A few weeks back in my review of the Walther P1 from Century Arms, I described how I was able to find a well-made belt holster to fit it from the Craft Holsters company located in Slovakia. The belt loop OWB holster I received from them for the P1 was exquisitely fit, and detail hand boned. I was impressed enough with them and their product line to dig a bit deeper.

1. Craft Holsters Falco Model 184
Paddle Holster
SCOTT
W.
WAGNER
A
few
weeks
back
in
my
review
of
the
Walther
P1
from
Century
Arms,
I
described
how
I
was
able
to
find
a
well-­‐made
belt
holster
to
fit
it
from
the
Craft
Holsters
company
located
in
Slovakia.
The
belt
loop
OWB
holster
I
received
from
them
for
the
P1
was
exquisitely
fit,
and
detail
hand
boned.
I
was
impressed
enough
with
them
and
their
product
line
to
dig
a
bit
deeper.
My
favorite,
most
often
used
holster
for
full-­‐sized
handguns—autoloaders
in
particular—is
the
outside-­‐the-­‐waistband
style
of
holster.
While
certain
IWB
designs
are
quite
comfortable—like
those
from
Remora
or
Hero
Holsters—when
carrying
larger
guns,
I
gravitate
to
the
OWB
design.
I
opted
to
test
another
OWB
style
holster
from
Craft
Holsters,
the
Falco
Model
184
Paddle
Holster.
Paddle
holsters
were
originally
developed
by
various
manufacturers
to
meet
the
needs
of
plainclothes
detectives
or
administrative
staff
who
worked
in
the
relative
safety
of
a
police
station,
mostly
seated
behind
desks.
They
felt
burdened
by
wearing
a
handgun
all
day
long
while
desk
bound
and
wanted
a
holster
that
could
be
put
on
and
removed
easily
with
the
handgun
still
secured,
and
the
entire
rig
locked
in
their
desk
drawer
for
the
duration
of
their
shift.
Manufacturers
answered
the
demand
and
the
“paddle
holster”
was
born.

2. Basically,
a
paddle
holster
is
one
where
a
standard
holster
shell
is
mounted
on
a
rounded
“paddle.”
The
paddle
is
designed
to
fit
behind
your
trouser
and
belt,
against
your
shirt,
with
the
holster
shell
fitting
outside
it.
The
paddle
(hopefully)
holds
the
holster
in
place
with
relative
security.
It
can’t
be
so
secure
however,
that
you
can’t
get
it
off
with
ease.
Remember,
that
was
the
original
purpose
of
the
design.
The
Falco
Model
184
holster
I
received
from
Craft
is
impressive.
The
boned
leather
shell
fit
my
Glock
17
like
the
proverbial
glove.
The
leather
thumb-­‐break
retention
strap
held
the
Glock
in
place
securely.
The
polymer
paddle
is
ventilated
for
comfort—an
important
feature
for
a
part
of
the
holster
that
may
be
worn
directly
against
your
skin
(or
at
least
close
to
it).
To
reasonably
retain
the
holster
in
place,
the
paddle
has
a
series
of
small
molded
spikes
on
the
trouser
(not
skin)
side
of
the
paddle
to
help
grip
the
clothing.
There
is
also
a
pair
of
movable
nuts
on
each
side
of
the
paddle
with
six
positions
per
side
that
allow
you
to
adjust
the
position
and
ride
of
the
holster.
The
position
of
the
paddle
itself
can
be
rotated
after
loosening
a
locking
screw
on
the
back
of
the
paddle.
Two
allen
wrenches
are
included
to
facilitate
adjustments.
I
adjusted
my
sample
for
a
muzzle
forward
cant.
One
of
the
most
important
features
of
a
good
quality
paddle
holster
is
the
ability
to
draw
the
gun
from
the
holster
without
drawing
the
holster
along
with
it.
There
are
older
designs
where
this
happens!
The
Falco
184
passed
this
test
with
flying
colors!
The
second
most
important
feature
is
easy
removability.
While
the
184
would
not
pull
out
from
the
pants
by
pulling
straight
up,
rocking
the
rig
forward
allowed
the
paddle
to
dislodge.
There
is
one
well
known
brand
that
I’ve
used
that
is
VERY
difficult
to
get
out
once
in
place,
to
the
point
that
one
might
as
well
use
a
belt
loop
holster
instead.
The
Craft
Holsters
Falco
184
is
superbly
rendered.
This
would
be
a
good
option
for
the
CCW
permit
holder,
because
the
entire
rig
could
easily
be
removed
when
home
without
clothing
adjustment,
with
your
handgun
staying
protected
in
the
rig.
The
184
works
with
thick
or
thin
belts,
or
even
without
a
belt
at
all.
Price
is
$73.95.
Product
used
for
this
review
was
provided
by
the
distributor
of
concealed
carry
and
duty
holsters
-­‐
Craft
Holster
-­‐
http://www.craftholsters.com.
For
more
information
about
range
of
products
please
visit
the
website.
Full
article:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/craft-­‐holsters-­‐falco-­‐model-­‐184-­‐
paddle-­‐holster/