CARRY-180

By Sammy Reese

In 1972 Gene DeSantis had an idea to make a holster. Forty-three years later DeSantis holsters are carried in some of the best and worst places — to help support those in harm’s way. Gene will tell you his boys are running the business these days, but he’s still active in the company. After all, he is a legend in the holster-making business.

I’m not exactly sure how many different products DeSantis currently makes. But I do know a trip to their web page took me offline for about an hour and I barely made a dent. Here are some highlights.

CARRY-1PT

The Pocket-Tuk is a dual-mission holster. It shines as both a pocket
holster and IWB. The rough out texture is good-looking and functional.

Pocket-Tuk

Usually a holster with more than one mission fails in some way. This is not the case with the Pocket-Tuk (PT). The PT is a rough-out style holster with a reinforced mouth for easy holstering in either pocket mode or IWB. With the belt hook strut removed the PT worked as intended in a pocket carry role. The holster stayed in my pocket when drawing my revolver. For re-holstering, remove the holster from your pocket, holster the gun and put the gun back into your pocket. With the belt hook strut installed, I use the PT as an appendix-style rig and behind the hip mode. The J-Frame is a bit small for this role, but it’s dealer’s choice as to what you carry and how you carry it.

The last feature of the PT is the tuck design. You can tuck your shirt into the slot for a deeper concealment mode. The tail length of your cover up shirt is a critical point. If too short it comes un-tucked — too long and there’s bunching.

CARRY-2-CPIWB-

If old school leather is your thing, then look no further
than the Cozy Partner IWB holster.

Cozy Partner

The Cozy Partner (CP) is another IWB holster for the J-Frame, but there are many other fits available. The CP is a more traditional-looking, one-piece construction leather holster. It’s also built with a reinforced mouth and has a tension screw ensuring positive retention for the life of the rig.

There’s something special about an all-leather holster. They start off stiff, and arrive with a leather/dye smell you just don’t get when unpacking a Kydex rig. Over time the leather takes on a patina and forms to your body creating a truly custom fit. The CP is one of those rigs you will use hard and it will last a lifetime.

CARRY-3-INTHB

The Intruder holster combines the best of leather and
Kydex to make a very functional, comfortable holster.

Intruder

The Intruder is a hybrid design of leather and Kydex. Purists will turn their nose up at anything not 100 percent leather. If so they’d be missing out on some great gear. The leather backer rides next to the body for comfort and weight dispersion. The holster made of Kydex can’t be worn out by doing too many draws. Combine the two and you get the best of both worlds. The Intruder was used to tote my S&W Shield and it works as advertised — comfortable, concealable and secure.

Holsters are a lot like cars — but cheaper. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. Head on over to their web page and find one or two and put them to work for you.

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