Review: MTAC IWB holster

[Sturmgewehre]

Last week I posted this thread asking for some ideas on purchasing a new inside the waistband (IWB) holster. Several people responded (thanks!) but one rather unique design caught my attention.

The Comp-Tac company recently released a new model called the MTAC. This holster is a hybrid in that it makes use of fine leather and Kydex for its construction.

I'll be honest, at first glance it thought it was ugly. I was looking for something more traditional made from leather like Milt Sparks. Well, good luck getting Milt Sparks to build you a holster any time soon! So I gave the MTAC a second look, this time trying to be objective about the construction and the materials. After a few minutes the design really seemed to make sense to me. I read a few other reviews on the internet from people that had gotten theirs and everyone was quite complementary of the holster.

Late on November 30th (Friday) I placed an order online. By Saturday afternoon I had an email from Randy at Comp-Tac saying my order was being processed and the build was started. He advised me the time from build to the holster being on my doorstep would be about a week. I have to give cudo's to these guys for their exceptional customer service by the way. I made a mistake in ordering online and selected a 5" barrel length for my 1911 when I meant to order a 4.25" (Commander size). On Sunday I emailed Randy and by Monday morning he said my order was updated.

Friday afternoon I come home from work and I have a USPS package sitting in my mailbox. Inside the package is my new MTAC holster which has been professionally packaged and in excellent condition.



As you can see, the guys at Comp-Tac even included a couple rolls of candy and an allen wrench for making adjustments to the holster, which is a nice touch.

Before taking the following pics I made a few adjustments to the holster itself and put it on for a night out on the town. These pics were taken this morning after wearing the holster for about 5 hours last night at dinner with friends.



The holster slips right into position with a minimal effort. I ordered the rig with the J hooks which cup the bottom of your belt (you specify the width of your belt when you order) thereby preventing the holster from pulling free of your pants when you draw. There are several options here for attachments, which is also a nice touch.

So into the car and out to dinner I go with the wife. The first thing I notice is that due to the design of the holster, my side is completely padded and makes no contact with the pistol itself. The back side of the holster that contacts your skin is padded with what appears to be a very soft pig skin (see picture below). This translates to a VERY comfortable carry, one I'm not at all use to. So far, so good. A+ on comfort.



One of my major issues with most holsters is that they tend to move around. keep in mind I'm not a huge IWB holster fan. I usually go with an open top belt mounted holster for all of my handguns. The few IWB holsters I have always rubbed me wrong, were too thick or just moved too much because of the lack of proper anchor points. With the MTAC all of these issues were non-existent. The anchor points are spaced far enough apart and the texture of the leather grips your skin and pant fabric enough so that it doesn't move hardly at all. Again, another A+ for design and construction.



Since this holster is a hybrid and makes use of the relatively new wonder material Kydex, the mouth of the holster remains completely open even with the pistol removed. With traditional leather holsters most manufacturers recommend you never remove the pistol from the holster while wearing it unless you need to. The leather alone is easily crushed by the belt tension and over time will flatten your holster. Not a major problem, but something I really don't want to worry about. With the MTAC, I don't have to worry about this at all. I can quickly and easily remove and reholster my pistol.

You may also adjust the tension of the holster by tightening or loosening two screws. Not only does it adjust how tightly the holster grips your pistol, but it also adjusts how much tension your belt places on the pistol by offering some resistance to that pressure.

All the components are of exceptional quality. The Kydex is nicely formed with no visible imperfections. The stitching of the leather is uniform and appears to be very durable. All of the adjustment screws have rubber grommets around them. Over all, once again I must give the quality of the materials and construction an A+.



If you're in the market for a IWB holster you should give the MTAC holster considerable consideration. The quality and design are first rate and the company is very responsive to their customers.

[Let it Bleed]

Nice review. It seems like a well thought-out and executed design. Thanks for the info.

[murphjup]

Thank you for the review as well Im considering one for my Colt "New Agent" 3" 1911...

I see you are using a 1911 in it so that eases some concerns....

Do you like the "J" Hooks? I am also considering the "V" Hooks...

Any pics of you wearing it perhaps... ??

Thank you in advance...

[Sturmgewehre]

Here's a pic I took this morning getting ready to head out to do some Christmas shopping.



I really like the J hooks because it's so easy to slip the holster on and off. It's very minimal but it works perfectly. I think the C hooks are too much and I'm not sure about the V hooks.

[murphjup]

Do you ever tuck your shirt in with it?

Thank you for the picture..

[Sturmgewehre]

I haven't yet but I plan on trying it. In the winter I usually go untucked. As a matter of fact, for personal style reasons I rarely tuck a shirt in when I'm not in a suit/office environment.

Also, no matter how good the IWB holster is due to the fact you've displaced so much waistline material in your pants it's fairly obvious you have something stuffed in there... that or you have one massive goiter. That's at least the case with full-sized handguns. If I carried my Kahr it wouldn't be so obvious I suppose, but I never have felt 100% comfortable carrying a super small handgun daily.

[murphjup]

Well I'm Usually a "tucked in" Shirt kind of guy.... but since im considering the MTAC... I don't believe a tucked shirt is gonna work...

Any other "tucked in" MTAC comments, thoughts?

[Edward Nigma]

MTAC stands for Minotaur Tuckable Ajustable Cant, therefore the MTAC is designed for shirts to be tucked.

[Sturmgewehre]

As Edward mentioned, this holster IS designed to be used with a tucked in shirt.

[[email protected]]

Great looking holster.

[murphjup]

Well I probably will end up getting one, but from the photo above, it looks like it might print a bit... as well as it might be difficult to hide the bump on your hip....

Thank you

[murphjup]

Well I ordered my MTAC this evening...

I will report back when I recieve it...

[tsix]

Thanks, great write up! I have been considering an MTAC. Do you find the retention of the pistol in the holster to work well? I am a little concerned as I wear mine while riding (horseback, tractor, etc.) and I sometimes bounce around a bit.

[Sturmgewehre]

The retention is very positive. You would have absolutely no problem riding horse back or even doing gymnastics. You can adjust the level of tension with two adjustment screws, plus the tension of your belt will also aid in holding the firearm in place.

[tsix]

Thanks! Guess I need to get off my duff and get one ordered in.

[scorpiusdeus]

I love Com Tac. They have the best customer service of any holster maker I've used, but really I just buy from them for the free candy the include.

[murphjup]

Well two days later they email me saying it's shipped, wow that was fast!!!

Keep you posted...

[Sturmgewehre]

Murph,

I ordered mine on Friday and by the next Friday it was on my door step. That's quick for build time, shipping and delivery.

You should have yours shortly.

[murphjup]

Well I ordered my MTAC on Monday evening and recieved it Saturday afternoon in the mail... Wow that was fast... Unfortunately, My Wife only gave me a short time with it, since it's going in the Christmas gift pile...

It definately is well made... I also got the "C" clips...I tried wearing it about 2:30 - 3:00 and it seemd to protrude a bit at first, but after tucking it properly it seemed a little better, perhaps I need to wear it more like 3:30-4:00... I am using Colt "New Agent" .45 3" 1911...

I have been pocket carrying for years, so it's hard to get back into a holster.. as far as comfort goes...

So for now, to be honest I am on the fence... I will know more after I recieve it at Christmas..

Any other suggestions in the meantime would be great..I'm tring to wear it tucked in with a shirt...

[don't shoot it's me]

Nice looking rig...I tried j-hooks once but I found them to offer less support as the hooks rest on the waistband rather than the belt...Can you get it with standard over the belt clips..not sure what C or V hooks are...

[Sturmgewehre]

Every hook you can imagine is available as long as it's made from Kydex.

The C clip:



The J clip:



The "standard" clip:



The V clip (for velcro apparantly):

[Warlokke]

I love mine. I have one for a 1911 5" and it conceals well and feels great. I just ordered another one for my USPc; didn't want to have to fool with changing out the holster bodies. Right now they have a pretty good deal on gun belts too.

[mattro]

I have the CTAC by COMP Tac and love it!

The only problem with the CTAC is you have to wear an under shirt under the holster cause the kydex is uncomfortable next to your skin.

I carry a full size 1911 often, with a shirt tucked over it and it is barely noticable, and very comfortable. I dont even know it's there most of the time.

They have awesome service. I broke my clips 1 month past the warranty and they replaced them at no charge, and didn't charge for shipping.

My last Gunsite instructor swore by the CTAC holster.

I spoke with a very knowledgable person there and he said the c-clip is worthless. The V-clip with the velcro is the best if you don't change belts often, because you have to put velcro on each belt. I use the standard clips and love them due to the awesome range of adjustment. But, they to tend to travel around my belt, moving from my side to the midel of my back thru the day. That's why I think the velcro would be good.

If I wanted a leather backed model (dont have to wear an undershirt under the holster), like the MTAC, i would look at the "Tucker" "the Answer", I have been told it is a superior design to the comp-tac.

IMO the key to comfortable carry is a heavy reinforced belt! Standard belts suck, no matter how nice the holster.
http://511tactical.com/index.asp?dept=61&number=59405

[DCXD45]

So i bought my gun about a month ago. Came with OWB holster. all PLastic. Not too appealing or comfortable. It bounced around a lot. So my buddie told me about this Southern Comfort holster for my .45. Sold out. I searched around a little and found the MTAC Minotaur. Production time was set at 11 days. and with 2 day shipping, i liked what i saw. As previously posted, the holster came with an allen key and a roll of smarties, which i though was cute.
So, because everyone has to do it, i tried it out with my gun. The holster was so comfortable and you can't even tell it's there. I ordered it with the "C" CLips which basically wrap around your belt for added security when drawing. So i took the gun out the holster to look at how it fit. A little snug. Because the back half is leather, which is extremely comfy, it made a really tight fit, and the slide disassembly lever left a pretty deep gouge in the leather. NOT TOO HAPPY.
So i bought some FRANKLIN baseball glove conditioner, and applied it to the inside of the holster, and the outside of it too. I put the gun back in with a plastic bag around it to stretch out the leather a bit more.
The leather did just what i wanted it too! Stretched out a little and now my gun fits like a glove!!!
If you have the same problem i did with my new MTAC, try the same thing. It take about 2 or 3 days of applying Conditioner to break it in how you want it, but it's definately the best holster i can ever own. And the great part about it, is the way it conceals! Can barely see it even wearing a wife beater.
Well nuff said about this miracle hybrid holster. Spend the extra money and buy something thats worth a dam for your gun that you would probably tryst your life with.
Definately a happy customer...

DC

[wstein]

I have one and it is comfortable. I have two bodies for mine, one for my Bersa and another for my XD. I have the standard clips and they are good to to for me. I did try it with my shirt tucked in, but didn't look right to me. I generally run around with my shirts untucked. Now I just need to drop some weight, so my pants are a little looser