Review: Falco Duty Holster for Gun With Light

 As I noted recently, my son and I had spent some time this past fall and winter to find holsters that would work with certain pistols to which we had attached weapon's lights. And not the Surefire or Streamlight flashlights that most holster makers focus on, but the popular Olight brand of lights. Unfortunately, the handguns for which we wanted the holsters apparently weren't the most popular for mounting lights. For instance, I had picked up a Sig P220 to which I had mounted a Valkyrie Pro which I intended as a nightstand gun, but would also like to have used when camping. Consequently, my son and I both started looking at more "generic" holsters--i.e., not molded to any particular gun or light. 

    In my case, I went to Craft Holsters as part of my search because they have a large--no, huge--variety of handguns for which they carry or can have made holsters, including a large number of holsters for the Sig P220. Back in late December 2020 they hadn't yet expanded their product line to include concealed carry holsters for a P220 with flashlight--that has changed now--and so I wound up asking for a Falco Duty Holster for a gun with a light. The holster was ordered in early January and arrived in mid-February. 

Craft Holsters had used DHS until recently, but changed to Fed Ex. As you can see, the Fed Ex people apparently treated this like a football, which is one of the reasons I avoid using Fed Ex. They must view the "fragile" sticker as a challenge, not a warning.

Fortunately, Craft Holsters packs their products well, so everything was fine.

The holster in all its glory.

    Although I describe it as a "generic" holster, it had been sized for the P220 before shipment. The handgun fit well upon receipt. Even with the retention strap undone, the holster was tight enough to grip the pistol so it wouldn't bounce out during normal activity; in fact, you have to give the handgun a good shove to fully seat it in the holster. The only issue I had was that the Valkyrie Pro light stuck out a bit farther past the end of the barrel than accounted for, and so I had to lengthen the strap for the thumb-break strap. If I had a smaller, more standard sized pistol light, I don't believe it would have needed any adjustment. 

    Adjustment was pretty straightforward. I removed the three screws that attached the holster to the piece holding the loop, undid the strap (which was velcroed in place) and moved it up until I could get it to snap closed. Some Uncle Mike holsters ship a flat piece of flexible plastic used to adjust straps, and if I could have laid my hands on one or something similar, I believe I would have adjusted it without having to remove the backing to the holster.

Outside of holster

Backside of holster

    As the name indicates, this is a duty-style holster, not something for concealed carry. The holster is somewhat boxy and made of thick material. The loop appears designed for up to a 2-inch belt. The loop and material for the backing fits around what feels to be a piece of metal shaped to hold the holster and gun slightly away from the body. I presume this is to allow room to undo the retention strap with your thumb as you grasp the pistol as the snap is low enough it is beside the slide instead of up higher at the back corner of the slide as is often the case with thumb break holsters. 

    The inside of the holster is covered with nylon fabric except for the top. At the inside top is a rigid polymer piece with a groove down the center intended to allow the front sight to slide along without catching on anything. It works well on this function. The outside of the holster is nylon fabric but also with vinyl covering part of it to give a nice aesthetic. 

    The retention strap is not a floppy nylon strap, but is made of quite stiff material. Which is good because it is not going to be flopping around inside the holster when it comes time to reholster the weapon.

Inside of holster. Note the plastic "rail" on the top to make sure that the front sight doesn't snag.

Bottom/closed end of holster

    All the stitching is nicely done with no obvious flaws. The materials also appear to be of good quality and I have no doubt that this holster will last years, if not decades, of normal use, and survive hard use if it should come to it.

    The P220 is a big gun, and so not one that I really expected to carry concealed. I wanted it for two reasons, primarily: a .45 ACP caliber pistol that I could use for high count shooting and as a nightstand gun. I was a little flummoxed at how to best use this holster given its size, but as I thought about it, I decided that a duty belt/battle belt setup might actually be best. I have an Olight  Freyr with a belt pouch/holster also intended for a duty belt. I figure that I could have a duty belt set up with both, and when I hear the proverbial bump in the night, I could have the belt ready with at least those two items and that I could just snap on over whatever else I was wearing.

Another look at the holster and the gun and flashlight

    I don't know if the retention system on this would be sufficient for police work as it is a simple thumb break system. It would probably would work fine for a security guard, however, who openly carried a handgun and wanted something that would accommodate a pistol with weapon light. It will certainly work fine for my purpose of having someplace to put the pistol while practicing at the range or, as I explained above, for something on a duty belt that could be quickly strapped about my waist. And, as mentioned above, the construction is solid and of good quality.