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As I mentioned in my review of my Rock Island XT-22, I have an inexpensive, OWB, leather holster I carry the 1911 with. This is that holster. I’ve had it for a year or two now and carried it quite a few times; I couldn’t even begin to give you a number but enough to be pretty confident in my opinions about it.

The basics.

As I said: it’s leather. Good leather that hasn’t really worn since I had it. It’s OWB, which is not my preferred method but with the 5” barrel on the 1911 it’s probably for the best. If you’re in jacket country it’s a perfectly valid method; in Tucson I can do it if I wear an overshirt.

The holster is not fitted to the gun; one size fits many. There are basically three sizes: size 1 is full sized and compact double-stack guns. Glock 17 and 19, Sig P226 and P229, and the S&W M&P series, except the Shield. The Shield, Springfield XD-S, and similar guns are size 3. The 1911 and Hi-Power guns are size 2. There’s a size selector here that will tell you exactly which one you need.

As you can see, it has a spare magazine pouch built into it. Having the spare mag on the same side as the gun is not ideal, but I can also use another spare magazine on the other side if I wish. And having one built in to the holster is a pretty efficient use of space. I think the current emphasis on capacity and round count is overblown, but I’m not a fanatic about it. An extra eight rounds for so little cost in space or weight is well worth it.

From the top.

As you can see, the full size 1911 does protrude a bit from the bottom of the holster. I’m not particularly concerned about that, but it does mean that you should make sure your jacket, overshirt, or hoodie is sufficiently long to conceal it at all times. Even if you’re reaching up to the top shelf.

Your retention method is pretty much gravity and friction. Nevertheless, I never felt the gun was insecure. With a beast like the 1911 I wear my leather, steel-cored gun belt. It looks dressy and it’s a serious belt.

Attachment to the belt is child’s play: slide the belt through the two loops. I don’t know if it’s the design of that back loop, the loops together, or what it might be; all I know is that the gun doesn’t flop around. Much less than in a Kydex paddle holster I have for the 1911 that I only wore twice then gave it up. I think the 5” barrel could be involved, too. Maybe a Commander size would be a little less stable but since I don’t have a Commander I really can’t prove that.

Theoretically, I could carry my Hi-Power in the same holster but I never have. That has more to do with the gun than the holster; it’s a European police trade-in and not in the finest condition. Specifically, the safety isn’t as tight as I’d like it to be in order to carry it. It’s great to shoot but I won’t be carrying this particular specimen.

As you can see, the sweat guard that rises above the holster next to your skin (or shirt) covers the manual safety nicely. In fact, I’d like to see that with the mag carrier side, too. I have to be careful how I lean, or the spare mag digs in a bit.

Drawing.

I stumbled across this article recently: https://www.usacarry.com/surreptitious-draw/. It’s basically talking about drawing your gun without being detected and how that can be useful at times. I agree with this concept; they just didn’t take it far enough. While I think that Kydex is a gift to the modern concealed carrier, the fact is that it makes a distinct sound when you pull your gun. No matter how slowly you go and how quiet you try to be. Leather is much quieter and what little sound there is less obviously “gun.”

Adjustments.

There aren’t any. I mean, the clock position on your belt is obviously adjustable but that’s it. It has a somewhat forward cant, so strong side is the answer here. Cross draw is right out. I happen to like the ride height and cant so the lack of adjustment isn’t an issue.

Reholstering.

Perhaps the only real question I have about a design choice they made. One of Versacarry’s Product Features for this holster is that it lays flat when not in use. That it does. The price for that is that will also flatten somewhat when the gun is removed, which makes it harder to reholster. As an OWB holster I call that a minor issue. I just make sure to use even more deliberation than normal when putting the gun back in this holster.

Still, I’d really like to see some sort of stabilizing material here, like I have on my DeSantis Sof-tuck. Laying flat is fine, but I’d rather the holster held its shape better.

Quality.

As you can see in the pictures, it has some heavy stitching around the stress points and I’ve never seen a stray thread. I like that the attachment points are heavy leather, rather than clips. Nothing against clips but something built into the structure seems better.

Conclusion.

This holster filled a hole in my daily carry routine: something I could comfortably carry the 1911 with. I have a perfectly good Kydex OWB holster for it; I like this one better. It holds the gun just fine, has the slot for the spare magazine, and it flops less than paddle or slide-type OWB holsters. It’s also quite inexpensive for the quality of holster that you get. You can order yours from Versacarry directly.