Review: BORAII EAGLE POCKET HOLSTER for S&W M&P SHIELD 9

[mtsfitness]

Review: BORAII EAGLE POCKET HOLSTER for S&W M&P SHIELD 9

https://www.boraii.com/store/p12/BORAII_EAGLE_POCKET_HOLSTER_for_S&W_M&P_SHIELD_9_&_40.html

Cost: $18.00 + $2.00 shipping

I recently explored the idea of pocket carrying the M&P Shield and found the Boraii Eagle pocket holster on Youtube. The holster is made of Kydex and molded around the trigger guard similar to the Mic holster. It has a hook design, similar to other pocket holster designs, that can hook onto your pocket to unholster the weapon. I will include pictures and links to the site.

After ordering it ($20 Total) It arrived just a few days later in a small box. It comes with a paracord attached to it, for retention. In other reviews, the paracord is intended to loop around a belt loop of the pants. I decided to remove it because I was concerned that it may hinder drawing the weapon.

Pro's
- The holster is minimal in regard to the overall size. Most kydex holsters I found were large in size that covered most of the weapon, with a hook design. I felt that these larger holsters added to much bulk, especially to the Shield which is already on the larger side for pocket carry. This holster firmly secures to the trigger guard with audible click. It is minimal in size and completely covers the trigger guard. I have never had a problem unholstering the firearm from my pocket. Each time I have practiced unholstering the firearm, the holster stayed inside my pocket. I also had the opportunity to try this at an outdoor range and did not experience any problems or failures. Please take into account that each time you unholster your firearm with this holster, you have to remove the holster from your pocket to reholster the weapon... as you would with any trigger lock designed holster. Also much more secure than the soft pocket carry holsters out there...

- The holster does not come in contact at all with the slide and does not cover the magazine release. I have been able to operate the slide and magazine release while the trigger guard is completely covered by the holster. Although I am confident in practicing safe handling of firearms by keeping my finger off the trigger, I feel that there is a benefit to being able to load/unload the firearm with the trigger covered.

- As mentioned before, the holster is minimal. I have successfully carried the Shield in most pants/shorts without a much of a problem. Mostly*, it has slightly printed in my pants and looks like a rectangular object such as a phone or a small tablet.

- It is definitely a viable option to add to your carry system. I find it as a convenient way to carry my Shield when going out to do a quick errand or outside in the back yard with my kids. Although I would not pocket carry the Shield without my belt on, I do not find it to be to heavy or awkward to pocket carry.

- At $20 it is definitely worth a shot either way.

Con's
- Although I mostly did not have problems with printing, there was one instance where I did. The first day I got the holster, I had just returned from an important meeting and had khaki dress pants on (No I am not Jake from State Farm, although it's ironically 3 in the morning as im typing this). I noticed that when I was seated in my car, the firearm was completely printing through my pants. You could clearly make out the slide, ejection port, and the outline of the trigger guard portion on the kydex. It was very obvious, only when seated, that I was concealing a firearm in my pants pocket. I obviously will not be carrying in the pocket holster when I have any type of dress pants on... and that is a rare occurrence. Worth a mention...

- There has been one instance, where I have retrieved the holstered firearm out of my pants and found the holster slightly ajar on the firearm. Although the holster has a very strong click on the trigger guard it seems to be a bit weaker towards the top end of the trigger guard. Although I do not see this happening often, I am conscious that it is possible and I find myself checking it from time to time. This is a little concerning because my Shield does not have a safety and has a relatively short/light free state trigger. I never carry anything in the pocket that I carry my firearm to help prevent any problems. Although concerning, I have not found the firearm like this since. I think if I remain conscious of this and occasionally check, it should be fine to carry. I will include a picture of the position I found the firearm in below. Still seems like a much more secure option than the soft pocket holsters.

- Not so much about the holster itself but please keep in mind that you are losing a pocket when you pocket carry. I find myself stuffing my wallet, phone and keys into my other pockets. Not the end of the world...

Overall I think this holster is definitely a steal at $20. Although I carry both my Shield and Glock 19 in N82 IWB holsters, I find this to be a convenient option in around the house or when running quick errands. I will be sure to add any additional information as I continue to use this holster. Also, it is made in America and the company has great customer service. They make this holster for most of the popular compact and subcompact firearms out there, all $20 shipped.

Thanks for reading and feel free to ask if you have any questions.


UPDATE ON 07/26/15

Figured I would update the review now that I have used the pocket holster for a while. Few good observations that I have noticed.

The gun seems to get more debris (fuzz) inside of it with carrying it in your pocket. After my initial review I was carrying my Shield mostly inside the pocket... After a few weeks, I noticed a lot of dirt/fuzz inside the firearm. Obviously this holster is very minimal as far as what it covers and it would make sense that more debris would make its way into the firearm, especially considering it's inside the pocket. I have made it a habit to take a brush to the firearm once a week or so to clean out the debris.

ALSO... The biggest problem that happened was that I discovered a blockage inside the barrel! I'm not sure if the blockage occurred inside my pocket or transitioning in and or of the safe or my locker at work, but I piece of plastic, that I recognized as a broken piece of one of my toddlers toys (soft rubbery plastic) had made its way into the barrel of the gun. Obviously I failed to notice any plastic in my pocket before carrying my firearm... HOWEVER, despite any negligence on my part, I thought this was a good example of the limitations of this holster. I am very careful to not carry anything in the same pocket as my firearm so if this could happen to me, I'm sure it could happen to someone else. Compared to other holsters, this particular one does not offer any type of covering for the barrel and this can happen. Good to know... I will also upload a picture of the blockage.

OVERALL I still like the holster but I have completely changed my philosophy of use with it. With all of the debris getting inside the gun from carrying it inside the pocket ALL of the time, I decided to mostly carry it inside the waist band in my N82 holster... Now I use the pocket holster occasionally* when i'm running out of the house really quick and would like to carry without having to holster up. I also use it as a trigger guard device when its in the safe. Other than that I figure it would be much wiser to carry it inside the waist band whenever possible. Definitely a convenient option for the quick trip outside of the house! I hope this has been helpful or insightful for those interested in pocket carrying. Obviously this is one persons POV and I will make sure to update the posting if any other information or experiences happen. Thanks

 

[Rick8325]

Thank you for the review! I purchased one for my M&P BG380 and received it yesterday. I was practicing with it and unfortunately about 50% of the time the holster (if you want to call it that) would remain on the gun after violently yanking the gun from my pocket. I intend to pocket carry with my cargo shorts. Directions say it works best in jeans. I ankle carry in jeans. I am hoping the kydex will loosen up a bit before I'd even think about carrying this. I know the directions say to hook it in your pocket while pulling out your firearm but who is really going to remember that if and when the need to pull your weapon occurs? I really am hoping this will work with some more practice and breaking-in of the holster as it is very minimal and adds no bulk and is extremely comfortable of all the pocket holsters I've ever used. I think the "eagle beak" hook that supposed to catch the inside of the pocket needs to be slightly more "hook-ish". I did not receive a para cord with mine, although I wouldn't use it anyway.

 

[Jude Thaddeus]

Thank you for the review! I purchased one for my M&P BG380 and received it yesterday. I was practicing with it and unfortunately about 50% of the time the holster (if you want to call it that) would remain on the gun after violently yanking the gun from my pocket. I intend to pocket carry with my cargo shorts. Directions say it works best in jeans. I ankle carry in jeans. I am hoping the kydex will loosen up a bit before I'd even think about carrying this. I know the directions say to hook it in your pocket while pulling out your firearm but who is really going to remember that if and when the need to pull your weapon occurs? I really am hoping this will work with some more practice and breaking-in of the holster as it is very minimal and adds no bulk and is extremely comfortable of all the pocket holsters I've ever used. I think the "eagle beak" hook that supposed to catch the inside of the pocket needs to be slightly more "hook-ish". I did not receive a para cord with mine, although I wouldn't use it anyway.

http://gallowayprecision.com/smith-...ger-guard-holster-for-smith-and-wesson-bg380/

I use one of these when I pocket carry my 42. I put approximately a foot of paracord on it and loop the paracord around my belt. When I draw, the trigger guard "holster" pops right off as I'm bringing the firearm up to aim. It works well.

 

[jefftk]

I ankle carry in jeans.

What ankle holster do you use?

 

[Rick8325]

What ankle holster do you use?

Uncle Mike's Size 1

 

[Rick8325]

http://gallowayprecision.com/smith-...ger-guard-holster-for-smith-and-wesson-bg380/

I use one of these when I pocket carry my 42. I put approximately a foot of paracord on it and loop the paracord around my belt. When I draw, the trigger guard "holster" pops right off as I'm bringing the firearm up to aim. It works well.

That's pretty much the same type of holster as the Bora ii. Mine didn't come with the cord though. I'm not sure I'd like having a cord attached to my belt.

 

[mtsfitness]

Now that I have use it for a while, I have more information to add to the review. I will add the info and pictures to the original post sometime this weekend. Thanks for reading

 

[Rick8325]

I ended up returning mine after 2 weeks for a full refund. I noticed they raised their prices by $5. BoraII is a really great company to deal with and they were asking me for all my feedback with many emails back and forth. My biggest issue became the mag release being accidentally pressed many times while in my pocket. I believe this to be a problem for all left-handed shooters even with different types of pocket carry holsters. I have had other "soft" pocket holsters that would release the mag as well. Definitely something to do with the mag release being up against jeans or other clothing material instead of to the thigh or leg. I finally found a kydex holster that covered the barrel and mag release. It's made by c3tacticalsolutions and it's been so far the best I've ever used.

 

[mtsfitness]

FYI- I updated the original posting with some observations I have had. I have noticed that I get alot of debris build up in the gun from constant carrying inside the pocket. I also had one instance where I had a blockage inside the barrel. All explained in more detail, with a picture in the original post.

Good information RICK8325... I have not had any problems with the mag release but I'm a righty. I wonder if that is more prevalent with certain firearms than others... I do agree that they have excellent customer service.

 

[chiefsaj]

Just got one, A little tight for my liking. Difficult to draw smoothly AND have the guard release from the gun.

 

[Rick8325]

Check out the curved kydex holsters from c3tacticalsolutions. They are absolutely the best in my opinion. Forms perfectly around your thigh/leg. Adds zero bulk and keeps the gun in a perfect position. The mag release is covered, the barrel is 75% covered. Has a thumb push off and a tension screw. When I got mine off eBay I noticed the "hook" part of the holster was a lot larger than the photo in the listing. The hook came way past the gun grip. I was worried but the larger the hook, the better it stays in your pocket nicely and fits an assortment of pockets. I loved the idea of the minimalist BoraII but I think we'll be seeing a few updates to their products as they are a fairly new company. Their return policy is great and they will personally contact you for feedback on what can be improved.