DARK STAR GEAR RAMPAGE HOLSTER

You’ve heard of Tamara Keel, right?  Of Shooting Illustrated?  SWAT Magazine?  Concealed Carry Magazine?  Other places too, of course (she’s kind of a big deal) but obviously being associated with a print magazine is the pinnacle of success in the shooting world.  At least, that’s what our moms told us.

Anyway, Ms. Keel knows more about handguns than most people could learn in three lifetimes, and we’re going to go ahead and paraphrase her comments from a few days ago: you’ll notice a few holster makers get mentioned by the pros, over and over, and she was kind enough to list a few.  Raven Concealment you’ve probably heard of; a name most outside of the industry might not know is Dark Star Gear.

Dark Star Gear build minimalist holsters intended for concealed carry.  Yes, we realize this does not apply to a lot of Canadians.  But some of us carry for work; some carry legally when outside of the country, and some use carry gear for competition.  So if you need a concealment holster, Dark Star are the people you want to see.

We’ve got both a holster and a sheath from DSG and sharp-eyed readers may recognize the sheath from past photoshoots; it houses the Craig Douglas-designed Clinch Pick and beat the factory sheath so soundly that the unusual little knife became an every day carry item around Calibre.  Like all Dark Star kydex, the sheath is everything you need and nothing you don’t, and positions the knife perfectly on the belt where it’s out of the way and unobtrusive, but always available to either hand for any cutting task that comes up.

The holster is a true work of art, hiding a Glock 19 or even 17 on most bodies with ease.  This particular model is a tribute to the late, great Todd L. Green, and we bought it in part to support his legacy, some of the proceeds from this model going to fund his Rampage for the Cure cancer charity.  Worn in the 1 o’clock position, it uses the Raven Claw to tuck the butt of the gun horizontally in against the body, and classic Pull-the-Dot soft loops to keep it on your belt.  It’s hard to quantify the difference between a poor holster and a great one, and this is especially true in regards to the “appendix carry” holsters, but Tamara Keel’s observation about the preferences of experts is well taken: this holster carries better than almost any appendix gear we’ve seen, and we’ve had ones that cost literally twice as much.

Dark Star Gear is specialty stuff and it won’t be useful to every shooter.  But those of you who need centreline-mounted concealment gear, whether for plainclothes duty or lawful concealed carry where applicable, will be doing yourselves a favour if you check out this company.  They know exactly what they’re doing, and shooters who know, know Dark Star Gear.