When I did my last big Comp-Tac purchase, I obtained a full shell for my MTAC, a Two O’clock holster (both previously reviewed). The other two pieces I obtained were the Settable Cant holster and The Beltfeed. While I’ve used them at home in practice, yesterday’s Team Tactics course was the first time I used them live.

Settable Cant Holster

I don’t use OWB holsters much because my primary means of carry is concealed, so that really means an IWB holster. However, OWB is preferred for some competition (e.g. USPSA/IPSC), so I wanted to give up using the XD Gear and get something better. I like Comp-Tac so I figured I’d start with them.

I went with their Settable Cant Holster because that seemed to provide the most options: I could use it as a paddle holster or with a belt-slide. It could have the cant set vertical, or 15º back or forward, plus some degree of height adjustment. I also liked that it had a full body shield. The one downside of this holster compared to their other models (e.g. Belt Holster, Paddle Holster, Locking Paddle) is the front/sight edge of the holster is full length whereas it’s short on those other models which would allow the muzzle to clear and exit the holster a hair sooner. That’s not a huge issue to me, as wearing IWB and primarily drawing from IWB requires me to do a full pull-upwards anyways on the draw, so I don’t feel I’m losing anything and would rather not “game” my draw because my primary intent is self-defense with gaming just a fun side-activity.

I played with the cant and in the end settled on a straight vertical cant. While my IWB carry has a slight forward tilt, doing that with this OWB holster just didn’t work well for me. Having it in the vertical position felt very natural. Even tho this holster sets the gun well off the side of my body (instead of plastered against my torso like the IWB holster), I had no problems drawing or reholstering without looking… all through yesterday’s class, lots of drawing and never thought about it nor fumbled a draw or reholster. The only noticeable difference was as this was a all-Kydex holster (vs. the leather backing of the MTAC) so there was a more noticeable click/lock upon reholster. If I tugged the gun up the hold was firmer, but on a real draw I didn’t notice that firmer retention — didn’t slow me down.

I will need to do a little shaping of the Kydex with a Dremel tool. I do like the full body sweat shield, but one edge extends just enough that it can rub my thumb on the draw. Just shave off maybe 0.25″ or so, nothing major. I don’t consider this a fault of Comp-Tac, just a matter of my personal body fit.

I was a little concerned about how well the paddle would hold on my belt, especially since it had hooks spaced for 1.75″ belts and my belt is 1.5″. I noticed no problems at all. I didn’t notice any shift as I moved around (and we did lots of movement in the Team Tactics class, running, kneeling, etc..) nor on the draw. I’ve experienced some paddles be a little flakey and needing some tending to now and again, but I never had to bother with it.

I like the holster. I don’t know if I’ll use it with the belt slide, I don’t know if I’ll use a non-vertical cant. But I’m happy I bought this model so I could have the options to try it out and see what I liked. For now, I’ll keep the vertical cant and the paddle. I don’t see myself using this holster for anything but games or maybe classes where concealment draw isn’t a focus.

The Beltfeed

What a nifty thing: 4 magazine pouches all in a tight row. That’s the great thing about it, but also the bad thing about it.

If you shoot USPSA/IPSC Production, you’ll be limited to 10 rounds in your gun. Many of the course of fire will have over 30 rounds, so you’re going to need a lot of reloads. As well, many advanced-level shooting classes are going to require you to have a lot of ammo while you’re on the line, so the more you can keep your gun running the better you’ll manage the class drills. So, The Beltfeed is an excellent solution to that problem.

The Beltfeed puts 4 mag pouches very close together. You see, if you put 4 mag pouches on your belt and followed Production Class rules, the pouches must be behind your hip bone, which often means the 3rd and 4th pouches will be way behind your back and annoying and slow to get to. The Beltfeed keeps everything up front and quick and easy to get to. But in order to have them all up front and tight well… it’s all tight. The magazines are in such close proximity that you cannot get as full a grip on the magazine compared to single spaced-out pouches. It felt very strange to me at first. However, with a bit of practice you get used to it and it can work out. I will say that it feeds very naturally… you swipe your left hand back to obtain a magazine and the first one you hit you grab and use… go for the second reload, sweep your hand back, and while the 2nd pouch is lower and staggered out, you still pick it up naturally. So the flow is good, you just have to get used to the fact that the spacing is tight.

I will say, while I obtained this mag pouch for gaming, my real desire was to have it for classes, because you can never have enough loaded mags on the line. 🙂  I had no problem keeping my gun running and full of ammo. It just fed naturally, and I suspect I’ve been getting enough practice with the pouches to be used to the grip issue. I will say that I don’t feel as good about my reloads with this as when I can get a full grip, but I suspect it’s just a matter of more practice.

I like. 🙂

Sum

To me, the testimony is that I never had to think about my gear during the class yesterday. It gave me no trouble, no problems, and not even a shift in my muscle memory. That pleases me to no end. I’m quite happy with this purchase, as I have been with most all of my Comp-Tac purchases.