Several months ago Andrew Henry (amhenry) of Henry Holsters sent me two of his hybrid IWB holsters—a standard model and one with tuckable soft loops. He knew I was in need of an IWB for my M&P9 and that I was a previous Comp-Tac MTAC owner. As a fan of hybrid designs I was eager to see what Henry Holsters had to offer.
I quickly received a nicely packaged box with both holsters. Each came in its own thick plastic bag with professional labels. It was at this point that I realized I had made a gross misjudgment.
I had the misconception that Henry Holsters was a “kitchen table” holster maker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I soon realized that Andrew's outfit goes far beyond the kitchen table and into a 1,200sqft dedicated workshop. While his holsters remain hand made one-at-a-time, he runs batch processes and fills orders just like larger manufacturers do.
Removing the holsters from the packaging I was very impressed with their overall feel and fit-n-finish. Boltaron (similar, but different than kydex) edges were smooth, the leather was flexible, and the hardware was low-profile and snag-free. There was nothing to indicate that this holster didn’t come from a big name manufacturer.
I decided to try out both holsters over the next several months, from daily wear to a Tactical Response training course to my own personal practice. What follows is my personal experience with two Henry Holsters IWB hybrid holsters.
First, the holster itself.
For picture purposes I used the configuration with tuckable soft loops. There are other options available, including metal belt clips and non-tuckable mounting.
On such hybrid designs much is debated about exposed versus covered rear hardware. Although the hardware is exposed on this holster, everything is either flat or nicely rounded, and the screws are cut to a proper length as to not poke through. I experienced no rubbing issues with the hardware. If one were so inclined I’m sure they could cover them in moleskin or something similar.
As a hybrid the holster it is essentially two pieces—a full boltaron shell mounted to a leather backer. This is somewhat different than other hybrid designs like the MTAC, where there is only half a shell, and the gun is sandwiched between kydex and leather. The addition of the leather is nice in that it places the belt mounting points further out along the beltline, and gives some added comfort and flexibility to an otherwise ‘hard’ style holster. The leather is good quality and has a unique finish on the front side. After some use it began to conform to my body, but never deteriorated—even through sweat and a rain-soaked day of training.
Note that the leather comes up far enough to act as a sweatguard between slide and body. This feature can be deleted at the buyer's request.
The soft loops, metal belt clips, and accompanying hardware are of excellent quality. The soft loops worked best for my purposes. I didn’t experience any breakages, though I did have to re-tighten a few screws from time-to-time (no loctite was applied for this testing, but one could to help prevent loosening).
Here you can see the added strut that makes this holster tuckable.
And now, carrying in the holster.
Overall I found the Henry Holsters IWB very comfortable when carrying a full-size M&P9. It kept the gun in tight to my body which aided in concealment greatly. With the wide-set belt attachment points I never had a problem with the holster shifting or moving around. In fact it almost became as if the belt and holster were one unit. Even through Tactical Response’s Fighting Pistol the holster stayed in place and I was able to use it without issue.
*crunch* – laying right on the empty holster.
The only notable negative that I’ve found with this particular holster has to do with its shape and my personal body shape. Because the boltaron forms on both sides of the gun, opposed to just one side, there is a requisite convex bump right where my hip is. This caused a painful poke into my hip. This was not as pronounced on my old MTAC, where the leather-only side allowed for a more concave curve of the leather. I found a very quick remedy by simply moving the holster rearward a few more degrees than I was used to carrying. I experienced no issues after that. This may not be an issue with other body shapes, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Concealment is as good as or better than other IWB holsters I’ve tried with full-size pistols. Here you can see me in a solid color INGO polo shirt.
So in summary, here is how I would rate Henry Holsters’ line of hybrid IWB holsters:
Out of 7 stars
Workmanship * * * * *
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Hardware * * * * * *
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Concealment * * * * * *
Price of the Henry Holsters standard hybrid IWB is $78. You can add the soft loops for an additional $10, or you can add tuckable soft loops for an additional $15. As shown above is $93.
You can check out and purchase Henry Holsters (and support gear) online at Gear Store Categories | Decisive Action . OWB holsters are also available through INGO Advertiser AGS Armament.
Because Andrew loves INGOers, he says the best way to purchase is from him directly by emailing him at HenryHolsters@gmail.com .
You can also track his every move on Facebook by liking his page ----> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Henry-Holsters/171216739558123
I hope you found this review helpful and informative. If you have any questions about the holsters or my experience please post them below and I’ll try to answer them the best I can.
