Receiving Your New Holster (Updated 2023)

So, you just received your new holster - what's next?

Step one: remove holster from package. Okay, just kidding. When you're looking at your Sentinel, you may be swayed to believe that the Philips head screws on the front side attached to the ModWing are the screws that will adjust the retention. False. These screws are there solely to keep the ModWing attached to your holster, so please leave them as they are. What you're actually looking for here are the flathead slotted posts on the rear side (skin side) of the holster. When each holster is built, we adjust the retention to the point where we prefer the fitment. That of course doesn't mean it will always be the right retention for you, and since we do not Loctite the screws before we ship them, they can often back out or even tighten down more during the shipping process. 

So, the real step one: insert your empty gun into the holster and remove it. You're looking for an audible "click" and not too much friction to where you have to struggle to remove your gun. Pro tip: you want to have a firm solid grip along the front and back of your holster when doing this, not around the sides. Holding your holster like this will put your holster under very similar friction that it will be when sandwiched between yourself and your EDC belt (you should have a good EDC belt, blog post coming soon). So, if you dial in your retention to where drawing the gun while holding it like this, your holster's retention should feel similar to when you're appendix carrying it.

Step two: grab a flathead screwdriver and adjust the two slotted posts. If your Sentinel feels too tight, adjust the screws counterclockwise. If the retention feels WAY too tight, you'll need to adjust the posts a few full turns. For minor adjustments, rotate by quarter turns. Likewise, if your holster is too loose, you'll need to adjust clockwise.

Step three: test the retention via plenty of dry fire. Exercise safe firearm practices and perform a few reps of dry fire with your holster mounted on your belt.

Step four: profit.

For Raiders, the retention is a much simpler process. Forget everything we said regarding slotted posts for the Sentinels. The retention screws for the Raider are the two Philips screws on the front of the holster. Same process with the Sentinel, clockwise for tightening, counterclockwise for loosening. For the Raiders, it's good practice to apply blue Loctite to the screws so they don't back out on you in the field. Mount of your QLS, UBL, MHA, or whatever else you're mounting it on and go do your dry fire.

As a note: the metal slide of your gun WILL come into direct contact with a plastic holster, and therefore you WILL see plastic shavings on your slide and may possibly encounter some wear on your slide. This is normal and should not be cause for alarm. All of our holsters are designed around OEM slides, so if you are using an aftermarket slide with aggressive angles, serrations, and/or stippling, you may encounter more plastic shaving and slide wear than on OEM slides. If that is the case, your holster may need longer screws and washers and it may need a break-in period where your slide shaves off any residual plastic from inside the holster until it finds its sweet spot.