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John Drake of CMA Wallets tells TTAG that he designed his Curveball holster as a deep concealment option police officers and lots of LEOs have been using and loving them.

Drake said that when off duty and going through a security checkpoint, cops can plop them down and the general public is none the wiser. It looks like a large wallet.

A pistol — they make versions for a Ruger LCP, Kel-Tec P3AT, Taurus TCP and GLOCK 42 — is held inside the leather holster that’s shape is maintained by an internal thermoplastic liner.

The wallet is then zipped up and slipped in a (Drake recommends rear) pocket.

When the gun is drawn and fired, it shoots through the zipper.

We tried one with an LCP and while it’s awkward at first, it works. The covering over the slide doesn’t prevent the pistol from cycling.

At contact and close ranges, it’s accurate and certainly stealthy. Plus, Drake says he’ll give buyers a free replacement holster if they send a blown out model back to him with a police report.

Drake’s now making the Curveball available to retail buyers for $74.99. There’s just one thing.

Unlike DeSantis’s similar Pocket Shot, Drake’s patent pending holster covers the pistol’s slide. Because of that, the ATF considers a gun carried in a Curveball an AOW.

Yeah, that means you’d need to pay a $200 tax to use one, something that’s sure to limit the retail market for the Curveball. If you decide you want to try one, his website has all the forms you’d need to complete.

Here are the Curveball’s specs:

Width: 25mm/ 0.98”
Height: 106mm/4.16”
Length: 130mm/5.12”
MSRP: $74.99

Features:
Fully concealed
AOW tax stamp fee is waived for LEO & some govt officials
Smooth sides to reduce grabbing in the pocket
Designed and recommended for the back pants pocket If it has to be taken out of the pocket, the chance of it being identified as a pistol is greatly reduced
It does allow for all 7 rounds to be discharged.
Zipper stop is intended to keep the user from opening the holster all the way & breaking free the foam insert
It is intended for close quarters (1-2 meters) & a slow draw
Guaranteed for 2 years on craftsmanship
Guaranteed for life if the weapon is discharged and a police report is filed.  CMA wallets will replace the old one with a new holster and pay for the shipping (CMA will need a picture of the holster and the police report).  Even if the weapon is accidentally discharged and a police report is filed

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45 COMMENTS

  1. yep, this is the stupidest thing i have seen, not just today but this entire month. this “holster” fails to do its one job: cover the trigger.

    • You are right, it does fail to cover the trigger on one side, but that is the point. One of the things that I found a surprising number of people do, including law enforcement, is carry these little pocket pistols in their pocket without a holster. Which to me, is a greater danger than having one side exposed.
      I do agree that one of the primary responsibilities for a holster is to cover the trigger. This just addresses a gap for those who decide they want to carry holster free because they don’t want to have a holster showing or have it pressing against their waist.
      One of the tests I performed was inserting and removing the weapon with white grease on the exposed side of the trigger and see if I got any transfer, which would mean a risk of catching the trigger while it was in the pocket. I inserted and removed the holster from my pocket over 250 times and not once was there any transfer. I did this by pulling the holster out by the zipper pull and not the way that I advised it.
      Most of the people who have purchased this are law enforcement and they have preferred the idea of being able to draw it out and discharge it without it being seen.
      Thank you for your opinion on this (and no I am not being sarcastic… criticisms like this are crucial to better product development).

    • little horn needs it spelled out. 1. It is designed to be fired in concealment (need access hole) 2 intended for Leo and agent use 3. Like everything else you must practice.

  2. Is it April first again so soon. Best visual proof that GCA ’34 needs to be repealed. $200.00 tax to own a piece of leather and a zipper. This would be a joke if it weren’t so funny. 30

    • Yep, I completely agree that there should not be a stamp for this and I, while probably a fruitless venture, am researching how to get this removed for the wallet holster, especially since the purses designed for conceal carry are not required to be taxed.

  3. why would that be AOW? It is basically just a case designed to be shot through. With that line of thinking off the body bag carry would be AOW as it “covers the slide”.

      • ” it’s AOW because the gun can be fired when it doesn’t look like a gun.”

        The way it was explained to me, it’s an NFA ‘item’ because it obscures the outline of the gun when it is in your pocket.

        This is another one based on the same principal, designed for the High Standard over-under .22 derringer :

        “It’s used, of course, but looks new, nice! Uses Velcro as a closure, and is used to “envelope” a High Standard Derringer! Gotta warn you: it’s against ATF regs to put a High Standard in it, and carry it concealed. But, that’s up to you. Anyway, it does fit a HighStandard nicely, as it was designed to do.”

        https://www.gunauction.com/buy/6717897

  4. I thought an AOW was only a 5 dollar tax?
    Am I wrong in my thinking?

    PS-got my TTAG t-shirt today. Going to wear it to the gym tonight, see if anyone notices.

      • Those kinds of things pop up frequently on auction sites such as ‘Gun Broker’, and the NFA transfer is usually the 5 dollars.

        That usually affects the price of the opening bid on one that is a transfer…

    • Yikes, you ain’t kidding. This thing seems like a disaster waiting to happen. You have to handle it so carefully for taking the gun out AND putting the holster in your pocket AND getting it back out of your pocket. Tell me no one is going to relax and get careless and/or slip up when things get tense. Even if someone does tell me that I will not believe them.

      • “This thing seems like a disaster waiting to happen.”

        It’s not a problem when using a double-action-only (DAO) gun.

        The very long, heavy trigger pull to fire it is the safety. It’s a very deliberate act to fire the weapon.

        *Nothing* is perfectly safe.

        A DAO pistol with a long, heavy trigger pull is about as safe as it gets when carried concealed near major blood arteries like when appendix-carried…

      • Yes you do need to handle it carefully. I have posted several instructions on how to properly do this.
        Think of this scenario: If a mugger comes up to you, they are likely less than 7 yards away, want you to maintain eye contact and move slowly. If you have a weapon in a regular holster, removing it and discharging the weapon must normally be done extremely quickly, have them be distracted during the removal of the weapon and ideally have them at a distance.
        In this case, while you will not be relaxed, you will be able to move slowly, have the threat in close proximity and draw your weapon without them realizing what you have done. It is simply misdirection… when they see the holster and weapon, their initial thoughts will be that it is a wallet because that is what they want to see. By that time, you will have been able to utilize the weapon.

  5. I suspect this offers minimaly better concealment than the pocket shot, but at the expense of your sights and the ability to manipulate the slide. That’s not worth it. Even without considering the AOW bs.

  6. Why would they even need to submit it to ATF approval anyway – do all holsters, cases, and accessories have to be screened or approved? it’s a flippin’ holster with exposed trigger hole. big whoop.

  7. Intended for 1-2 meters and a slow draw… If somebody within arm’s reach of you needs shooting, are you likely going to have time to carefully draw and ready this thing? That close, you’d be lucky to have enough time to get a gun deployed out of a Kydex appendix rig, and that wouldn’t require the fumbling and dicking around that this thing appears to need.

    It would certainly take a lot of practice and training to get good at deploying and firing it, during which you’d probably shoot yourself in the ass. The LEOs can keep this contraption, I’ll stick with a real holster.

    • The design of this holster is to have one in the pipe on a double action weapon without a manual slide safety. So you would have already prepped the weapon so that you could discharge it without fumbling with the weapon itself.
      Yes, you do have the risk of shooting yourself if you are not careful. Full disclosure on this: I took a mannequin put the holster in the back pocket, reached in and pulled the trigger. It was not easy to do because the cloth from the pocket didnt let me easily bend my finger enough to pull the trigger, but I was still able to do so. It caused very minor damage to the calf and the heel. So yes, you could shoot yourself, but I found that it is not easy to do so and I couldnt do it based on the way that I have shown on the site.
      You mentioned having to take it out of the kydex rig and fumble with it. I dont quite understand the comment, but if you could elaborate on that, I would gladly respond if this does not suffice: The plastic is not kydex because kydex doesnt allow as much flex, and if you want to discharge multiple rounds, you will need to have the ability to allow the plastic to briefly expand around the barrel when discharging. The plastic also allows for smooth operation of the slide.

  8. I bought a leather wallet holster for less than half that price at Sportsman’s Warehouse. Looks like a wallet but you draw the gun out fully. Trigger fully covered. Fits in a reasonable size rear pocket. Many of the sticky type pocket holsters can be bought with flaps. No need for this thing.

  9. When your promo video shows the gun blowing the front end of the holster off while firing… you might not have a very good product.
    Watch at 0:09 and again at 1:24. – they used the same video, of the holster blowing itself up, twice.
    It looks like they made ONE of these, blew it upon testing, and said “meh, good enough for retail”.
    No thanks. I’ve got an NFA trust and a desire for something to fill the “pocket wallet gun” role, but this AIN’T it.

    • The intent of the holster is a ‘shoot through holster’. Yes you do destroy the holster if you use it, but its designed to allow you to discharge all 6+1 rounds. Hopefully it never has to be used, but if it does, then I will replace it free of charge, provided a relevant police report goes along with it, for as long as you own it, even after the warranty expires.
      The first part of the video is a quick compilation and the second part shows more how to properly handle the weapon and use it. The website has it broken down into different conditions for handling it. We went through multiple holsters for that video.
      I am happy to get feedback on what product you would rather have as an NFA pocket gun… as I have said in another response, any constructive criticism is welcomed as it provides us the opportunity to improve the product.

  10. I think the one situation where this does make sense is if you are being robbed by an armed thug. When you hand him your “wallet” he will be relaxed and reaching for it so you will have a chance to shoot before he shoots you. No quick draw necessary, already a close range, perfect conditions for this particular holster.

  11. I paid and received an AOW tax stamp for my Shotty Tec 2 shotgun. I am in Texas which I don’t believe is a factor but I only paid $5.00. This was 2017. You may know better than I but I did only pay that small amount for a gun in the category of an AOW. As a bit of a warning, the Fed took a year to process my application. This is my experience.

    • This is where there was a lot of confusion in the beginning and it took quite some time to clarify from the ATF. Because this is only leather, plastic & foam, it is not an AOW… but when you marry it to a weapon, then you, the weapon owner have just ‘manufactured’ an AOW. There is where that 200 tax stamp comes into play. If I purchased the weapon and sold it with the holster, then I would have to have paid for the $200 tax stamp first and then the end customer would pay a $5 transfer. So your $300 pistol would be sold in essence for about $580.
      The LEO’s who purchase this, along with some other govt officials, have that $200 waived, but they do still have to comply with the NFA requirements.
      Regarding the application process, the information that I have filled out already on the forms, that are posted on the website, where filled out in conjunction with the ATF to help reduce the processing time. I have been told that their processing time over the summer has been between ‘a couple of months’ and ‘a few months’. So to me, that means that is currently between 2-3 months. Mine took 4, but that was last year. Please note that this is only from those who have followed up with me to tell me their processing time as I do not have the ability to confirm this through BAFTE.

  12. I love mine and think it is a great idea. I feel more secure carrying something that allows me the chance to use mine before they can use theirs. I have been using it for a couple of months and it feels natural now. I think it gives me a fighting chance because it is deceptive in its appearance.

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