Recluse makes what they call a One Sided holster. The idea is harder to explain than most pocket holster designs (which work like a pocket that goes inside your pocket). The Recluse uses one stiff side of leather or polymer to cut down on printing. On the other side, the gun is held in place by a rubber insert that fits inside the trigger guard. A channel inside the foam secures the trigger. This one is for the Kel-Tec P3AT.
On the barrel end of the holster, the recluse wraps around and helps keep things clean. It also forms a small pocket for an additional magazine (even a seven round P3AT magazine). With seven in the P3AT, and an additional seven in the holster, Recluse has a serious leg up on most of the competition.
The Recluse is really interesting. Most pocket holsters are just a piece of leather or nylon sewn up to hold a gun. But each Recluse has to fit exactly. The trigger block is made of a super dense foam that looks like it is shaped by hand. And its placement on the one sided holster also has to be exact. It is this piece that makes the holster work.
It is also this piece that makes the holster safe. Most pocket guns don’t have manual safeties. As such, there is always a danger that something in the pocket (a bad idea) could, however unlikely, cause an accidental discharge. With the Recluse, the trigger is securely held by the block and can’t move. Until your hand slides between the holster and the gun, which dislodges the trigger from the block, it can’t move.
The back of the block is shaped to fit the contour of the frame. The trigger cut out is recessed only as far as the trigger is recessed from the frame. And the front of the block is sloped down and shaped so that there’s still enough mass for friction, but not enough mass to obstruct a clean draw.
The Recluse holster is larger than a cell phone, but not as bulky as some of the competition. Many holsters have bulbous bends due to the leather or material being bent into shape. But the rectangular shape of the recluse allows for sharp corners.
Those corners, and the rigidity of the leather (or Kydex), helps to obscure the shape of the gun. While it is clearly larger than a phone, it isn’t so bulky that it attracts a lot of attention.
And the Recluse doesn’t show any of the outline of the gun. The closest exposed contour would be the back of the slide. That corner is cut off of the holster. But the distinct L-shape of the handle and barrel aren’t exposed, no matter how much the holster prints.
Even when comparing it with a holster as good as this DeSantis (which is a great pocket holster), the Recluse has the clear advantage.
The Recluse makes the P3AT an even more effective gun. We’ve been working with the P3AT for almost a year now, putting it through many scenarios. What we’ve found is that the little Kel-Tec is effective. The size makes it great for pocket carry, but it needs a safe, accessible, easily concealable means for carry. And the Recluse is exactly that.
When it is in the holster, the Kel-Tec is rock solid. Slide a hand into your pocket and your trigger finger falls between the leather and the gun. That leverage dislodges the trigger and places your trigger finger right where it needs to be, on the trigger guard. The back of your hand the holds the holster against the inside of the pocket while you draw.
The Recluse sells for $59.95. As far as pocket holsters go, that is expensive. It may be three times what you would pay for a very basic holster. But it offers so much more than a basic pocket holster design. And what price would you put on that?
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