An OWB and Crossdraw Holster Solution from Craft Holsters, for my Sig P938

This month I’m reviewing an excellent holster solution for the Sig Sauer P938.  Normally we would give away this holster at the end of the review period, but I don’t think the Sig P938 has the following of say a Glock 26 or 1911, so instead, I’ll be BUYING a holster (from CraftHolsters.com) for one lucky reader’s gun.  The winner will be chosen at random, so watch your email to see if you won!  You’ve got 48 hours to send this to your friends if they want to sign up for our giveaways.



The P938 is the 9mm big brother of the P238, which comes in .380.  It’s a 1911 pattern single action semi-auto, with a couple of differences in the manual of arms. Although there are a few holsters for the P938 out there, many are designed for pocket carry and I’ve trouble finding an IWB or OWB holster that I like enough to review.

Here at Hank’s Holster Review, we obviously talk a lot about holsters.  But at least as important as buying a quality holster for your firearm is finding a quality company to deal with.   There are plenty of online retailers that deal in cheap knock-offs and outright counterfeit products and I’ve been bitten a few times.  However, I think I’ve found an excellent company for you to deal with!

Luke at CraftHolsters.com found our review page and asked if we could take a look at one of their products.  I agreed to review it after a couple months of use, with the understanding that I would not pull any punches.  The review itself interested me, but I was also interested in finding a trustworthy company with quality products, that my readers could buy from.  I’ll talk about my experience with Craft Holsters later in the article.  Since this is primarily a holster review site, on with the review.

The Holster:

Craft Holsters is an authorized retailer of Falco and other recognized quality manufacturers.  Realizing that some companies do a better job with certain types of holsters (leather, nylon, Kydex, etc.), Craft Holsters uses a filtering method where you put in the make and model of your firearm and it shows you a selection from reputable manufacturers.  I was looking for a holster that could be used for right-handed cross-draw, which is my preferred method of carry when driving on long trips.  The P938 is small enough to carry this way, without my gut getting in the way.  My choice of carry position led to a two cant leather Falco OWB holster.

Here’s a link to the two cant leather holster I bought for my Sig P938

First Impressions:

It’s no secret that Falco makes quality products and this holster is a good example of their work.  From the precise molding to the heavy-duty stitching, to the stainless steel thumb release, this is a high-quality holster.  One of my conditions for reviewing any holster is that I actually use it for carry for about 60 days.  As it turns out, I used this holster almost exclusively for six months!  I see no reason that it shouldn’t provide years of service.  Note: the photos were taken before I started using the holster, because it wouldn’t be fair to Craft Holsters or Falco to show it all scraped up from use.

One of the details I often see missing on the “me too” cheap knockoffs is some type of padding or other protection on the back side of the thumb release snap. A quality manufacturer knows that the holster must protect the firearm from unnecessary wear and tear.

Concealability and Carry:

Assuming you use your concealed carry holster with a quality gun belt like this Crossbreed, you should expect it to provide good concealability while holding the gun close to your body.  It should not lean outward or bounce, two things that can cause printing on your cover garment.

The Falco holds my P938 close to the body.  Even with a fat roll behind it, this holster doesn’t print…at all.  To illustrate that, I am wearing my Duluth Armachillo shirt, which is made out of a sheer nylon fabric.  If anything is going to print, it will do so with something thin and clingy, like this shirt.  The gun is invisible, which is a testament to how well the Falco pulls it against my body.

The forward cant makes for a smooth draw. Although I usually leave the thumb catch open on this type of holster (unless running, bending, or otherwise working) the strap is designed to work with the pistol cocked and the safety on.

Retention:

As mentioned above, I usually leave the thumb catch open, as it’s one less thing to deal with under stress.  Even after six months of use, the holster has enough retention that the P938 will stay in place.  At the same time, it’s not so tight you can’t make a smooth draw.  If you plan on running, chasing perps, or playing basketball, you can use the thumb catch and strap for better retention.

Note that the safety is off in the photo below (I unloaded for photos) but the holster works equally well with the safety on.  For the record, I carry my 1911 pattern firearms in Jeff Cooper’s Condition 1:  Cocked with a round in the chamber, but the safety ON.

What We Liked:

I mentioned above that some type of covering on the snap is a requirement on anything with a retention strap.  Often times, the manufacturer will glue a piece of suede over the metal.  However, the solution on the Falco is a pressed-in plastic plug and I really like it!  This plug is not going to wear through like a piece of leather and provides a low friction contact point against the slide.  I could not pull it out, so it should stay in for the long haul.  An added benefit is that if you pick up some sand or dirt, it won’t stick to the plastic like it would to a piece of leather.

What We Didn’t Like:

Let me make it clear that the following is NOT a criticism of the product itself.  This holster performed exactly as expected.  However, I want to take a moment to talk about the cross-draw carry position.  This particular holster has two slots in it, which allow a forward cant when worn on the strong side, but also an upright carry which is better suited for cross draw.  I say “better suited” because it is not an ideal solution.  It’s nice to have the option but when I’m carrying this way, it’s because I’m driving.  So, I prefer a horizontal position.  The vertical orientation shown here is awkward to draw from while seated.  Still, it is a 2-in-1 option if you only want to buy one holster, but I’ll stick with strong side carry when using this piece of leather.  Again, not a criticism of the holster, just some info to help you pick the right solution.

Customer Experience:

This is something we’ve never done before in a review because essentially, I never had a positive customer experience buying a holster.  I’ve had NEUTRAL experiences, where I bought and it arrived in a reasonable amount of time, but never anything that I would say stood out…until now. I expected a good holster at a great price, but what I didn’t expect were some of the extras.  But first, who are the people at Craft Holsters?



Craft Holsters is a Nevada-based company with a commitment to our firearm culture and those that serve their fellow citizens.  I suggest you read their “about” page to understand what makes them different rather than taking my word for it.  But here’s a quote from their page:

“The term gun culture has the ‘culture’ in it for a reason. We are a part of this culture along with you. You stand on one side and we represent the other. Both of us have an aim, a goal, a mission that we are following. What is ours? You are”.

Their customer experience starts with a great online feature that lets you check on your order, right from their web page.  When you order arrives, it comes protected in a foam packing bag, a cardboard sleeve, and an external envelope (not shown).  When I peeked inside the package I found another nice touch in their “Holster Times” newspaper.  At first, I dismissed this as pure marketing, but as I looked through it, I found some REALLY useful information.

Here is Craft Holsters’ “Bulletproof Guarantee” along with a useful article on leather holster break in.  I usually use my wax paper method, but I think I will try their plastic bag suggestion next time around.  If this isn’t your first leather holster, you probably know all about how to break it in.  However, in this Kydex world, it’s quite possible that the customer does not know this and so, it’s a useful article!

One last thing that demonstrates the integrity of Craft Holster is their discount program for first responders.  It’s not unheard of, but I find that it is not that common, especially if you are purchasing from a retailer on Amazon or some such.  It’s possible that the retailer sells 100s of items and doesn’t see a difference between those that serve with a holster, or a ballpoint pen.  Craft Holsters shows proper respect to those that serve their fellow citizens.

Win a Holster from Craft Holsters

Because the Sig Sauer P938 is not as popular as some other firearms, I thought it would be better to offer our readers the holster of THEIR choice.  So, I’m going to pick someone from our list of subscribers and order them a holster.  You’ll have to be signed up by July 10th to be eligible, but luckily, there is a box to the right of this article>>>

Craft Holsters also offers other options for the Sig Sauer P938 that you can check out here.

Conclusion (except for the Gun Porn, below):

Luke over at Craft Holsters was kind enough to send us a discount worth 5%.  If you’d like the code, check the email you received from us about this review, or sign up for our email list and I’ll be happy to send it to you.  If you are signed up but didn’t see the discount codes, just email me at Hank@hanks-holster-review.com and I’ll send them (be sure to use the same email or name you signed up with).

GunPorn:

We are not a gun review site, but I think that we should at least add a little info about each gun used in the review  Today’s review used my Sig Sauer P938.  The P938 is a “1911 pattern” firearm that will only fire when the hammer is in the cocked position.  In this sense, it is a single-action pistol.  However, the P938 has a couple of differences from a standard Colt 1911.

The first difference you will notice is the absence of a backstrap grip safety.  I can only assume that Sig Sauer left it out because such a safety can be difficult to properly grip on a small pistol like this. Or, they did it for the sake of simplicity.  The other difference is that the slide can be cycled to load or unload the chamber, with the safety on.  Notice how there is no notch in the slide?  I think this system is superior and inherently safer than the original 1911 design.  Of course, your finger is off the trigger and your firearm is pointed in a safe direction (right?) so it shouldn’t matter either way.



My Sig P938 came standard with their excellent SIGLITE tritium night sights.  These glow brightly for years, without exposure to light.  The three dot system is easy to acquire while still being low profile. The magazine holds seven rounds, plus one in the chamber, for a total of 8 rounds of 9mm.  I’ve fired numerous types of ammo with bullet weights at 115gr, 124gr, and 147gr.  Everything feed and even limp-wristing it, I couldn’t cause a failure to feed or eject.

My hands are larger than average (I’m 6′ 4″ or so) but not enormous.  Think, larger than Marco’s, but smaller than Donalds 😉  Still, this is essentially a two finger pistol.  I can ALMOST get my pinky on the grip extension but not fully.  If you’ve never shot one of these compact pistols, it takes a box of ammo or two to get used to.  If you train properly, your pinky should not be playing a part in your grip, so it’s more a mental obstacle than anything else.

An ambidextrous safety is standard and left-handed shooters can move the magazine release to the other side of the frame, if they choose.  The trigger pull is moderate for a 1911 style pistol, but very crisp with a clean break.

One of my concerns with small pistols is slide bite.  Experience it once and you’ll forever pay close attention to what you buy (which is why I don’t own a Walther PPK!).  This little Sig Sauer, has an ample beavertail to keep your thumb web out of the way.  I have no trouble shooting it and have never had to pay special attention to how I grip this pistol.

A Note about our Reviews:

Please look at our “Categories” section and read the About info.  There, you can see some photos of my “body type” (no, I’m not naked, nobody needs to see that!).  I’m a middle-aged guy with a bit of flab.  Not a whale, but the six-pack abs passed by about 300 cases ago.  Have a look, because the comfort of any holster system is strongly dependent on body type and any review will be biased accordingly.

Getting a holster to perform as designed requires a proper gun belt, like my trusty Lenwood.  You can read more about the Lenwood gun belt here.

Please comment and add your experiences with this or any other holster for this model of firearm

Thanks for reading!

–Hank

by