Three Slot Belt Slide Holster with Thumb Break – BH37D

1 review for Three Slot Belt Slide Holster with Thumb Break – BH37D

1. 

   22 Year G-Man – 08/13/2015

   A little about me first. I am a federal law enforcement agent with 22 years of experience. I have carried revolvers and semi-auto pistols for 22 years. I have also been a firearms instructor for my agency for a little less than 15 years. I have trained on the following firearms: Beretta 92 F 9MM pistol, Ruger Speed Six 357 magnum revolver, Beretta 92D 9MM pistol, H&K MP5 9MM submachine gun, Remington 870 Police Magnum 12 gauge pump action shotgun, Sig Sauer P229R DAK 40 caliber pistol, Sig Sauer P228 9MM pistol, and a Sig Sauer P228 357SIG pistol. To carry the handguns, I used the following holsters: Desantis three slot thumb scabbard, Galco SS II shoulder holster, Galco Escort fanny pack, Desantis thumbreak paddle holster, and a Desantis Gunny Sack II. So, in short, I’ve seen a lot of guns and holsters.

   Regarding this holster, I bought it for my retirement gun, a Smith and Wesson 686 Plus 357 magnum revolver with a 3 inch barrel. Let me tell you, it has been a major pain to get leather for this awesome revolver. I was going to get a Desantis thumbreak scabbard for it , but they are not available any time soon if you are left handed. So, after exhausting all other options, I typed in best leather concealment holsters in my internet browser and found Black Hills Leather (BHL).

   The BHL website is great. It’s very informative. The pictures are beautiful too. I spoke to Rudy once on the phone and he was very helpful. I ordered the holster with him on the phone. It was an easy process.

   The holster took a little longer to arrive than I expected it to. It was maybe a week or two late. In the grand scheme of things, that is not a big delay.

   The BHL holster arrived today. It is a plain tan concealment holster. I compared the holster I got to the one pictured on the BHL website and it looks almost the same. So what I saw is what I got. The leather is very thick and will likely take a while to break in. But it feels like it will be durable. The gun fits the holster well. I don’t think it is an exact fit. I compared the fit on this holster to my Desantis paddle holster for my service weapon to compare the fit. Frankly, the Desantis fit looks like it was done with a vacuum seal because the fit is exact. The fit on the BHL holster is not quite as exact. I think that happened for two reasons. First, Desantis probably has some type of industrial press to achieve their exact fit. And second, I think it is easier to achieve an exact fit on a boxy pistol versus the odd shapes of a revolver. Also, this is a custom bespoke product that is made by hand, so I think a fit that is close but not exact is to be expected. The fit on my revolver is tight but very functional. I expect it will loosen up nicely with use.

   Their are only two issues that I have seen with the BHL holster so far. And they are only minor issues. First, the holster extends about an inch beyond the bottom of my 3 inch barrel. I don’t know if that is correct or not. I can see pluses and minuses with it. On the plus side, it will keep dirt and crud from getting to the barrel. But, in 22 years, I have never experienced that. So, forget that as a plus. On the minus side, it is one inch harder to conceal the holster that it would be if the holster only went to the end of the three inch barrel. What I hope did not happen is that they used a four inch holster and sent it to me as a 3 inch. I doubt that is the case. I do have to say, I really only wanted it to extend to the end of the barrel and no further. But again, it is a minor issue.

   The second issue is that when I holstered the gun initially, the front sight gouged out a furrow on the inside of the holster. That really should not happen with a custom fitted holster, but it is not a big deal. I think one thing that has to be noted is that the Smith and Wesson 686 has a VERY TALL front sight. So, that probably contributed to this happening. Again, not ideal. But, it is not a big deal.

   The rest of the holster looked very good, The stitching looked fine. The hand boning looked like it fit the revolver very well.

   My advice on BHL to prospective customers is this. What I saw was what I got. It came about when it was supposed to. The quality is very good. Probably hard to go wrong with BHL. The holster semed priced right too. Not much more than a Galco or Desantis product would have been.

   One last thing. I have seen numerous negative reviews about BHL on the internet. I think these complaints dealt mainly with the time it took to receive the holster and the quality of what they received. Based on my experience, these complaints are without merit. Yes, my holster took a week longer than promised. Big deal. What is a week. When you order a handmade, bespoke, custom product, it takes as long as it takes. Regarding the quality, there is always a lot of variability when you are dealing with leather. No two cows are the same. Also, remember that this is a handmade product made by a real person out of natural materials. They are not going to be made exactly the same way for each and every holster. The stitching is not always going to be PERFECT. But it will be close and most importantly functional.

   One last thing. Folks, it’s a gun holster. With a lot of use, they are going to get banged around and worn in. My older holsters look trashed and worn in. That is the way they are supposed to look. So, get over yourselves and don’t nitpick the product when you get it. Good holster function is way more important than appearance. I can assure you that the BHL holster I just got is very FUNCTIONAL.

   I strongly recommend Rudy’s BHL holsters, especially if you are looking for leather that is not readily available for your gun.

   Thanks Rudy and BHL!!!