Because I am such an important person -:), I get neat stuff to review (but why no pistols?). This is from Craft Holsters.
It is for my S&W 629 6.5" revolver. This is not really a concealed carry holster unless you are much taller than me, or wearing your most outrageously puffy and long parka. The grizzly won't care in the least if you are carrying openly.
I mentioned a few days ago that I was having thumb break problems with a holster and wondered if the holster was molded on one of the rare fixed sight 629s. Nope. The thumb break leather is very stiff (it's new, remember). When I checked the thumb break on the Bianchi nylon holster, I figured out the problem. A little effort and forcing one side up and over the hammer enabled me to close it. You do not want to try resnapping it in a hurry, but that's not the urgent side of the thumb break equation!
The holster is beautiful:
Boy, do I look fat. I have been using the abdominal crunch machines at the gym, and they are helping. (I'm blaming the gun. "Does this gun make my belly look big?")
Here is the thumb break closed.
I find it unlikely that I will ever carry this revolver unless I travel to Alaska again and bring this for grizzly bear discouragement. It is a very nice leather holster. It is a tight molded fit, unlike the nylon holsters; do cartwheels with it, the gun isn't going anywhere. But it still draws very smoothly.
Other 629 holsters.
Interesting. I'll check to see if they make one for the 640.
ReplyDeleteAnd according to Alaskans I've met, in Alaska, any activity can turn into a bear hunt at a moment's notice.
That looks like a nice holster. I don't understand the current fashion for open-top Kydex holsters; apparently these kids today have never taken a tumble hard enough to knock a gun out of its holster. I have, and that's why I always use thumb-break holsters made from deceased bovines. They've served me well for over 40 years and I don't see the need to switch, no matter what the whippersnappers say.
ReplyDeleteDoing abdominal muscle workouts makes you look fatter for a while, as the muscles get bigger and push the belly fat out.
ReplyDeleteI modify all my thumbbreaks to make it easier to unsnap. The factory versions require your thumb to push sideways to pop that snap, and when they have a lot of tension on them like yours does, that can be a problem. Your thumb isn't strong in that direction, and it's awkward, and becomes a separate movement, which slows down the draw.
ReplyDeleteI chuck it up in a bench vise, with the top of the vise running from the bottom of the rivet to the top of the snap. I then hammer the end of the tab outward, away from the holster, to about a 45 degree angle. Like this: o/O
This angled bend gives you a better lever, so the thumb can push mostly forward, toward your fingertips, to pop the snap. Much quicker, easier, and reliable release of the snap break.
Personally, for that size gun, I prefer to use a Bianchi X-15 vertical shoulder rig. Some barrels are too fat to fit through the spring slot, but in that case I just draw it out the top of the holster as you would with most any other style. It will conceal under a bush jacket or BDU type. Some of the gun weight is on the shoulder, and some on your belt, so it's comfortable to pack around all day. I think I've got at least 3 sizes of the X-15 for Left Hand. The biggest I use for my 7.5" Redhawk. Not many holster makers make LEFTY versions for the big revolvers.
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