Ok, I realize that the concept of a "universal" holster for most of us probably immediately conjurs up images of poorly conceived, floppy, excessively large and poorly thought-out and executed ghosts of holsters from Christmas past. This isn't one of those.
While I'd seen their holsters previously, the ones that I'd seen were leather, and while seemingly nicely executed, didn't really fill any of my holster niche needs, so they didn't receive much more than a passing glance. That changed when I recently received and reviewed Vega's law enforcement oriented duty belt holster, which nudges into the Safariland LEO holster lane quite nicely. I was interested (and impressed) enough to do a deep dive into their website and catalog, where I noticed their T.A.C.S. (Tactical Adaptable Carrier System) 8BL00 Universal Holster.
What piqued my interest was that it appeared to be made of quality components (basically, molded rubber-coated polymer), with universality achieved through expandable side plates held together by elastic bungee cord; there's also an additional bungee cord attached which can be affixed to the pistol grip for additional retention if desired.
While it's available in three colors (black, FDE/tan, and foliage green), mine (thankfully) is in basic black. It comes in Vega's standard poly bag, with Allen wrenches provided for adjustments (a nice touch).
Here's the basic holster, with my Gen3 Glock G21:
First, the expandable bungee cord does indeed very effectively provide for pretty much any and every compact, medium and large-size semi-auto I tried. It provided decent retention, drawability and comfort. As it's designed for belt/duty belt or MOLLE carry, it is a bit bulky, but not so much as to look like a colostomy bag. If you want to use it for effective concealed carry, you'll likely need a appropriately sized vest or jacket that doesn't mold itself to you body contours-in other words, a somewhat loosely draping concealment garment.
It has some extremely well designed features incorporated. First, the belt loops/MOLLE prongs are formed as a hinged fork set-up, which is dual locked by both squeezing the forks into their retaining tab, and then there's a rotating locking tab in the middle to prevent any inadvertent openings.
And then there's a moveable strake which controls the size of the belt channel, where you can select between a variety of belt sizes. I've experienced such strakes before, on an older Blade-Tech holster and magazine pouch, and the strakes simply didn't stay in place very well, at least until I just super-glued them in place (problem solved, albeit at the cost of any future adjustability) Vega deals with this very nicely and effectively by utilizing removable screws to fix the strake in place. It works, and provides a solid and stable mount.
The holster is basically comprised of a front plate, a back plate, a front spine piece which has a molded sight track (nicely sized and expanding in width towards the top) and a back spine piece which has a shelf incorporated for the triggerguard, which effectively positions the triggerguard as well as preventing over-insertion. There are 2 adjustable bungee cords-the main one, which laces the four holster component together, and an additional secondary retention bungee cord which can either be slipped around the hilt of the holstered pistol as a retention device, or secured in place (or taken off totally) if not desired.
I've tried the holster with multiple guns-the G21, G17, G19, G22, HK VP40, P30L, various 5" 1911s, FN High Power and Beretta 92-and it really works, expanding as necessary, and can be further expanded as necessary by adjusting the bungee securing tab.
So-what don't I like? Well, first, if you're using a pistol with an extended magazine release, while the holster plates are somewhat isolated from your body by the belt loop standoff distance, the plates can compress enough in normal use to inadvertently actuate the magazine release, which I experienced with my Glocks that I'm running with the Glock Extended Magazine releases. The first image below shows the magazine release as its being holstered, the second once holstered. It works fine with a standard magazine release, but for anything else, I'd be pretty wary, especially if you intend to use the holster for duty or defensive purposes.
Second, it is a bit bulky, as I've already discussed. The holster is designed to provide you with an effective, workable draw grip, but not a perfect one, as many receivers will be positioned a bit low in the holster-that's where a pistol-specific holster will likely provide a superior draw grip.
I really like the holster's concept and utility. I plan on using it with the G21 in an upcoming IDPA match, and have used it several times for duty already.
Here's the final kicker: Cost is only about $50 'Murrican. The molding and rubber coating appear to be excellent, and it doesn't mar the finish of any of the semi-autos that I've used in it. As a general holster, or when you're likely to be switching between several guns in a session/duty, I'd recommend it for consideration. The set-up is reversible if you're a lefty, and the grip/presentment angle is also adjustable as well. It really is a well-thought out modular approach, and is designed to work with both standard iron-sighted and RDS sighted pistols.
Here's a link to the website: https://vegaholsterusa.com/collectio...products/8bl00
And a YouTube video of it Vega put together: https://youtu.be/aYQc14I3E1I
In addition to the holster, the T.A.C.S. system also similar pistol and rifle magazine pouches/carriers in several carry configurations.
Best, Jon
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Originally Posted by vcdgrips
