As my readers know, I’m not enamored of the gun industry’s attempt to convince every American that they should be walking around with a gun. First of all, most of us will never (read: never) need to protect ourselves from all those bad guys out there, because if you can believe the FBI, the number of bad guys floating around keeps going down. The agency just released crime data for 2019 and once again, violent crime isn’t a big deal in the places where most of us live.
The other problem I have with armed, self-defense is that unless you keep yourself in shape and continuously train and retain muscle memory, you’re simply not going to pull out a gun, point it at the threat and stop the man in his tracks in two seconds or less. Which is the amount of time you’ll have to defend yourself if someone decides to come at you to commit bodily harm.
But there are people who really do need an extra measure of protection. There are people whose livelihoods often require that they carry and know how to use a gun. And although I rarely get into product reviews on this website, I’m going to do such a review right now.
There’s a company called Craft Holsters which recently sent me one of their products and asked me if I would try it out and then post a review. And to their credit, they made it clear that I could write a good review or a bad review; this was no Ukraine-type quid pro quo.
So I got the holster the other day and used it with my Glock. I walked around with it and then went down to my range where I ran through the Tueller drill, which means that I reached for the gun, pulled it out of the holster, raised the gun, pointed the gun and got off a double-tap in 2 seconds or less. And by the way, I did the drill 10 times, popped 20 rounds and hit the center-mass target 15 times. Which ain’t so good but ain’t so bad.
This company is making a very good holster. It’s a quality leather, double-stitched and cleanly made. It holds the gun firmly but not too firmly; when you pull the gun up and out there’s no slip but also no rub so it doesn’t hold back. To pull a gun up, point, shoot and hit a target two times in 2 seconds or less, you want to make sure that when you reach down for the gun it’s in the exact same place every time, and when you pull it up the gun comes quick and clean.
This company, Craft Holsters, makes a holster that you should want to own. They come out of Eastern Europe which is increasingly a location for many companies producing products for American shooters – both accessories and guns. And by the way, their prices are right in line.
And I like the detailed instructions for how to break in their leather and keeping your holster clean. Well done Craft Holsters, well done.
Mar 19, 2020 @ 12:10:11
Nice prices and the stuff looks classy.
Mar 20, 2020 @ 06:57:05
When I carry, it’s inside the waistband (IWB). Do they make anything like that?
Mar 22, 2020 @ 07:37:44
They gave a complete line of holsters. All types.
Mar 20, 2020 @ 20:50:11
Mike I still concealed carry, I’m new to ccw but grew up in the Midwest and shot guns a lot, and I agree with you on many things. Would you say that a handgun is good for? Surely suburban people don’t need to carry all the time. But what about keeping in a small gun safe under your bed for home defense? Thanks! Hope you are doing well with this virus craziness.
Matt
Mar 22, 2020 @ 07:41:23
Everyone has to decide for themselves. All I hope is that if you want to engage in ccw, that you try to be as careful as possible when you are around your gun. We are all human, we are all careless and we all forget – sometimes. And guns don’t have seatbelts.
Hoping you and yours stay safe through the Plague Year.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 07:47:06
It would not hurt to become real familiar with Andrew Branca’ s book on the law of self defense either.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 08:31:07
Mike thank you for your response. I agree with many of your writings, and I hope that some of the people who are negatively commenting can shut up and realize there are bigger issues we have to deal with now than being upset about you or I disagreeing with them.
Thank you again for responding. I look forward to reading many more of your articles!
Matt
Mar 21, 2020 @ 06:21:31
Anybody who advertises guns and gun accessories on an anti-gun website shows suspicious judgement…
Mar 21, 2020 @ 08:47:52
The Bigger Question is WHY Mike takes peoples money teaching CCW Classes when he DOESN’T actually believe the average person has the RIGHT…or even the intelligence, to own and carry a gun?
….Another question would be WHY anyone would pay good money to listen to an ANTI-GUN “Gun guy” who NOT ONLY secretly loathes anyone that believes in the idea of Armed Self defense, but also admits to occasionally carrying a Snubnose in the Bib Pocket of his overalls WITHOUT A HOLSTER???
Mar 21, 2020 @ 12:25:17
Check his talk of carrying a Glock 19, no holster there either.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 07:35:25
I’m glad that both Yuppicide76 and Tom Collins continue in their self-appointed task of making sure that everything which appears on this website not only confirms their belief that I am anti-gun, but also should not be read by anyone who, like themselves, represent the stalwart legions of pro-gun people whom I allegedly hate.
Wait until next week when I start listing a 24-page manual which shows how you can perform a ten-minute exercise routine every day without a gun that will help train and retain the muscle memory required to use a gun for self-defense in a safe and effective way.
I can see your comments now. Don’t buy this book! It’s trash! This guy is anti-gun!
This may come as a great shock to both of you, but nobody who wants to write or advertise on this website, including me, has to pass your purity test. And by the way, I get the exact, same kind of self-appointed, holier-than-thou righteous indignation from the other side too. I get emails all the time from people who say ‘You’re just a shill for the NRA. I’m not going to read you again!’
It”s amazing how much people enjoy being members if an oppressed minority: pro-gun, anti-gun. You are all so offended when someone doesn’t say it the way you want it to be said.
You think I don’t enjoy reading your silly admonishment? Of course I do. So does everyone else.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 07:42:24
https://carltontedford.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/1damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-dont.png
Mar 22, 2020 @ 10:06:49
Mike, while your response was Extremely long….At no time did you actually attempt to answer the REAL QUESTIONS:
WHY do you take peoples money TEACHING CCW CLASSES when you dont actually believe the average person has the RIGHT…The Need, or even the intelligence, to own and carry a gun?
You have said so Numerous times in the Article’s you post here.
….The other question was:
WHY ANYONE SHOULD PAY GOOD MONEY TO ATTEND YOUR CCW CLASSES, and listen to an ANTI-GUN “Gun guy” who NOT ONLY secretly loathes anyone that believes in the idea of Armed Self defense, but also ADMITS TO OCCASIONALLY CARRYING A SNUBNOSE REVOLVER IN THE BIB POCKET OF YOUR OVERALLS WITHOUT A HOLSTER???
Mar 22, 2020 @ 15:07:05
I haven’t taught a CCW class in 5 years.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 12:21:11
If you don’t like the site, go read something else. There is a whole lot on the Internet.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 14:53:26
It’s not about not liking the site (I get a lot of amusement from it, so I kinda love it) it’s about those important questions.
Mike doesn’t like us calling him anti-gun, but when we point out he is against carry (but does it himself) and wants to ban the vast majority of current production guns for various reasons, he responds with long-winded self-aggrandizing statements that don’t address the facts that he IS anti-gun.
And if we don’t stand up for the second Amendment (that Mike doesn’t believe in) who will?
Mar 22, 2020 @ 15:19:10
I have never advocated banning any gun except the AR, and I gave made it clear that my stance on that gun is because the gun industry has been lying about calling it a ‘sporting’ gun for years. Now if the AR represents the ‘vadtmajority’ of currently-manufactured guns, you and I must be living on different planets.
But just for the sake of argument, let’s say that I did advocate a total ban on guns or on most guns. So what? Does that I can’t write whatever I want to write? You can tell readers of my website fro.m today until next year to stop reading it. You say it all the time.
Meanwhile I notice you keep reading it, right? Oh, I forgot. Your task is to tell everyone else that they shoukdn’t read it.
As I said previously, you’re one of the purity inspectors.
And the best comment is the one from your buddy Yippi. This is the first time I have been accused of something which is a secret but he still knows what it is.
You gusboth provide my readers with plenty of entertainment. Please keep it up.
Mar 22, 2020 @ 17:07:21
I neither said you can’t write what you write, nor do I say people shouldn’t read what you write. Just the opposite.
What I am doing is challenging you, and your stance, and watching you argue about anything but.
Remember me asking you questions about banning “military Calibers”? I asked some valid questions, and you answered questions nobody asked, then ended up blocking the IP i was typing from.
This is very telling about the anti-gun movement.
Also Yuppicide wrote some good questions, so good he asked them twice, and you gave a very dismissive answer.
You’re under no obligation to address anything, but what you choose to say is VERY telling, and as a pro-gun guy who strongly disagrees with you, I appreciate your lack of transparency.