After the ZSA 2013 Ground Zero Championship I ended up with a bunch of cool BladeTech gear. Some was purchased and some was won, but the end result was really great gear for me to use. Ryan Preece from BladeTech was a great guy to meet and a really knowledgeable fellow. I'd be lying if I said I got anything other than a great deal on a bunch of gear.
Perhaps the single coolest piece of gear I came by was the most minimalist. It came off the prize table and appeared to be an inside the waistband (IWB) holster for a Glock 19/23. My G19 is heavily tricked out and has a magwell. "What am I to do with an IWB holster?," I pondered. This was not just another IWB holster and after about five minutes I knew exactly what I'd do with it; keep it and be grateful. Imagine an IWB that's as fast as conventional holster, stays open and doesn't allow the gun to jostle around. That is the BladeTech Klipt IWB holster.
I have used this method of carry for years and really think it works well. The downside for me has always been tensioning the belt just right to gain stability and retention, but still allowing the gun to be drawn smoothly and with speed. Well look no further as this holster is the ticket! I could not believe how cool this holster was. I must have spent an hour and a half the first night home practicing my draw with it. It is dangerously addictive. It breathed new life into carrying an old favorite indeed. I should mention that even with the crazy magazine well and extended basepads the Klipt holds the gun in close and makes it disappear under an untucked shirt while maintaining a fast draw speed. Now if they only offered it for every gun I wanted to carry, I'd have a pile of them.
The second notable BladeTech item was a gift to me by my good friend and shooting mentor, John Zaczek. This is a standard holster for the M&P 9/40 full size pistol. The slide on the standard models is a bit thicker than on the pro models. I had tried to purchase a holster at the match, but was unable to make it work in a pro series holster. This holster is stamped with the S&W M&P logo and fits the weapon perfectly. I am very pleased with the retention and fast presentations from this holster. It features a standard adjustable belt loop and also came with a paddle attachment. I opted to use the belt loop feature. This holster proved equally addicting with how well it both retained and released the weapon at the draw stroke. Although slightly less novel than the Klipt, it's still an awesome piece of gear. I favor this standard holster much more than the Hogue speed rig as it gives me great peace of mind. Gift or not, I couldn't have been happier with the design and function.
The following items I purchased and am most grateful for the deal I received: a Springfield XD holster and an AR dual magazine pouch. The XD holster was for a friend that has one and they were most grateful to receive such an awesome upgrade to the stock holster that came with the gun. Although labeled for a 9/40 5.25" XD, it fit their .45 Compact very well and locked up properly. Perhaps this gift was all that was necessary to ease one more shooter into the game, which is what it's all about!
The dual magazine pouch is definitely cool and makes my AR instantly more useful in competition or an emergency as now I have a way to carry magazines on the belt very quickly with the Tek-Lok fittings.
I also own a magazine pouch for the AK and it is both attractive and useful. I like the smooth lines it has and how well it holds an otherwise bulky 40 round magazine with ease.
I would like to thank BladeTech for supporting the shooting sports, ZSA, and sending a great guy like Ryan for us all to talk to.
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