Hybrid holsters have been a daily companion for many of us for years. Usually, the model is some flavor of a leather backing married to a Kydex shell to secure the handgun. The net benefit of this idea is leather for “against the body” comfort and flexibility and Kydex for an affordable and secure gun fit. That leads to improved retention. Falco’s TalonGuard holsters turn the usual hybrid formula inside out. Literally. The Falco TalonGuard idea is different enough to deserve a closer look.
Instead of treating leather as a backing panel and Kydex as the visible holster, Falco puts the rigid materials where they do the most important work: around the trigger guard and, when applicable, the weapon light. Kydex provides structure, trigger coverage and passive retention through a perfect friction fit. Leather provides the quieter draw, flexibility and fewer sharp plastic corners poking into the sensitive areas on your sides.
Why Bother With a Hybrid?
Leather and Kydex each solve a different set of problems. A well-made leather holster feels good, conforms to the body and tends to get better with age. It also brings the “craftsman” element to the final product. However, leather can soften over time, and molding alone may not provide the same crisp trigger coverage and repeatable retention as a rigid thermoplastic shell. Here in the land where heat and humidity are royalty, leather gets moist (I hate that word, but it fits here) and soft over repeated use in the summer months.
Kydex holds its shape, protects the trigger area and produces predictable retention. OK, many believe it also has all the warmth and charm of a municipal recycling bin, but consider the additional benefits. It can handle infinite wear, movement and moisture. If it gets wet from sweat, rain or anything else, it dries and maintains 100% of its structure and fit. That makes it a superior product for holster applications.
The common hybrid design attempts to split the difference. Falco’s TalonGuard system takes that compromise one step further by placing a formed Kydex insert inside the leather construction. Read that again, because it’s the important part of the design. Inside.
The insert covers the trigger guard from both sides. In light-bearing models, it surrounds the trigger guard and light, since the light body generally becomes the retention point on that type of holster. The company launched the system with IWB designs before extending the same idea to OWB models.
That arrangement matters because the important question isn’t whether a holster contains leather, Kydex, carbon fiber or some other material. The question is what each material does once the gun goes into it.
I’m working with two TalonGuard models built for very different pistols and carry jobs.
Outside with Accessories
The Falco C916 L is a compact, light-bearing OWB model made for a Springfield Armory 1911 Operator with a 4.25-inch barrel. That’s the holster fit version I’m testing. Falco is known for its vast array of gun and accessory fits, so check the website for your particular handgun. That pistol can also sport a red-dot sight, tall front sight and Streamlight TLR-1. This is not an especially forgiving combination for an off-the-rack holster. Once a pistol grows an optic, tall sights and a weapon light, the holster search can become a tour of web configurators followed by several variations of “Sorry, no results.” Not here.
The C916 L uses its Kydex insert to enclose the trigger guard and light, while the leather body carries the slide and part of the frame. It has an open bottom to accommodate threaded barrels and let dirt escape, plus a sweat guard along the body side. Rather than spreading two belt loops far apart in the usual pancake arrangement, the compact model combines a polymer closed loop in the back with a leather belt tunnel up front. The arrangement trims the overall footprint while keeping the holster stable on the belt.
Setting up the whole rig (minus the optic, but the holster is cut for it), I immediately realized the benefit of the Kydex trigger and light mold. The holster holds this heavy rig securely through the most vigorous upside-down shake testing (unloaded gun, of course). In part, this is a result of a firm “click” as the light and trigger guard lock into place. That positive lock and mental signal is something you don’t get from an all-leather holster. While this 1911 Operator is a beautiful pistol, it’s a tool to use, not one for barbeque party wear. So I have no problem putting it in Kydex.
Inside and Discreet
The second model is the A911 TalonGuard IWB, cut for a Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Carry with its 3.2-inch barrel and factory sights. This one uses what Falco calls a half-leather design. The Kydex insert still encloses the trigger guard, but the reduced leather construction saves some weight and adds comfort against the body. A proprietary stainless steel belt clip handles either 1.5- or 2-inch belts, and buyers can add a concealment claw for appendix carry. Mine came with the larger claw mounted and a smaller option if you prefer that for your fit.
Speaking of appendix carry, I pretty much always have to add a foam wedge to the back of my Kydex appendix holsters. Not this one. Turns out one of the hidden benefits of the thicker leather section is improved comfort against the body and a natural version of a thin wedge. The thickness of the leather serves to encourage the grip to shift in tight to the body. So far, I’m not planning on the foam addition for this one.
This configuration ought to make an interesting match for the PX4. The pistol’s rounded slide already gives it a different shape than the current crop of mostly rectangular striker-fired guns. The TalonGuard design follows that shape in leather while keeping a rigid structure around the one area where rigidity matters most. And even though the PX4 has a slim profile decocking lever, the tall leather sweat guard keeps it separated from your skin.
Tight Makes Right
I want to share a quick note that applies to both models.
A leather holster should arrive too tight for your gun. Yes, you heard me correctly. Out of the box, you shouldn’t be able to draw smoothly and easily. It’ll loosen over time, so getting your new holster and gun to cooperate will take a little break-in. The result is a perfect long-term fit of the pair.
Here’s the process to achieve that custom fit for your gun. Unload your pistol. Now stick it muzzle first into a large Ziploc bag. Stuff the whole mess all the way into the holster and let it sit overnight. Sometimes you might need to twist your Ziploc-encased pistol around a bit while it’s holstered. Repeat as necessary until you like the fit.
The result of this brief “fitting” is a perfect long-term fit when you lose the plastic bag.
Old-School Work, New-School Materials
The TalonGuard construction makes more sense in light of Falco’s background. Founder Ivan Kovac learned to sew while repairing parachutes during military service in Slovakia, later made falconry gloves for forestry students and eventually expanded into leather gear for hunters and firearm owners. The family operation officially became Falco in 1989.
That history is more than decorative company lore. Falco still makes its holsters in Slovakia, using European leather and U.S.-made Kydex, and the current lineup ranges from traditional leather to nylon, Kydex, hybrids, carbon fiber and 3D-printed materials. TalonGuard sits squarely in the middle of the company’s product evolution: a leather company using modern materials to fix leather’s weak spots for certain use cases.
Falco also builds around exact gun and accessory combinations. That matters as carry pistols sprout optics, tall sights, threaded barrels, lights and lasers. Doing the math of the number of possible holster fits when you start mixing gun, optic, and light results in a mind-bogglingly large number. Somehow the folks at Falco are managing to keep up with most of the possible combinations. If you’re struggling to find a fit for your combo, take a look.
The Bottom Line
Plenty of companies make leather holsters. Plenty make Kydex holsters. Plenty bolt one material to the other and call the result a hybrid. Falco’s more interesting claim is that the plastic doesn’t need to be the holster. It can simply serve as the internal skeleton around the trigger and light while leather handles most of the remaining work.
That may sound like a small distinction, but it makes all the difference.
For more information: FalcoHolsters.com
Read the full article here