Old-school cool meets new-school holster with the Species series. The Species has now expanded into J-frame revolver territory with a new line for the wheel gun aficionado. I’m rather new to carrying revolvers, and I typically carry my snub-nose blaster in my pocket.
The thing about pocket carry is that it’s not always the optimum choice. It’s an eternal compromise for convenience. Pocket carry is great, but it doesn’t offer maximum concealment with a J-frame, doesn’t allow for the fastest draw, and you have to give up a pocket to carry the gun.
With the new Species rig, we can move the frame to a convenient, rapid-access AIWB position and keep our pocket open for whatever the world tosses at us. The J-frame Species hasn’t hit the market just yet, but it’s coming soon enough that they sent me one to test and review.
The Species and the J-Frame
The Species rig is Safariland’s simple, minimalistic AIWB rig. Traditionally, it’s been produced for the smaller guns. Guns like the P365, with the largest option being for the Glock 19. The J-frame fits in the lineup perfectly.
The holster uses a single polymer belt clip that’s adjustable for ride height and allows you to rotate the clip to fit whatever angle you want to carry at. We get an adjustable passive retention screw. The holster is made from Bolatron and comes with a suede liner that protects your firearm’s finish.
It’s simplistic, and with its design, it’s not locked into an AIWB position and can be easily moved to strongside IWB if that’s what you fancy. I’ve been using mine to rock and roll with the S&W 432 UC. Until recently, I figured a J-frame was a J-frame, but apparently different guns have small differences.
Due to those small differences, I don’t have a full fit list. I can confirm it works without issue with the S&W 432 UC, which features big, fat, high-horn grips and a rear dove-tailed sight. I can also confirm the new S&W Bodyguard 2.0 .38 Special doesn’t fit. It’s just a little too bulky.
Going AIWB
AIWB seems to be a rather recent invention in the gun world, but it does date back a fair bit. Chic Gaylord, a famed holster maker from the era of leather, designed a few appendix and general IWB rigs for snub-nose revolvers decades ago.
The little snub-nose has always been an excellent deep concealment pistol, and with the Species you can return to tradition with a modern polymer holster. For the folks that find appendix carry uncomfortable, I’d really push them to try it with a snub-nose.
The shape of the revolver’s cylinder provides a nice natural bulk that keeps the grip from rotating forward. The lightweight and short nature of the revolver keeps things comfy and allows you to forget you’re carrying a firearm. The S&W 432 UC absolutely disappeared in my Species holster, fat grips and all.
The single clip allowed me to customize the ride height just right to ensure the gun remains concealed nearly perfectly, but still allows for a good grip on the draw. I didn’t have to fuss with the cant, and due to the small holster and small gun, I didn’t have to offset my belt buckle, even with a larger-than-minimalist design.
A simple T-shirt covered the gun, and I could carry it with ease without a big, stiff belt. Another benefit of modern J-frames is that they tend to be lightweight, but still pack a full-powered cartridge for defensive purposes. It’s a great combination for the folks who want something convenient to carry and capable.
The rounded nature of the revolver seems to be much easier to conceal in this position with just a T-shirt. The shirt doesn’t snag on corners and sit unnaturally. If concealment is a major issue for you, the J-frame and Species are a great pair.
Rocking and Rolling With the Species
My initial fear with the 432 UC was the High Horn grips. To me, they are an essential part of the gun’s design and critical for fast and accurate shooting. At least for me.
In the past, I experimented with other AIWB rigs, and the holster just wasn’t cut right. My middle finger couldn’t achieve a grip around the fat grips, and would scrape enough to remove skin when I went fast. I gave up on carrying the 432 UC in any AIWB configuration for some time.
Imagine my surprise when the 432 UC fit perfectly into the Species and allowed for a full grip on the gun. No finger scraping, no compromised grip, just a good grip that ensured a fast draw. I always start with a little dry fire when I’m testing a new holster, and right away I was a fan of this combination.
The big grips make it easy to establish a good high grip on the gun, and positioning the gun in an appendix position makes for a fast and easy draw. The shirt always clears it with ease without a snag to worry about. Since the gun is so short, I can flub the cover garment clearing and still get a solid grip on the gun.
Going Live
The Species releases the gun without a fight. When I moved to live fire, I was able to do a cold draw of 1.3 seconds and hit an A-zone. As I practiced, the time steadily lowered by fractions of a second until I was scoring 1.1 at three yards on an A-zone.
I was able to score a sub-1-second draw, but it was not consistent, and the few times I got it, my grip was far from perfect and follow-up shot accuracy would have suffered. This isn’t the holster’s fault; it’s just pressing the gas a little fast for my skill level.
The open mouth made reholstering easy, and as always, I looked the gun into the holster between rounds.
Day-to-Day Use
For nearly a month now I’ve been carrying daily with the S&W 432 UC and the Species in an AIWB position. This includes at my day job, and typically around the house til I shower. I haven’t found it to be particularly uncomfortable or difficult to conceal.
Like most IWB holsters, I breathe a nice sigh of relief when I remove the rig. There’s always that little freedom from holsters we can all enjoy. The Bolatron design makes it easy to wipe sweat off and keep it clean during the humid and hot summers of the Southeast.
The Species and the J-Frame
The revolver is making a slight comeback these days. Trends tend to be cyclical, but with the current upswing, it’s good to see modern holsters take charge. The Species allows us to mix all of the good of modern AIWB carry with all the good of an old-school carry gun.
