In my years of carrying, I have learned that you need two points of contact with the belt if you are going to carry a pistol the size of a Beretta APX A1 Compact. The Vedder holsters Pro-Tuck, the Clinger Holsters Hinge, and the Aliengear Cloak 3.5 were all good candidates with their own merits. When I got my APX A1 Compact, I soon found that the holster companies had not caught up with the fact that the APX A1 was on the market for two years. None of my favorite holster makers, listed above, had a holster for the APX A1, not to mention the compact model. There were other choices available in the appendix holster arena or the cheap single belt clip arena, but as I mentioned, they would not suffice for my needs. Eventually I ran upon the Beretta APX A1 Hybrid holster sold on Beretta's website. It was fairly expensive, but it seemed like the only option at the time. DESIGN/FEATURES
The Beretta holster is labeled as being a 2-in-1 holster. The shell is open on the bottom of the shell which allows the shell to house both the compact and full size A1 models. The problem is the backing is swooped up and doesn't even cover the muzzle of the compact model, which worried me right away. The base is not just to hold the holster against the shell for retention, but it also protects the pistol from having contact with you, which could cause corrosion on parts like sights and worn areas. Human perspiration is practically as corrosive as salt water on metals, and this is one of the reasons why this part of the holster design bothers me. As you can see, not only are the pistols exposed on their muzzle end, but the backing doesn't even cover the Kydex. This may be an illustration of the lack of understanding the maker has in what is needed in a holster for serious usage. PERFORMANCE The Beretta holster is very comfortable to carry for a long time thanks to the ventilation holes. The leather is strong but flexible. It hugs the body well and the clips attach snugly to the belt. I was concerned about how the clips swooped out aggressively as if it was designed more for being taken off than for being snag-free. Clips like these snag on shirts and garments all the time. The clips did secure the holster in place very well, which is what these holsters do best. With hybrid holsters, retention has to be adjusted by the end user. In the absence of adjustability, I have to judge this as having mediocre retention for the pistol. You will not experience a tactile seating of the pistol in the Kydex as you would with the Alien Gear Cloak 3.5 products. You just push in until the gun won't go down anymore. It works, but it is not meeting the standard for holsters these days.
CLOSING THOUGHTS My favorite holster companies have leather in their holsters, and particularly where they attach to the belt. However, they are designed around the assumption that you are going to USE the holster, not just treat it like a novelty to be worn and not used. If I am going to own a holster, I am going to use it and train with it dry and live. In any firearms class, your gun is going to heat up fast, and with this holster design, you are asking for a thermal and friction burn within the first hour of any serious training. With that said, the good thing about this holster is that it allowed me to train with my Beretta APX A1 Compact.
I recently found out that Clinger Holsters has a holster for the full size APX A1, which caused me to comfortably impulse buy. I do not recommend spending money on this holster unless you're okay with spending $100 outright just to have to buy new clips and find a way to extend the base for protection against being burnt by your own gun like me. I cannot put too much fault on the company of Beretta for not understanding how to make a good holster. I don't see many countries outside the US where civilians can lawfully conceal a weapon for protection against goons and thugs. The makers must not understand what it is like, and may just be working off anecdotes and light input here and there from competitive shooters (who almost exclusively use OWB holsters). Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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