Not only is there something to be said for a beautifully stitched custom holster, but they’re often a requirement. Face it, there’s a shortage of quality left-handed holsters on the market, which means you’re often out of luck if you’re a southpaw. It isn’t only shooters who are born left-handed who need good holsters either. It’s also those shooting mirrors whether to build offhand skills or due to injury. The world needs more left-handed holsters, and that’s something Simply Rugged Holsters understands. The Simply Rugged Cuda is a stellar example of the value of a custom left-handed holster. Here’s why.
What Is the Simply Rugged Cuda?
The Simply Rugged Cuda is a pancake-style holster designed for higher ride height. Pancake holsters are traditionally manufactured using two pieces of leather stitched together. They’re often OWB (outside waistband) designs which doesn’t mean you cannot conceal them—you absolutely can, with the correct cover garment. This holster can be used for IWB (inside waistband) if you get a set of IWB attachments from Simply Rugged. One great thing about well-made pancake holsters like the Cuda is that they hug the pistol snugly to your body. There’s no tilting or angling outward—not even a little—which is good for retention, comfort, and a smooth drawstroke. The Cuda is available right- or left-handed, and of course, this one’s a leftie.
Cuda Features
It might seem weird to talk about holster “features,” but they’re a thing. The Cuda is made from premium steer hide with impressive thickness—and that matters because it translates to long-lasting rigidity. Even after extensive use, the Cuda’s mouth remains open for re-holstering, which is more than a little important.
The Simply Rugged Cuda has a backplate—the holster maker refers to it as a Flab Tab—that’s extended high to protect the slide of the gun from your skin (sweat isn’t great for metal). And, of course, it adds a layer of comfort because you don’t have a serrated slide and sights digging into you. The muzzle end of the holster is open, providing pass-through if you have a threaded barrel. This holster has three belt loop slots that are compatible with belts up to 1.75 inches. Because there are three, it’s adjustable for cant. That means you can change it to better suit your drawstroke or minimize printing.
Although the Cuda is molded to the general shape of the handgun, it isn’t tightly molded to every nook and cranny like you see on Kydex. Even so, it fits securely and delivers reliable retention. The trigger is fully covered and the leather encompasses and protects the gun.
How Does the Holster Work?
Stiff Leather
The holster is stiff enough that it took some time for the belt loops to conform to wear. Even then, they didn’t bend per se—more than molded to my body’s shape very slightly. They haven’t changed since but have maintained their shape. Heavy leather gun belts work best with the Cuda, but I have used them with nylon-duty belts as well. Nylon doesn’t flex quite like leather and that can mean it doesn’t hold the holster as securely as I prefer.
Holstering is smooth thanks to the Cuda’s design and stiffness. The mouth of the holster stays open—and has stayed open throughout lengthy use—so re-holstering can be accomplished safely. There’s not much worse than a holster of any material with a backplate that creases, folds over, and becomes a holstering hazard. It’s wise to watch for those signs of wear on holsters with leather backplates, but as thick as this one is, it doesn’t seem to be an issue. That said, wear does happen to most holsters with long use. It’s just reality.
Solid Design Holds It’s Shape
Even though the Cuda doesn’t give you that satisfying click like Kydex, it still lets you know the gun is in place. That’s thanks to the shape matching the gun—when the gun is holstered, the trigger guard is precisely in place and it isn’t going anywhere. I mention this because there are lower-quality leather holsters on the market that are no better than steerhide socks. Not so with the Simply Rugged Cuda. This is a quality holster designed by someone—Rob Leahy–who’s a serious defensive shooter (he even takes his team to shooting classes at Gunsite Academy).
The Cude doesn’t slip, shift, or stick during the draw stroke. My 1911 draws smoothly and there’s no battle to properly, safely re-holster. And I can say that after countless repetitions at the range and in high round-count classes. Also, although the Cuda is made to ride snugly against your body, the mouth is rigid so it does not flex into your side.
Read More: Safariland: New Fits for the Incog X IWB Holster
Cuda For Any Handgun?
Simply Rugged offers a huge array of options for model compatibility. The Cuda, specifically, is for semi-autos. If you want this style for a revolver, check out the Sourdough Pancake. It’s also worth mentioning that if you don’t see your exact gun in the model list, you can just choose the closest shape and size and let them know exactly what gun you have in the notes. My Remington R1 DS Enhanced—a double-stack 45 ACP—wasn’t on the list, so I just let Rob know what I had when I ordered. The resulting Cuda fits exceptionally well.
You can get this holster with or without tooling. That only applies to the steerhide option, though. There are also exotic options like alligators, sharks, and ostriches (yes, they’re beautiful). If you get an exotic leather, you can’t get it tooled, but it’s worth the trade-off.
There’s a 3 to 4-week wait time listed for the Cuda right now. Actual wait time depends on the backlog, so it could be faster—it just depends. A quality leather holster is worth the wait. Simply Rugged makes holsters that are made to last—something I’ve seen in action—and the Simply Rugged Cuda is a holster I expect to use for years to come.
Get a closer look at the Simply Rugged Cuda here.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! All Local Sales are FREE! ***
Read the full article here