A Large Honkin’ Holster for a Large Honkin’ Pistol

The Glock G41 is a large, honkin’ pistol, As such; it takes a large honkin’ holster to house the beast.

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I had recently penned an article on the Simply Rugged “Cumberland” holster for the Glock G41, but I was waiting on a new holster to write somewhat of a comparison article. However, the two holsters, even though they are for the same pistol, are worlds apart

In late December of 2018, I ordered an IWB holster from Savoy Leathers, and on March 11, 2019 it arrived in my mailbox.  Wrapped in three layers of tissue paper, it was obvious that the manufacturer cared for its product.

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After unwrapping and seeing the holster for the first time, there was no doubt in my mind that a second holster was going to be ordered for the Government Model 1911. This holster is, in my mind, the perfect IWB holster.

I wanted a simple holster. After all, it is an IWB holster that is not seen. Like an iceberg, the beauty is well below the surface, or well within the pants, in this case. I kept things simple and ordered the holster in chocolate with black edging. There was no need for special stamping or anything fancy that might be done for an OWB holster that I could show off. The holster had one job to do; simply hold my G41 in place and protected, until I needed it not to hold it in place.

The metal, riveted mounting clips are widely spaced at 10.5-inches off center. For comparison, the Simply Rugged “Cumberland” holster for the G41 has a spacing of 5.35” centered on the mounting clips; the Savoy is almost twice that. It wraps around the body like an Anaconda, but does not squeeze the life out of you. Placing the holster just behind the right hip I soon found that even as much real estate that the holster took, it was extremely comfortable even when new and not yet conformed to my body.

If you have some goodly amount of body in the waist area, this holster is made for you. My waistline, at most double of that when I was a runt of a lad, was extremely pleased that the holster did not cut in anywhere.

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The holster is full-length and open-bottomed, which protects both the muzzle and the front sight from damage. The top of the holster slopes upward from the trigger guard area to protect as much of the firearm as possible. A sweat shield helps to protect the pistol as much as the carrier of the pistol. Normally, I do like sweat shields, but the sweat shield on the Savoy holster is well designed and well coordinated with the rise of the holster.

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The cant of the holster seems to be greater than the standard 15-degree cant. The cant of the holster helps to position the grip of the pistol more forward on the body and aids in concealment when bending over. The depth of the holster is such that even with the barrel length of the Glock G41 (5.31”), I am able to sit comfortably without the holster trying to ride up, even with roughly 7” of holster length being hidden (measured from the front mounting clip. Form the rear mounting clip, the holster depth is approximately 5” of holster is covered).

The edges of the holster are so well finished that it is hard to detect where the edges of each layer of leather meet. All of the edging is highly polished and well-rounded. The total thickness (both layers) of the leather is 0.25-inches.

The coloring is excellent with the chocolate subtly fading into a black border. The finish is not polished. Rather, it is a matte, smooth finish that gives the look of richness to the holster.

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This, of course, is not a hybrid holster where there is an inner backing that is drilled for a Kydex outer shell. This is all leather, baby! As such, it takes some breaking in and the usual “Pistol in a Plastic Bag” technique was initially used overnight. The next day the holster was broken in fully by sliding the pistol in and out about a hundred times, or as many times as I felt necessary. The holster inner is rough out and will, eventually, wear on a pistol’s finish. However, it is leather wear and not the harsh wear that Kydex can have on a pistols finish.

The trigger guard area has enough leather to keep the trigger finger out of the trigger guard, and that is something that we want to guard against (pardon the pun).

The stitching is excellent, well sealed, and consistent throughout. At the bottom of the holster, the Savoy logo and SAVOY LEATHER is nicely embossed into the leather.

The holster is formed to the firearm, but the forming is subtle and adds to the overall smooth look of the holster.

One of the important considerations that I have with any holster is that the grip area allows for a full grip on the firearm, and getting a full grip is not an issue with the Savoy holster, even with gloved hands.

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The rear sight is protected by the sweat shield and, of course, the body.  When worn IWB, the firearm has less chance to get damaged from that are inevitable during activity. And, speaking of activity, the chance of the G41 falling out of this holster is slim to none, but yet when sitting (as when driving) I found that I could extract the G41 from the holster quite smoothly – and there is no click of Kydex when I do so.

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You would think that a holster of this size would have a wide profile on the side of the body. However, because of the way the holster forms to the body, the outward profile is very small. The butt of the pistol is pulled tightly against the body, but no so tight that you can’t get a hand around the grip. While it is obvious that the Glock G41 is no small pistol, the outward profile of the G41 in the holster is not much greater than the outward profile of my 1911 in a Kydex IWB holster; albeit, the Glock G41 does ride higher. But, my manner of dress keeps even a Ruger GP100 carried IWB well under wraps. I am not bragging. I am just saying that your manner of dress when carrying a concealed firearm can make or break your ability to conceal such. Concealment is concealment.

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One of the last things that I should mention is that the mouth of the holster is not reinforced. Obviously, it is not good to carry an IWB holster under tension with the pistol removed. However, the design of the mouth of the holster makes holstering the G41 not an issue. 

Can the Savoy holster for the Glock G41 hold other Glock pistols? The slide width of the G41 is 1.0-inch. My G45 fits perfectly in it; albeit, there is a good amount of holster below the barrel, but yes it would work. Keep in mind that once the leather stretches a bit, the possibility of holstering other Glock pistols is possible, but of course there are limits, and a G21 stretches that limit (I’m just full of puns today).

Summary

I am a fan of carrying big handguns, but doing so comes with a price of trying to conceal a large handgun.  One needs a holster that provides enough coverage and support for the firearm, and one may also need some additional support for the belt, as hips and butts shrink as the belly grows.  Since I am a suspender and belt kind of guy, I have two of those areas covered; the belly is a separate issue.

I can honestly say that the Savoy holster for the G41 is the best IWB holster that I have, and I do have some good ones. I have been carrying a Glock G34 Gen5 in this holster for about a week, and I have to say that the holster pistol combination has been the most comfortable of carries.

The base price of the holster is $109 and the more options that you select, the price goes up.  But, even for a basic unit as this holster is, and the time it took to get my hands on it, the wait was worth it.

If you are looking for a very high-quality holster, OWB or IWB, that will provide the support and protection your most personal companion deserves, you might want to look into Savoy leathers. Savoy leather also carries wallets and accessories.

I have full confidence in this holster. So much, in fact, that an IWB holster in a different pattern (see example below) was ordered for a Springfield Armory Competition 5.25 in .45 ACP.45 that will also house a 9mm and 10mm pistol of the same size.

I will have three IWB holsters from Savoy Leathers, and having different patterns and colors helps me keep them sorted according to what pistol(s) they house.

RESOURCES:

Savoy Leather: https://www.savoyleather.com/product-category/holsters/