Braxton Taylor
Wilderness Tactical Products, the small Arizona company best known for its rip-stop nylon accessories and rigger’s belts also sells a multi-fit pocket holster that is meant for snub-nosed defensive revolvers. The DB Force Option Pocket Holster was designed in collaboration with noted revolver expert Darryl Bolke and has a main compartment that can accommodate nearly every compact revolver with a 5-6 round cylinder. The guns include the original Taurus Model 85s and the newer Taurus 856s (and similar models like the 605 and 905, S&W J-Frames, the Ruger LCR family and the Colt snub-nosed guns such as the Detective Specials, Agents and Cobras).
Why This Holster?
Coming from a company that is expert in all things nylon, this pocket holster is manufactured with the same nylon elastic XHD material that The Wilderness also uses to make its snub-nose ankle holsters. The material isn’t “elastic” in the typical sense of the word, but it’s flexible enough to accept any shape of revolver and also conforms to the body as it sits in the pocket. The entire holster folds over like a taco and is conjoined by some very robust stitching. All leading edges around the DB Force Option Pocket Holster also include an additional protective nylon layer meant to protect the edges of the “taco” from fraying and wearing down through use. From a physical standpoint, this pocket holster is built to for hard use. Past the physical, there’s also some strategic thought put into The Wilderness DB Force Option Pokcet holster. Its exterior includes a stretchy but snug outer nylon pocket meant to carry anything from decoy keycards, business cards, small amounts of cash or speed-strips with spare revolver cartridges.
The holster’s outer pocket is the reason for the name “Force Option.” Let’s revisit the expired hotel card again. Taking a worthless plastic card and wrapping it around a few loose small bills can be used as decoy and a ruse to thwart a would-be mugger and either get them to leave you alone or to buy precious time and a chance to escalate the force options. The fake credit-card and cash pocket decoy is staged in that elastic pocket, right beside the next option: the revolver.
Working With The DB Force Option Pocket Holster
As already noted, the material and construction used by The Wilderness for this pocket holster is extremely tough. It’s stretchy enough to conform to the sides of any compact revolver, even those with slightly larger six-shot cylinders like the Colts or newer Taurus 856s. While in the pocket, the material stays put but does not drag on the revolver during the draw either. Due to the nature of the double-action revolver and how pocket holsters are employed, the motions for dry-fire and live-fire are identical and this is one instance when practicing the draw with dry-fire fully carries over to build skills. To review the DB Force Option Pocket Holster in a practical manner, I tried different revolvers including my Taurus 856, Smith & Wesson 640 and the new Heritage Manufacturing Roscoe. From these three I worked with the Roscoe the most and spent some time drawing and dry-firing at home with a shot-timer. On the draw, I had no issue with the holster staying in place in the pocket and because the Roscoe has an exposed hammer, I used my thumb to shroud it as I drew. Last week, I decided to validate my pocket holster draws with the Roscoe with five rounds of .38 Spl. on an NRA B-8 target pasted at arm’s length and a shot-timer. This was my first time drawing from the pocket with live ammunition and my times were impressive for having no experience: all but my first shots were sub-second draws that hit the B-8 target.
The Takeaway
The Wilderness DB Force Option Pocket Holster works as advertised. It’s also a well-made piece of kit that’s made in America. This holster isn’t without its downsides: Even though it is very sturdy, it’s also very bulky and can be hard for some to conceal. This holster requires something akin to cargo pants or shorts or workwear with deep pockets for proper concealment. It would not be optimal with professional business attire. Even in my case, wearing my work pants, I still had trouble with concealment. It’s fair to point out that The Wilderness also warns its customers about this on their website and recommends a certain work-wear clothier. There’s also the reality that carrying in the pocket may not be for everyone either. But for those who can take advantage of this type of carry, it can work well, and I saw the proof of this fact on my shot timer.
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