SHTF Gear Ace-1 Holster- Warning Pic Heavy

[Ranger01]

Short review, pics to come later.

http://www.shtfgear.com/Holster-by-Make ... -45C#intro

Ordered this holster through Amazon when I bought my HK45C. I paid about $67 (including shipping) for it, but could have saved about $10 through their site with the NRA discount. Oh well.

So I ordered this holster after going through reviews and it was reviewed well compared to the equivalent crossbreed, and comes standard with a full grip cut.

First impressions are that it is well made compared to some, but it isn't a custom holster by any means. There is some rough edging on the leather that I'm going to go over with my edging tool at some point.

Another small point of contention is that while cut for a full grip I find that I cannot get a high enough grip for my liking. That said, I do tend to have an abnormally high grip and ride the thumb safety so not totally the holster's fault.

The one major (if you can call it that) flaw though with this holster is that the leather is not hardened or reinforced in any way. This leads to the sweat guard to fold down and catch on the thumb safety when reholstering the firearm. I may reinforce or harden this myself if I cannot train around it. With that said it is not a safety issue, nor does it really affect the usability enough to warrant a return.

Now with that said the holster is comfortable, I wore it around today and barely noticed I was wearing it. Along with the comfort my HK45C was near invisible under a light (and somewhat small on me) T-shirt, a feat that is unattainable with my 1911 and other holsters.

Retention (when worn) is good and unholstering is smooth and easy. Reholstering (disregarding the leather issue) is positive, but silent.

The kydex is stitched with Kevlar as well as riveted so it shouldn't come apart any time soon. The belt clips are strong feeling but even so they offer free clips for life.

I'm going to wear this holster around some more and update how it works in the long run. They offer a 30 day money back guarantee, but I don't think I'm going to need it.

First impressions are 7/10.

I'm still planning to buy a full kydex OWB rig for times where concealability isn't as much of an issue.

[DaZhi]

Nice review. I also use this holster for my P2000. The clips can come loose after a while. I believe this issue is mentioned in their FAQ, too. I used a little bit of blue Loctite an it hasn't come loose since. I haven't had the issue of the sweat guard catching on reholstering, but I also have the LEM, so no safety to catch on. They do not offer velcro clips yet, but Clay, the owner, told me that crossbreed v clips would work.

[Ranger01]

A Promised, here are some pictures:

Holster


Pistol in holster


Back side


As high as the holster allows me to grip


How high I'd prefer


Sweat guard catching on safety


Now you see it


Now you don't


Yep

[cs tunes]

That curl in the sweat guard is interesting. I've had this same holster for about 6 months and have no such curling, nor a safety for it to catch on if it did anyway but still curious. I've had nothing but positive results with mine. The screws did come loose and I dropped it one notch for a deeper fit but other than that it's been great thus far and quite comfy.

[Ranger01]

Yea, pushing the sweat guard in with my thumb tends to solve the issue mostly. The curl isn't evident unless I'm either wearing it or curl it my self (it does hold it though). I may be overreacting since all the other holsters I own or have tried were either reinforced leather (my SGH Hammar for my 1911) or a hard material such as kydex (my old 1911 holster)..

[Ranger01]

Well, after running this holster for a while I've been able to overcome most of the issues, but recently another has cropped up. The Holster tends to move the safety off on my HK. I'm unsure of how this happens, but it is disconcerting. I put the holster on, holster the firearm, and go about my day. When time comes to take it off, I always seem to notice the safety has moved off.

So, pretty soon here I'm going to be upgrading the holster.

[rottenit]

thanks for the updates!

[Erik_Pakieser]

While it does cost more, I'd go with the CompTac MTAC over this one...this it's not a bad holster, but the MTAC is so much better.

I know that cost is a factor for some, but in the grand scheme of things $40 more is not a lot of money, particularly when you are talking about a holster for your $600+ gun.

One consistent issue I have seen with this type of holster, regardless of the manufacturer, is the sweat guards folding over. This can make re-holstering a real pain because the folded guard effectively blocks the holster. Something to be aware of.

[Ranger01]

Yea, I'm probably going to be upgrading to a reinforced SGH Double Clip for an IWB along with a Kydex OWB of some sort for variety.

[Ranger01]

So, a quick update on the holster issue.

I've narrowed the issue down to the sweat guard on the holster somehow managing to get on top of the safety and pushing it down as I move throughout the day. I believe this is due two two things: The thin (non hardened) leather on the guard, and the weak retention (to me, it seems all retention on this holster is on the trigger guard and friction of the leather).

I recently ordered a Raven Concealment Phantom as an OWB option, but due to a small mix up on their part (they sent me a LH holster when I ordered a RH) I am still carrying in the Ace-1 in DA mode.

I'm still going to be looking for a good wide IWB that has a reinforced sweat guard. I like the guard on my SGH Hammar that I wear with my 1911, but I want the weight distribution of a wider holster.

[Ranger01]

Well, I solved my issue.

The Raven I ordered is a great holster. The problem is it doesn't conceal worth a ****, is a PITA to take on and off with an ARES Ranger belt, and it places the gun in the perfect area for my shirts to end up on top of the grip. So, being the smart fella I am I came up with an idea. I first took the mounting hardware off of both the RCS and the SHTF, then mounted the SHTF IWB clips to the RCS.

Result:


An amazingly comfortable holster that conceals well and at the same time is easy to un-holster and re-holster. The ability to remove and replace it easily is nice as well.

[farmerj]

check out http://www.rmholsters.com

The only ones I'll buy.