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If handguns and holsters could be soul mates, the Beretta Nano and its BU Nano Hybrid holster are exactly that. The two are a perfect match. Surprisingly, it’s not often that a gun maker can make a good holster, let alone one that complements one of its guns so well. But that’s what has happened here. The Beretta holster that fits the Beretta Nano does so with perfect chemistry.
Don’t worry; I’m not going to go all lovey dovey over one defensive handgun and how it carries. I mean, there are myriads of great gun and holster matches out there. A Colt Commander in a Galco Royal Guard. A Smith & Wesson J frame in an Uncle Mike’s Pocket Holster. A Glock 19 in a DeSantis Speed Scabbard. I could go on and on. But precious few guns and holsters bear the same manufacturer’s name on both of them.
If you haven’t already gotten to know these two, allow me to introduce you.
The Nano with its eight round magazine.
Beretta Nano. Beretta’s single-stack nine offers six and eight round magazines in a small framed pistol that’s not too small, light weight but well-balanced, and snag free all around. You’ll hear more later about how it shoots and how it carries in a front pocket holster. But its key measurements of less than an inch of width and under 20 ounces of weight do just as well, if not better, in the inside the waistband holster you see here. Movement and function? Sure and confidence-inspiring. Fit and finish? Excellent. This Nano retails for $445.
Beretta BU Nano Hybrid Holster. At first glace I didn’t think this $64 holster was any big deal. Then I tried it on with the Nano. While the form-fitting plastic carrier of course fit the Nano perfectly, the biggest surprise came from the premium leather backing which was full of holes and far looser compared to other similar kinds of holsters. The holes provided good ventilation and the loose leather wrapped around my hip very well, adapting easily to a gun belt and holding the Nano at about four o’clock.
Still in: thin.
But not just holding it there.
The BU Nano Hybrid Holster held the Nano at a perfect depth (while still being adjustable), the perfect cant (also able to be adjusted), and with a comfort and stability that these days tends to be more the exception than the rule. The gun and holster worked so well together that drawing was intuitive and easy. Reholstering a breeze. All day carry — really, all day and long into the night — proved not just possible but enjoyable. The holster installed easily, too.
I’ll put the Nano to the test with other holsters and let you know what I find. For now, however, it looks like the Nano and the BU Nano Hybrid Holster are in it for the long haul.
What are your favorite gun and holster combinations?
— Mark Kakkuri
Learn more about Beretta at the Guns Magazine Product Index.
