1911 Leather w/ Thumb Breaks

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Does anybody carry a 1911 in a holster that has a thumb break between the slide and the hammer?

For illustrative purposes (from Galco)

Uh... supposed to between the slide and hammer, anyway. :scrutiny:

SILHO.JPG


A man in brown shorts in a brown truck somewhere is running around with a 1911 that I ordered and I'm looking for an OWB that I could use to carry openly when I want to.

Do you reach OVER the beavertail to unsnap it, or do you unsnap with your thumb then get a grip. One seems (looks) like it would be incredibly awkward, and the other seems like it would be incredibly slow. Or do you just cant the gun to the right until it unsnaps itself, defeating the purpose of the retention mechanism... :scrutiny:

I'm curious to see what you guys think, and as always, if you have any specific holster favorites, post them.

Thanks. :)
 
NO,

Thumb on the way down snaps off over, grip at same time. I think that is what you mean.

Too many good options for retention that this is not really needed. May give piece of mind to those who are concerned about carring cocked and locked. Wait a minute, My first real holster for a 1911 had one. But that was 30+ year ago.:eek:

Milt Sparks
 
you shouldn't be able to push the top of your gun so much to the right that the thumbsnap snaps off, haha. back when i carried one (i had a holster just like in the picture) i was able to unsnap the retention strap with my thumb on the way down (thus placing my thumb high while drawing) and then just lower my thumb to disengage the safety as i drew and pointed the pistol. it was a smooth draw for me and didn't cause me to lose time compared to my other pistols-holster combos. just thought i'd share my experience with these. the only thing wrong with that picture is that the belt doesn't fill up the belt slots so the guy should get a thicker belt. it makes a difference for a consistent draw.
 
I would be very careful with thumb-break holsters. I believe Galco specifically says theirs are designed for hammer down (Condition 3) carry of 1911 style pistols.

There have been unsubstantiated reports of some thumb-break designs knocking the thumb safety off. (You don't want this, obviously.)

I would go with either an open top design or one with a smooth leather shield on the "body side", so that nothing on the holster can hit the thumb safety.

The ones that are molded fit the pistol so well that no retention strap is needed. And, if you're concerned about Condition 1 carry and think the thumb-break is additional safety, you need to study the 1911 internals again.

It don't need no straps.
 
I have no problem carrying cocked & locked as I understand that the 1911 was designed to be carried as such.

My only reason for a thumbreak is, to be honest, not for me. When open-carrying I'm much more aware of my surroundings, but the thumb break is generally to show "worriers" that law-abiding gun owners are responsible enough to be walking around with guns and to at least complicate a "gun grab" god forbid.

Taking into account that it's not really a feature that I would want for my own reasons, I'll probably just pass it up and try the holsters I really want.

I might try one if I find a decent deal though. I could always just chop it off. :)
 
Galco molded leather

RG_SILO2.jpg


this is a great molded leather inside that pant holster. its what ive used since i baught my pro carry 2. it does not have a retention strap but the way these holsters are fitted i really dont think you need one. with no retention strap you have quick and *quiet* access to ur gun and you can carry locked and loaded.

also i have ran while carrying my pro carry 2 in this holster. the gun stays tight and in place. it just fits right in like a glove. also if u dont like inside the pant style they have others that are custom fit to 1911's but are outside the pant or under shoulder.

Galco uses top quality leather for a great look and a surface that will not hurt the finish on ur gun. check them out. cheers, SS.45
 
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"There have been unsubstantiated reports of some thumb-break designs knocking the thumb safety off. (You don't want this, obviously.)"

Yep. I've got an El Paso Saddlery thumb break that is supposed to be designed for cocked and locked carry. It pushes the thumb safety off more times than not. Their customer service stinks.
 
Has anybody tried the Bianchi CarryLok? Better retention with nothing to knock the safety free. Also more "confusing" for some jerk who may want to grab my gun.

1367-funda-para-pistola-carry-lok-de-bianchi.jpg
 
Your thumb will naturally unsnap the holster as you grip the weapon...its almost unnoticable. I agree that a thumb break is not necessary. The grip safety has to be engaged and the safety off to fire...both only occur during the draw and making ready to fire, a thumb break offers no margin of safety, its just psychological. I carry mine locked and cocked in an Andrews MacDaniel II
PDBobtailholstered.jpg
 
I don't think anybody read my second post.

I understand that a cocked & locked gun is safe, and I understand that the gun won't fly out even if I did jumping jacks.

The entire point of this thread was to figure out whether or not a thumb break slows a draw. The only reason I'm interested in them is to keep the soccer mom at Wal-Mart from bothering me or to make the gun-grabber think twice.

Is it stupid that I have to buy something to make an anti happy? Yes. Is it stupid if it makes them realize that normal, responsible, law-abiding people carry guns too? No way. Both the complaining soccer mom and the gun grabber are as unlikely as actually having to use the gun, but if a thumb break isn't a PITA, I'd be all for it. Essentially, it's more of a silent statement than an actual safety device since I agree, they don't do much in the way of increasing safety.

I think I'll just buy one and try it out at the range. As I said, I can always chop the strap off.
 
I read your second post.

These holsters aren't duty holsters for uniformed LEO, they are holsters for concealed carry. (Civilian CCW holder, plain-clothes LEO)

I don't understand the concern for a soccer mom. She isn't going to see it.

I also don't understand the "gun grabber think twice" statement, which also implies he is going to see it.

My altruistic concern stands. Thumb-break holsters should be carefully considered. They offer no advantages, and have at least two disadvantages:

  • Thumb break can interfere with re-holstering, possibly requiring two hands
  • Thumb break can knock thumb safety off without your knowledge

In general I have no problem with "it's a free country, do whatever you want", but I do tend to get a little worried at questionable logic. :)
 
dmazur said:
I don't understand the concern for a soccer mom. She isn't going to see it.

I also don't understand the "gun grabber think twice" statement, which also implies he is going to see it.

In general I have no problem with "it's a free country, do whatever you want", but I do tend to get a little worried at questionable logic.
Click to expand...

You're assuming that we're talking about concealed carry, which we're not, which explains my "questionable logic". Sorry I wasn't more clear.
 
I don't think anybody read my second post.
Click to expand...

Your thumb will naturally unsnap the holster as you grip the weapon...its almost unnoticable.
Click to expand...

I don't think you read the first line in my first post. With a bit of practice it can be very fast...almost unnoticable. If you want one don't let the mechanics of it worry you.
 
The thumb break will SLIGHTLY slow the draw process. However practice will negate this delay to the point that it is not a factor.

I understand your concern re: open carry and frightening people, but realize that the majority will NOT know what a retention device is and appreciate your concerns for their fear. Find a holster that works well for you and your pistol and use it.

The masses will just have to learn that we are not the ones whom they should fear. We're on the side of the good guys.

Good Luck,

RMD
 
I carry mostly IWB under a tucked polo shirt (I REFUSE to carry untucked at work; it's unprofessional). I'm not worried about losing the gun out of the holster AND from under my shirt. In an OWB, I don't think a thumb break is a BAD thing, just not a MANDATORY thing.
 
If you do decide to get one, make absolutely sure the snap is covered by leather on the inside of the strap.

If it isn't, you will quickly have a bright shiny ring in the guns finish where it rubs steel on steel.

Many of the less expensive holster brands do not have covered snaps.

rcmodel
 
Give Don Hume a call. I remember reading the DH thumb break holsters allow C&L carry. The one I looked at was a H727.

Of course, if you're willing to wait I'm sure Milt Sparks can make you a thumb break holster on their 60TK and 55BN OWB beltslides.
 
I have a carrylok and I like it, I know some experts say that you shouldn't have any sort of retention device on your carry holster. Their thinking is that if your strong arm is prevented from drawing the gun, then the retention device makes it harder to draw with your weak hand. But I have practiced using my weak hand with the carrylok and I use the middle of finger of my weak hand to disengage the lock. I really like the carrylok. YMMV

John
 
I had one for my combat commander that always took the ambi-safety off:what:...so basically I was carrying cocked and unlocked..bad idea....I ended up cutting the thumb break part off.Eventually sold the commander anyway.
 
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