Crossfire’s Alaskan Medium – Large Revolver Holster
I’ve been looking for a holster for my wife’s .357 S&W 686 cannon for a while. Hey what can I say, I got the pick of the litter. Until I came across Crossfire’s Alaskan series the holsters were all inadequate. Seems most large revolver holsters don’t cover the trigger guard and for me that’s a deal killer. The ones I did find were made of flimsy nylon.
Crossfire’s Alaskan series of holsters addressed all these issues and offered a slew of features I have yet to see in other offerings. The Alaskan is made of tough 1680 denier Ballistic Nylon fabric. The nylon is substantial and retains its shape which is especially important when reholstering and you want your holster to stay open so you don’t need a second hand to holster. It comes in any color you want as long as that’s black. They do offer a whopping 20 different sizes though covering 3’ to 9’ barrels.
An unexpected benefit and major advantage to this holster is its versatility of carry. The holster is ambidextrous. It has a belt loop on each side so you can thread your gunbelt through it for left or right carry. The loop isn’t anything fancy so you can’t adjust for cant and it will slide between pant belt loops. It also has a padded strap which allows you to wear it on your waist or crossdraw over either shoulder.
Wearing the Alaskan on your waist with the shoulder strap doesn’t look all that pretty but it’s very quick and easy. I felt comfortable the gun was going to stay where it was supposed to during moderate physical exertion. The elastic thumbreak wouldn’t let the gun come out but the holster itself held the gun in the holster pretty snugly.
I’m not a fan of shoulder carry crossdraw even though that’s how I carried my 1911 in Iraq back in ’91. I have since learned how a horizontal carry inadvertently muzzles everyone behind you and having the gun butt facing an adversary isn’t the best approach. The Alaskan at least has the gun pointing down when worn across one’s chest and I’ve never heard of a bear or wild hog grabbing someone’s revolver. To add stability, the Alaskan has an elastic strap one can run down to one’s belt to further stabilize the gun. The shoulder pad is well padded and comfortable but I’d probably sport a shirt with a collar for extended wear.
The hardware on the Alaskan is top notch. D-rings, loops and clips were all made of heavy dity steel and securely attached to the holster. The one area where they may have improved is the thumbbreak adjustment. Unlike the one pictured in the factory photo which is a snap dot, my “Speed Retainer” thumbreak was an elastic strap with a tab to position the strap behind the hammer to secure the gun. Effective once adjusted, but adjusting was a pain. The free ends of the back strap sit inside tight pockets and are held in place with Velcro. To adjust the strap, one must take an included lounge depressor and slide it between the Velcro securing the strap to break the bond. Then one adjusts the length removes the depressor and the strap is secure. Sounds easy in print but it’s a pain in the butt in practice. That said, it wouldn’t be a big enough negative to keep me from buying this holster.
Crossfire’s Alaskan Holster is a great holster for the individual hunter or marksman wanting to carry a medium to large frame revolver in an open carry setting. It will provide you a versatile number of carry options, is robust and securely retains one’s revolver while protecting it.
Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
*The views and opinions expressed on this web site are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.
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