The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022

in Jeff Cramblit, SHOT Show 2022

On the outside, the Blackhawk TECGRIP FORMLOK appears to be a very plain Inside the Waistband (IWB) holster, but it is so much more. The holster is actually three layers, each serving different critical functions to make up a great IWB holster.

The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022
Surprisingly simple but remarkable optics ready holster concept.

The outside layer is the TECGRIP, and it is remarkably sticky when placed inside your waistband. It’s what makes the holster cling in place. It is also finished with seam tape to provide a relatively soft and smooth surface against your body for carry comfort.

The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022
Size 1 of the 6 sizes available to fit most concealable handguns.

A sticky IWB holster is nothing new, what makes this one special is the FORMLOK portion of the holster design. Most “taco” style IWB holsters offer little to no retention, that’s not true for the FORMLOK. This ambidextrous IWB holster is designed to form to your pistol and provide a reasonable level of passive retention.

The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022
Downright plain-looking on the outside, but once it’s formed it becomes something special.

The package comes with a holster, sight track tool, heating bag, and simple instructions on how to form the holster to your carry gun.

Basically, place the holster in the provided bag and submerge it in a pot of water heated to between 155-175 degrees for 8 minutes (not to exceed 190 degrees). This makes the holster moldable for a short period of time until it cools. Remove the holster from the bag and place the unloaded pistol with the sight track tool in place in the holster and press down forming it around the trigger guard, ejection port, and slide regions.

The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022
The sight track tool prevents compressing the holster in the area needed for front sight travel.

Once the holster cools, the memory lock layer retains this shape and provides the desired retention for the pistol. The TECGRIP keeps the holster in place inside the waistband, and the FORMLOK keeps the pistol in the holster until it’s time to draw.

The holster comes in six different sizes designed to fit most carry-sized pistols. It has an MSRP of $54.95.

One of the great features is if you decide to change to a new pistol in the same size range you can simply reform the holster to fit the new gun rather than having to go buy a new holster.

The Versatile New TECGRIP FORMLOK IWB Holster from BlackHawk – SHOT Show 2022
Indentions are visible at the ejection port and trigger guard area.

Check out the new TECGRIP FORMLOK and all the other Blackhawk holsters HERE.

About the author: Jeff Cramblit is a world-class competitive shooter having won medals at both the 2012 IPSC World Shotgun Championship in Hungary and more recently the 2017 IPSC World Rifle Championship in Russia. He is passionate about shooting sports and the outdoors. He has followed that passion for over 30 years, hunting and competing in practical pistol, 3gun, precision rifle and sporting clays matches. Jeff is intimately familiar with the shooting industry – competitor, instructor, RO, range master, match director. Among his training credits include NRA Instructor, AR-15 armorer, FBI Rifle Instructor, and Officer Low Light Survival Instructor. As a sponsored shooter, Jeff has represented notable industry names such as: Benelli, 5.11 Tactical, Bushnell, Blackhawk, DoubleStar, and Hornady. He has been featured on several of Outdoor Channel’s Shooting Gallery episodes and on a Downrange TV series. Jeff’s current endeavors cover a broad spectrum and he can be found anywhere from local matches helping and encouraging new shooters as they develop their own love of the sport, to the dove field with his friends, a charity sporting clays shoot, backpack hunting public land in Montana, or the winners podium of a major championship.

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