BlackPoint Tactical Holster Review

BlackPoint Tactical Holster Review
January 6, 2013

Earlier this year, I performed a review of a Ruger SR1911 Pistol and decided I would try carrying this pistol for a while. I quickly found myself in need of a good holster. A friend of mine told me about a new company that he was working with called BlackPoint Tactical. He raved about the comfort of their holsters and he thought that he could get me one for review. So, back in May, I got my hands on a holster that BlackPoint Tactical calls their Standard Holster. At the time of this review, BlackPoint Tactical makes several styles of holsters such as their Standard, Light Mounted, Leather Wing, Large Hybrid, Small Hybrid, Pancake and Nable Tri-Tac. Although I only cover the details of the Standard holster in this review, hopefully the review will give you a good idea on the materials and quality that go into all the BlackPoint Tactical holsters. I added the photos below from the BlackPoint Tactical website to give you a visual idea of the other styles of holsters they manufacture.

Standard Light Mounted Leather Wing

Large Hybrid Small Hybrid Pancake Nable Tri-Tac

The Standard holster is made from KYDEX and is an Outside the Waste Band (OWB) holster. Today these holsters sell for $75 at the BlackPoint Tactical website. Over the past 6 months, I have been using the holster on a regular basis while waiting for the BlackPoint Tactical website to be launched. Now that their website is active, I think it is time to give you my thoughts about their holsters and point you in the right direction for you to purchase one for yourself.

During my reviews I like to show the manufactures claims where possible so the following text in colored italics was taken directly from the BlackPoint Tactical website on 12/26/12 and gives a Product Description for the Standard Holster.

This is the holster that started it all. Our standard Outside-the-waistband holster (OWB) is built around the ideas of comfort and concealment. Working from the start with individuals who have had years of US Special Forces experience, the idea of a belt mounted KYDEX holster was redesigned from the ground up. It is often said that the devil is in the details, but with our holsters that is where we set ourselves apart from the rest.
A slightly higher ride (this is adjustable by the end user with different belt clips),
A more complete bend (The holster all together has a curve to it as opposed to the ends just being bent in),
And an open bottom are just a few of the differentiating details.
The result was the best OWB KYDEX holster available on the market today.
Additionally, our holsters have the ability to be paired with any one of our accessories to utilize your holster for variety of different uses. Some of these include: Paddle, Clip-On OWB Loops, IWB loops, MOLLE mounts, Car Mount, Bed Mount, and more.
Finally, we offer the most extensive color options of any holster manufacturer, and we have the ability to add almost any graphic. This allows you the buyer to truly have your holster, your way.

Since I'm fairly sure I received an early production version of the holster, I'm not 100% sure how the holsters come packaged today. The holster I received came inside a large Ziploc bag with no identifying markings. Personally, I'm not too concerned with packaging as long as the products come in good condition. Today you can find many similar types of products packaged inside the same types of bags.

The Standard 1911 5" Right Hand holster came fully assembled as shown below. This holster is made from two sheets of KYDEX that are formed to match the shape of the handgun and then riveted together with 11 brass rivets (eyelits). The holster can be molded either with or without a cant (~10 degree grip forward angle). The holster includes a passive retention system that is adjustable by a screw that you can tighten or loosen to adjust the force required to draw the handgun from the holster. The molded portion of the holster located around the trigger guard was such a good fit that even while the retention screw was removed, it took a hard shake to make my SR1911 drop from the holster while holding the holster upside down. The back of the holster utilizes steel belt loops for use outside the waist band and are available in three different sizes (1.5", 1.75" and 2") to fit the belt width of your choice. The holster came with only one set of 1.5" loops which are shown in the photo below. When you order your holster, you specify your loop size and can order another loop size for an additional $10. Other accessories like belt loops and magazine pouches can be ordered at their "Accessories" web page.

Figure 1 Figure 2
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The top of the holster has a slight flair to make holstering your firearm quick and easy. The holster also is formed with some curvature throughout which gives it a good feel on your hip. This also seems to help blend the holster into your side profile to improve concealment. FYI, the photo below also shows that I have a tendency to tilt my 1911 as I slide it into the holster which is evident by the light scratches starting to form on the outermost inside surface (I will have to work on re-holstering).

Figure 3

After taking a look at the BlackPoint Tactical website, it is clear that they can offer you a complete custom holster. The standard features you can select when ordering a holster are:

Handgun Make
Handgun Model
Front Color - 23 different colors with nine colors having an extra $5 charge due to the camo or textured appearance
Back Color - 23 different colors with an extra $5 charge for anything other than black
Hand - Right Handed or Left Handed
Cant (Yes or No) - which seems about 10 degrees grip forward
Standard Loop Type
Additional Loop Type - add another size loop for $10 each.

The custom features range from specialty handguns, to light/laser combos, to graphics and to other custom molded features. For example, the photo below shows the back of the holster molded with the safety in the "safe" position, but they can mold the safety in whatever position you like. BlackPoint also states, "We maintain one of the most extensive inventories of in-stock weapons to use for molding purposes. Additionally, we have an extensive network in place where we can source weapons to use for molding purposes. Even if it is not one we specifically have listed on the site, feel free to contact us to see if we can make one for your gun."

Figure 4

This 1911 Standard 5" holster weighed in at 5.5 ounces. The actual weight of each holster will vary slightly based on the handgun make and model. The holster measured about 6.0" in width and 6.8" in height and this will also vary some based on handgun make and model.

Figure 5

These next several photos give you a good look at the holster with my SR1911 inside. I was very pleased with the fit of the holster. The 1911 pistol easily slides in and out of the holster and yet there is no freeplay between the pistol and holster. Their holster design allows for the pistol to ride slightly higher on the hip than others like the Blackhawk Serpa or Fobus holsters. To see this, notice that nearly all of the trigger guard is above the top of the belt loop. Actually, I was surprised at how natural this higher placement felt.

Figure 6 Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

The photo below shows the holster's open bottom along with how well the KYDEX is formed to wrap around the front edge of the pistol's slide.

Figure 10

Over the past 6 months, I have carried my SR1911 in this holster in a variety of situations that range from around the house, running errands, on hiking trails, at the range and working outdoors. In my mind, carrying a full size 1911 style pistol is definitely something that I know is there. The main thing I noticed was the weight of the pistol. I started out using a normal leather belt and the metal belt loops on the holster seemed to sometimes give a little squeak. When I switched to a 1.5" double-thick webbing belt, all squeaking stopped and the stiffer belt did a much better job of supporting the weight of the 1911. Overall, I feel the comfort was good and drawing/holstering my SR1911 felt very natural.

Bottom Line:

I'm impressed with the BlackPoint Tactical Holster. The holster seems very durable and the molded shape matched my 1911 excellently. BlackPoint Tactical offers a wide range of colors, belt loop sizes and in either right or left handed holsters. At a price of $75 for their Standard holster (without special options), their price seems reasonable compared to some other similar KYDEX holster on the market. If you are shopping for a good holster, I recommend taking a close look at the BlackPoint Tactical website before you make your next purchase.

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