Ruger Mark Series Combat Low-Rise Holster by Black Dog

I use this for hunting and general walk about on the ranch. It carries nicely and fits my 22/45 very well. It was a little tight on initial use, but has worn in nicely. I would go for 5 stars, except the front groove leaves the factory sight exposed on drawing the pistol, which has hung on several things, including my hand, leaving a nice gash in my palm while drawing my Ruger from the holster while not wearing it. Granted, that’s as much a fault of the sharp front sight as it is the holster, and I’m guessing they leave it open for some sighting options other than factory sights. But for general use, it’s gets a picky thumbs up. With limited selection available, I think it’s a great buy.

As background I own a huge array of pistol holsters for carry, USPSA competition, hunting, and so on from all the major manufacturers. The reversibility of this design is a major plus. I shoot left-handed so I often have to special-order holsters. It is also pretty affordable. However, the retention system on this holster is far too aggressive. The holster panels that cover the trigger guard have dimples that project slightly inside the trigger guard when the pistol is holstered. This is a tried-and-true design idea but the dimples on the holster I received are far too aggressive (they project too far into the trigger guard of my Ruger 22/45 Tactical). When the tension adjustment screws are set to what I consider a reasonable level (pistol snug in holster) the dimples make it extraordinarily difficult to draw the weapon, and its impossible to set an adjustment level that allows for an easy draw (I use my Ruger to practice for USPSA) without having the weapon rattle loosely in the rest of the holster. And even after a handful of draws at the loose-rattle level the dimples are visibly wearing the polymer trigger guard of my 22/45. Since the holster is relatively inexpensive I'm going to get out my Dremel and cut away the dimples rather than try to return the holster, but I really can't recommend this product since the retention is far too aggressive for any practical purposes (it screams lawyer-proof). I recommend that the manufacturer re-tool the dimples, other vendors have solved the balance of retention versus ability to draw quickly. Black Dog Explanation - Will fit in the Ruger .22/45 Light but you will have to do some adjusting. Take screws all the way out and stretch to make the opening wider. Reassemble. You might use a light file and file if there is any rubbing to have the perfect fit... If you have a .22/45 light with a Weaver Rail, according to past customer feedback, this holster will be too tight.

The holster was exactly what I needed for my MK lll 22/45