usp_fan
Member
This is my review of the COM 2 IWB holster from HBE leatherworks.
The Story:
About a month before Christmas, my wife asked for my “listâ€. On it was a COM 2 holster from Eric at HBE Leatherworks. Honestly I though this was a long shot. I knew that Eric had recently had a sale and would be backed up, I knew it would be expensive, and I wasn’t sure my wife would know all the specifics to ask for.
Under the tree on Christmas morning was a note telling me the holster was on its way. It should have arrived in time, but the storms just before Christmas caused the USPS to delay delivery.
The Tuesday following Christmas, it arrived. I don’t know how my wife and Eric worked it out, but from order to my door was less than 3 weeks, I don’t even want to know what it cost to do that. I do want to say that Eric’s wife took time the day before Christmas to call my wife and try to locate the holster in the mail. Eric took time Christmas day to follow up with an email. HBE leatherworks shipped in time to meet their obligation, but USPS didn’t come through. I want to publicly thank Eric and his wife for helping my wife feel secure about the order.
The Holster:
The COM 2 is an inside the waistband style holster. It is constructed like a pancake holster and incorporates tabs for securing the belt loops. Mine is set up to ride at “Medium†ride height. This means the forward portion of the trigger guard and the ejection port ride just below the top of the belt. This version of the holster has a stiffener to hold the mouth open when the pistol is drawn, and is canted forward. The belt loops are secured by small screws and I assume you can order other loops or even loops with snaps. The holster is constructed with the smooth side out on the front, and the rough side out on the back. It has a high back, creating a guard. It is stamped with HBE Leatherworks, Special on the inside of the guard.
The holster is boned, and fit very tight on my Springfield Mil-Spec project gun. After wearing the holster for a day and leaving the pistol in it for several days, the draw was noticeably easier, while retention remained strong. The belt loops fit my 1.5†wilderness belt perfectly. The loops pivoted to allow the holster to conform to my waist and the pistol’s position. The black finish is even and smooth. The stitching is tight and even.
Impressions:
After wearing the holster for several days, hear are my impressions. It carries a full sized 1911 in a way that distributes the weight over a large area on my belt. It helps the pistol feel lighter. It is secure. I have not been concerned about the pistol leaving the holster. It is relatively fast. I can get a good grip and draw smoothly. Re-holstering is easier with the reinforced mouth. I can get the gun back in without looking by letting the muzzle ride down the guard and into the mouth of the holster. The front sight rides in a natural channel created by the two pieces of leather coming together. It doesn’t scrape leather and is protected. Overall, this is a neat design. Well thought out and put together.
Nits:
I think most of these have to do with my body and its geometry. The forward rib of the holster can dig into my skin just behind the hip if I don’t position the holster far enough back (in Ohio, we sometimes need to wear our IWB a little more forward on the belt line due to the requirement that the gun be in plain sight when you are in the car). Also, due to my posterior’s proportions combined with a really curved back, I sometimes need a greater degree of cant to conceal comfortably. I think if I could have tried this holster on prior to it being made (kinda hard huh?) I would have spec’d the front belt loop at low ride height, and the rear at medium ride to give a little more cant without raising the grip. I’ll get in touch with Eric and see if there is anything we can do. If not, I’m still more than satisfied with the holster and very impressed that it is as well tailored to my expectations without my input.
Final:
My wife told me she and Eric exchanged emails and phone calls to get the details right. Eric and His wife went out of their way to make sure my wife knew where it was and when it would get here. I really appreciate that. The attention to detail shows in this rig. I like it. There are a few details I’d change, but I didn’t have input on it and am very impressed how well it came out. I attribute this to Eric asking my wife the right questions. I highly recommend HBE Leatherworks.
The Story:
About a month before Christmas, my wife asked for my “listâ€. On it was a COM 2 holster from Eric at HBE Leatherworks. Honestly I though this was a long shot. I knew that Eric had recently had a sale and would be backed up, I knew it would be expensive, and I wasn’t sure my wife would know all the specifics to ask for.
Under the tree on Christmas morning was a note telling me the holster was on its way. It should have arrived in time, but the storms just before Christmas caused the USPS to delay delivery.
The Tuesday following Christmas, it arrived. I don’t know how my wife and Eric worked it out, but from order to my door was less than 3 weeks, I don’t even want to know what it cost to do that. I do want to say that Eric’s wife took time the day before Christmas to call my wife and try to locate the holster in the mail. Eric took time Christmas day to follow up with an email. HBE leatherworks shipped in time to meet their obligation, but USPS didn’t come through. I want to publicly thank Eric and his wife for helping my wife feel secure about the order.
The Holster:
The COM 2 is an inside the waistband style holster. It is constructed like a pancake holster and incorporates tabs for securing the belt loops. Mine is set up to ride at “Medium†ride height. This means the forward portion of the trigger guard and the ejection port ride just below the top of the belt. This version of the holster has a stiffener to hold the mouth open when the pistol is drawn, and is canted forward. The belt loops are secured by small screws and I assume you can order other loops or even loops with snaps. The holster is constructed with the smooth side out on the front, and the rough side out on the back. It has a high back, creating a guard. It is stamped with HBE Leatherworks, Special on the inside of the guard.
The holster is boned, and fit very tight on my Springfield Mil-Spec project gun. After wearing the holster for a day and leaving the pistol in it for several days, the draw was noticeably easier, while retention remained strong. The belt loops fit my 1.5†wilderness belt perfectly. The loops pivoted to allow the holster to conform to my waist and the pistol’s position. The black finish is even and smooth. The stitching is tight and even.
Impressions:
After wearing the holster for several days, hear are my impressions. It carries a full sized 1911 in a way that distributes the weight over a large area on my belt. It helps the pistol feel lighter. It is secure. I have not been concerned about the pistol leaving the holster. It is relatively fast. I can get a good grip and draw smoothly. Re-holstering is easier with the reinforced mouth. I can get the gun back in without looking by letting the muzzle ride down the guard and into the mouth of the holster. The front sight rides in a natural channel created by the two pieces of leather coming together. It doesn’t scrape leather and is protected. Overall, this is a neat design. Well thought out and put together.
Nits:
I think most of these have to do with my body and its geometry. The forward rib of the holster can dig into my skin just behind the hip if I don’t position the holster far enough back (in Ohio, we sometimes need to wear our IWB a little more forward on the belt line due to the requirement that the gun be in plain sight when you are in the car). Also, due to my posterior’s proportions combined with a really curved back, I sometimes need a greater degree of cant to conceal comfortably. I think if I could have tried this holster on prior to it being made (kinda hard huh?) I would have spec’d the front belt loop at low ride height, and the rear at medium ride to give a little more cant without raising the grip. I’ll get in touch with Eric and see if there is anything we can do. If not, I’m still more than satisfied with the holster and very impressed that it is as well tailored to my expectations without my input.
Final:
My wife told me she and Eric exchanged emails and phone calls to get the details right. Eric and His wife went out of their way to make sure my wife knew where it was and when it would get here. I really appreciate that. The attention to detail shows in this rig. I like it. There are a few details I’d change, but I didn’t have input on it and am very impressed how well it came out. I attribute this to Eric asking my wife the right questions. I highly recommend HBE Leatherworks.
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