It was many years ago – decades – since I first heard of Mika Pocket Holsters. I’d been in search of a pocket carry solution since early in my career. Having read the articles of Charles A. “Skeeter” Skelton, Evan Marshall, Mas Ayoob and others, the carry of a second gun became a priority. Having it accessible to the ‘non-gun’ hand was critical. Like others, I’d settled on the front pocket of the off-side to carry a spare gun, particularly in uniform.
I had one of the old suede clip-on IWB holsters of that early era. I clipped the stitching off of the leather holding the steel spring clip in place and thus had a sort-of pocket holster. It kept the gun in the proper orientation and being ‘rough-out,’ it didn’t come out of the pocket with the gun. In those old wool-trouser uniform days, the perspiration went through the near-canvas quality cotton pockets and into the rough-out leather.
Ever rust a stainless-steel revolver cylinder? I have, just that way. You can still see the pitting.
Some of the greatest holster makers in history sought to make pocket holsters. It took a 20-year cop who saw it as “simplicity and speed” over all other considerations to make the moisture resistant “bucket” that is the Mika Pocket Holster.
Made of ‘mystery material’ that truly resists moisture, it’s at once soft and rigid, if that’s even possible. The current iteration is wrapped with a band or two of a ‘grippy’ material that reminds one of the kitchen cabinet liners we use to keep cutlery and such from clattering around in a drawer. The holster stays in the pocket when the gun is drawn.
Simplicity, he figures, is critical for a gun you need “right now.” We don’t want to be horsing around trying to use your thumb to push the holster off or the angle the draw such that the holster is snagged in the pocket.
With the Mika, you “pull and point.”
If you need a backup gun at all, you likely need it immediately.
He began designing his ideal pocket holster in 1984. A member of service at the Los Angeles Police Department, he was working at Van Nuys when he passed prototypes around to fellow officers with a request to check it out; he was in product R&D mode. One the design was underway, his marketing effort led him to a range of gun shops. Only one was interested.
Bob heard nothing after his first positive contact … for around four months. That proprietor became the manager at the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club and then placed an order for fifty holsters.
Bob’s pocket holster features either the round style cut or the square cut ‘toe.’ Having started my experience with Mika holsters back in the days of uniform duty, I always got the round cut. For duty trousers with deep pockets, that style works the best. Recently I realized that some of my current trousers don’t work well with the round style – one pair has pockets that are too big, allowing the gun to tip forward. It was time to try the square cut holster.
While I was about it, another ‘deep concealment’ type rig for the S&W Shield pistols seemed to be in order. I ordered up the Mika Waistband holster for the Shield along with the square cut pocket holster for the S&W M&P340.
Like previous Mika holsters – which I still have – the new one fills the bill. It’s extremely quick to draw the gun – which can be replaced in the holster with the holster still in the pocket (seldom a big deal for me).
The Waistband Holster? Well, I had concerns – about the holster closing up under a tight belt, about the clip and the angle of the draw. Two days after it’d arrived, I’d already worn it twice, once for an event at which discovery of a holstered sidearm could have led to some anxious moments.
Like the pocket holster, The Waistband Holster’s simplicity is the key to its success. I found I could reholster the pistol without removing it from the waistband. It is discreet and quite comfortable.
Other products? I had his ‘pocket mirror’ which along with his ‘pocket handcuff case’ and another maker’s lightweight cuffs. I thus was well equipped for my tour in our fugitive warrants section. With Bob Mika products, “high quality” goes along with simplicity and a fair price.
If you’re in line for concealment carry gear, give Robert Mika’s products a look.
-- Rich Grassi