Post by D.S.
When I turned 21 I wanted one thing… a handgun. I didn’t want to go out and drink, but I did find out I love margaritas. No, what I wanted was a S&W M&P 2.0 compact and my Concealed Handgun License. My amazing wife got me both! When I got my license to carry, I needed a quality holster. We went to a local gun store and found one, but I couldn’t tell you what brand or where it is now. It was forgettable. Looking for a quality option, I began my search. After using some Google fu, I came across a company called T.Rex Arms out of Tennessee. I browsed their products and found their Raptor and Sidecar series of holsters. Both products were well received by the reviews I saw, and the difference was the Sidecar carried an extra mag, while the Raptor was a stand-alone AIWB holster. Not knowing if I would like it or not, or if I would want to carry an extra mag… I went with the less expensive raptor. I haven’t looked back since!
The Claw
What makes this holster so good, is the claw feature they put on their holster. The claw is a very rigid piece of plastic, or polymer, that pushes the grip side of your handgun back into your body. Everyone can conceal a 5 inch barrel down their pants (the lady’s love that, amirite?), but it’s hard to conceal the grip of your handgun as that is what protrudes out and causes you to print.
Ladies… Ahem. It’s not the length of the barrel that’s difficult to conceal, but the grip that causes most of our printing woes.
For those that don’t know, “printing” is when the outline of your gun is showing through your shirt, in which case your concealed gun isn’t very concealed. From my experience of carrying very regularly, the claw does an amazing job of preventing me from pulling a Gutenberg. One you first start carrying, you get paranoid of if, how, and when you print… and I got over that very fast as this holster gave me confidence to know I was well concealed. Even my wife at times who visually watches me get dressed and put my holster in my pants, will forget I have it and have no clue it’s there, even when she looks for it.
How Comfortable Is This Holster?
On top of concealing my handgun very well, this is a very comfortable holster. During the winter when I have a sweatshirt on top of a T-shirt and carry in between those layers, I don’t know my handgun is there. The only reason I say that is because my handgun has VERY aggressive texturing and during the summer when it’s gun on skin concealing, I notice the grip of my handgun but not the holster. Walking around is very comfortable as the holster stays in place and doesn’t move very much if at all. They have a quick clip attachment system that is very tight and it does a phenomenal job of holding it in place. You just slide it down your pants and the clip over your belt, it grabs your belt and won’t come off until you pull the clip back to release the belt. This raptor holster will not come out while you are drawing your handgun whatsoever.
However while it won’t move on its own, the system will let you slide it around until you find the perfect spot to hide your gun in your pants. Going about day to day activities such as walking around, standing up, sitting down to eat, or to drive is a breeze. Sometimes, when I go to sit down and forget my holster is there, I get a gun in my stomach or a barrel smashing something. This is easily remedied by adjusting your pants when you stand or sit so that doesn’t happen. Even while sitting it’s a very comfortable holster after a quick adjustment. While sitting, even when it’s sitting on my stomach instead of my waist, it’s still concealed. I don’t think there is a holster in the world that will let you sit down and stand up without needing some minor adjusting to have it go with your body. Just make sure you put your shoes on before you put your holster on. You will thank me later.
Make your holster, YOUR HOLSTER!
On top of making a top quality product, T.Rex Arms makes the holster EXTREMELY customizable. When you go to order your holster, you have the option to customize everything. You can choose the color of your holster left-handed or right-handed holster, whether or not you want a shirt guard, which means the holster goes higher on the slide to protect your shirt a little. You can even add a specific light for your handgun. For instance, I carry the M&P 2.0 compact with an Inforce APLC light. So they specifically made my holster for that gun and light combo. You can have a Glock 19 with a left-handed setup in a pink holster and a Surefire light and they will make it for you. They also have options for threaded barrels and optic cuts. So this holster system can accommodate ANY gun, light ,optic combo you need.
A small sample of some configurations and colors. That Kryptec Typhoon on black would be SWISH SWISH with my Maxpedition Liger gunbelt. – Lothaen
Personal Testimony
I have used this holster for a year and a half roughly, and I’m not going to change a thing. This company takes care of you and gives you a top quality product. Recently I decided to switch my magazine release from the left side of my gun to the right because my magazine was being released due to the button hitting my belt loop one day. I did not like that so after switching it to the right side, I noticed that the mag release cutout in the holster was only on the left side of the gun, not the right. So when I fully seated my handgun in the holster it would also eject the magazine immediately. After emailing them about that, it is being taken care of. Having a company that stands behind their product and cares about their customers has me going back for all of my holster needs from now on. They make all sorts of holsters and products and are worth checking out.
Another thanks to D.S. who brings us some more great content. Disclaimer: TNR does not have a financial relationship with Trex Arms, and this review was individually funded and reviewed by D.S.
Next Week: First Aid. Fake Blood. Training. Trauma kits. Stop the bleed. Sooooon.
Lothaen Out!
I’ve had a few for a long time now (6 plus or so years). They’re great. Mine have been very durable.
A little of topic, but I had to comment…
Just because your gun isn’t printing, that doesn’t mean no one can tell you’re carrying. Cargo shorts? Shirt with a flag on the sleeve? It’s not a real stretch of the imagination to assume that dude is carrying.
Concealed carry is about more than putting fabric over a gun. If you want to blend in with the normies, you have to actually dress like them.
You are correct, the clothes do say that I might have a gun, but you can’t be sure. That is not uncommon to see where I live and where I happened to be that day. When I go to the city I dress in jeans and a flannel or a plain shirt. While that may not be the case all the time, I do try to make the conscious effort to wear clothes that don’t stand out. I also refuse to put gun stickers on my car because I don’t want people to think I have a gun in my car. We just need to be conscious of our surroundings at all times.