Blackhawk Omnivore review

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The Blackhawk Omnivore is a one size fits many holster. It is not tailored to each specific gun. There are options for two different Weapon Mounted Lights, though. Specifically, the Streamlight TLR 1&2 or the Surefire X300/X300U-A. Since I have a Streamlight TLR 1-HL, I bought that version.

And it has some attachments to assist in fitting different size handguns. I only have the one WML but I had three different guns I could attach it to so I tried them all. A Springfield XD-M, a Sig Sauer SP2022, and a Glock 19.

It has an active retention method. You have to push down on the thumb button to get the gun to release. The retention works on the light, so you really should make sure the light is secure on the gun. I mean, it should be anyway, but consider this another reason.

Does it work? Yes, it does. All three guns fit comfortably and securely within the holster. There are some limits and one caveat. I’ll get to those.

It’s a very large holster.

It’s made out of Kydex with a thin rubber coating on a lot of it. That rubber is good, since you’ll be bouncing this holster off things until you get used to it.

It’s 6″ long, 4.5″ wide, and 3″ deep with the slide belt attachment.

As far as concealed carry goes, there are limits. In my climate I don’t have a real coat, just a couple different weights of jacket. They’re not enough to conceal it, at least during the day. Night helps. Since the holster designed to carry a WML, I’m most likely to be using it at night so it’s not a big deal.

I could also buy a looser jacket if I felt so inclined.

The one weird thing was with the paddle attachment. I’m not normally a fan of paddle holsters, but I thought I’d try it out. Like the rest of the holster, it’s large. It’s 5.5″ wide. It turns out that I have a pair of jeans that don’t have that much space between the belt loops. So no paddle attachment for those jeans.

I found the paddle attachment to be more secure and less floppy than previous ones that I’d tried. There are a couple little plastic pieces you can attach to the slots in the holster to reduce the amount of play it has going up and down.

The slide attachment holster, which requires you to take your belt partially off to attach/unattach it, was very solid.

Some assembly required.

You can see the amount of parts that it came with it. You won’t need all of them but you’ll certainly want some. I’ll hit the high points of what they do but that little book you see at the top is 23 pages. Yes, a 23-page manual for a holster. A little wordy for me but it’s pretty thorough.

The long, slender piece on the right-hand side goes into the holster lengthwise if you have a TLR-1. I’m assuming that means the TLR-2 is bigger and doesn’t require that. The piece is kind of a pain to get in; you have to get it positioned just right and apply a bit of force in two directions to get it to snap in. Once it’s there it’s not moving, though.

The three pieces you see here go in the top, along the slide. They’re space fillers to make sure the gun doesn’t wobble. I use one but honestly, it wasn’t wobbling before I put one it, either.

The little strap looking pieces next to the slide attachment are spacers. You put them on the slider and it reduces the amount of play available for up and down movement. You can also use them for a ride height adjustment.

Adjustments

There are a few. I’ve already mentioned the ride height adjustment on the slider.

As you look at the attachment points you can see that, by using different attachment holes, you can change the cant.

There are a couple different attachments you can put on the thumb button to increase their height to match up with your hand, gun, or setup. The standard one works fine for me so I haven’t even opened that package.

Mind the gap.

Here is the caveat I mentioned. There’s a good sized gap between the outside of the gun and the holster. I could do without that. I’m assuming it was necessary to allow space for the light to come clear, in which case it is what it is.

I’ve seen quite a bit of commentary about this gap that goes way over the top. I don’t think it’s worth that kind of hysteria. While one of the main functions of a holster is to protect the trigger and the Omnivore doesn’t do that as well as I’d like, let’s take a look at what would have to happen for that gap to matter:

1. A relatively slender object would have to move down an inch or so into the holster but not too far or it will go past the trigger guard.
2. It would have to turn, hook, or do something to engage the front of the trigger.
3. It would then have to reverse course and come back against the trigger to pull it.
   1. For the Glock, it would have to engage the blade on the trigger.
   2. For the Sig, it would have to move with over seven pounds of force.
   3. For the Springfield, something would have to simultaneously push on the grip safety.

In other words, while I don’t like the gap, when I think it through logically it’s less of a deal than it appears at first glance.

That, of course, is my call for my situation. If you have a different view then you do; I don’t know your situation or your gun. Feel free to leave something in the comments letting me know your views.

Part of my lack of concern is that, while I tested several guns, the one that will normally have the TLR-1 on it is going to be the Springfield. With the grip safety.

Conclusion

I don’t normally do open carry. At night, with a jacket, I can probably conceal this. I can see me wearing this if I’m out for a walk after dark, when the light would have more use for me, anyway.

Nevertheless, I can’t find any flaws in quality. It’s not for everyone; if it’s for you then Optics Planet has a pretty good selection.

Amazon also has carries them.

As does Palmetto State Armory.