The Glock G48 is an excellent pistol for hot weather concealed carry when I do not want to carry heavy.
The Glock G48 has a low profile, is light weight (1 pound 10.2 ounces with 10+1 rounds) and has an ammunition capacity of enough quantity for most encounters of the worst kind. While a Hogue wraparound finger groove grip with beavertail is not yet available for the Glock G48 (at the time of this writing), third-party vendors are already on the bandwagon bringing holsters for the G48 to the market. The G48 is not a pocket pistol, not even a cargo pocket pistol and that means a holster.
In this article I present information on holsters that I have found so far worthy of use in housing the Glock G48 inside and above the waistband; the Falco A112 Hawk IWB holster, the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck IWB Holster (Inside the Waistband), the Tuckable Holster for the Glock G48 from Cook’s Holsters, the Crucial Concealment Ambi Covert IWB for Glock 48 holster, the “CUDA’ holster from Simply Rugged Leather, and the GALCO Classic Lite Shoulder System.
Each holster has its pros and cons, but each is effective in what the holster is intended to do; protect the firearms and serve it up when needed.
I am going to present the holsters in my order of preference. Your preference may differ.
Falco A112 Hawk IWB Holster
Falco holsters are quickly becoming one of my favorite holsters for both quality and price. I have a Falco A112 Hawk holster for several firearms to include 1911 pistols, Glock 19/45, and XDM 9mm/.40 S&W 4.5.
The holster shown; however, is not for the Glock G48, as Falco does not make one at the time of this writing. The holster is, in fact, for the Glock G19, which will also house the G45 and other comparable sized Glock pistols. Due to the leather construction, the holster is ideal for the Glock G48 due to its flexibility. And when the holster is mounted IWB, the fit is perfect with no break-in required.
The Falco A112 is a dual-clip IWB holster made of premium leather and is a perfect fit for the G48. While not adjustable for holster depth or cant, both are excellent with this holster and it rides as if it was not in place behind my right hip. This is an exceptionally comfortable holster with many qualities to include that it is all leather and is friendly to firearm finishes. It provides full protection for front sight and trigger guard with the latter being of most importance. The sweat guard is a perfect size for the pistol by not being too large or small. Several variations of the holster are available; however, the best choice is the ‘Premium’ for both leather, molding, and finish.
ALIEN GEAR CLOAK TUCK IWB HOLSTER (INSIDE THE WAISTBAND) FOR GLOCK G48
The first holster, the ALIEN GEAR CLOAK TUCK IWB HOLSTER (INSIDE THE WAISTBAND) FOR GLOCK G48 was reviewed in its entirety in an earlier write-up, but I am going to cover some of its highlights here for comparison sake.
This holster comes equipped either with standard nylon clips, designed for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch belts, or steel clips that fit belts up to 1 3/4 inches. For enhanced conceal-ability nylon “C” clips and “J” clips are also available as add-on items. Included with the holster is a Parts Pack that consist of 2 – 1/2″ screws, 4 – 3/8″ screws, 4 – 5/8″ screws, 2 – 1/2″ rubber spacers, 4 – 3/8″ rubber spacers, 4 – 5/8″ rubber spacers, 1 – T Nut, 1 – Finish Washer, 1 – 3/32 Hex Key.
The backing piece is leather and dyed to a color of your preference, as long as your preference is black, brown, or tan. The leather backer has a thickness of approximately 5/32-inches, which means that it is approximately 10-ounce leather by leather thickness. Except for black, the Kydex shell is not offered in colors or patterns.
Three mounting points on each side of the holster shell provides a means to adjust holster height and cant according to your preference. I prefer that an IWB holster is low inside the trousers and with a bit more cant than the standard 15-degree F.B. I. cant. Polymer or metal mounting clips are options. The polymer clips are quite substantial and from all indications you can expect them to prevent the holster from coming out with the pistol for a very long time.
To adjust the holster, the manufacturer provides an Allen wrench that is used to remove the mounting clip and spacer. The spacer contributes to the holster being ‘tuckable’ and you can decide if the tuckable feature is one that you want. I decided to leave the spacers in place, even though I do not take advantage of the tuckable feature.
The comfort level of the holster is very high.
Crucial Concealment Ambi Covert IWB for Glock 48
Crucial Concealment Ambi Covert IWB for Glock G48 holster – Right Side Carry Setup
Crucial Concealment Ambi Covert IWB for Glock G48 holster – Right Side Carry Setup
The Crucial Concealment Ambi Covert IWB for Glock G48 holster is fully ambidextrous; the mounting clip can be moved from one side to the other and full instructions for ambidextrous conversion is included.
“The mounting clip is made from an extremely durable polymer for performance and longevity. An arch feature was added to add strength and eliminate the failure point of most polymer clips. It also uses an inward wedge design to grab bets and clothing t ensure it remains in place through daily activities and the draw stroke. It is sized to fit 1.5” and smaller belts.” – Source: Crucial Concealment
Cant adjustment is very simple. Loosen the two mounting screws with a Phillips screwdriver, rotate the clip to the desired cant, and tighten the mounting screws.
Retention is adjusted by tightening and loosening the screw located below the trigger guard. I found no need to adjust the tension.
There is no depth adjustment but the holster rides so that there is adequate space between grip and pants to ensure an adequate grip on the pistol. There is also some give of the holster within the pants to accommodate the draw stroke.
The holster is not of the ‘Tuckable’ type.
By design, all Crucial Concealment holsters are optics compatible, and this design carries through to the Ambi Covert IWB for Glock G48 version. What this means is that the rear sight is not protected, but the front sight receives full protection.
The comfort level of the holster is high.
“This holster offers ambidextrous carry and a full range of cant adjustment which ensures the user can find their preferred carry position. Constructed with .080 KYDEX®, the holster delivers the perfect blend of rugged durability and thin, low profile design required for EDC IWB use. The proprietary clip is made of a high strength polymer that can be used on a variety of clothing styles, so no occasion or attire impedes one’s ability to carry. Concealment is enhanced by the subtle Trigger Bump which helps angle the grip of the pistol back towards the body in all carry positions. All COVERT series holsters feature optic compatibility and user adjustable retention.” – Source: Crucial Concealment
Cook’s Holsters – Tuckable Holster for the Glock G48
The Cook’s holster fully protects the firearm and is fully molded to the firearm.
A single metal clip is used for retention in the trousers and there are three holes for adjusting holster depth. Holster depth and cant is fully adjustable; however, adjusting for depth is not an easy process.
To adjust for depth, perform the following:
- Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the mounting screw, O-ring, mounting clip, and rubber spacer. The internal nut is not captive and will fall from the holster.
- Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the retention screw.
- Pry the holster open further using one hand while locating the adjustment nut in the desired hole. I did this by putting a spot of grease on my finger, which keeps the nut from falling off my finger, then positioning the nut in the desired hole.
- While holding the nut in place with one hand, assemble the spacer, mounting clip, O-ring, and mounting screw in the other hand. Use a Phillips screwdriver and your finger to hold the assembly while positioning the mounting assembly over the mounting nut.
- Tighten the mounting assembly firmly.
To adjust for cant, simply rotate the mounting assembly on the mounting screw until the desired cant is achieved.
I found that the holster tends to move around inside the waistband. The mounting is stiff, but the holster can be rotated while the mounting clip is on the belt. Then, once you have the holster positioned where you want, you can remove the holster from the belt and fully tighten the mounting screw.
The holster is a “Tuckable” type, which means that you can tuck your outer shirt in and effectively hide the pistol/holster, which might be needed in certain situations.
The above holster is adjustable for height and cant; however, Cook’s Holsters makes an adjustable cant holster. Click here for more information.
The comfort level of the holster is high.
CUDA Holster from Simply Rugged
The ‘CUDA’ holster from Simply Rugged Holsters is a leather-friendly pancake-style holster that can be worn IWB or OWB depending upon the selected options. The option shown above is for the ‘Inside the Waistband Straps’ that converts an OWB holster to the IWB configuration. The ‘Cuda’ is an excellent holster and I have several for different pistols. The leather makes the holster more environmentally friendly to the finish of the pistol. I was hoping the Simply Rugged had a Glock G48 option in the ‘Cumberland’ holster, but the option is not available at this time.
This holster, had it used clips for mounting, would have been my top choice simply because it is made of leather and not Kydex or a “Kybrid.” Although I have modified a ‘Cuda” holster using metal clips for mounting, this is not the default configuration of the holster. It is simply a DYI effort of my own choosing, but that others could follow, if desired.
The comfort level of the holster is very high.
GALCO Classic Lite Shoulder System
If you are looking for an excellent but inexpensive shoulder holster system, the GALCO Classic Lite Shoulder System may just be the rig for you. Click here to read my full review (and more) of this system.
Summary
I presented the above holsters in my order of preference. I did not include holsters from Cross Breed, as they are remarkably similar in nature to the ALIEN GEAR CLOAK TUCK IWB HOLSTER (INSIDE THE WAISTBAND) FOR GLOCK G48.
For Kydex holsters, it is recommended that a thread locker is used on all screws to prevent adjustments from changing. All screws should be checked periodically for proper tension.
When metal or polymer mounting clips became a popular method of attaching holsters, I was not on board with them at first, because there were too many cases of the holster working itself out of the trouser because of a weak or inadequate mounting system. That; however, has changed at least for small firearms where there is not a lot of strain placed on the holster. Mounting clip technology has changed and today’s metal and polymer mounting clips are very capable of holding their own, so to speak.
Resources
Falco A112 Hawk Holster: https://www.falcoholsters.com/stable-easy-on-iwb-leather-holster-a112-hawk?variant=818
Alien Gear Holsters: https://aliengearholsters.com/
Alien Gear Cloak Tuck IWB Holster (Inside the Waistband): https://aliengearholsters.com/alien-gear-cloak-tuck-iwb-holster-inside-the-waistband.html
Cook’s Holsters: https://www.cooksholsters.com/
Crucial Concealment: https://crucialconcealment.com/
