Galco Matrix M7X Holster Review

Several months ago I was searching for a holster that would go on and off easily in the car. I liked the idea of a snap slide holster, so I began my search. I looked at many of the nice leather options by several different companies and eventually found the Galco Matrix M7X series of holsters, and I was intrigued by the low price, and the few reviews I could find online were favorable, so I decided to give it a try.

I ordered up a Galco M7X 224 that according to the packaging fits Glock models 17, 19, 22, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35. The plan was to use this holster with my main carry pistol, my Gen 3 Glock 19.

When the holster arrived, I was very surprised how minimalist it is. I hadn’t looked at any pictures other than generic product pictures and I guess I had imagined a little more robust holster than what I received. This holster consists of two pieces of plastic riveted together with 3 rivets. On each end of the holster is a plastic belt strap riveted to the holster with a snap on each.

Each of the straps has a small hole in it, which must be lined up with a little tab when running the strap around the belt. This method of keeping the strap in place works well when wearing the holster, but it makes putting the holster on difficult. Not a deal breaker, but it does seem to be a poor design, and I’ve not seen another snap slide holster use this feature.

The Galco Matrix has a molded sight channel so you will not catch your front sight on the edge of the holster and tear it off. I would prefer that the holster covered the entire pistol down to the muzzle, but a nice big sight channel is the next best thing. When using this holster with my Glock 17 that has Warren Tactical/Sevigny competition sights installed, I have noticed that the front sight catches the inside of the sight channel just a little bit, taking some shavings from the inside of the holster when I draw it. These particular sights are a bit taller than the standard Glock sights though.

Once the holster is on, it carries pretty close to the body for an outside the waistband holster. This makes concealment with the Galco Matrix pretty easy with a cover garment.

Drawing the pistol from the Galco Matrix is fantastic. The material that the holster is made of makes for a very nice, smooth draw. This is something I was not expecting from such a low dollar holster.

One gripe that I have with this holster, and others of the same style is that the muzzle sticks out of the bottom of the holster leaving the front sight unprotected, and allowing the pistol to get bumped out of the holster when sitting down. This has happened a couple times to me using this holster while getting into the drivers seat of my car. Having a hot pistol bouncing around between my seat and center console isn’t very comforting. Galco could address this issue in one of two ways, either adding more retention into the holster, or making the holster cover the entire length of the pistol.

Notice how much muzzle is sticking through the bottom of the holster. Shown is a Glock 19, I couldnt imagine how bad it would be with a Glock 17, or even a 34 as Galco lists will fit this particular holster.

In the “Product information guide” that came with this holster, Galco states “During vigorous physical activity, including running, you should not rely on your holster’s retention capabilities; the gun should be held in place with your hand to prevent the gun from falling out of the holster.” Maybe they should add sitting to that as well.

Lastly, I want to talk about the large opening around the inside of the trigger guard when using this holster. I’m not really sure what Galco was thinking when they molded this holster this way, but around the inside of the trigger guard, the Matrix holster does not fit tightly around the trigger guard, leaving a large opening for things to get stuck in. I did a test with an unloaded pistol, allowing my loose shirt to get stuck in the holster with the pistol, and I was not able to activate the trigger, however, it just seems unnecessary to leave it open.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a daily carry holster, look elsewhere. The Galco Matrix M7X is lacking in several areas, especially in trigger guard coverage, and retention. If you are in a bind, and need a holster to use a couple times, the Matrix will suit that need. The holster does have a nice smooth draw, however it is very minimalist, and even at its low price point, I feel that there are better options out there. I’ll give it a D. If Galco made the holster a little more robust, with a little more retention, and better designed belt straps, they could have a winner, and improve their grade a good bit.