bravo1resq
09-26-11, 21:14
I hope some of you enjoy this read, to some degree. A couple notes with it. 1) I have posted this in my blog 2) I have posted this in another forum I visit 3) I do not claim to be an expert 4) I ask that anyone wanting to reproduce this write up ask me first through PM. Thanks guys.
26 August 2010- The crossbreed holster is an inside the waist band style holster system. The holster system is comprised of molded kydex riveted to a hardened leather paddle with six rivets. On either side of the leather paddle are belt clips made of spring steel which are attached to the leather paddle by screw rivets. The belt clips are adjustable up and down by unscrewing the rivets and placing them in one of four pre-drilled holes based on user preference. Most other inside the waist band holsters don’t utilize two anchor points and they are not adjustable. The holster seems sturdy and well-built.
During the initial phase of wear the holster’s leather seemed stiff and uncomfortable. The holster was very easy to take on and off. The belt clips are designed to allow for the user’s shirt to be tucked in over the gun, exposing only the belt clips. After approximately three days of wear the leather began to “break in” and conform to the wearer’s body. Whether sitting at a desk or in a car the holster was comfortable and unobtrusive. The holster retains the weapon on its own (being molded kydex); however, when worn with a belt as intended the weapon feels more secured. This was due to the belt providing tension on the weapon. There was one incident where the user stood up from a seated position and the holster came loose from the user. Upon taking a closer look at the situation it was determined the front belt clip was not seated properly. The front belt clip was resting on the user’s belt loop and therefore not locked in. When worn properly (i.e. the belt clip locked in/around the wearer’s belt) the holster retains the weapon during moderate physical activity such as jogging.
The holster was worn during personal defense sessions. It did not perform as well as other outside the waistband holsters do. Once the weapon was exposed by the shirt being un-tucked from the holster the weapon could be grabbed by the aggressor. While being worn during personal defense scenarios from the ground the weapon at times fell free from the holster, but again this only happened when the weapon was exposed.
While on the firing line the holster performed remarkably well. The shooter was able to grip and draw the weapon easily with no hang ups. More importantly the shooter was able to re-holster the weapon without taking eyes off target and with their strong hand only. This is unlike most inside the waist band style holsters made with leather. The typical leather inside the waistband holster collapses once the weapon is drawn from it and the shooter struggles to re-holster it single handedly. In general the shooter needs to create an opening in the top of the holster with their weak hand to re-holster the weapon. This can be dangerous and impractical as the shooter’s attention is taken from the threat to their holster. Other kydex inside the waistband holsters don’t collapse after the weapon is drawn; however, they have other limiting factors such as bulkiness and being uncomfortable. The crossbreed holster defeats all of these issues.
It is hard to find a comfortable, concealable holster that allows for clean weapon draws and re holstering. Leather inside the waistband holsters collapse once the weapon is drawn and the kydex ones are bulky and uncomfortable. Some companies try to provide comfort by adding a cushion to the back of the holster but the cushioning can be hot and wear thin from everyday use. They can also smell foul during the summer months due to sweat. Kydex holsters can also create hot spots on the wearer’s belt line causing further discomfort. The crossbreed holster is exactly what it appears to be, the best of both worlds. A hybrid between leather and kydex that is comfortable to wear and easy to conceal. The holster’s only limiting factor that was discovered during this assessment was its inability to retain a weapon during personal defense scenarios. However, this was only when the weapon was exposed to the aggressor. When the weapon was concealed by the wearer’s shirt being tucked into the holster the weapon was relatively retained. In one scenario the aggressor got hands on the weapon through the wearer’s shirt but the wearer was able to retain and control the weapon. This is a direct reflection of a well built and sturdy holster.
26 September 2011- After a year of wear almost every day my opinion of this holster has changed, but not by much. The holster has reliably concealed the Sig Sauer 228 in all types of weather and activities. The user wore the holster in shorts and a t-shirt with no weapon “printing” and in business casual attire with no weapon “printing.” During more rigorous activity where there was a lot of repetitive bending at the waist there were two instances where the holster began riding out of the waist band. This may have been due to the clips not catching the belt as it was the case in the early phase of this review. The more the holster was worn the more it conformed to the user’s body and its comfort level increased. After approximately 70 range days (throughout the year), which included both static line and dynamic shooting, it became apparent the holster impeded the ability to grip the pistol when under stress. This is due to the holster’s construction and how the leather backer began to curl. The grip was impeded slightly to where the grip needed to be adjusted as the pistol left the holster. However, the pistol was still able to be presented and fired three rounds in three seconds. With the increased wear and the softening of the leather (due to sweating and everyday activity) the top part of the leather backer began to curl outward away from the body toward the pistol. This impeded the user from being able to smoothly re-holster the weapon without looking. The user had to look to identify the issue with re-holstering and utilize the support hand to manipulate the curled leather out of the way. It is possible to re-holster the weapon without utilizing the support hand; however, it would result in the user flagging himself with the weapon’s muzzle. When running dynamic drills the pistol was retained during short sprints. The holster itself is to be credited for the retention coupled with wearing a sturdy belt.
This holster system is well built and has served well in its everyday use. This holster is ideal for low activity, day to day concealed weapon carrying. Its easy on off design has made the holster outstanding to use in the office where at times it needed to be taken off for administrative reasons. However, when leaving the office or conducting operational tasks it was much easier to loosen the belt and put this holster on than to put on a pancake holster which has the belt run through it. There were several points in time when co-workers and LEO students were surprised to learn I had been armed throughout the entire day. Again I credit the holster’s design to this. Even with the noted flaws in this long term wear review I haven’t found a holster that is as versatile as this one. It has let me conceal my weapon in all types of weather and conditions. The holster allowed me to draw my weapon in dynamic shooting courses of fire easily and just as fast as all other shooters. The crossbreed holster does not inhibit the end user.
respectfully,
Bravo1Resq
PS: I wasn't sure where to post this so a Mod may move it to a more appropriate section of the forum.
26 August 2010- The crossbreed holster is an inside the waist band style holster system. The holster system is comprised of molded kydex riveted to a hardened leather paddle with six rivets. On either side of the leather paddle are belt clips made of spring steel which are attached to the leather paddle by screw rivets. The belt clips are adjustable up and down by unscrewing the rivets and placing them in one of four pre-drilled holes based on user preference. Most other inside the waist band holsters don’t utilize two anchor points and they are not adjustable. The holster seems sturdy and well-built.
During the initial phase of wear the holster’s leather seemed stiff and uncomfortable. The holster was very easy to take on and off. The belt clips are designed to allow for the user’s shirt to be tucked in over the gun, exposing only the belt clips. After approximately three days of wear the leather began to “break in” and conform to the wearer’s body. Whether sitting at a desk or in a car the holster was comfortable and unobtrusive. The holster retains the weapon on its own (being molded kydex); however, when worn with a belt as intended the weapon feels more secured. This was due to the belt providing tension on the weapon. There was one incident where the user stood up from a seated position and the holster came loose from the user. Upon taking a closer look at the situation it was determined the front belt clip was not seated properly. The front belt clip was resting on the user’s belt loop and therefore not locked in. When worn properly (i.e. the belt clip locked in/around the wearer’s belt) the holster retains the weapon during moderate physical activity such as jogging.
The holster was worn during personal defense sessions. It did not perform as well as other outside the waistband holsters do. Once the weapon was exposed by the shirt being un-tucked from the holster the weapon could be grabbed by the aggressor. While being worn during personal defense scenarios from the ground the weapon at times fell free from the holster, but again this only happened when the weapon was exposed.
While on the firing line the holster performed remarkably well. The shooter was able to grip and draw the weapon easily with no hang ups. More importantly the shooter was able to re-holster the weapon without taking eyes off target and with their strong hand only. This is unlike most inside the waist band style holsters made with leather. The typical leather inside the waistband holster collapses once the weapon is drawn from it and the shooter struggles to re-holster it single handedly. In general the shooter needs to create an opening in the top of the holster with their weak hand to re-holster the weapon. This can be dangerous and impractical as the shooter’s attention is taken from the threat to their holster. Other kydex inside the waistband holsters don’t collapse after the weapon is drawn; however, they have other limiting factors such as bulkiness and being uncomfortable. The crossbreed holster defeats all of these issues.
It is hard to find a comfortable, concealable holster that allows for clean weapon draws and re holstering. Leather inside the waistband holsters collapse once the weapon is drawn and the kydex ones are bulky and uncomfortable. Some companies try to provide comfort by adding a cushion to the back of the holster but the cushioning can be hot and wear thin from everyday use. They can also smell foul during the summer months due to sweat. Kydex holsters can also create hot spots on the wearer’s belt line causing further discomfort. The crossbreed holster is exactly what it appears to be, the best of both worlds. A hybrid between leather and kydex that is comfortable to wear and easy to conceal. The holster’s only limiting factor that was discovered during this assessment was its inability to retain a weapon during personal defense scenarios. However, this was only when the weapon was exposed to the aggressor. When the weapon was concealed by the wearer’s shirt being tucked into the holster the weapon was relatively retained. In one scenario the aggressor got hands on the weapon through the wearer’s shirt but the wearer was able to retain and control the weapon. This is a direct reflection of a well built and sturdy holster.
26 September 2011- After a year of wear almost every day my opinion of this holster has changed, but not by much. The holster has reliably concealed the Sig Sauer 228 in all types of weather and activities. The user wore the holster in shorts and a t-shirt with no weapon “printing” and in business casual attire with no weapon “printing.” During more rigorous activity where there was a lot of repetitive bending at the waist there were two instances where the holster began riding out of the waist band. This may have been due to the clips not catching the belt as it was the case in the early phase of this review. The more the holster was worn the more it conformed to the user’s body and its comfort level increased. After approximately 70 range days (throughout the year), which included both static line and dynamic shooting, it became apparent the holster impeded the ability to grip the pistol when under stress. This is due to the holster’s construction and how the leather backer began to curl. The grip was impeded slightly to where the grip needed to be adjusted as the pistol left the holster. However, the pistol was still able to be presented and fired three rounds in three seconds. With the increased wear and the softening of the leather (due to sweating and everyday activity) the top part of the leather backer began to curl outward away from the body toward the pistol. This impeded the user from being able to smoothly re-holster the weapon without looking. The user had to look to identify the issue with re-holstering and utilize the support hand to manipulate the curled leather out of the way. It is possible to re-holster the weapon without utilizing the support hand; however, it would result in the user flagging himself with the weapon’s muzzle. When running dynamic drills the pistol was retained during short sprints. The holster itself is to be credited for the retention coupled with wearing a sturdy belt.
This holster system is well built and has served well in its everyday use. This holster is ideal for low activity, day to day concealed weapon carrying. Its easy on off design has made the holster outstanding to use in the office where at times it needed to be taken off for administrative reasons. However, when leaving the office or conducting operational tasks it was much easier to loosen the belt and put this holster on than to put on a pancake holster which has the belt run through it. There were several points in time when co-workers and LEO students were surprised to learn I had been armed throughout the entire day. Again I credit the holster’s design to this. Even with the noted flaws in this long term wear review I haven’t found a holster that is as versatile as this one. It has let me conceal my weapon in all types of weather and conditions. The holster allowed me to draw my weapon in dynamic shooting courses of fire easily and just as fast as all other shooters. The crossbreed holster does not inhibit the end user.
respectfully,
Bravo1Resq
PS: I wasn't sure where to post this so a Mod may move it to a more appropriate section of the forum.