DefensiveCarry Concealed Carry Forum - View Single Post

BIG E · August 11th, 2007, 01:25 AM

I got home today to find that my new Crossbreed holster had arrived. It was ordered on7/10 and showed up on 8/10. Not bad. Certainly acceptable.

Now let me say upfront that I usually carry a S&W 642 OWB. I am switching to carrying my S&W M&P9 with this rig. So there is going to be a big difference in size and weight. This is to be expected.

I haven't had much experience with IWB. I am 6'3 and 300lbs. OWB works well for me, but it means that I have to go untucked. There are times when I have the need to tuck in. Thought this may be a good solution.

First impressions.

The holster looks basic, but well made. The leather is natural in color and the edges have been trimmed down to a nice round edge. All the hardware looks nice and seems to be high quality.

My Super-Tuck came with two sets of clips. One set of C-hooks and one set of J-hooks. I noticed immediately that these hooks were nice and thick. When I picked them up I also noticed that the edges of these clips are really sharp. My first thought was that these were going to tear up my new gun belt.

The Kydex portion is well formed and all of the edges have been smoothed. No sharp edges here. I inserted my M&P9 and it slid right into place. Retention is just right. The gun slides in and out just as it should. Perfect.

My mind is still on the clips and I am not looking forward to getting my belt any where near them. I decide to remove the clips and run a sharp knife around the edges of the clips. This helps to round them over and take off the sharp edges. Not bad now, but I would still like to hit them with sandpaper and then give the edges a flame polish to really smooth them out.

So I reassemble the holster and try it on. First strong side at 3 o'clock. I have trouble getting this thing on from the start. It just isn't easy for me to get the holster down in to the waist line. The problem isn't my pants, they are already a bit oversized. This pair happens to have an adjustable waist. I think the problems are due to the holster being new and not broke in. This is to be expected.

I start out using the J-clips that come installed on the holster from the maker. It wasn't easy to get the holster on correctly. I had a problem getting the clips into place on my pants and belt. Again, this setup is new for me and is to be expected. After walking around a bit I notice that the weight of my pistol has pushed the J-clips down and off the belt. I readjusted and it happened again a few minutes later.

After giving the C-clips the similar edge treatment as the J-clips got I installed them and gave it another go. I like this setup better. It seems more solid. I did however have quite a time getting it adjusted and in the right position, but once it was there it stayed put and rides nicely.

The final position I chose was a forward cant at 4 o'clock. I would have rather had it at 3 o'clock, but the bulge looked huge with the holster in this position. I moved it to 4 and it rides better.

After getting the position settled I thought it was going to be impossible to get my shirt tucked in. My belt is cinched down and there is no chance of doing the old unbutton, unzip and tuck method. I do finally get tucked in and to my amazement the bulge disappears. My waist line looks normal. No sign of anything other than the two C-clips showing on my belt.

OK score one for the home team.

Final thoughts.

Right now I am comfortable with the quality of this holster. It looks good seems to function well and is very comfortable to wear. I am wearing a full sized M&P9 while sitting on the couch typing this. I don't feel any bulges, points or sharp edges.

I am a bit concerned that I felt it was necessary to modify the clips to keep from tearing up my belt. I realize that these holsters are produced in a small shop and maybe there isn't time to sort out details like this.

This is where the review ends for now. The plan is to try out the holster for the next couple of days. I will report back with the results.