Lawful Carry: The Dualist

In today’s world, people do not know the difference between a right and a privilege. A privilege is earned and can quickly be taken away. A right is God-given—and brave men gave their lives to protect our rights. When we speak of the Second Amendment and our Right To Keep and Bear Arms, we do not have to justify the reason we choose to go armed or how many guns we carry. Remember, the key word is “right!”

Over the years, I have tested and shared many good holsters with you. I have also tried to make you aware of what I feel are some really bad designs. But all in all, only a handful could be called “innovative” … which brings me to the subject of this month’s column.

Front of K Rounds Dualist custom Kydex double holster

Recently I came across a holster company I was not familiar with: K Rounds. Looking through their line of Kydex holsters, I was intrigued by their model called the Dualist, a custom Kydex double holster designed for small of back carry. Maybe it took me back to the days of my boyhood watching Western movies where the heroes carried matching .45 Colt Peacemakers, or maybe it just looked really cool. The photo caption read, “Reloading optional.”

I knew I had to talk with K Rounds and get this holster for evaluation.

After speaking to the owner, I decided to have custom holsters made for two 1911s—the right for my Kimber Custom TLE/RL II and the left for my Springfield Armory Mil-Spec.

The holster is a very simple design and one that makes you wonder why no one else has made something like it.

Back side of Dualist

The Dualist holster is two pieces of Kydex—front and back—form-fitted for the exact weapon(s) they will sheath. The pieces are held together with eyelet rivets. There are two tension screws, one for each handgun, so the user can adjust how much or how little resistance is needed to draw each pistol.

The belt loops are separate pieces (one at each end of the holster) that attach to the holster with two screws that go through both pieces of the holster. These screws also help hold the holster together. The entire outside of the holster is dehorned and there are no sharp edges or snags.

The back side of the holster, which is against the body, has a sweat guard to protect the user’s skin and clothing. It also prevents snagging clothing when re-holstering.

Although butts of pistols are very close together, they are extracted away from each other and will not interfere with the draw.

So is the Dualist a solution in search of a question?

More often than not, I carry two guns—not just because it is my right, but also because bad things happen when least expected. I carry a spare tire though I don’t expect to have a flat, and I wear a seatbelt and have insurance even though I don’t expect to be in an accident.

If, God forbid, I am ever forced to shoot in self-defense and my gun has a malfunction, my immediate action drill—if it is a Type I or Type II malfunction—is to tap, rack and access. I can do this faster than going to a second gun.

But in the case of a Type III, I must lock back the slide, drop the magazine, rotate the pistol’s ejection port downward (gravity is your friend), cycle the slide several times to ensure it’s clear, insert a fresh magazine, work the slide, and get back in the fight! In this instance, going to a second gun is faster and smarter.

Substantial belt loops are attached with Chicago screws.

And what if a part breaks? Murphy is alive, well and along for the ride. To me, having a second gun just makes sense.

Overall I found the Dualist custom holster to be very well made. In all honesty, I wear a very strong belt, and the two weapons did seem to pull my pants down a bit—not enough to bother me, but something I did notice. This would be less noticeable with polymer-frame handguns.

K Rounds specializes in custom holsters. Want one side of the holster to fit an S&W M&P and the other side a Springfield XD? No problem. Tell them what you want or what you have in mind. They will help you design something to fit you.