[RDMartin]

Hello again, all, and thanks for continuing to put up with my questions.

How important is the security of a thumb break if you are a plain ol' citizen (not planning to wrestle with a fugitive)? Are most fitted, open top holsters secure enough for everyday situations? Do they get in the way?

As a moist guy, are sweat shields a good thing? Do they add to comfort? Do they get in the way?

Thanks again,

Rick

 

[imported_Walosi]

Thumb breaks are personal choice - my holsters are either close-molded or IWB, and retain well. The only thumb break I own is an old Bianchi 5BHL for an N Frame, for woods walking where I stand a better chance of falling or snagging on branches, etc.

The "sweat guard" adds to your comfort, as much as it protects the gun. How much depends on your "tire size", but the abrasions from hammer, sights, and even slide serrations can be downright miserable without them.

 

[RDMartin]

Thanks Walosi,

This is the kind of info I need. I just switched my order from the thumb break to the open with sweat shield. I had my reservations, anyway.

Rick

 

[imported_Walosi]

RD, I'm usually reluctant to state this (I once did so in a CCDW class, and was "frowned at", because the state recommends thumb breaks) but thumb breaks slow me way, way down. I carry for self defense. If it should come quick and dirty, I will need every hundredth of a second I can gain. GOOD boned holsters have all the retention a civilian CCDW holder should need, and IMO are not less safe (grammar?) than ones with a strap. Besides, the ones I've tried poke me in the short ribs on top of everything else :smile:

 

[Louis F. Alessi]

Walosi,, Great advice, and right in line with my way of thinking. If a holster is designed and constructed properly, there should be no need for a thumb break, or safety strap. This pertains to a concealed weapon of course. If the gun will be carried in rough terrain, exposed, then a thumb break, or safety strap should be employed.
Lou

 

[Rosco Benson]

I don't care for thumb-breaks. If I were required to use a holster with a mechanical latch, I would use one with "pull-thru" straps (Lou Alessi offers these on some of his holsters, as did the late Bruce Nelson).

I dislike sweatguards/shirtguards are well. They interfere with getting a full firing grip on the pistol on initial hand-to-gun contact. They may offer some protection against reholstering a portion of the shirt-tail along with the pistol, but this is mainly an issue in use that requires repeated draws and reholstering...such as when attending a shooting school. On the street you'll likely draw once and reholster once.

Rosco

 

[bad4u]

Full body shields provide much more than just sweat protection.

For 1911 carry, the body shield also protects against accidental movement of the thumb safety from Condition One to Condition Zero.

Properly molded holsters should retain the pistol securely. I have two Alessi Hard Shell Talon IWB holsters that I'm sure would retain the gun if I fell on my face. (Haven't tested this..yet).

 

[imported_Walosi]

Bad, our shooting "group" used to judge holster retention by doing a somersault with the holstered weapon (empty, of course) to provide at least minimal evidence of proper fit. That was years ago, and any attempt to get me to do a somersault now will result in an armed confrontation :smile: That said, the "loosest" Alessi I own is a Ghost, and with a 4516 Smith (I doubt if it is one of the "40+ guns" it is intended to handle), I can still retain the gun well. Some people know how to make a holster, some don't....Lou Do!!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I am not sure that I agree that if a holster is designed properly that it would not need a thumb break. Thumb breaks are a specific type of system for securing a gun in a holster and are not friction dependent or as friction dependent as open top holsters. That does not make the design improper, just different.

If you don't go with a thumb break (and I don't like them either), then do go with the sweat shield. As noted, it will add to your comfort, it will keep you from sweating as much on your gun, it will help to lock the safety in place on a 1911, especially if you have ambi safeties, and it will help keep your shirt out of the way if you are doing holster drills (which means your shirt does not get tucked in the holster and your shirt likely won't get any or many stains from the gun).

 

[imported_Walosi]

Ken Null had (has) a comment in his catalog that has stayed with me, advising not to wear a loose garment between the holster and your body, as it is non-productive to "draw, and come up with a handful of non-lethal shirt tail". Almost any material will ''bunch up" in all-day wear, and if your concentration is on something else, it isn't always noticeable. A sweat shield doesn't negate this, but it does help isolate your rig in a "bunched up" shirt, and avoid a tangle.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Walosi on 2001-08-27 11:44 ]</font>