When Craft Holsters offered to send an OWB holster to do a review I jumped. As readers may know, I am a big fan of a good leather holster.
One of my favorite holsters (and first good holster) was a Galco Combat Master (also my first pistol). I still own both. I'd have to check my receipts but that was 30 years ago. I remember because, for me, it was a big jump $-wise to go from an Uncle Mikes holster to the Galco.
What I am saying is that a good leather holster is an investment and will serve you for many years to come. They are definitely worth the money.
I carried that combination for many years, but at some point I switched to a Sig P220 for its light-weight and out-of-box accuracy (even in my hands). At the time, I tried to go the route of an IWB like a Kramer but it is just not a very concealable pistol. As I got older it became impractical to me to to carry a such a large pistol and like others, I moved onto smaller more concealable pistols for CCW.
Although no longer my CCW pistol I still have a soft spot for my P220. In fact, taking it to the range reminded just how well it still shoots. Going through my box of holsters, I realized that I never did end up with a holster for it - I had traded/sold them!
That brings me back to Craft Holster's offer.
After taking a look at their website: http://www.craftholsters.com I was happy to find that P220. In fact, there is a good variety of other models that can sometimes harder to find. In my recent search (and on their site): CZ 75 Compact, HK VP9sk, Beretta 92 Compact (with or without rail). Additionally, newer pistols models are available like the new Glock 43x and 48. For newer Sig fans the P320s, P365 and 938 are also represented.
The "holster finder" allows you to find all their holsters that fit your model. It also gives you an in-stock status and estimated ship time.
So, with fall weather here (full size pistol time) and feeling a bit of old-school Sig nostalgia I requested a holster for my P220.
In just a few days a box arrived with the holster. The packaging is the ship box. I am all for minimal packaging, especially if it helps keeps the cost lower. For me, most of that stuff gets thrown away or lost anyway. The inside of the box has some information on their holster email club (10% off your second holster and email offers) along with support info:
The holster has a nice tan outer finish – mahogany. The boning is more detailed than the average holster, with a typical depth. I was pleased that there was no out-of-the box stain smell:
The first thing that I noticed is how thin the holster is. Leather work has come a long way! The issue with my old IWB attempts with the Kramer and now defunct C5 Custom Leather was how thick they were.
This is very thin:
Noteworthy is that the inside of the holster is unfinished and unlined. Lining adds additional cost and supposedly saves wear on your pistol, but I haven't noticed a difference.
An inside finish looks nice at first but it always wear off with usage and ends up looking the same.I have plenty of black leather holsters where the inside is tan now.
I am not personally concerned with holster wear on pistol. If it's a safe queen it should probably be in the safe and not a holster ;)
Inside, different angle:
The company logo and name are prominently stamped on the back-side. It is very clean, minimal, and looks very nice:
One thing that would be a nice addition to the holster would be what model it fits stamped into the holster - We all have A box of holsters that we are not quite sure of what they fit. For fun, I did a quick check of a few of my holsters and found that some companies, some do not, and a few vendors simply wrote the model in Sharpie on the inside of the holster. It works!
Continuing on...Double-stitching on the interior and single-stitching on the outside looks great!
Oops, is that a missing stitch at the bottom left? I am not sure if that is intentional, but there is no loose thread. Regardless, it is certainly no practical issue.
Another shot of the stitching and it also shows that muzzle is completely protected. This saves your jeans:
The sweat shield may look small but it works perfectly without requiring a huge shield. Craft calls it a partial shield and, if not convinced, does also offer a holster with a full shield.
The partial shield is a huge advantage over holsters without one (like the Galco Combat Master). Some of my other holsters do have a full guard, Sometimes they are even reinforced - and they are always huge - now I wonder why? Craft proves that all that extra material and thickness simply isn’t needed.
Notice how the "partial shield" does not dramatically over-arch the holster body?
It may not look like it covers the whole pistol completely, but I didn't feel the pistol against me. No cold steel sensation -- even with an un-tucked t-shirt.
I think that this is my favorite feature of the holster!
View from the other side:
You may have noticed that the holster does not have a reinforced mouth. Many feel that this is a requirement for rapid re-holstering. I have both and to be honest, I have never had an urgent need to re-holster. Still, it is nice not to have to use an additional hand as some holsters seem to collapse without the pistol. The Craft is actually not bad reholstering. I can press the P220 into the holster and re-holster with minimal effort and with one-hand - this is not something that I can do with all my OWB holsters.
NOTE: You do need to always glance down prior to holstering to ensure that there is no obstruction or anything that may catch the trigger. This is true of all holsters.
On the other hand (and more important to me) is that the pistol draws clean without any drag. There is no retention, but I did flip it upside down and it did not fall out with a light shake (sorry, no pic of that lol).
The belt slots are a standard 1.5”.
It fits my Wildnerness 5-Stitch perfectly:
It also fits the Wilderness CSM (polymer insert model):
One belt that a lot of holsters (especially Kydex) have issues with is the Galco SB2. It is simply ridiculously thick. Mine is at least 30 years old! (remember the quality leather statement)
The belt is a little snug going through the loops, but the Craft passes that thick belt test!
Wow, itwas a snug fit! But to be fair it is thicker than any of my other belts:
The loops passed through my Relentless Tactical "Steel Core" Ultimate Belt without any problems:
After wearing the holster for several weeks, the only noticeable wear was from squeezing the Galco Belt through! Nice quality leather and good finish.
Speaking of wearing the holster, I found it to be very comfortable. What was surprising is that the Craft's loops loops actually bend inward towards your body. With other holsters, like the Galco Combat Master, you can distinctly feel the edge of the pistol at the main holster body. I could not with the Craft. The only reason that I could think of was because of the loops. I was able to wear the holster, even seated all-day without any problem. Also, thinking that the lops bending makes the holster body a little more rigid making it easy to holster/reholster than others.
I struggled to come up with a pic that illustrates this, but this was all I could come up with. NOTE: I am actually wearing it in the pic - I tried a darker shirt but you couldn't see anything then):
In some of the photos above you can also see how the loops have become bent in from wearing it.
To conclude, the Craft Holster is very will made. It is basic (no lining, mouth reinforcement, etc) leather holster that is practical and comfortable. Their standard partial sweat guard works amazingly well and IMO should be on every holster!
Incidentally, their holsters are covered by a 5yr warranty but I suspect it will last MANY years to come.
This will not be my last from them:
Craft Holsters P220 holster selection:
https://www.craftholsters.com/sig-sauer-p220-holsters
There is a newer slimmer holster that is slimmer with better reholster capability:
https://www.craftholsters.com/open-top-leather-pancake-holster-panther
