The Bianchi M-12 Universal Military Holster has been in service with U.S. Armed Forces for several years now, and has proven itself to have the potential of a classic design. It was originally designed to fit 1911 pattern .45 handguns and the 9mm Beretta 92f/M9. But owing to its rugged universal design, it will fit a wide variety of handguns, and is a good choice for rough Airsoft action.

Appearance

  This holster's standard color is an olive tone that matches most US Military web gear. It is made of a sturdy nylon material with reinforced edges and stitching, and has a piece of heavy duty olive-colored plastic or hard rubber that wraps around the front of the holster and covers the upper portion of both sides, and acts as the loops for belt attachment, and for the attachment of holster flaps, snaps, etc.There is also a plastic and metal spring loaded retention device attached to the flap that comes standard on this holster. Where the front of the gun's trigger guard rests in the holster, there is a sturdy rubber ring that keeps the gun from sliding around. At the front of the holster is an interesting concept: there is a sleeve built into the holster, with a snap cover at the top, which holds a pistol cleaning rod. The M-12 usually comes with this accessory, which is a black plastic one-piece construction with a screw-in tip for brushes, jags, etc. and a ring at the other end.

Function

  This holster is a standard military design - straight up and down, with a flap covering the handgun to prevent loss. This makes it good in the field, where drastic physical movements can lead to a handgun falling out of a less secure holster. The universal design of the M-12 allows a great variety of handguns to be used in it, including TM's spring powered Beretta M9 (of course), Intrag's Sig P226, and TM's H&K P7M13, Sig P228, and Glock 17. The trigger guard on the H&K USP is just a little too big to allow it to fit into the holster properly (at least with the flap, more on this later), and the KSC H&K SOCOM is just way too big. Pretty much anything similar in size/proportions to the workable ones listed above should fit.

  The M-12 is a universal holster in almost every sense of the word. It comes as a right-handed flap holster, but is easily convertible to left-handed use, as well as a variety of other configurations. Some of these configurations are: MP (military police) holster - many MP units like to draw their handguns faster than this holster normally allows. Therefore, there is a conversion available that allows you to remove the flap assembly and replace it with an adjustable thumb-snap type catch, which allows for a much faster draw but is less secure. This strap/snap assembly is adjustable (if I remember correctly), so a wider variety of handguns could be used than with the flap. The easiest way to attach the holster to a belt is by the metal clip assembly on it. You just pinch it together at the bottom to let the clips out of their brackets, and the clip assembly pivots upward on a hinge at its top. You then place the belt across the holster where the clips normally lay at rest, and then swing the clips back down and lock them in place. You can also slide the belt through the slotted rubber/plastic upper portion of the holster. I suspect this could be a backup in case the clips break, but it is mainly to allow the use of other attachments, such as: Shoulder holster - there is a harness and kit that allows the conversion of the M-12 holster into a vertical shoulder holster. This can be used either right or left handed. You simply remove the flap assembly, and attach the harness and retention strap in the right places. Another configuration for this holster: Tactical thigh holster - the type of holster preferred by many tactical response units, this places the holster along the thigh where it is exactly within reach at any given moment. The attachments for this conversion are a piece of webbing that extends downward from the belt to where the holster will sit, and a strap that goes around your leg to hold the holster in place. Typically the strap/thumbsnap unit is used in conjunction with the tactical thigh holster assembly to make for very quick handgun access.

  For those of us who have the holster but none of the goodies to allow for a faster draw, there is a trick that is taught in the military which is not officially approved, but which does help a little. Normally, to draw a pistol from the standard flap configuration, one needs to use the drawing hand thumb or thumb and forefinger to pull downward on the plastic pull ring below the flap, thereby pulling the metal flap clip from its slot, so you can then lift the flap up and draw the weapon. However, if when you holster your weapon, you fold the plastic pull ring under and against the metal clip, the metal clip is only allowed to go into its slot a little ways. This allows you to simply lift up on the flap and draw the handgun, rather than pulling downward on the retention ring first. This, however, may cause adverse wear on your holster, so use caution.

  The cleaning rod included with the M-12 holster is a nice thought but is pretty much useless for an Airsoft gun. There may be some uses, but it won't fit down the barrel - it's too big.

Overall

  This is a well-designed holster, and it fits a very wide variety of handguns, which is impressive. It is reasonably priced (around $40 last I checked), and at this point may even be available at military surplus shops. The main drawback to this design is the slow draw, but in return you get more secure retention. And if you want a faster draw, there are accessories available to suit your needs.