For those of you with 1911's with Dawson rails.

[350_eight08]

I would like some input from those of you who own 1911's with Dawson rails. I have just recently had a Dawson rail installed on my Kimber Custom II and can't seem to find belt holsters which fit the gun without a light. I was under the impression that what made the Dawson so appealing is that even with out the light, it could still be used with most standard 1911holsters. So far everything I have tried will not work. Any suggestions or input of what you use will be greatly appreciated!

[R Moran]

Kramer molds holsters specifically for the rail, I have one of the IWB models.

When most people talk about using the same holster, they mean it can be stretched to fit with the rail.

Bob

[kaltblitz]

I ran into the same problem. If you like cheap leather like Bianchi stuff then sometimes it will fit.

Kramer Leather makes holsters that fit the Dawson rail. You HAVE to specify to them that your gun has that rail. They usually have a short wait of around a month or less.

5Shot Leather (which is some of the best stuff out right now) makes holsters for the Dawson as well. He has around a six or eight month weight but his stuff is more than worth it.

Broomeland is tooling up to make leather for the Dawson right now. I actually bought and sent him a rail so he could make me a holster for it.

Any of these guys will take care of you.

FYI- If you are looking for a duty/tactical holster, use the same Safariland fit code as a Springfield Operator with a M3 light attached. That fit code works with the Dawson with X200/X300. That's my work rig right now.

[Blake]

I have a Alessi/Heinie DOJ holster that my Nighthawk 10-8 fits. I bought the gun and holster used, so I'm not sure if it was made to fit, or if it just was worked in over time. I had three 1911 holsters before I got this weapon, and some worked some did not.

[VooDoo6Actual]

In short, it depends on media your using for a holster.

Kydex etc. is the only way for me.

[350_eight08]

Thank you all for the information! Very helpful stuff.

[Ben Lenett]

When we needed to have a large quantity of holsters produced for the Dawson Rail/Gov. Model combo, I went to multiple manufacturers to discuss needs.

In the end I sent a pistol to Kramer and Comp-Tac, which is what their current molds are derived from for open sales. Both companies offer quality and customer service that is the best available today.

You will not be dissapointed with either choice. For fitting purposes each company received a DET-1 Kimber with Dawson Rail.

I hope that info makes your decision easier.

[sff70]

In addition to the suggestions above . . .

Raven's holster for M1913 railed 1911s will fit a 1911 with a Dawson rail.

[Aubrey]

Comp-Tac makes holsters specifically for 1911+Dawson rail. Quality, service, and turnaround time are excellent.

http://www.comp-tac.com/

I have their "Belt Holster" and have been very pleased with it after two classes and some cool-weather concealed carry. The only issue I encountered was that the tension-adjustment screws loosened up during the first class, which I addressed with some blue Loktite.

My Milt Sparks VMII, which I purchased long before I had the rails installed, is still a bit too tight for my tastes, even after lots of plastic-baggie time to stretch it over the rail.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I thought the rails were cool. But when you look at the cost of putting them on, the fact you have a Franken gun, and the holster issue, I decided to go with a new railed gun.

I look at it this way, if the rail is critical, it's a save-your-butt kind of gun, wouldn't a spare gun be a good idea? Unless you are talking about a high end gun, the direct costs and the indirect cost of adding a rail just don't make economic and logistical sense, for me.

Why pass up a somewhat legitimate reason to buy a new gun? Who wouldn't want a new STI Tac or Springfield Operator? Or a new Glock or Sig?

Does anyone tap the dust cover so that you can screw and unscrew the the rail add-on? That would help with the non-lit holster issue.