Taken from our FAQ, available here:
http://www.ravenconcealmentsystems.com/faq.php
What are the different “Cuts?”
We offer two basic cuts for our holster, but during the order process the customer can mix and match certain feature of each if they wish.
Basic cuts:
Standard- Holster comes with a 10 degree forward cant, a full body shield to protect the gun from sweat and provide retention on the thumb safety if your pistol has one. The body shield will prevent your thumb safety from becoming disengaged while you carry out your day.
MD Cut (pistol holster)- The MD Cut holster is designed to be carried OWB and forward of the hip (“two oclock“ for right handed shooters, “10 oclock“ for left handed shooters). The MD cut is a straight drop holster (no forward cant) with a reduced body shield.
MD Cut (Magazine Carriers)- We also make slight modifications to the magazine carriers to better suit carry closer to the belt buckle. With the MD Cut Carriers, we trim the leading corner of the holster to allow for better movement, more comfort while sitting, etc. The drawback is reduced modularity with this carrier, as it will not mount up to the other carriers/holsters we offer. As always, your mission drives the gear.
Additional options-
- Any holster can be ordered with a cant from 0 to 25 degrees.
- Any holster can be ordered with a reduced body shield.
- Any holster can be ordered to accept an extended, threaded barrel.
You’ve explained the cuts, which one is best?
“Best” is a relative term. Depending on your use, one may work better than the other. We ask that you consider the type of carry you intend to do, and order an appropriate holster. For most people, the slight forward cant allows better concealment than a straight drop holster. What we don’t want to see are people ordering the wrong cuts for their carry methods just because they saw the other option in a video or online somewhere. Both serve their purpose beautifully, just be sure to select the right one for your specific needs.
Our standard recommendation is the standard cut for carry on or behind the hip, and the MD Cut for carry on or in front of the hip.
That said, by adjusting the mounting points the cant of each holster can be moved around a bit. A 10 degree holster can be made a 5 degree holster by moving the forward mounting points down. A zero degree cant holster can be made a 5 degree holster by moving the rear mounting points down.
Changing Hardware-
One of the main design features behind our gear is its modularity. With the removal of a few screws, the user has a holster that can be configured in a number of ways. Our hardware utilizes “Chicago Screws” to affix the different mounting platforms to the holster itself. With a phillips head screw driver, you can change these platforms easily.
Remember to keep the male screw on the side in contact with the rivet (the holster itself), and the female screw on the item that is bare Kydex (typically the mounting platform). The o-ring washer should sandwich between these two pieces. The only exception to this rule are the IWB Soft Loops, which do not use the rubber oring.
You offer a lot of mounting hardware, which ones are the best?
The mounting hardware all serve different purposes. For OWB carry, the way the holster comes will carry the gun very tight to the body and maintains a small profile on the belt. Additional mounting options are available, such as the Pancake Wings, OWB Soft Loops, and Paddle Attachments. Order these if they will fit your needs.
For IWB carry, you’ll first need to decide if you need a “tuckable” holster or not. A tuckable design is good for better concealment, but at the disadvantage of a slower and more difficult draw-stroke. We offer each clip design in a tuckable version if you need it.
For standard IWB carry with a jacket or shirt as a cover garment, any of our IWB options will work. Our standard recommendation are the “IWB Soft Loops” for the standard IWB wear, and the “IWB Tuckable C Hooks” if you require a tuck able set up.
Can I use my gun without a light in a Light-Compatible Phantom?
No. We get this question a lot and like to provide some of our philosophy behind our design. Since Kydex is a rigid material, your holster will remain the same size whether the light is mounted or not. If you can conceal the slightly larger holster, you can conceal the light. A weapon mounted light can be a very useful tool, and we see little reason to ever deny yourself the use of such a tool.
We understand some of our customers use their gear for competition use, where a light may not be allowed. In this instance, we recommend you look at a second Phantom holster, or one of our minimalist Ghost holsters. This is not to simply sell more holsters, it is to provide the best gear we can for your given purpose.
Will your holster wear the finish on my gun?
All holsters wear the finish on a firearm. These are tools we carry to potentially save our life one day, they should not be collectors items. Kydex holsters, over the long term, will wear a gun less than a leather, suede, or similar holster will. Kydex will rub along the high spots of a gun and may create some wear marks. After the holster is broken in, those wear marks typically will not grow in size. A leather holster will retain dirt, sweat, powder residue, oil, and other daily grime which will create an abrasive surface that will constantly wear on the gun it holds. When your Kydex holster is dirty, simply wash it out.
Your holster looks really simple, why the price?
One thing we won’t do is apologize for our pricing structure. We have what we believe is the best concealment system on the market, with modularity to allow our end users to carry their gear in any number of ways. At first glance, one might not recognize the design features and construction requirements of our holsters. Let us assure you that these are not a machine produced product. They are built in America, by American workers, and each item is hand built to order. Not only that, but we offer the best and most concise warranty in the industry; if there is an issue with our gear, we will fix or replace it.
We go out of our way to source as many of our components as possible from US manufacturers. We can locate screws, rivets, and other materials from overseas production facilities at cheaper costs, but the quality wouldn’t be as good, and we would have far less control over the features of these items.
Why is the wait time so long?
As hinted above, these items are hand built and tested before they are shipped out. We are happy to provide gear to active military and law enforcement personnel across the globe, as well as responsible citizens who take self protection seriously. Because of our order volume, we have no other choice than to create a backlog and get to each order as quickly as we can. The analogy we use is a ride at a theme park. You may wait 3 hours in line, but the ride itself only lasts 45 seconds. Your order is typically built within a day or two, the wait time comes from building all the orders in line ahead of you.
Will ‘XYZ’ fit in my holster made for ‘ABC?’
Our holsters are built to spec for each item they are designed to hold. That said, there is some crossover that will allow other models to fit. Typically, a smaller gun of the same design will fit in the holster for the full size version.
A Glock 34 holster will carry a 17, 19, or 26 without issue (as well as the 40SW and 357Sig versions of those guns). Same goes for light compatible holsters, as long as the light is mounted on the smaller gun.
Firearms with a thumb safety can create an issue. A holster built for an M&P45 without thumb safety will NOT fit an M&P45 with thumb safety. The sweat shield of the holster will impede the thumb safety model from being inserted.
Will you make a holster for small of back (SOB), cross draw, shoulder, or ankle carry?
Small of back and cross draw- No.
Shoulder or ankle carry- We do not make those versions at this time.
I’m ordering a Phantom for an HK, what do the different safety options mean?
Your HK either has a thumb safety or it doesn’t. If you do not have a safety, select the first option in the drop down box for no thumb safety.
If you do have a thumb safety, the two most popular ways to carry are:
- Round chambered, hammer down (decocked), safety OFF. Your first shot is a double action pull, with a single action pull after that.
- Round chambered, hammer cocked, safety ON. Your first shot will require you to remove your safety, and all rounds fired will be from single action mode.
Select which of the two you intend to carry. Switching up methods of carry is NOT recommended based on muscle memory/training issues, and once our holsters are built for one method, they will NOT work with the other.
I have a Surefire weapon light, what do the different rail attachments mean?
Surefire lights use either a U/P latch, or a Rail Lock. The U/P latch is the quick removal system with two pull tabs to install/remove the light. The Rail Lock uses two pull tabs as well, but with a locking crossbar. If you removed your light from the box and installed it on your pistol, you have the U/P Latch.
I have a flashlight, or knife, or other item not listed. Can you make a holster or carrier for it?
For the most part- Yes.
If you have a weapon light we do not offer, select any other light from the drop down boxes, and in the comments box mention the light you have. You’ll have to mail the light to us for production, where we will use it to make your holster, then ship the light and the holster back to you. We do not need your light for the full lead time, only the production period.
If you have an item you want a carrier for, please email us for instructions and pricing.
How do I get my order expedited?
As a general rule, we do not expedite orders. Moving your order up forces us to break our promise to the customers in line ahead of you.
How do I track my order through the production cycle?
By logging into your account, you will be able to monitor your order through the cycle. The options are:
Pending- Order placed, not yet processed by our office manager. (Shortest period, typically 1-3 days)
Processing- Order processed by our office manager. A confirmation email will be sent at this time. (Longest period, waiting for orders ahead of you to be completed)
Printed- Order has been printed and sent to the production que. (Order will be in this stage for approximately 1 week)
In Production- A maker has pulled your order from the printed que, and has begun production on it. Your credit card will be charged at this time. After production, your order is sent for final finishing. (Orders typically take 1 week from Production to Shipping)
Shipped- Your order has been boxed and shipped. A shipment notification email will be sent at this time.
Can I modify my order?
We generally discourage modifying an order once it has been placed. We urge you to review the FAQ, and email us with any outstanding questions before submitting the order.
Each order we have to modify takes us away from answering emails, making orders, and shipping them. In short, every time we modify an order you are holding up a portion of the production cycle for everyone.
That said, if you must modify, you can do so as long as it has not entered production. Please email us via the ‘contact us’ link on our homepage with the details of your modification. Please include your order number and be specific with your modification details.
Policies and Procedures (Including Warranty, Return, and Order Modification policies)
These are a general list of our policies and procedures. We reserve the right to modify them at any time.
- As a default, your credit card is charged when your order enters production. If you prefer it to be charged right away, please request that in the comments box.
- Once your order enters production, we can no longer modify it.
- We offer a 30 day return policy.
- We offer an unconditional lifetime warranty on everything we make. If you have a warranty claim, please email us the details to the “Contact Us” link on our homepage. We will respond with instructions.
- Order modification policy- In an effort to maintain consistent and accurate lead time estimations, we must create a new policy for modifying orders.
Once the order has been placed, you may make one modification free of charge. A second modification will incur a processing fee of $5, and every modification after that will incur a processing fee of $20.
Will the addition of the threaded barrel option change the fit with a standard barrel installed?
No. For our threaded barrel holsters, we simply open up an indentation sized to that of the threads plus a thread protector. This indentation in no way affects the carry of a pistol with a standard length barrel installed. If you have a threaded barrel, or are considering purchasing one, we recommend you order the threaded option in the beginning, to avoid purchasing a second holster once you acquire the barrel.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. Our minimum international shipping charge is $20 USD. Actual shipping fees will be adjusted based on the weight of your order. The majority of international orders ship for $25-$30 USD.