By John Markwell | Contributing Editor
Polymer holsters are all the rage and there is no shortage of outfits for belt carry as well as IWB rigs. Looking at the design/construction of many of the IWB polymer holsters in the market place it seems to us that there has been an ongoing contest of sorts to see which manufacturer could come up with the most complicated system for stabilizing and securing the holster in place (usually attached to the wearer’s belt). Multiple bolts, screws, rivets, loops, snaps, hooks and latching systems add bulk, complexity, and expense to these rigs as well as requiring some to come with an owner’s manual.
The left side of the holster shows holes for mounting the belt hook/clip and adjusting the cant.
More aggravating, to this author at least, is the sheer volume of material that many IWB holsters contain. Thick and wide back plates, to which the holster is attached, are supposed to add comfort to the rigs; same with the wide “wings” front and rear that many have. What many of these “features” really do is occupy a significant amount of real estate at the waist of the wearer and require that pants be at least a couple of inches larger than normal. We actually tested one rig that we could not get into by ourselves. With this particular rig’s back plate and belt clips it was nigh on impossible to get it all tucked inside the waistband and attached to the belt by one’s self.
When we returned from the Spring Varmint sojourn in July we had a pleasant surprise waiting from the folks at Mission First Tactical (MFT) (missionfirsttactical.com). Now bear in mind that we are not big fans of polymer holsters in general. But, opening the package we found an IWB rig made of minimal material that had a look of pure function; no gimmicks. Designed to add as little volume as possible to the pistol being carried (in this case a Glock 19/23) this holster is made from a minimum of material that is thin and lightweight; it seemed to have real potential in the comfort arena.
The MFT rig is built with no extraneous material and is simple yet effectively functional.
There is no owner’s manual needed with this rig. It is simply labeled: Inside the Waistband, IWB/Appendix, Ambi-1½” belt clip, Glock 19/23. This holster is made from Boltaron which is a high-tech polymer that offers uniform wall thickness, impact and chemical resistance as well as stretch/wear resistance. Precisely molded to the Glock 19/23, our Overstreet Custom G19 was a perfect fit in the plain black MFT rig. The main body of this holster is one piece of .08” thick Boltaron folded over and molded to the gun; simple and elegant, the open side of the fold is secured with a single Chicago screw which also serves to adjust the holster’s tension on the weapon. The lines of the holster are not marred by a bunch of rivets and there are no “stabilizing wings”, or other such tom foolery, to take up space inside one’s waistband. The molded sight channel is generous and provides plenty of clearance for the Wilson Combat Vickers Elite gold bead front sight on our G19. The fit of the G19 to the holster is snug but not overly tight and there is no rattle when the outfit is carried. The front of the holster is cut low to accommodate an RMR, almost to the G19’s ejection port, while the rear has proper clearance for the middle finger when acquiring a firing grip on the pistol. Our G19 has an extended magazine release which is adequately shielded, and with enough clearance, to protect it from accidental release.
The Mission First Tactical holster and packaging.
As we all know, any IWB holster needs to be secured via a method that insures it stays put when the weapon is drawn. It is also a plus if the system securing the IWB rig is simple enough to allow ease of removal and replacement. The Mission First Tactical IWB rig incorporates a simple, yet stoutly constructed, polymer belt hook to ensure the holster stays where it belongs both through the rigors of daily wear and during the draw stroke. This hook also allows for a 15 degree cant adjustment as well as being ambidextrous. Historically, belt clips and holsters have not been a really good combination and stories abound that reinforce the idea. Simply attached with two screws, MFT’s belt hook seems to be a solid solution to a common problem found on many IWB outfits.
The belt hook on the MFT IWB rig is substantial and holds the holster in place securely.
We have been hauling our G19 around in the MFT IWB rig for a bit over a week. It’s High Summer here in the mountains now and temperatures vary from the 50s in the AM to the high 80s during midday. The G19 disappears under a large t-shirt during the heat of the day. We’ve used this rig with a thick Milt Sparks leather belt and the belt clip has proven to be quite secure and fits snugly enough to eliminate any shifting of the holster. Suiting up with the rig is trouble- and hassle-free as is dismounting it when necessary. This may not be as fast as some Polymer IWB rigs as the holster sits low in the waistband but not so low as to hinder the presentation. Having an aversion to pointing loaded guns at our private parts, we did not try carrying our G19 in the Appendix position with the MFT IWB holster.
In this photo the right edge of the holster’s muzzle has been slightly molded inward to smooth out the edge.
Over the years our biggest complaint about the few Polymer IWB rigs we’ve tried is their lack of comfort. First of all, polymer rigs are HARD and they seem to have lots of sharp edges. Sweat guards poking into the ribs were the biggest offenders. The MFT IWB rig lacks a sweat guard and, being a compact outfit, it doesn’t have as many inches of edge like other outfits. The only part of the holster that really caused any discomfort was the edge of the muzzle opening next to the body; this was square and poked into the butt cheek when sitting. With the judicious application of some heat we molded this edge inward towards the muzzle of the gun and the discomfort disappeared.
The MFT website info on this outfit states that it can be used in either AIWB, IWB, or OWB as well as in Right or Left-hand modes. We personally think the rig shines in IWB mode due to its sleekness. Molded, trimmed, assembled and buffed by hand, and made in America, this is a pretty cool outfit for the gun carrier looking for a simple low-volume IWB rig that will not make your fat Glock, or similar pistol, seem like a brick inside the waistband. We have a 34” waist and hate IWB holsters that occupy lots of real estate. This is the most comfortable polymer IWB rig for our Glock 19 that we have tried to date. MFT’s Item # on this particular holster is HGL19AIWBA and the MSRP is $49.99. Good shooting.
