Raven Holster (or lack thereof) . . .

[bwframe]

How comfortable is the Raven compared to the MTAC as a IWB holster?

I can't speak to the MTAC. I switched from a Milt Sparks SSII to the Phantom a few years ago. I wear IWB almost exclusively. I found that, with my 5" 1911, I no longer had to go up a pants size for IWB.

Of course, I carry on a good gun belt, as you should too. No, not the best "heavy duty" belt you can find, a belt designed for supporting a firearm.

 

[lovemachine]

Apples to oranges. I can't wear Kydex against my beautifully soft and supple skin, it just irritates me too much. If you are a guy who is rough and tough, like a real man, then the Raven is no problem IWB.

Seriously, I prefer a hybrid holster for IWB carry because there are times that it gets worn under an un-tucked shirt and that puts the holster right up against the skin. I am not comfortable like that so I run a hybrid, like the MTAC. If Kydex doesn't bother you then the Raven will be just fine as an IWB rig.

That made me laugh!

I'm sold. I'd like to get a better OWB holster. I have a stupid fobus now.
I'll just keep my MTAC for IWB, and start saving for the Raven.

Thanks guys!

 

[lovemachine]

I can't speak to the MTAC. I switched from a Milt Sparks SSII to the Phantom a few years ago. I wear IWB almost exclusively. I found that, with my 5" 1911, I no longer had to go up a pants size for IWB.

Of course, I carry on a good gun belt, as you should too. No, not the best "heavy duty" belt you can find, a belt designed for supporting a firearm.

I'll give it a try once I get one. I already I invested into a good belt. I have a wilderness instructors belt and love it.

Thanks for the help!

 

[zibby43]

Oh, and for the OP, look Raven up on Facebook. They are posting what range of order numbers are in production, about to be in production, and are shipping out. Just compare their posts with your order number and your question will likely be answered. HTH.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try to dig up my order number.

 

[zibby43]

Looks like they're starting to make the 11200's and my order is in the 11400's. Looks like more waiting, but at least I have an idea now! That's a nice feature on their FB page, wish I knew about it earlier.

 

[Gabriel]

Looks like they're starting to make the 11200's and my order is in the 11400's. Looks like more waiting, but at least I have an idea now! That's a nice feature on their FB page, wish I knew about it earlier.

I didn't know about it either, but now I'm afraid to look to see what my order number is.


OK, I shouldn't have looked.

 

[Cwood]

If you are a guy who is rough and tough, like a real man, then the Raven is no problem IWB.

That leaves lovemachine out of it!!! He can't even leave the house when it snows!!!!!

 

[esrice]

Listen to Burl. He gives good advice.

Listen to Nick. He gives good advice about Burl.

I'll just keep my MTAC for IWB, and start saving for the Raven.

This is what I do, and have had good results.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I wear my phantom IWB 99.9% of the time.

But if I don't wear an undershirt...it's not at all comfortable; mainly due to the love-handles.

 

[Jtgarner]

I ordered a Phantom holster from Raven for my Glock 23 in early September, and my credit card has still not been charged and obviously, my holster has not arrived yet either . . .

So it has been roughly 13 weeks and I still am holster-less. The wait when I placed my order was 12 weeks and by now I at least expected to have been charged for the order and the order to have been shipped.

I e-mailed them a few weeks ago and got a pretty generic response but I am beginning to wonder if I am ever going to see this thing. It seems like a great product but I'm getting a little impatient.

Is this typical?

Thanks for listening. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Log on to their website and look at your order number. Then become a fan of them on facebook and you can get weekly order updates. On Monday they posted the following:
Remaining 10,900's in Shipping.
11,000 - 11,100's in Final Finishing.
11200's in Production




They usually post an update every monday or tuesday.


EDIT: I was way behind on this one haha oh well.

 

[zibby43]

Log on to their website and look at your order number. Then become a fan of them on facebook and you can get weekly order updates. On Monday they posted the following:
Remaining 10,900's in Shipping.
11,000 - 11,100's in Final Finishing.
11200's in Production




They usually post an update every monday or tuesday.


EDIT: I was way behind on this one haha oh well.

Yep already went the FB page route and now I know where I stand. Thanks though!

 

[E5RANGER375]

nothing that uncomfortable is worth that kind of wait or high price. i went back to leather.

 

[lovemachine]

That leaves lovemachine out of it!!! He can't even leave the house when it snows!!!!!

I have NEVER liked you.

 

[RelicHound]

Raven is just about as far from a small "at home one man outfit" as you can get. They have large .mil contracts and build thousands of holsters annually. Raven holsters are purpose-built and have been constantly tested and refined. There is nothing as good as wearing a nice holster and being comfortable in it all day. There are several companies that make holsters that I would call nice and Raven is one of them. All I can tell you is to try one out. I virtually guarantee that you will not be disappointed with it.

If they are that big then why the heck does it take 12 weeks+ to get a holster? if they have made so many for various makes and model then why dont they pre make them and ship as soon as ordered? Im sure they are nice..and some people may be willing to wait that long but Im not and Im sure LOTS of other arent either. maybe I can get up to the 1500 sometime and get me one or find one on the second hand market.

 

[esrice]

If they are that big then why the heck does it take 12 weeks+ to get a holster?

I'm guessing that their current demand is MUCH higher than their supply, or how quickly they can turn out holsters.

if they have made so many for various makes and model then why dont they pre make them and ship as soon as ordered?

Because they are backlogged on current orders, I'm sure there is no extra time to pre-make holsters.

Im sure they are nice..and some people may be willing to wait that long but Im not and Im sure LOTS of other arent either. maybe I can get up to the 1500 sometime and get me one or find one on the second hand market.

That's what I did-- waited for a 1500 and then waited ~4 hours.

Sometimes you'll see them pop up in the Classifieds. Sometimes, if your name is Indy_Guy_77, you'll be lucky enough to score one in the "used" bin at your local gunshop for stupid cheap.

The problem with the second-hand market is that if you need it for something other than a Glock, your chances are slim to none. But, this is also where Raven shines, as they can custom mold their holsters to whatever gun you possess, while you wait.

Because this thread is in the Raven subforum, I'm sure Tom will be along after a while to shed some light on some of the questions people have asked in this thread.

 

[ATM]

I'd love to get a Raven. Just not sure which one TO get.

Ask about their ginger models...

 

[lovemachine]

Ask about their ginger models...

I don't like you either.

 

[Steve MI]

nothing that uncomfortable is worth that kind of wait or high price. i went back to leather.

Your the minority......... tell what was wrong and they will fix it or

 

[Tom Fineis]

Hi guys,

Here's a few thoughts that may be relevant to this topic.

I posted this on our Facebook page months back. The lead time comes from the time it takes to build the 3000 orders in the que in front of you. Even with a large shop and many employees, supply and demand can rear its ugly head.

Edit
Wait times explained



by Raven Concealment Systems on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 10:54pm


Periodically, we get questions on our wait time. More often than that, I see a lot of talk on-line about how a 'plastic' holster shouldn't take so long to make. I would like to take a moment to explain the situation in a bit of detail in hopes of clearing up the situation.

First- Our wait times are regularly exaggerated by posters in various forums. It isn't uncommon to read something about RCS' five or six month lead time. These statements are simply untrue. At the time of this note, we're at a 12-13 week lead time, roughly three months. This is the longest our lead time has ever been. Whether those posts are just simple online exaggerations, or rumors being retold, we can't be sure. In any event, we recommend you get lead time information directly from the source. Both of our websites have current lead times posted on the homepage.

Next- It is commonly said that a 'plastic' holster shouldn't take three months to make, but the same person understands why a custom leather holster may take a while. This statement shows a complete lack in understanding the holster production process. Our wait time is a simple equation of supply and demand. Our holsters move through an assembly line that requires many hands to complete the process.

The bulk of your lead time for a new order isn't the actual production process, it is the time it takes for us to build all of the orders in front of yours. A simple analogy is the process at an amusement park. You may wait three hours in line for a ride that only has a 45 second duration, but the ride can only seat so many people. As more people want to ride, the line gets longer.

At present time, we have massively expanded our production facility, and have brought on more and more staff in an effort to expedite our production process. We have some guys working six days a week in order to get your gear out as quickly as we can. We are gaining ground on our lead times every day.

Our product lines are ever-evolving, please stay tuned to RCS for newer and better products being released. We have some projects in the works that we hope to have ready for public release in the not-too-distant future.

As always, if you have a question about our products or an order, please feel free to contact us. We offer multiple avenues to do so:

Product Questions- gearinfo@ravenconcealment.com
Order Questions- jay@themalabarfront.com

General or Specific Questions-

Tom Fineis
Director of Sales
tom@ravenconcealment.com
(440) 465-7111

Site Sponsor- M4Carbine.net forums
Site Sponsor- INGunOwners - Indiana Gun Owners Community forums

You can also post items on our facebook page, though you will typically receive a faster and more thorough response by utilizing one of the contacts above.

Thanks for your continued support,

- The Team at RCS

Regarding the current delay:


We are running about two weeks behind our current lead time. We had a rash of the flu hit our production/finishing departments hard about a month back. It kept over 60% of my work force at home for a full week. Catching up from that downtime has proven to be a drawn out battle. These are not machine produced items that we are cranking out a thousand at a time. We are human and it takes many human hands to get an order from production and finally shipped to your door. We are gaining ground on our delay, I can promise you we're doing all that we can to get orders out the door.



It's 8:40pm my time while I type this. I have been here since 9:30, and probably won't be finished with emails until 10 or later. These are not excuses, just an explanation that we are doing all that we can to keep up.



If anyone has further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Getting the info straight from the horses mouth will probably produce the most accurate and quickest results for you.


Thanks all,


Tom

 

[RelicHound]

Hi guys,

Here's a few thoughts that may be relevant to this topic.

I posted this on our Facebook page months back. The lead time comes from the time it takes to build the 3000 orders in the que in front of you. Even with a large shop and many employees, supply and demand can rear its ugly head.
Tom

Thanks for the reply. I may be ordering something in the near future.