The holster world is full of surprises, from innovative designs in a normally boring landscape to new companies coming out of nowhere, to old companies reinventing themselves. Every once in a while, an established brand that shocks the market with a new holster that raises eyebrows. Such is the case with the CCW OWB Holster from Uncle Mike’s.
Now, before you roll your eyes too much, I’m just as surprised as you. Long considered an entry-level holster company, Uncle Mike’s appears to be rethinking their approach to the serious gun owner. After building a solid reputation for low-cost products—mainly nylon universal holsters—the CCW OWB Holster is a drastic departure, a major step up, one that deserves your attention.
Molded from two pieces of Boltaron, a polymer touted to stand up better to heat than Kydex, the front and back panels are melded together on the edges and adorned with eight screw holes for the belt clips, which rode loose in the bag when the holster arrived.
At first, I was put off by this, but then realized the genius of it: I could put them wherever I wanted without having to first unscrew them from the factory settings. Brilliant! The threads even came dipped in blue Loctite to prevent backing out. I chose to install the screws at the highest setting, so the holster rode a little lower, the way I like it. Retention is adjustable by a single screw set by the trigger guard.
Typically, OWBs are harder to conceal than IWBs simply because they stick out more. So I was leery about the CCW label on this one until I tried it. I was headed to my local range to teach a Basic Pistol class, where I open carry, but I wanted to conceal on the car ride to and from. So I threw a light jacket on for the chilly morning and the holster blended in, even with my full-size Glock 17, a tough gun to hide.
During class, I demonstrated several draws and reholsters, all of which performed flawlessly. No hiccups, no clogs, easy in and out. Overall, the holster did what it was supposed to do with no issues. And it was comfortable, easily distributing the gun’s weight.
Uncle Mike’s may have earned a reputation as a budget holster company, but this holster stands out. The CCW OWB Holster features good construction with solid design features. And at $40.46 from their website, it is a good value for a surprisingly nice holster.
