C&G Holsters Trinity Kydex Holster: 60-Day Carry Review

“Trinity” describes the types of shooting for those interested in C&G Holsters’ latest rig: Sport shooters, tactical, and professionals. Trinity is also an acknowledgement of the faith held by C&G Holsters founder Chris Burns — “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Three components make the outside-the-waistband (OWB) Trinity — the Kydex holster, a rotating hood, and the belt-mounted attachment system — and each can be custom configured. 

If you visit C&G Holsters' website, a list of drop-down menus offers numerous options. The Trinity can be ordered with either a right- or left-hand orientation, and the list of firearms supported include popular models from Glock, SIG Sauer, Springfield Armory and Staccato. Guns & Ammo was sent samples for the Glock 19 and Springfield Armory Echelon for this evaluation. Before considering the menu options, note that the Trinity starts at $99.99. There is no additional charge for black, but other colors and camoflauge patterns will increase the cost between $6 and $20. There is no additional charge for a short, medium or full-size sweatguard, but the medium is standard. There is also the option to accommodate threaded barrel lengths for no additional charge.

The Trinity can be upgraded with Level II retention by selecting “Yes” to the optional rotating hood, which was provided with G&A’s samples. C&G designed the hood to meet IDPA Level II holster requirements, so it’s legal for competition. A push-button lever is used to release the spring-loaded hood forward, neatly clearing the slide and optics before the draw. During testing, the hood cleared all red-dot optics.

Despite its appearance, the serrated hood-release button is not actually a “button” that you push with your thumb. Most uniformed law enforcement whom are issued Safariland SLS holsters will need to consider time to relearn using this lever before wearing the Trinity on duty. The “button” on the Trinity functions more like a rotating lever that is most easily drawn to the rear with the thumb to release the hood. Once the hood is released, slide your thumb down to establish a full grip, and then draw. It is important to establish a full grip before drawing so the pistol doesn’t have to be adjusted in the hands while presenting it to the target. I noted that draw times were slower than drawing the same pistol from an SLS-equipped holster due to the release system, which needs to be considered. I contacted Burns about this concern and was assured that the design is being reviewed. 

The belt-mount assembly is attached to the holster body with longer screws and spacers. The Trinity is standard with the Bladetech Tek-Lok belt attachment, which fits up to a 2 1/4-inch belt and is MOLLE compatible. A DOTS belt attachment is also offered for up to 2-inch belts at no additional charge. A QLS Fork or Fork and Receiver are available, as is a Paddle, RTI Hanger, Tek-Mount 360 Insert Disk or Insert Disk and Receiver. A Duty Drop and Offset set-up is yet another option.

As described, the Trinity holster is optic ready. The design wraps over the slide in front of the barrel hood, and the holster is flared and chamfered to accommodate wide adapter plates. During Guns & Ammo’s 60-day evaluation, one sample was tested with a Springfield Armory Echelon with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and a second holster carried a Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS with an Aimpoint ACRO P-2. The rotating hood cleared both optics flawlessly.

60-Day Carry

The Trinity holster is molded to accept a tall, suppressor-height front sight, and features two spring-powered tension adjustment screws in front of the triggerguard and beneath the dustcover. Burns indicated that a light-bearing version is being developed, but only non-light-bearing holster configurations were available at the time of this review. 

The engineering, quality of construction and materials are excellent. Favorable notes while testing the Trinity were that the pistol centered itself as it was holstered, and was lighter than many Safariland SLS, QLS and G-Code belt rigs. If you wear an OWB holster for duty or defense of others, I recommend range time and performing hundreds of dryfire draws to ensure operating the hood-release lever is second nature. (Don’t think of it as a push-button!) Once mastered, the Trinity is a more affordable and customizable alternative to existing Level II holsters.

C&G Holsters Trinity

• Materials: Kydex (holster), polymer (hood, belt mount assy.), steel (hardware)
• Carry Type: Outside the waistband (OWB)
• Retention Type: Level 2; friction fit (primary), rotating hood (secondary)
• Adjustability: Yes
• MSRP: $100 (as tested)
• Handgun Fit: Glock, SIG Sauer P320, Springfield Armory Echelon, Staccato
• Accessory Rail Accommodations: No
• Positions to Carry: OWB; 3 o’clock, right hand (tested)
• Average Time to Attach: 1 minute, 20 seconds; up to 2.25-inch-wide belts
• Comfort Rating: 5/5
• Concealment Clothing: N/A
• Average Draw-to-Fire Time: 1.65 seconds*
• Manufacturer: C&G Holsters, 724-858-2856, candgholsters.com

*Draw-to-fire time is the average of five clean draws producing an A-zone hit on a stationary target positioned at 21 feet. 

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