By CCW Guy

When I first started researching concealed carry options, I didn’t really think much about holsters. I have packed around a Colt 1911 in a Galco IWB holster for years in my home, but every other holster I had used was OWB and usually cordura or military surplus on a surplus web belt. So when I picked up my M&P Shield, I needed something to put it in so I immediately went with another Galco . . .

While comfortable to wear, it didn’t give me that warm fuzzy feeling of being “secure” — probably due to my inexperience. In addition, because I was nervous about retention, I tightened my belt to the point that when I drew the pistol the “mouth” of the holster collapsed and made re-holstering very difficult. What to do?

Many texts later with my guru gun buddy Darryl, and I was convinced to try the Comp-Tac Minotaur MTAC hybrid holster. The hybrid is a Kydex holster mounted on a cowhide leather backing.  Ordering was straight forward and easy on their site, and the wait time was only a couple of days. They were running clearance specials on mag holders as well, so I picked up some extras for the Shield and my Glock 19.

When the Minotaur MTAC arrived I thought I had made a mistake. It’s a large piece of high quality thick leather. I ordered 1.5″ & 1.75″ clips and I first set it up for a 5.11 tactical operators belt. (My dress belt is 1.5″ for all my slacks.)

Setting the ride height to the 3rd set of screws down tucks the shield in tight and it virtually disappears under a t-shirt. Within an hour I hardly noticed the Minotaur. It began shaping itself to my body and becomes more comfortable each time I wore it…not that it started out uncomfortable to begin with.

The retention tension is adjustable with the Allen wrenches they provide and the M&P feels secure no matter what shape I contort my body into. (Did I mention I have 2 children who think I’m part of their play ground equipment?) The C clips fit snugly on the belt and I selected them because they’re a lot more discreet than the standard steel belt clips.

One of the great features of the MTAC is that you can change out the Kydex part of the holster to carry another gun with the same rig. Extra Kydex shells run about $38.

I mentioned above that I had bought a used Kydex shell for my Glock from a friend who turned me on to the Comp-Tac products. When I first mounted the Glock shell there was a slight mis-alignment of about an 1/8” on one screw. While the Glock still felt nice and tight, I contacted Comp-Tac to see if this was an issue or just me. They requested I send some pictures of what was going on and in full disclosure I told them I bought the Glock Kydex used from a friend. In hours after having the pictures they sent me the following:

Back in April – September of 2010, we went through a generation change due to design flaws in the older leather backings.  Basically, they were smaller and we were getting customer reports of larger handguns (1911 5” mainly) hitting the mag release on their leather backing. We went through an immediate design change in our leather backing to rectify this, notifying our customers about it as well to offer them a discount on an exchange. A side effect of this is there are older kydex bodies out there that won’t fit our current backings, and older leather backings out there that won’t fit our newer kydex bodies. This is the only time we have changed our leather backing, and the only time we expect to have to in the foreseeable future.

They went on to offer me a discount on a new Kydex body for the Glock that properly fits the Minotaur system…even though I didn’t buy it directly from them. Excellent customer service in my book.

While I don’t have a traditional Kydex holster to compare the Minotaur to, drawing and re-holstering is slick and quick, although I occasionally come up with little Kydex residue on the Shield. Bottom line: save your money, talk to friends who conceal carry, check out TTAG or other no-BS sites and make an informed purchase. And if you pull the trigger on a Comp-Tac carry rig, you won’t be disappointed.

Specifications:

Features:     Behind the hip
Tuckable
Adjustble Cant
Adjustable Ride Depth
Interchangeable Spare Bodies (Kydex Shells for other guns)
MSRP: $85.00

Ratings (out of five stars):

Fit and Finish * * * * *
The leather is thick with a high quality, deep chestnut finish. Kydex is well shaped and fits perfectly. Stitching seems ample and durable as well. The hardware is very nice and even comes with the required Allen wrench to make all adjustments.

Customization * * * ½
You can customize some things while ordering from the factory (color, left/right side and clip style) once it arrives you can then adjust ride height and tension…again with the supplied Allen wrench. Be sure to check out their mag carriers as well. I bought Kydex for the Glock and leather for the Shield.

Concealability * * * * 1/2
I’m amazed at how well this holster conceals. It smooths out the lines on your clothing and virtually disappears. Setting the ride height allows the user to fine tune the look and access level as well. Take your time and you’ll be pleased with the results.

Comfort * * * * *
I found the Minotaur to be extremely comfortable. The M&P Shield disappears and even when toting my Glock 19, I can’t get over how comfortable it feels. The width of the leather distributes the weight and the thickness of the leather gives it a nice soft feel. The whole rig loaded pulls in snug to the body and I never feel like its pulling to the outside like some other holsters. Clips are perfectly tight on both of my belts and I’ve found the 3-4 o’clock position works the best for my size.

Overall product rating * * * * 1/2
A great product from a company with fantastic customer service. ‘Nuff said.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. You have a few “fro”s where you meant to type “for”.

    Also, it looks like you pasted a section from the main body into the “Overall” rating section.

    Otherwise a great review. Party on, Wayne!

  3. Being able to change out Kydex for another gun definitely sounds like a good money saver… nice to another informative review on TTAG!

  4. You wouldn’t happen to know of any good / comfortable holsters for a full size M&P’s would you? Just bought a Galco OWB and it’s being a bitch to break in.

    • I have a comptac minatour for my G22. My bro-in-law turned me on to it. He carries a G35 in his (for those of you that don’t carry Glocks, a G35 has a 5.3″ barrel. It’s a big ass gun).

    • Same holster, the Comp-Tac MTAC. I carry full size and compact M&Ps in the MTAC quite comfortably, and they conceal quite well too.

      Kydex leather hybrid really is the way to go for inside-the-waistband holsters. There’s no better than the MTAC.

  5. My new Comp-Tac OWB paddle holster for my G19 arrived yesterday, along with one of their double mag pouches. Only had a chance to try it out a couple of times in the afternoon, but it’s definitely a winner. Fully adjustable for tension, the Glock snapped into place rather snugly, so I may loosen things up just a bit…then again maybe not. The paddle slipped over my jeans easily and it hangs on for dear life and doesn’t shift one bit. Each holster is made after it is ordered. Current time is 2 business days to make, then they’re shipped Priority Mail. Ordered mine on Thurs afternoon and it was finished and shipped this past Tuesday….received it yesterday. They send regular emails letting you know when it’s finished and shipped, along with a tracking number. Great service in my book.

  6. I recently purchased this holster in black with the 1.5″ (non-tapered) Comp-Tac Kydex Reinforced Contour Belt as well as a single magazine pouch.

    This holster with the 1.5″ C-clips fits the belt very snug and will not move once it’s connected/positioned, which can take a bit to position just right. I found that I needed to have the clips secured on different holes to improve the angle to what I prefer for 4 o’clock carry and that there could be a 2-hole position difference between each C-clip for the clips to connect evenly along the belt (the belt does not change angle due it’s Kydex reinforcement). I’m a big and tall guy and I found this holster feels quite comfortable, even in a sitting position, including 5 – 6 o’clock if that’s your preference. This holster can easily be concealed by a t-shirt for summer months.

    This is my first IWB holster though so I’m still getting used to the feeling that my pants are going to fall down. However with this belt and holster combination it seems impossible – it’s built very solid. The belt has Velcro on the inside of the waist band so I also ordered the Velcro clips for this holster. The Velcro on the clips does not stick well enough to the belt to allow for the holster tension I prefer – too much tension on the gun and the holster is easily pulled from the waist band with the gun inside (not good). I wouldn’t recommend the Velcro clips unless you prefer a loose holster tension.

    The vertical Kydex magazine pouch is not deep/low enough for me though and my 15-round magazine pokes into my side. Losing some weight wouldn’t hurt me but I think the magazine rides too high.

    • I solved that problem by buying a Nano. Found it at a weekend only sale at a local gunshop by happenstance for 300 dollars. Very happy with it.

  10. First CCW holster I bought… only CCW holster I have ever bought.

    Conforms to your body over time on the leather side. Only thing I’ve ever had to do was to tighten the screws about once a year s the Glock 19 I have would become loose in there. I could fix this forever with a bit of locktite.

    Any way I’ve ran this holster for about 4-5 years now… love it.. it disappears on my hip and most of the time it’s so comfy I don’t even know I have it on.

    I’d highly recommend this to anyone.

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