Hoser:
I have Rosen's ARG and just recently received a GWH from the illustrious Mr. Burns. I've never worn the VM-2, so I can't help you there.
I wanted the ARG for years before I decided to buy one. After a 4 month wait the holster finally arrived. It was beautiful! The workmanship was wonderful, the lines were clear...cool! I put it on and looked in the mirror and thought..."I just wasted $150."
For me, the ARG looks good on paper, but I couldn't conceal it for anything. The leather, though of high quality, was too thick. It held its shape, alright, but it stuck out from my side like a tennis ball. The gun butt wasn't held in to the body like I would have preferred, and the holster wasn't very stable on my belt. Some people like some movement while sitting and bending, but I don't like adjusting the rig every time I stand up or bend over. It certainly isn't a bad holster, just not for me.
The GWH is at the other end of the spectrum. The last year or so I've been a kydex fan for a couple of reasons: the thin material allows for better concealment, and the ridgidity aids in re-holstering. Add a second point of connection to the belt and you have great stability.
Well, I've been carrying guns for 20 years, and I've always preferred the idea of leather, so I thought I'd try the Burns/Alessi GWH. I got the holster 2 days after an email to Dane, and I'm not looking back! This holster has had some thought put into it, a lot of thought. The design is built around concealment, comfort and durability. The way the individual peices of leather are cut and sewn together attest to the fact that both Lou Alessi and Dane Burns have a good idea how a holster should be put together. Instead of one peice belt loops that add thickness to the overall holster, the belt loop is made and sewn from 2 seperate peices of leather and inserted between the 2 layers that make up the mouth. This keeps the rig amazingly thin and also adds stability on the belt due the loop being so flat and wide, fitting the belt very tightly.
The molding tecnique used on the GWH seems more exact than Rosen's. The lines of the gun are duplicated perfectly. There is even a depression for the safety in the sweat shield, something usually only seen in kydex holsters. This feature assures that the safety will remain on during any type of movement. Speaking again of kydex, this holster is actually thinner than the standard sheet of kydex. That was one of the main reasons that I went to plastic to begin with. Now I guess I've been re-converted.
Over all, I think the Burns/Alessi GWH is the finest holster available for IWB carry of the 1911. The materials, craftmanship and experience shown in the design and manufacture of this holster will not be found anywhere else.
Jesus, it sounds like I should be getting paid for this spiel, but to the contrary, the GWH is one of the smartest purchases I've made.