Thrash1982
Member
I just got my new Ghost III holster for my Beretta 96FSfrom CDNN http://www.cdnninvestments.com/be9292fmotah.html and I must say I'm impressed.
It is a modular holster made from a 1/8" thick kydex shell with a suede-like lining and a trigger guard retention device. There are five attachments available for this model of holster: high ride, low ride with jacket slot, low ride rotating, thigh and vehicle/furniture mount. I bought the high ride, low ride rotating and thigh attachments. The holster locks securly into each attachment with a quick release mechanism so that changing attachments can be done in a matter of seconds.
The retention mechanism is very fast and simple to use. When the gun is inserted into the holster the spring loaded retention ball protrudes about 1/8" of an inch into the trigger guard preventing the gun from being drawn. To draw, push straight down on the release lever untill it bottoms out and locks in the down position. The gun can now be drawn. The release mechanism stays in the open position untill the gun is re-inserted and the trigger guard trips the locking mechanism. A retention device lock is also integrated into the release lever. The thumb piece rotates 90 degress from front to back to prevent the release from being pressed. Now, to draw the weapon the lock must be rotated 90 degrees from back to front and then pressed down to unlock. The only suggestion I could make here if I were a designer is to have the lock rotate 90 degrees from front to back to UNLOCK rather than lock as I find it easier for my thumb to make that motion than the opposite. (I hope that's clear enough)
On to the attachments:
High ride:
Very basic attachment that slides onto the belt to provide a mounting plate for the holster. Has two spacers that fit in the belt slot to give a snug fit to smaller belts. (I have a 1 3/4" Wilderness Instructors belt with the stiffener insert. It's a snug fit but not overly so) Not much else to say about it.
Low ride with jacket slot:
From what I gather from their website this attachment drops the holster from the belt a couple of inches and allows a jacket or outer garment to be worn without obstructing the holster. I do not have this attachment.
Low ride rotating:
This is very similar to the above attachment except for the fact that upon releasing the rotation lock, the holster will rotate 90 forward. I'm still a little uncertain about the function of this because the only position it will lock in is vertical. (I'm sure there's a use for this, I just don't really know what it is) My only other gripe is fixable with a little practice. When I draw I tend to draw up and away from my body at the same time which can cause the gun to bind in the holster somewhat. With a stright up drawstroke there are no problems.
Thigh:
This is an excellent thigh attachment rig. It consists of a velcro lined belt extender, a contoured kydex leg panel and two thigh straps. The interior of the leg panel is lined with the same suede-like material that the holster is lined with so that it does not slide around on your leg. The only criticism I have of the thigh attachment is that when I walk or bend my leg the velcro crackles somewhat and it kinda sounds like I'm wearing a diaper. I wore this around the apartment for a couple hours today and it appears to be very solid. Haven't done any running or lots of moving around with it yet (but will over spring break) but from what I saw today I don't foresee any problems.
Vehicle/furniture mount:
The vehicle/furniture mounting plate does just what you suspect it might do. It allows the holster to be mounted to anything that you can drill 4 screw holes in. I do not have this attachment either.
Overall I'd say this is a very solid system and with 1/8" kydex the thing is built like a tank but without the weight. The only improvements I would make would be to reverse the rotation direction of the retention device lock and to make the low ride rotating attachment so that the holster cants the muzzle end of the holster slightly inward to give it more contact with your leg.
It is a modular holster made from a 1/8" thick kydex shell with a suede-like lining and a trigger guard retention device. There are five attachments available for this model of holster: high ride, low ride with jacket slot, low ride rotating, thigh and vehicle/furniture mount. I bought the high ride, low ride rotating and thigh attachments. The holster locks securly into each attachment with a quick release mechanism so that changing attachments can be done in a matter of seconds.
The retention mechanism is very fast and simple to use. When the gun is inserted into the holster the spring loaded retention ball protrudes about 1/8" of an inch into the trigger guard preventing the gun from being drawn. To draw, push straight down on the release lever untill it bottoms out and locks in the down position. The gun can now be drawn. The release mechanism stays in the open position untill the gun is re-inserted and the trigger guard trips the locking mechanism. A retention device lock is also integrated into the release lever. The thumb piece rotates 90 degress from front to back to prevent the release from being pressed. Now, to draw the weapon the lock must be rotated 90 degrees from back to front and then pressed down to unlock. The only suggestion I could make here if I were a designer is to have the lock rotate 90 degrees from front to back to UNLOCK rather than lock as I find it easier for my thumb to make that motion than the opposite. (I hope that's clear enough)
On to the attachments:
High ride:
Very basic attachment that slides onto the belt to provide a mounting plate for the holster. Has two spacers that fit in the belt slot to give a snug fit to smaller belts. (I have a 1 3/4" Wilderness Instructors belt with the stiffener insert. It's a snug fit but not overly so) Not much else to say about it.
Low ride with jacket slot:
From what I gather from their website this attachment drops the holster from the belt a couple of inches and allows a jacket or outer garment to be worn without obstructing the holster. I do not have this attachment.
Low ride rotating:
This is very similar to the above attachment except for the fact that upon releasing the rotation lock, the holster will rotate 90 forward. I'm still a little uncertain about the function of this because the only position it will lock in is vertical. (I'm sure there's a use for this, I just don't really know what it is) My only other gripe is fixable with a little practice. When I draw I tend to draw up and away from my body at the same time which can cause the gun to bind in the holster somewhat. With a stright up drawstroke there are no problems.
Thigh:
This is an excellent thigh attachment rig. It consists of a velcro lined belt extender, a contoured kydex leg panel and two thigh straps. The interior of the leg panel is lined with the same suede-like material that the holster is lined with so that it does not slide around on your leg. The only criticism I have of the thigh attachment is that when I walk or bend my leg the velcro crackles somewhat and it kinda sounds like I'm wearing a diaper. I wore this around the apartment for a couple hours today and it appears to be very solid. Haven't done any running or lots of moving around with it yet (but will over spring break) but from what I saw today I don't foresee any problems.
Vehicle/furniture mount:
The vehicle/furniture mounting plate does just what you suspect it might do. It allows the holster to be mounted to anything that you can drill 4 screw holes in. I do not have this attachment either.
Overall I'd say this is a very solid system and with 1/8" kydex the thing is built like a tank but without the weight. The only improvements I would make would be to reverse the rotation direction of the retention device lock and to make the low ride rotating attachment so that the holster cants the muzzle end of the holster slightly inward to give it more contact with your leg.