Safariland Micro Rig

I have a bunch of Safariland holsters. I mainly use them on gun belts when doing training classes. The QLS system is pretty badass. You can easily move your holster from belt to belt by just picking up some cheap QLS Quick-KIT (eBay is your friend here). They also make it easy to swap holsters depending on what handgun you want to use that day. Safariland makes a number of leg rigs that accept the QLS systems but they are a little bulky. I get why, but they are overkill if you are just looking for a small, easy-on, easy-off rig for going to the range.

So under the heading of trying to solve a problem I didn’t know I had, OP Tactical (an awesome, old-school, online store for tactical goods) sends me marketing emails. A while back, they sent out an email for the True North Concepts Modular Holster Adapter. Adapters like these have been around for a while in either aluminum or 3D-printed versions. They allow for either a longer length to drop the gun farther down on your leg, or to combine two different hole patterns so you can mix and match holsters like a Blade-Tech or Blackhawk holster to a QLS pattern. The True North is more for mounting to a gun belt with the included aluminum belt clips that screw on and lock the adapter to your gun belt.

The thing that grabbed my attention, is that one of the pictures in the email had a Tek-Lok or DOTS belt attachment attached to mount to your belt:

If your not familiar with the Blade-Tech Tek-Lok or DOTS Ultimate Belt Attachment, they are a small clip that opens and locks around your belt. The Tek-Lok is a little bit more robust but a bit of a pain to get on and off as it has a safety mechanism that can be cumbersome to get at. The DOTS version just has a slider for locking the mount. If you have ever seen the holster for a Microtech Halo they come with kydex sheath that is attached to a DOTS belt attachment.

That picture got my mind pondering about a Safariland Micro Rig. A super small rig you could throw in your range bag and all you would need to add is your holster. No taking your belt off to thread through the holes in the Safariland drop leg holster. Depending on your belt choice that day that process can be a pain in the ass! This would allow you to just clip on to your existing belt and also take it off that easy. I had to try it out to see if it would work.

First off the True North Concepts Modular Holster Adapter along with a leg adapter ain’t cheap. It was a $120. You may want to do a bit of deal hunting and you could probably get it cheaper. Along with the holster and leg adapters, you will need QLS Quick-KIT ($15) and a DOTS clip ($10). So, the whole kit is going to run you around $150 – in the words of Flossy Carter “the price is too god damn high”!

Once you get all the needed pieces, setup is fairly easy. A couple cavoites – 1) the True North comes with a bunch of bags that are color coded but opaque. It would just be easier with clear bags with labels on them like Vortex does.

2) The instruction are lacking so you will have to use the force. 3) The holes are not exactly the right size. I dont know if this is a tolerance issue, an issue with the anizadation (which is very nice by the way) or is purposeful, but some of your posts are not going to fit and some are going to be annoyingly tight. Only by tightening down on the screws will the posts be pulled into the hole. The posts for the DOTS belt adapter do not fit the top holes (none of the included hardware or DOTS hardware would fit). Not a huge deal but for the money this thing costs, its bullshit.  Also the leg adapter is no longer aluminum like in the pictures, its plastic. Which is fine and it works well for what it needs to do but I have a feeling it was always $38 when it was aluminum and they never lowered the price once they switched to injection molded.

So once you get it all together I was thinking I was not going to be impressed. Boy was I wrong! This little rig is awesome. Super small and compact, just a little bit longer than the holster. It is rock solid on the belt. Draws are super steady and smooth. Easy to switch holsters with the QLS systems. Only issue is the screws for the DOTS adapter stick out a bit so you need to remember to pull up on the holster a little when you remove it to clear those screws. Seem like an easy fix if you wanted to find a flatter screw but i’m fine with it.

I love this thing with the DOTS belt attachment. I also love how there is the perfect amount of standoff for your shirt to be untucked but not in the way of the draw. I hate it when a polo, long sleeve, or jacket gets all bunched up around an outside the waistband drop leg holster. It was an expensive experiment but well worth it. I was able to create something I had in the back of my mind for a long time. Super stoked! Its pricey, but it works.

I would add that if you are someone with a 3D printer and know your way around layout plans that this may be a great project to work on. For this application I dont think it would need to be as rigid as it is. If you need help along these lines shoot me an email at info (at) fleetingsurvival.com.