waist. At first glance, lights are a no-go, and optics would vary wildly. I don’t think many guns would work in the 19L with optics.
I think it’s best to consider the 19L an old-school holster for old-school guns. As such, there isn’t a need for optics or lights. My Beretta 81 certainly won’t fit with any.
Riding With Bianchi
It’s not exactly a complicated holster. Put your belt through the loop, strap it to the 3 or 4 o’clock position, and enjoy. The single belt loop is massive and does a good job of supporting and balancing the holster. It’s positioned on the back of the holster, pushing the gun away from the body.
The good news is that with the gun pressed away from the body, it’s easy to grip and rip. Grabbing and drawing from the 19L is smooth—well, smoothish. I’m used to using the ALS, the SLS, and press button releases. I’m not used to breaking a thumb snap. That’s new to me, but with a little practice of just flexing that thumb, the snap breaks, and I can draw.
Draw up, orient forward, present, and bang. It’s not tough and not restricted in any way by the 19L. The holster encompasses the entire gun and covers the trigger entirely. This keeps things safe, and while the snap retention is old school, it’s functional and will keep the gun locked in place.
The Bianchi 19L started out feeling quite tight but loosened a bit with use. It’s reached a great middle ground where the gun is easy to draw but doesn’t flop around. After mounting it, I carried it all day as I worked in the yard and around the house. The heavy gun feels well-supported and provides a solid, unmoving carry method.
What About Concealment?
I tried it once, but man, did it print harder than Johannes Gutenberg. It sticks out from the body a long way and is evident when just wearing a shirt. A pancake-style rig would be the better option for concealed carry. This might be reserved for winter carry, but I don’t see myself carrying a big .32 ACP for winter carry.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t buy the Beretta 81 to carry it, anyway. I just wanted a holster to carry the gun…because why not? Concealment might not be the best role of the 19L, but it’s a great holster for a gun with very few holster options.
