So I've been carrying my 1911 in my new RCS Phantom these last couple weeks and figured I'd post some pics of it. I am thoroughly pleased with it. This is my second Phantom. The first was for my G19.
The holster is nice and thin, lightweight, and yet very solid feeling. I went with the belt hooks again on this one. I am unable to carry at work, so the holster comes on and off several times throughout the day. I still don't have my beltman belt - hopefully that will arrive within the next couple of weeks. I a sure that the additional support from a good sturdy belt will make this holster even more comfortable than it already is. As always, I openly start any review with the acknowledgement of bias based on personal experience. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but I have indeed sipped the RCS koolaid and found it very good. I used a MTAC with my G19 for a year or more before getting my first Phantom. I've been carrying my G19 in it since last August. There have been numerous occasions where I completely forgot I even had my gun on me - the holster is that comfortable for me.
The 1911 is obviously a bit heavier than the G19. You don't forget you are carrying it. I kind of like that though.
So without any further adieu, here's some pictures.
Front:
Back:
From the top - this should give a good indication of how thin it is - which makes a big difference in how well it hugs the body and conceals the gun:
The following are some pictures showing the difference in shirt colors and the effect that has. Obviously a Glock 19 is going to be more concealable than a fullsize 1911, but with the right belt/holster/attire combination, a 1911 can be very CCW worthy even in these early summer months.
Here you can see how it rests at the belt line:
Black is my favorite color of shirt for when I am carrying. In fact, I probably wear some form of black polo 75% of the week. You could almost conceal a tank underneath a black shirt:
The lighter in color you go, the harder it is to conceal. If someone was looking for a grip profile, you just might see it with this green polo. Of course, I would guess that generally the only people that would notice that are other people who are carrying - still, there's a reason I wear black so often:
Here's a picture to give an idea of the position of the grip in relation to how I might draw. The Phantom keeps it nice and close to the body, but there is still ample space to get a firm hold:
This blue shirt is probably one of the hardest to conceal carry shirts I own except for a wool t-shirt I accidentally threw in the dryer. Here is a side profile - the view from the front. As you can see, barely visible, but if you were looking for it, in the midst of action you just might be able to make out that something is there. Cell phone, colostomy bag, handgun? who knows:
Just standing, you can kind of make out the imprint of the rear of the grip. This is with a bumper pad on a 8rd mag. A flush 7rnd mag would of course make this a slight bit better. My finger is pointing at the butt of the grip:
Here is a picture of what you might see with this holster after I have just touched my toes - you'll notice how this slightly small, light colored polo bunches a bit and shows the rear belt hook. Overall not that bad, but still, there are good reasons to wear slightly looser fitting clothing when carrying a 1911:
This picture is to show two things. The first is to notice how well the holster hugs the gun up to the body. The second is to point out the one thing that may bug someone who is not used to wearing a kydex holster directly on skin. Unlike the Glock, the 1911 of course has a left side thumb safety. This requires the holster to have a bit of space for it. The first day or two it took a bit to adjust to the edge of the holster on my side. I found it slightly annoying at first. People who need moleskin on their sides would probably be driven insane. I don't have really sensitive skin, so I acclimated rather quickly. Due to this notch that I am pointing at in the picture, the holster is not quite as comfortable as the Glock Phantom against bare skin. If you wear an undershirt, you won't be able to tell the difference. I've been carrying without an undershirt all spring and summer now, so I don't even think about the kydex on skin anymore:
Alrighty, that's all the pictures I have right now. Overall, I absolutely love this holster. It is a great company. Their website is http://themalabarfront.com/ . They have great customer service. I had a belt hook break on my earlier Phantom (the new hooks are much much better than their original hooks) and they sent out two new hooks no questions asked - recieved the hooks 2 days after the one broke.
Last spring I stopped carrying my G19 in my MTAC because I just wasn't comfortable with carrying it - I felt like it was not concealed enough. I carried a Glock 26 last summer, but I wanted to carry the 19. More rounds, full grip etc. So I bought the RCS Phantom to see if all the ravings about it on 10-8forums were true. They were. RCS had a long enough waiting line for a kydex holster that I figured they had to have something right. They did. I was able to carry my G19 without any hesitation from August until now. Several months ago, I found myself again wanting something bigger, either a 5" 1911 or a Glock 17. I knew I could conceal a G19 with a Phantom, so I figured I'd see if I could comfortably conceal a 1911 in summer attire. With this holster, I can. I couldn't be more pleased with it. RCS has yet another fully satisfied repeat customer.
If you are interested in taking a first hand look at these holsters, give my a buzz, and we can meet up some weekend. Thanks for reading.
The holster is nice and thin, lightweight, and yet very solid feeling. I went with the belt hooks again on this one. I am unable to carry at work, so the holster comes on and off several times throughout the day. I still don't have my beltman belt - hopefully that will arrive within the next couple of weeks. I a sure that the additional support from a good sturdy belt will make this holster even more comfortable than it already is. As always, I openly start any review with the acknowledgement of bias based on personal experience. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but I have indeed sipped the RCS koolaid and found it very good. I used a MTAC with my G19 for a year or more before getting my first Phantom. I've been carrying my G19 in it since last August. There have been numerous occasions where I completely forgot I even had my gun on me - the holster is that comfortable for me.
The 1911 is obviously a bit heavier than the G19. You don't forget you are carrying it. I kind of like that though.
So without any further adieu, here's some pictures.
Front:
Back:
From the top - this should give a good indication of how thin it is - which makes a big difference in how well it hugs the body and conceals the gun:
The following are some pictures showing the difference in shirt colors and the effect that has. Obviously a Glock 19 is going to be more concealable than a fullsize 1911, but with the right belt/holster/attire combination, a 1911 can be very CCW worthy even in these early summer months.
Here you can see how it rests at the belt line:
Black is my favorite color of shirt for when I am carrying. In fact, I probably wear some form of black polo 75% of the week. You could almost conceal a tank underneath a black shirt:
The lighter in color you go, the harder it is to conceal. If someone was looking for a grip profile, you just might see it with this green polo. Of course, I would guess that generally the only people that would notice that are other people who are carrying - still, there's a reason I wear black so often:
Here's a picture to give an idea of the position of the grip in relation to how I might draw. The Phantom keeps it nice and close to the body, but there is still ample space to get a firm hold:
This blue shirt is probably one of the hardest to conceal carry shirts I own except for a wool t-shirt I accidentally threw in the dryer. Here is a side profile - the view from the front. As you can see, barely visible, but if you were looking for it, in the midst of action you just might be able to make out that something is there. Cell phone, colostomy bag, handgun? who knows:
Just standing, you can kind of make out the imprint of the rear of the grip. This is with a bumper pad on a 8rd mag. A flush 7rnd mag would of course make this a slight bit better. My finger is pointing at the butt of the grip:
Here is a picture of what you might see with this holster after I have just touched my toes - you'll notice how this slightly small, light colored polo bunches a bit and shows the rear belt hook. Overall not that bad, but still, there are good reasons to wear slightly looser fitting clothing when carrying a 1911:
This picture is to show two things. The first is to notice how well the holster hugs the gun up to the body. The second is to point out the one thing that may bug someone who is not used to wearing a kydex holster directly on skin. Unlike the Glock, the 1911 of course has a left side thumb safety. This requires the holster to have a bit of space for it. The first day or two it took a bit to adjust to the edge of the holster on my side. I found it slightly annoying at first. People who need moleskin on their sides would probably be driven insane. I don't have really sensitive skin, so I acclimated rather quickly. Due to this notch that I am pointing at in the picture, the holster is not quite as comfortable as the Glock Phantom against bare skin. If you wear an undershirt, you won't be able to tell the difference. I've been carrying without an undershirt all spring and summer now, so I don't even think about the kydex on skin anymore:
Alrighty, that's all the pictures I have right now. Overall, I absolutely love this holster. It is a great company. Their website is http://themalabarfront.com/ . They have great customer service. I had a belt hook break on my earlier Phantom (the new hooks are much much better than their original hooks) and they sent out two new hooks no questions asked - recieved the hooks 2 days after the one broke.
Last spring I stopped carrying my G19 in my MTAC because I just wasn't comfortable with carrying it - I felt like it was not concealed enough. I carried a Glock 26 last summer, but I wanted to carry the 19. More rounds, full grip etc. So I bought the RCS Phantom to see if all the ravings about it on 10-8forums were true. They were. RCS had a long enough waiting line for a kydex holster that I figured they had to have something right. They did. I was able to carry my G19 without any hesitation from August until now. Several months ago, I found myself again wanting something bigger, either a 5" 1911 or a Glock 17. I knew I could conceal a G19 with a Phantom, so I figured I'd see if I could comfortably conceal a 1911 in summer attire. With this holster, I can. I couldn't be more pleased with it. RCS has yet another fully satisfied repeat customer.
If you are interested in taking a first hand look at these holsters, give my a buzz, and we can meet up some weekend. Thanks for reading.
9 mms or whatever built on a 1911 frame are NOT 1911s in my book.
