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Very very happy with this holster. No issues even on an awkward draw. No retention issues. Still the smoothest release I've ever felt out of any holsters, I still have my 014, so I looked at moving the 015 on to the 014 hanger. Decided I didn't really need to do that. Can't seem to embed instagram videos, so here is a link to one from a match this past weekend: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBeDf-pnIBQ/

I 100% echo all the sentiment about Don. These guns have gun amazingly since I got them. Not a single issue until some slide slow-down around 800 rounds into a practice session, but that's to be expected during the break-in period of brand new guns. The quality of the fitting and blending is far above my previous open gun built by another gun smith that's known around here. I couldn't be happier with the guns, and with all my communications with Don.

I've seen 2 broken RHT holsters and thus can't recommend them. Never seen that with the Unicorn, Bladetech, or GX Holsters.

1. SRO is a good choice. Also a good choice is the Sig Romeo 3 Max. I shoot open and prefer a 6moa dot (or 5) to anything smaller. Even with the longest shots typically seen (~50 yards), the larger dot is still precise enough. 2. Tape is often the way to go. It will wear out over time, but is cheap enough to replace. The best tape for you is quite personal - try asking other shooters at matches if you can try handling their firearm and see what works for you. 3. The BOSS hanger with a Bladetech holster, or with the Unicorn holster are both great options. The hanger plates are sturdy and very adjustable, and the both holsters are fantastic. 4. Mag pouches - you'll need at least 4. Double Alpha, CR Speed, and Ghost are all great options. These are also available from the Ben Stoeger Pro Shop Happy to help with any other questions!

Not sure what kind of gadgets you're referring to here. Some actually do, some don't. A red dot over iron sights? That's a gadget, and yes, it does in general make someone shoot faster. As for this particular topic? A proper and good open gun won't make you a top-tier competitive shooter. But a POS gun won't allow you to be one. Otherwise, we'd all just be duct taping a red dot sight on to a Hi-Point and calling it a day.

If you're going to shoot open, shoot open properly. Otherwise, welfare open (CO) is the best option.

I have yet to lock the holster with a loaded gun. If a stage required significant movement before drawing, I would. Though in that case, I 99% would draw the gun before the movement anyways. Not many situations in IPSC matches that require the gun to be holstered for any duration after the beep.

Get one from Akai instead of that raging lunatic. You get a free t-shirt too! Or.... you get a special gift with a t-shirt purchase!

Cannot wait for this range to be done, and World Shoot bids can occur.

Fantastic small preview of how Ben's classes go. Anyone who has taken a class with him knows how much he sees and can pick up to help you improve, no matter where your game is currently at.

Alright... so I've had some dryfire time (~5 hours) and some livefire time (~10 hours) with this holster now. For your reference, I am using a SVI Signature metal grip. Shouldn't really matter, but it's their micropocket model with double undercut trigger guard. All my holster experiences have been with this grip. New guns are using a cheely XWF frame and the old gun was a CK Arms frame. I will be sticking with the 015 over my previous choice, the Alpha-X. How'd I get here? Started with a CR Speed. I dropped my gun from it, with the holster locked. Proper shims were installed. Apparently this is a feature.... Nope. DAA Race Master - perfect up/down draw stroke needed, otherwise it catches/hangs up every so often. Not enough for it to really be replicated on demand, but enough that it was a problem. Tried adjusting/filing the block, no real success. Manny Bragg Magnetic holster / Everglades - I have both. Great release from the holster with the ball design. Magnets were interesting, but added some resistance and took a bit away from the short "release" distance. Was the best gun release I had found so far, but I couldn't get the holster to fit nicely with or without the thigh pad. Something was always jabbing me in the thigh, and also stopped me from getting as low in a low port crouching situation. I'm fairly flexible and can often take a knee and bend enough to not go prone... but this holster hindered that. Safariland 014 - Very nice (though not as nice as the everglades) release in terms of how smooth the holster let the gun go, and how short of a distance. But even with the muzzle support, I still found the gun wobbling too much within the holster side-to-side. Shooting a steel challenge match with it, with all the hands above shoulders starts, really showed me that this wasn't going to work. DAA Alpha-X - 3 season with this. Absolutely the best hanger I've had. The angled piece that takes the holster body away from the hanger is amazing. I've had the gun catch a few times here and there on a less than stellar draw, but was willing to live with it. Gun travels ~5-6mm before release, with a slight bit of resistance on the stroke. The gun can't start coming forward until this is cleared. Safariland 015 - by far the best releasing holster I've used. The gun moves ~2mm before the retention is completely disengaged silently and without resistance. This allows the muzzle to start coming upwards towards the target before the trigger guard is even half-cleared of the holster block. I love it. The adjustment is great. The thigh pad while not contact-free like the Alpha-X is actually fairly tolerable. I am still getting used to this holster and to be fair, I have dropped my gun from it twice during dryfire. I find that I have to consciously press the gun to the rear of the holster before lowering into the retention mechanism. The lock does operate even if the retention system isn't engaged (unlike the DAA), so having the locking lever in the "locked" position is no guarantee of correct gun seating. I chalk this up to muscle memory from being able to just "drop" my gun into the Alpha-X built up over 3 seasons, so will be working on this. Hope this helps.

Only dryfire experience so far. I'll wait until I get to the range with the holster this weekend before I report back!

SVI Steel grip, same block on the Alpha-X.

All of them has something I don't like... The Safariland 014 had some wobble in the gun when holstered, and I don't like the muzzle support. Not able to get into some awkward positions that European matches love. The Everglades really jabbed me quite hard in the leg, but has a great holster body. The Alpha-X is my current holster, but with my new Venom guns they hang up unless I have a perfectly vertical draw. The hanger on the Alpha-X is pretty awesome though. Hopefully the 015 solves all the problems......

Sorry guys. I did grab one from SC.... I will be able to compare it to the DAA Alpha-X, Safariland 014, and Everglades Magnetic

They're pretty

Don't like how it pokes me in the thigh. Stuck with the Alpha X. Alpha X hanger with the Everglades holster body would be the dream combination.

I find my Grams last longer than TTI. I get mine from the Ben Stoeger Pro Shop.

I like using 2 timers. I have a Pocket Pro 1 for dryfire. Nothing goes between instant/random start and can have par times set as quickly as the pocket pro 1. I don't even have to look at the timer. The Pocket Pro 2 is everything I need for livefire practice and matches. Get to review strings, see times and splits on one screen. Don't need much more than that. I find I don't really use a par time for live fire, or I don't need to change it often. Digging through menus to change par time is a little annoying.

Tried a LOT of bags. Shooters Connection range bag, CED range bag, GPS backpack, DAA backpack, and a 5.11 Rush 24. This is absolutely favourite, and I won't be looking for the next best thing anymore. Hold everything I need, and does it well. The Safariland shooters range backpack. Fits nicely into the overhead bin of a regional jet too!

PO shooter?

When I used to do it, I used Dykem mark up spray. I'd put loaded ammo in the plastic ammo trays and just spray them so the entire bottom half was bright red. No issues with FTF over almost 30k rounds. Then I switched to 9 major and couldn't be happier.

I couldn't stand how the Everglades presses into my leg compared to the alpha x that basically doesn't contact me. Trying to adjust it to make it work since I like how the Everglades holds the gun, but can't get it comfortable. If only I could put the Everglades holster on the alpha x hanger!

I had my tile in the middle of a large polycarbonate suitcase and it worked! I can't speak to an aluminium case, but a pelican case should work.

That was me on the podcast, and the device I'm using is the Ping GPS