Early this year the Army announced they had selected the Sig P320 (M17) as their official sidearm.  The modular handgun has continued to be a hit among gun enthusiasts, aided by the addition of RX models to the product line.  Naval Special Warfare recently added the Glock 19 to their inventory, also capable of a slide-mounted reflex sight.  Regardless of your personal preference, if you are interested in a slide-mounted reflex sight there are some solid options available with the Sig Romeo1, Trijicon RMR, and Leupold DeltaPoint.

As special operations units continue to experiment with slide-mounted reflex sights on their service pistols, civilians who are interested in doing the same will generally have a difficult time finding a holster that fits due to the customization required to accommodate the reflex sight.  If you also want to add a weapon-mounted light, the options get even more limited.  Internet boards for gun enthusiasts are filled with questions about where to go for reliable, compatible, custom-made holsters since picking one up from your local gun store is virtually impossible.

After sifting through various companies for options, I kept circling back to one as the best choice – the company that Sig Sauer hand-picked to make holsters for their Sig Legion series.  That company is BlackPoint Tactical, an industry leader for producing holsters for those that cannot find one elsewhere.

BlackPoint Tactical products are used by various federal and state law enforcement agencies as well as some Special Operations Forces units, and each product has an unconditional lifetime warranty attached.  They make it very simple on their site to customize your holster by selecting the appropriate make, model, color, cant, loop types, and optional light/laser.  They also offer options for any reflex sight, threaded barrel, and tall sights.

Here is a closer look at some of their products, in this case specifically made for the Sig P320 RX Compact, which I review here.

Leather Wing

KYDEX® where you need it, leather where you want it.

For years, I have generally preferred leather holsters for concealed carry due to discomfort from KYDEX and polymer holsters – specifically stiffness that caused it to dig into my hip, and sweat where it contacted my body.  What I really like about these Leather Wing holsters is the durability of the KYDEX frame combined with the flexibility and comfort of the added leather on the sides.  It not only aids with comfort, but it actually helps to ensure a closer fit the body.

I selected a holster with a 15° forward cant and plastic 1.75” outside-the-waistband (OWB) loops.  Even when testing using a relatively flimsy leather belt (i.e. not a gun-belt), the positioning and fit of the holster kept it hugging my body – as advertised.  Of course, with a proper gun belt the fit was even better (more on that in a separate article).  OWB plastic loop size options are 1.5”, 1.75” and 2”, while there is also a 1.75” adjustable metal option.  The holster can also be converted to inside-the-waistband (IWB) carry by purchasing 1.75” plastic or metal IWB loops, which can be swapped out in a matter of minutes.

Holstering the pistol was easy, and I knew it was secure when I felt it click into place.  Drawing the pistol required a decent amount of force but not so much that it negatively affected my ability to quickly acquire my target.  That being said, when unloaded and holstered I could easily hold the Leather Wing upside down and shake it without the slightest indication that the pistol would fall out.  It is a secure holster.

Overall the quality, fit, and functionality of the holster certainly back up the fact that Sig Sauer sought BlackPoint out, and that law enforcement and SOF personnel are using them.

(Price starting at $89.99)

Leather Wing Light Mounted (Reviewed with Streamlight TLR-1 HL)

For my review of the light mounted option, I went with the Streamlight TLR-1 HL (more on that product in part 2 of this article).  One of the big questions I had before getting my hands on this holster was whether the holster would keep the pistol secured even without the flashlight being mounted.  To get that out of the way first, no, it will not.  Proper fit of the pistol and this holster are only accomplished with the light mounted.  This isn’t a negative for BlackPoint though, because the same issue occurs for other holster brands as well.

As with the standard Leather Wing, this holster had plastic 1.75” outside-the-waistband (OWB) loops and also held tightly to my body.  The difference being this one did not have a cant.

Even with the mounted light, drawing the weapon was smooth and fast.  Holstering took a bit of time to get comfortable with due to the fact on the Sig P320 RX Compact, the TLR-1 sticks out just over an inch from the end of the barrel.  It requires a bit more attention to line it up properly than without the light.  A tight fit is once again accomplished, and even if upside down, the pistol is never in danger of coming loose.

(Price starting at $98.99)

M.A.P. – Modular Accessory Pouch

The M.A.P. has an excellent feature that allows you to connect or remove additional pouches as you see fit (you can add up to 6 pouch combinations on a standard order).  BlackPoint allows you to select options for left and right-handed pouches along with the bullet direction.  Once again, the Leather Wings come into play by connecting the pouches with just a few screws and some padded-spacers.

When testing with my pouches, they held a snug fit against my body and had just the right amount of retention for the magazines.  Even with full 15 round 9mm magazines, the pouch distributed the weight so I barely noticed they were there instead of some I have tried that tend to fall away from the body.

The modularity of these pouches allows you to experiment with different configurations for magazines, handheld flashlights, handcuffs, multi-tools, or for the truly hardcore enthusiasts – a can of dip.  Yes, that last one is an option.  BlackPoint has a wide variety of brands and models to select, and if they don’t have your desired accessory listed you can simply let them know and there is a good chance they’ll be able to make it happen.

(Price starting at $45.00)

Final Thoughts

To sum up my experience with the BlackPoint Tactical gear that I use, it is of the highest quality and I would recommend it to anyone whether they plan to carry a pistol with a reflex sight or not.  However, if you are interested in carrying with a reflex sight and you decide to look at competitors, you’ll likely end up with BlackPoint just as I did.  They have other great products as well, but BlackPoint Tactical knocks it out of the park with their Leather Wing line.  When you see a company like Sig Sauer choose them as a partner, it should tell you all you need to know.

Up next:

A Marine’s tips for carrying pistols with reflex sights: Flashlights

A Marine’s tips for carrying pistols with reflex sights: Gun Belts