After using a Glock for a while to be able to utilize both the ALS holster system and a micro red dot I was finally able to go back to using a P226, which was always where I felt most comfortable, with both of these systems. Safariland announced at SHOT show and recently expanded their ALS RDS series of holsters to include P320 models. Using one of these I was able to fairly easily modify it to fit a P226 correctly. The Safariland SKU for the hoster that I used is 1208018.
I have looked around and haven't seen this done anywhere else and figured it wouldn't hurt to throw this up in case anyone else is in the same boat as I was and is looking to use an RMR'd P226 in what I humbly consider to be the gold standard of OWB Duty grade holsters. There is nothing ground breaking that I am going to be showing you as this has been done many times, and for a long time, to put 2011s in single stack ALS holsters but I know some people like to look before they leap into modifying a fairly expensive holster. This is a very easy process when compared with fitting 2011s to single stack ALS holsters.
The only tool you will need for this is a heat gun. You can buy a usable one at Home Depot for less than $40 that will perform great or you can attempt to use a hair dryer. I have never used a hair dryer to work on a Kydex like material but you do not need an incredible amount of heat so I should work fine with one. As you can see below, I have circled the areas that were causing an interference in red. You can get the gun in and locked without any modification but it will bow the sides which will show you exactly what needs massaged out to get a smooth and effortless draw.
As far as technique goes for this process, keep the heat gun on a medium setting and keep an inch or two of distance between the nozzle of the heat gun and the holster. Apply heat for 20 seconds and see how receptive the material is to molding before adding more heat. A little heat goes a long way. For reference temperature wise, I was still able to use my bare hands for all of the molding. It is always better to go a little slower with heat than to start melting things. Start on the area to the left of the entrance to the holster and then as the gun can go further in without resistance go to the area on the right of the opening. Make sure to keep the area of holster that the ALS nub slides on straight or it will not snap back into the locked position, I have circled this portion in green.
Good luck and I hope this helped. I will update confirming OT Defense Nub mod compatibility as soon as I get my hands on some extras if anyone is interested.
I have looked around and haven't seen this done anywhere else and figured it wouldn't hurt to throw this up in case anyone else is in the same boat as I was and is looking to use an RMR'd P226 in what I humbly consider to be the gold standard of OWB Duty grade holsters. There is nothing ground breaking that I am going to be showing you as this has been done many times, and for a long time, to put 2011s in single stack ALS holsters but I know some people like to look before they leap into modifying a fairly expensive holster. This is a very easy process when compared with fitting 2011s to single stack ALS holsters.
The only tool you will need for this is a heat gun. You can buy a usable one at Home Depot for less than $40 that will perform great or you can attempt to use a hair dryer. I have never used a hair dryer to work on a Kydex like material but you do not need an incredible amount of heat so I should work fine with one. As you can see below, I have circled the areas that were causing an interference in red. You can get the gun in and locked without any modification but it will bow the sides which will show you exactly what needs massaged out to get a smooth and effortless draw.
As far as technique goes for this process, keep the heat gun on a medium setting and keep an inch or two of distance between the nozzle of the heat gun and the holster. Apply heat for 20 seconds and see how receptive the material is to molding before adding more heat. A little heat goes a long way. For reference temperature wise, I was still able to use my bare hands for all of the molding. It is always better to go a little slower with heat than to start melting things. Start on the area to the left of the entrance to the holster and then as the gun can go further in without resistance go to the area on the right of the opening. Make sure to keep the area of holster that the ALS nub slides on straight or it will not snap back into the locked position, I have circled this portion in green.
Good luck and I hope this helped. I will update confirming OT Defense Nub mod compatibility as soon as I get my hands on some extras if anyone is interested.