The use of weapon-mounted lights on handguns has grown significantly, and so has the challenge of finding the right holster for a chosen setup and preferred carry style.

There is a wide variety of holsters that will accommodate weapon lights, but it’s a fiscal impossibility for most dealers to stock even a small selection of the holsters necessary to match every possible pistol and light combination. Dealers instead might look to reputable manufacturers for holster options that can accommodate more than a single gun/light combination. 

Mission First Tactical is a good example. The company produces high-quality products that uniquely solve some holster challenges for dealers and customers.

Versatile Options

The new MFT Guardian OWB and Pro Series IWB light-bearing holsters deliver broad weaponlight compatibility in a single SKU and offer a problem-free positive retention via rare earth magnets. This solves several major problems for dealers including reducing stocking requirements for multiple weapon light fits and greatly reducing customer service issues on retention problems with improper fit or design. In the process, customers don’t need to be tied to a single weapon light model with a holster that is still fully functional even without a weapon light attached.

Weapon light holsters have typically been problematic due to the detailed molding required to provide proper retention of both the weapon and a specific weapon light. This molding process often causes inadvertent light activation when holstering or unholstering the firearm. The other problem is that no two shooters mount their weaponlight the same exact way. That introduces the need for some slop in the molding fit which can further deliver fit, retention, or light activation problems. Many manufacturers often update weapon light models mid-release which can also impact overall weapon light profiles. MFT solved these typical issues with its new duty-grade Boltron holsters. 

“We looked at the typical holster problems with handgun mounted tactical lights,” says David Edelman, vice president of MFT. “There are many variances to overcome including retention, which does not key off of the weapon-mounted light in order to deliver wider compatibility. We created MFT’s patented In-line Magnetic Retention System (ILMRS) into an ultra-thin comfortable profile. The ILMRS system offers consistent retention on every draw with no adjustment or wear concerns while providing 15-pound maximum pull. The strong Neodymium magnet maintains a fully loaded pistol in a holster without any locking devices. We also included an Integrated Barrel Stabilizer Insert (IBSI) which is engineered to keep the pistol in-line to the holster body spine, allowing the system to work with or without an under-barrel weapon light. 

“We now offer many Glock, Icarus, Sig and Springfield versions that range from OWB and IWB holsters made in the USA from Boltron for the ultimate in durability and carry flexibility,” Edelman adds. “These designs also offer some level of future proofing with broad weapon light compatibility out of the box.”

I recently tested a few of these new light compatible holsters: 

• MFT Pro Series Glock 19/45 TLR7 Pro Series IWB Light Holster
• MFT Glock 19/45 TLR7 GUARDIAN OWB Modular Hole Pattern (MHP) holster
• MFT Glock 17/47 TLR1 - X300U GUARDIAN OWB Ultra Concealment Light Holster. 

Firearms used for testing were a variety of Gen 3, 4, 5 & MOS series Glock 17 and 19 pistols. Weapon lights used for testing included the two class-leading Surefire and Streamlight brands. This includes the 1000 lumen Surefire X300 (wide beam) & X300 Ultra (narrow beam) and Streamlight’s new 500 lumen TLR7 Compact dual-fuel weaponlights. Notably these weapon lights showcase both full-size and compact weapon light technology. The X300 and X300U both have slightly different profiles and the X300U is configured with a longer extended lens. The X300 models both accept dual CR123 batteries and the TLR7 accepts either a single CR123 or Streamlight rechargeable SLB-9 USB rechargeable battery.

The MFT design overcomes many design and compatibility hurdles including multiple light compatibility on some of the holster models. For example, the Glock 17/47 compatible Guardian Ultra Concealment holster supports Streamlight TLR1 & Surefire X300 and X300U weapon lights. The TLR7 IWB and OWB holsters for Glock 19/45 support Streamlight TLR7A, TLR7X, TLR-7 HL-X USB, Surefire XC1, XC2, Nightstick TCM-550XL, and Inforce Wild 1 weapon lights. That offers broad compatibility in a single SKU holster design.

Ready to Carry

The most obvious first test was to see if there were issues with holstering or accidental light actuation. With nose forward pressure while holstering, the guns all clicked in smoothly and securely. Retention was crisp and secure. Most importantly there were no accidental light discharges. The idea of magnets in holsters is not specifically new, but the method MFT has created is unique in that the Barrel Stabilizer Insert positions the barrel so that the magnetic retention can reliably occur at the barrel muzzle. Only the polymer BSI contacts the rifling and crown to protect barrel accuracy. Another advantage of the system is that it semi-seals the muzzle from debris entering, similar to the ear-plug method special forces teams use to barrel seal handguns from debris in desert environments.

A benefit of the design is that OWB holsters look more blocky and less like handgun holsters which helps obscure inadvertent holster flashes when concealed. The two OWB Guardian Modular Hole Pattern and Ultra Concealment holsters are clearly more duty and range focused. Both were mounted to my gun belt during testing. The MHP version offers Bladetech Tek-Lok compatible pattern mounting and MFT’s own ACHRO Harness chest plate, which will likely be my preferred winter under-coat carry method for this holster.

Concealing a full-size Glock 17 with a full sized Surefire X300 Ultra weapon light is not a simple task, but the Guardian Ultra Concealment holster placed at 4-o’clock position does a great job with just jacket coverage. Additionally the slim body hugging design sucks the holster into the body with a reduced OWB holster silhouette bulge. This design is extremely practical for EDC and duty carry of full-size firearms and weapon lights. 

The Pro Series Glock 19/45 TLR7 Pro Series IWB Light Holster is fantastically adaptable and fully ambidextrous configurable with the included dual IWB tuckable belt clips that can be adjusted up or down. Additionally it can be configured with the included single large belt clip or configured with optional mounting such as Blade-Tech style mounts. It is one of the first holsters I have owned with this much configurability. Concealed carry of even a Glock 19 with a weapon light can be challenging or at least less than comfortable, but MFT has clearly worked hard to assure carry comfort is maximized. Part of that comfort is due to the configurability of the holster design, allowing the shooter to find the perfect fit, positioning, cant, and height.

As a bonus carry option, MFT wanted to showcase the off-body carry of the new ACHRO EDC Sling Packs. This is an extraordinarily flexible solution to the complex needs of carrying around a bunch of EDC stuff that can range from a Glock 17 with tactical light, extra mags, tourniquet, Israeli bandage, multi-tool, tactical light, snacks, ipad, USB charging brick, earbuds, sunglasses, readers, expanding baton and other gear and still have extra room left over. Thankfully the utility bag has become vogue again and we can all carry what amounts to a purse for all the stuff we elect to carry. MFT created the ACHRO sling pack with EDC focused design elements including full hook and loop inside the top center EDC pouch that includes a universal holster mount. The top rear slot is padded for Ipad and similar devices and the rear pocket is for more secure valuables such as wallets. 

Final Thoughts

For dealers, there are plenty of weapon light holster options on the market, but MFT offers dealers the flexibility to stock only one Glock 19/45 or 17/47 holster that accommodates a multitude of weapon lights that customers may purchase or already own. In the case of the new Pro Series, MFT offers dealers an option that is also fully left-hand configurable without the need for an extra SKU. According to MFT, this greatly simplifies and reduces inventory costs for dealers versus purchasing weapon and weapon light specific holsters.