BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

Hogue PowerSpeed Universal Holster
30 October 2006

When I received this holster for test & evaluation my first reaction was, "This is a holster?" "RoboCop" also came to mind... I had never seen anything like it first hand. The Hogue PowerSpeed holster is, at its most basic, a polymer holster that is adjustable to fit every pistol (that I've tried) in a secure fashion that permits a quick draw. The heavy emphasis is on the "quick draw" part - not the secure part. THAT is why this holster is being written in the Recreational Reviews section: I think it's a great holster for competition but in no way would I recommend it for duty use. Let me take you through the design features, what it takes to fit it to your particular pistol, and then the experiences I had with it through numerous presentations on the range.

Before I go on let me be perfectly clear that this is NOT a negative review. The Hogue PowerSpeed Universal Holster is excellent (in my opinion) for recreational use. As a competition holster I'd think it would be sufficiently secure and quick to release the weapon. As you can see in the series of photos to the right, directing your attention to the topmost photo, the holster is comprised (essentially) of a polymer framework, two magnets, a "hood" that holds the front of the slide into the holster and another section wherein the trigger guard of your pistol sits. The second photo, showing my Glock 19 holstered, gives you a clear idea of how a pistol sits when holstered.

The holster design has a completely open body. In fact, the hood shown at the end of my Glock's slide isn't meant for typical use. The two magnets shown (those bright disks) are actually meant to be three magnets and they are STRONG. The hood is optional for use and only recommended by Hogue for guns that have a rounded trigger guard. For guns that have square trigger guards (like my Glock), there are three magnets installed in the holes that appear as large plus (+) signs in the first photo. I had to move them to put on the hood. Between the trigger guard hook and the three magnets, a pistol would be sufficiently secured to do slow and methodical range work. An example would be shooting steel plates from a static position. I wouldn't trust the magnets to hold the gun sufficiently to do any running, jumping, climbing or crawling. A pistol with a rounded trigger guard might turn in the holster and then the trigger guard hook could press on the trigger. That's a bad thing.

So, I opted to use the optional hood and it's shown in place. The actual hood piece that covers the end of the slide and front sight is held in place on the mounting bracket by friction. That's another reason I wouldn't use this holster for duty - or even off-duty - use. There's too much chance that any type of physical confrontation could move or neutralize the security features of the holster.

The third picture shows a view of the trigger guard hook - an atual chunck of polymer formed into a bar. The stud sticks out into the trigger guard when the release lever is pulled up. When pressed down (the release lever is circled in the fourth photo) it wedges the trigger guard hook back out of the trigger guard and the weapon can be pulled out of the holster. To be more precise, if the optional hood isn't used, once the release lever is pushed down and the trigger guard hook released, the gun can be pushed forward out of the holster straight to the target.

So, if you get such a holster, the first thing you have to do is fit it to your pistol. Obviously you should always make sure you're working with an empty and safe weapon. Check twice and then check again. Once you're sure you've got a safe weapon, slide it into the holster and determine whether or not there is a snug fit of the trigger guard into the holster's body. The body thickness is adjustable and should be snug. Using the supplied allen wrench you can remove one or more of the body's polymer layers to snug the holster up to your particular gun. My T&E holster required no modification to fit my Glock 19. However, for my Government Model 1911, I had to remove one layer.

Once you've made whatever modifications are necessary to the holster body's width, you next need to holster that empty and safe weapon and engage the trigger guard hook by pulling up on the release lever. For me this was easiest to do (while wearing the holster) with my middle finger. I set the gun into the holster and then as I pulled my hand away I could lift the release lever into the locked position. With the gun locked into place you need to very carefully look and make sure that the trigger guard hook isn't anywhere close to the trigger itself. From the Hogue paperwork that came with my T&E holster this may be a risk with extended or adjustable triggers.

Once you've determined that the trigger guard hook indeed does not present any danger, you need to check to see if the weapon will turn any in the holster. If the slide isn't held securely by the magnets and/or if the trigger guard on your pistol is rounded (like on my 1911) then the gun may turn and that rotation may put the trigger in contact with the trigger guard hook. Again, that's a bad situation. If that might happen with your pistol, then you need to use the optional hood assembly. To install that you simply drift out the magnets and install the hood mounting bracket. Put the magnets back into the holes closer to the holster body and push the hood itself onto the mounting bracket.

Now, with my 1911 I didn't notice any problems with moving the magnets. After all, the gun's all steel. The magnets presented some pull on the pistol no matter the placement. The fact that there were only two instead of three didn't matter a whole lot. However, with my Glock 19, since the frame is mostly polymer, the pull / added security of the magnets was just about totally nullified. In the case of my Glock 19, the holster's security was entirely dependent on the trigger guard hook and the hood.

This holster does make me wish I still had my Glock 35. I used to have one for T&E and used it in a single competition. Given the length of that slide and considering this holster without the hood - using all three magnets - this would have been one heck of a quick draw on the competition range. Speaking of the range...

I took this one out and went through a couple of qualification courses with it. All in all I probably drew from it about forty to fifty times. The draw stroke is very easy to get used to. When securing a grip on the weapon your thumb will naturally push down on the release lever. Grab the weapon in your usual grip and present it. No pulling in a special direction or twisting it to release a trigger guard hook. Depending on where you put the hood and what cant you put on the holster (six positions available) you may not have to move the gun up at all to get it out of the holster.

All in all, as a competition holster, I like it. As a field holster... duty holster... off-duty holster... no. But on the competition range... or in practice for the competition range... yes. It's an excellent holster. The adjustability of it may make it the last competition holster you'll ever buy. And speaking of buying... I did an Internet search and found it for just under $100. I'm sure if you look you can find it for less than that.

BE SAFE!

I have a comment on this article.

Don't forget to check out our Tactical Equipment Review about Pentagon Weapon Lights.

This week's Training Article discussing whether or not the "war on terror" is evolving into fifth generation warfare.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

New American Truth eMagazine
Dedicated to ALL citizens who oppose terrorism and injustice.
Subscribe Today!

Subscribe To New American Truth