I was walking through the isles of my local Academy in the shooting area and saw a new holster design. It was on sale for $25 and thought it would be fun to try. So I bought a VersaCarry for my Glock 19.
That isn’t entirely true. The holster comes in different caliber sizes and barrel links. So I bought a holster for a 9mm with a 4” barrel that fits my Glock 19. It was kind of cool to look at and something I thought might work as a grab and go under a t-shirt for just a quick market run. Right now I use a Ruger LCR .38 Special to carry for a quick store run or a walk at night. It would be nice to slip something more substantial to take with me.
I got the package open and found something that put me off right away. A lawyer warning:
“Do Not carry any semi-auto firearm in a cocked and locked condition or with a live round.” I understand these warnings (sort of), but don’t like companies that want it both ways. The company wants to sell things to the firearms community buts wants zero liability for their products. If they just put on there don’t actually use this product with live ammo then any negligent discharge isn’t their fault because you used it against their recommendations. But to use the product as advertised we would use the product against the warning label. It’s a conundrum.
Ignoring the warning and trying the product I followed the directions to put it together and then on how to put the gun in. It was quite difficult to get the gun all the way into the holster correctly without putting your hand in front of the muzzle.
The holster is so tight and there really isn’t anything to grab and pull it onto the gun. And I had a hard time holding onto the holster and shoving the gun in. Despite these issues, I tried the holster first with an unloaded gun around the house. It was comfortable and easy to put on, once the gun was in the holster. I could move the holster around to any position on my belt and it wasn’t an issue. From appendix to 3:30, and even small of the back, the holster seemed to hide the gun well. For me, it wasn’t as comfortable as it could be because I like a forward cant on my holsters. The VersaCarry is straight up and down.
The next problem came when I was trying to access the gun. I couldn’t get a grip on the gun. It was pushed so far below the belt line that I couldn’t get a shooting grip. The holster also felt even tighter when attached to a belt. So I had to grab the gun with my thumb and meaty portion of my hand, then after the gun cleared the holster (and my belt), I could get a correct shooting grip.
I practiced for a while and then took it to the range. I was a little uncomfortable on the safety side pulling a loaded gun out of such a little holster without getting a good grip on the gun. I just felt like I was going to drop it or have a negligent discharge by grabbing the gun the wrong way.
I let some other people play with it at the range and had to remind even an experienced shooter (when he first tried the holster with an empty gun) to not put his hand in front of the muzzle to get the gun in the holster. After working with the gun dry for a couple minutes everyone came to the same conclusion, this is not the holster for me.
The things I liked about it were the innovative design (something different) and it retailed at less than $25. If you want to try one you can find it on Amazon here or their web site. For me it’s a pass and mine will end up in the holster box of death or I’ll give it away to someone.
Stay Safe,
Ben
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Deceiving and waste of money
VersaCarry should be called VeryExpensive piece of plastic. It’s not scary expensive, but being priced over an actual “holster” puts it in that category.
Sure, you can easily access your piece, but when you have to put it away or even just put it on, you have to completely take it off, shove that plastic stud back into the barrel and “shimmy” back inside your pants.
The second and most annoying and disappointing thing about versacarry is there is no shielding between your hammer (if your gun has one) and your body. All day long or even for shorter periods of time, I’m constantly shifting my upper body or the gun itself to keep the hammer from digging into my side. After seeing the first video, I was totally impressed. That didn’t last long, as I became “de”pressed with my purchase. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about any other concealed holsters until I actually stepped into the gun sections of other stores. I hate that I didn’t research this issue prior to my purchase. I could have a saved for something more practical. I have a one-word for versacarry…GARBAGE
Welcome to world of holster shopping. Unfortunately we all have a box of old holsters that just don’t work. I agree this one was a fail. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Ben, I actually use one for my .38 special and on for my M&P for short runs like you were talking about, and I love it! I couldn’t wear it all day, but for the price and convenience it does what it says it will do. It’s damn near unbreakable, too.