Photo from Raven Concealment Systems.

I was recently made aware of an effort by Raven Concealment Systems to update their outside-the-waistband holster offerings. Their "legacy" holster had been around for some time and had a great reputation. I'd been using their Eidolon on-and-off over the past few years with 3rd and 4th generation Glock pistols. The gun I'm currently carrying, the Gen5 G19 that's here for evaluation, won't fit the Eidolon. I got a message in to my contact at RCS and was told that the Gen5 is not a fit for the Eidolon, but he had a holster that would work for the test gun and that I should keep my eyes open for its arrival. The new holster is the Perun, kind of a cross between the legacy OWB – the Phantom – and the Eidolon. It's a modular rig that works on either side of the shooter – change the hardware and it's now a holster for a southpaw. Change it back for right-handed use.

The holster uses a "retention slider" to adjust for gun fit. The muzzle is open. Photo from Raven Concealment Systems. The Perun holds the gun close to the side, enhancing concealment. Great for casual concealment, the 15-shot Glock 19 inside the new Raven Concealment holster is invisible under this flannel shirt.

They say it's a "pancake" style with the mounting attachments fore-and aft, not behind the holster pouch. Unlike the Phantom, there's nothing in the way of excess material with only enough holster to cover the gun and to mount onto the belt. The holster is supplied with "three pair of 1.5" belt loops (LH 10 degree cant, RH 10 degree cant, and ambi 0 degree cant)" – to allow different modes of carry, for each side of the body. It uses a retention slider to adjust the holster to the gun. Back off on the screw tension and slide the device up to tighten the fit. I did so and checked it with Gen5 Glock 19 before carrying it. It's snug, but not too tight. I could adjust it for greater or less tension, as needed. The holster features both inboard and outboard full-height body shields, an open muzzle and will accommodate suppressor-height sights and red-dot optics. The body shields help to prevent a cover garment from getting inside the holster mouth. I use it like a "catcher's mitt" – I bring the pistol back, dustcover between the body-shields before seating the gun into the holster. The muzzle end of the holster "pouch" is open to allow ash and trash to go out, preventing obstructions to re-holstering the piece. Finally, "(t)he holster is injection molded from a proprietary, extremely high-strength polymer blend that is significantly more durable than Kydex or Boltaron." I don't know what the stuff is, but it's interesting in appearance and feel. The holstered G19 vanishes under a shirt, like the flannel shirt in the photo. That's good concealment. I backed the Perun up with the Raven Copia magazine carrier – another great piece of kit. The Perun is available from Raven Concealment Systems. You can get it to fit the Glock 17 (22), Glock 19 (23) or Glock 43. For less than forty dollars, there may not be a better modular synthetic OWB available. - - Rich Grassi