DeSantis S&W Governor Dual Angle Hunter Holster Review
September 9, 2011

Recently I reviewed the Smith & Wesson Governor Revolver and quickly came to the decision that this was a revolver that would be great for me to carry during my outdoor adventures.  After that "no brainer" revelation, the next thing I needed to do was find a good holster.  My first stop in my holster hunt was to checkout the Smith & Wesson Store and see what they had to offer.  After reading the overview for the holster I learned that DeSantis makes the Governor Holsters for S&W and stamps the S&W logo into the leather.  From there I went directly to the DeSantis website and started doing my research into their holsters.  At the time of my purchase, DeSantis offered two basic holsters which were the Speed Scabbard and Dual Angle Hunter.  Recently DeSantis has come out with a shoulder rig called their New York Undercover.

Figure 1 - Speed Scabbard

Figure 2 - Dual Angle Hunter

Figure 3 - New York Undercover

There were two main features I wanted in a holster.  The first was a comfortable cross draw capability and the second was thumb-break retention.  The DeSantis Dual Angle Hunter Holster appeared to provide both of these features so I decided to end the search for a holster and move into the acquisition stage.  This holster was listed at the S&W website for $110 and the DeSantis website for $108.  Luckily I was able to find it from Amazon (actually came from Optics Planet) for $70 plus S&H so I placed an order.  Within a couple of hours I was notified that it was backordered and I eventually got the holster about 3 weeks after I placed the order.  At the time of this review, the DeSantis website shows this holster to be "out of stock".  I would imagine this is more due to the popularity/demand of the Smith & Wesson Governor Revolver than DeSantis ability to kick out holsters but that's only my speculation.

 

During my reviews I like to compare my results to the manufacturer's claims where possible so the following text in colored italics was taken directly from the DeSantis website on 9/6/11and gives the key features and specifications for the DeSantis S&W Governor Dual Angle Hunter Holster.  The , and are my way to keep up with details that I have covered in this review with either photos, commentary or both.  I may also add commentary after these marks as necessary to explain some items or add other items if needed.

Key Features

• The Dual Angle Hunter® features separate belt slots for conventional hip draw or cross draw.
• The 016 is constructed of premium saddle leather and molded to the specific gun it is intended to carry.
• Available in tan lined leather.
• Accommodates belts up to 1 3/4" wide.

Specifications

• Model: Dual Angle Hunter
• Firearm: S&W Governor 2.75" 
• Item #: 016TCV1Z0
• Hand: Right
• Color: Tan
• Lined: Yes
• MSRP: $107.95
• Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Length: 8.5" tall

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When you purchase the DeSantis Governor Dual Angle Hunter Holster it comes packaged in a zip-lock bag as shown below.  The only two items in the bag were the holster and a "Holster or Thumb Break Too Tight?" pamphlet.  The pamphlet information can be found here at DeSantis website.  The outside of the bag has a sticker that states model "Dual Angle Hunter", hand "Right", firearm "S&W Governor 2 3/4"" and item number "016TCV1Z0".  It also stated a date of "08/08/11" which tells you this is probably a holster fresh off the manufacturing line.

Figure 4

This holster came with a nice even tan finish and has some of the basic features of the revolver molded into the leather.

Figure 5

The holster is double stitched in the critical stress areas and single stitched in other less stressed or cosmetic areas.  The holster is stamped "DeSantis 016 V1 Made In U.S.A." on the back.  The two slits are used to carry the Governor in the conventional hip draw configuration and passing your belt through the long slot is used for the cross draw configuration.  The slots are designed to use a belt up to 1.75" in width.

Figure 6

The holster measures about 2.4" at it's widest point.

Figure 7

Figure 8

The inside of the holster is lined with suede on the inside to prevent rubbing or scratching on a firearms finish.  It comes with a single snap on the thumb break.

Figure 9

The holster weighed in at 4.3 ounces

Figure 10

These next several photos give you an idea on the fit of the Governor in the holster.  I thought the fit was good with very little extra motion of the revolver in the holster and the revolver easily slid out of the holster.  Also the revolver seated well in the bottom of the holster.

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

The photo below shows that there was some gap between the retention strap and hammer when the thumb break was snapped.  I believe there is some variability in this gap between holsters and this is probably on the wide side of the variability.

Figure 15

One thing I noticed was that as you draw the revolver it sometimes contacts the snap on the thumb break.  If so, you will get these brass looking marks on your cylinder as shown below.  Fortunately the marks do wipe off easily with your thumb.

Figure 16

These next three photos show me with the holster in the hip draw configuration.

Figure 17                                     Figure 18                             Figure 19
     

These next three photos show me with the holster in the cross draw configuration. I used the holster with a basket weave style belt and would recommend a solid style belt.  It was a little more difficult than I would like feeding the belt through the longer section for the cross draw configuration because the belt wanted to compress/expand due the the weave.

Figure 20                                     Figure 21                                Figure 22
     

 

Bottom Line:

The DeSantis Governor Dual Angle Hunter Holster seems to be a quality holster that fits the S&W Governor revolver well.  I thought it was comfortable to carry in both the hip and cross draw configurations.  The only thing I found negative was that if the cylinder contacts the snap on the thumb break, the snap will leave brass looking marks on the cylinder.  Fortunately these marks wipe off easily with your thumb.

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