[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.

 

[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:

 

[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!!

 

[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>