24/7 OSS holsters

JBinMontana wrote: A Kydex holster will not give you the same snug to body fit as a leather belt slide IWB holster will.

Sledge wrote:

JBinMontana wrote: A Kydex holster will not give you the same snug to body fit as a leather belt slide IWB holster will.

I may be missing something, but those don't look like IWB holsters. They could be inside your belt, but I don't see how they could be inside the waistband of your pants if they are a belt slide.

JBinMontana wrote: I have not had the pleasure of holding a crossbreed yet, but the Sidemore, Bladetech, Fobus, Uncle Mikes, Surpa for the XD and several others I have, and this is what I was talking about like the Fobus Roto Holster.... can you say BULGING holster with me.

These are better worn for Open Carry than Conceal Carry or worn with a over size jacket.

Sledge wrote:To be totally intellectually honest, I would have to say the "bulge factor" has more to do with the design of the holster, than the material it's made of. The model of gun that it is made for is another big determining factor, as well.

Well ya, a full sized 1911 is certainly gonna bulge more than a compact 9..


If you made several holsters, say OWB belt slides, out of several materials, or combinations of materials, the exact same design for the exact same gun, then Kydex would probably come closest to the minimum bulge, IF it were molded to "wrap" around the body of the carrier. The advantage of leather, even though thicker than Kydex, is that it will "mold" and "wrap" whereas, Kydex or plastic does not do so very easily.

Now here we are talking different critters. I am talking about the IWB. I don't wear OWB because i don't wear suit coats or long coats at all i wear T shirts and light jackets and can't use an OWB. The Crossbreed IWB does conform to your body as you wear it. It wraps somewhat to mold to the body shape. It is one of the things that makes it comfortable on a 12-18 days wear.

The Crossbreed hybrid holster is an obvious attempt to take advantage of the best of both materials' strengths, and is a very clever design. I will be watching for long term user's reports, to see how well they hold up to everyday usage. I have some reservations about the "rivet" system of joining the Kydex and leather when it comes to long term or rough use.

As you know i have been using 2 Crossbreeds for about 2 years now. I carry 4 different guns in their IWB holsters and i most days put it on at 4am and don't take it off until about 7pm, 7 days a week. Many times i forget the thing is even there as it is that comfortable for me. My original Crossbreed is the one i carry a 5" Kimber 45 1911. The one i use the most is the one that i carry 3 different pistols in, a Taurus 3" PT140, a Taurus 5 " OSS 45, a Springfield XD 4" 45. I see no particular wear on the holster and the rivets holding the Kydex to the leather are as snug as they were brand new.

The classic example that comes to mind is the Youtube video of the Kydex Paddle Holster that is ripped off of it's base (only held together by rivets) when a fellow walks up behind the wearer, and pulls down and back on the grip of the gun. It totally shears the gun holster off the belt base. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDeKtgkZKmQ

And the classic question is just what did they do to that holster to make it do that? Perhaps it only had a couple of rivets? The Crossbreed has 6 rivets. Perhaps it is a cheap knock off that a 2 year old could destroy? I seriously doubt that you could do that to a Crossbreed IWB. At least certainly not with the ease that they did with that one. By the way, that was an OWB holster, not an IWB and an IWB as you know has the belt across it holding the gun and the holster tighter to the body.