Old Faithful Holsters IWB Hybrid for Sig Sauer P250c

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It’s now here, the third holster review and giveaway (drawing in May 2014)!  If you’ve got a Sig P250 semi-auto, you’ll be interested in this one.  More holster reviews for Kahrs, Glocks, Rugers, 1911s of different types, etc., are on the way!

The Holster:

Up now is the IWB Hybrid, by Old Faithful Holsters.  This is an older model that I believe was designed for hip carry.  I’ve used it for hip and belly, but this review will focus on the hip.  I’m going to put a link here: Old Faithful Holsters, so you can find them, but know that it is NOT SPONSORED.  In other words, we receive no compensation for the reviews.  That lets us pick them apart, when needed.  Normally, here is where we would put the price paid for this holster.  Well, the reason for the above uncertainty on type is that I acquired this second hand.  It was unused, but I have no idea what its original owner paid.  The owner sold his Sig (nuts!) and I got a great deal on his box of holsters.

Old Faithful w/Sig P250c. Notice the expertly formed Kydex!

However, according to the site, the holsters cost between $40 and $75  depending on whether you buy it assembled or not.  I highly suggest you buy it unassembled.  Not only for the savings, but because you will want to play around with the mounting holes anyway, to find what works for you.  Buying it assembled will just make more work for you!

Full sweat shield and plenty of options on the holes.

First Impressions:

As we’ve noted before, it seems there are hundreds of people making Kydex holsters.  Most of them are the hybrid type, with leather on one side and kydex on the other, for IWB concealed carry.  In that respect, the Old Faithful Unit is similar.  But that’s where the comparison ends.  The Old Faithful is really a cut above, where quality is concerned.  The leather is easily 5mm thick and the Kydex is over 2mm thick.  BEEFY!  I think this holster will last years.  The only thing that comes close and is made of leather is the Simply Rugged that we reviewed for our first giveaway.  Another feature setting it apart is the inclusion of rubber grommets between the Kydex and the leather, and behind the belt clips.  More on that, later.  Old Faithful has also included spare hardware in their kit, which is something I’ve never seen on any other holster (which is saying a lot; wait til’ you see how many holsters we give away!).

Just behind the hip works best for me. Shirt behind, so you can see ride height.

Concealability and Carry:

I ran my 1.5 inch belt through the slots, with no trouble and you could probably go to a 1.75” belt.  If you belt is smaller you may want different clips. I’m carrying the Sig P250c, behind the hip.  This is a “compact” Sig…. which means it is the size of a framing hammer.  OK, I’m kidding…..a little.  Sigs tend to be big and heavy, compared to their competitors.  At over 30 oz empty, I prefer to carry this Sig in a shoulder rig.  So, IWB, you need something beefy to hold it still.   All of that said, the only part that is going to stick out when carrying in this holster is the grip.  Sig did do a nice job rounding the edges, which let your shirt slip around the grip, enhancing concealment.



Note: I explain the nylon belt, below.  However, if you plan to carry a full Sig P250, wear a strong leather gun belt.  Anything else is going to feel like your pants are being pulled off.

Comfort wise, the thick leather backing does a good job of making such a heavy gun, comfortable.  The edges are thick, so they don’t dig.  The leather is thick enough that you don’t feel the profile of the gun AT ALL.  The Kydex is NICELY formed to the profile of the firearm and the contoured so it doesn’t wear holes in your pants or shirt.

Tucked in, it all but disappears the big Sig. Clips are less obvious with a black belt.

A SUPER feature of the Old Faithful Holster is the grommets behind the belt clips.  They leave plenty of room to tuck even a thick flannel shirt and you can tighten them down, if you want your shirt to stay in place a bit more.  Personally, I don’t like it when you have to force the shirt in between the belt clips and holster.  It’s a P.I.T.A. to get dressed and can foul the draw.  The gap that the grommets provide is well appreciated.

Nobody knows you are packing 16 rounds of 9mm.

Retention:

Whatever you want.  There are rubber grommets between the Kydex and leather that allow for tension adjustment.  You can have it held in by gravity only (not suggested) or tighten the screws for snug, really snug, or 20 inch bicep snug.  Like the man says, “anyway you want it, that’s the way you got it”.  Drawing the gun is smooth and you can also adjust the cant with the multiple holes that are pre-punched in the leather.  They thought of everything.

What We Liked:

This thing is built like John Wayne’s saddle.  The leather is thick, the Kydex indestructible, the belt clips strong and rugged.  Also, the leather dye does not bleed or rub off, AT ALL.  So, you can wear your nice white dress shirt.  If you happen to run out of ammo, pull off the holster and bitch-slap the bad guy with it.  Once or twice should render him unconscious.

What We Didn’t Like:

What makes the Old Faithful such a perfect IWB holster, also works against it a bit (at least with this particular gun).  Because the holster is beefy, it’s relatively stiff and heavy.  When the gun and ammo are already pushing 40 oz., I’m not sure you want such a heavy holster.  But then, a light holster wouldn’t be up to the task, so this is a pretty lame complaint.   Yeah, strike that complaint, the holster is built right for the task.  Once it is in place, it carries as well as the lighter hybrids and is more comfortable.  So, I guess I just wasted your time, reading this paragraph!

Conclusion (except for the gunporn, below):

The Old Faithful Holster is as tough as you can make an IWB Hybrid, without making it too stiff or obscenely heavy.  It is built to last years and thick enough to carry your heavier guns.  I’ve already ordered one for my steel frame 1911, so that tells you something.

For a chance to win this holster in our monthly drawings (starting in May, to give people time to sign up), put your email in the box above this post.

GunPorn:

The Sig P250c is a DA only pistol, but a Sig Sauer DA.  That is to say, the trigger pull is long, but FLUID.  I think it is a nice blend of safety and speed.  DA only is not for everyone, but it has its place. You get the same pull on every shot and the break on the Sigs is beautiful with no stacking.  I’ve got the Sig night sights, which are a nice feature and still easily viewable at the range.  The grip is big enough for my fairly large hands to get a purchase and not fumble the draw.  An interesting thing about the P250 is that the slides, grip/frame and barrels are interchangeable. This is the compact, but I could get the smaller parts and turn it into the sub-compact, or full size, or change caliber.  The serial number is on the trigger group, and that is what the Man considers the “gun”.  If you live in a locale that limits the number of guns you can own, or the capacity, it raises some interesting possibilities.  I’ll let you use your imagination on that one.



One more interesting thing.  Of all the firearms I own, the Sig is almost always preferred by the first time shooters I’ve taken to the range.  When asked which gun they want to shoot again, it is usually the P250c.  It is also the one that everyone seems to shoot most accurately. I could speculate as to why, but there is something for you guys to ponder.

Sig Sauer P250c in 9mm

Notes 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 shit).  I’m a middle-aged guy with a little bit of flab.  Not a whale, but the six-pack abs passed by about 300 cases ago.  You need to have a look, because the comfort of any holster system is strongly dependent on body type and any review will be biased accordingly.

Next, the belt.  Hold the “get a proper gun belt” comments.  I’ve got one.  But, it’s hard to see where the holster starts the belt stops, when I use a 1.5 inch black leather strap with no markings.  So, I’m using a 5.11 Nylon belt, which provides a nicer background for the photos.  For that reason, I don’t comment on belt sag, because, some of it is the dang belt!

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

Thanks!

–Hank

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