Posted: 3/31/2008 9:38:41 PM EDT
| I'm a complete newbie to concealed carrying, and have been looking over this forum for quite some time. I am about to go into a Federal law enforcement academy, and will start carrying as soon as I get out due to the location where I will be stationed. My current plan is to carry my full size Springfield 1911, and from all of the topics I have seen here, Comp-tec and Milt Sparks Versa Max II are the best. I will be carrying in Texas, and prefer to wear a t-shirt and pants, with the shirt tucked in. Any suggestions as to which of these would best suit my purpose? I have done some competitive shooting with both leather and kydex holsters, and lean slightly to the leather due to possible finish wear with the kydex. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! |
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I think the VMII would be more comfortable with a full size, steel 1911. Unless you plan on tucking the shirt OVER the gun, then I would use a CTAC since puts the weight on your belt instead of on your pants like the VMII with the tuckable clips. Here's my Kimber TLE in a VMII: 
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| My wife has a VMII and it is an awesome holster, I wish I had one for my SIG 228 but the wait time on it is too long. I just purchased a CompTac MTAC, and in my opinion it is just about as comfortable to wear as the VM. It is a combo of Leather and Kydex, so it has the thinness of the kydex, but also the comfort of the leather against your body. I also like that you can change the kydex portion, so you can use it for more than one kind of gun. |
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I have a CTAC for my XD9SC. It is pretty dang comfortable. I always wear an A-shirt so the Kydex is never in direct contact with my skin. I recently purchased a Galco Concealable Holster for my 5" 1911. I like it. Since it carries pretty high, you need a good strong belt. You also need to break in the holster without using any leather conditioners as this makes the leather too soft. I just fondled it for several nights while watching tv and holstered and unholstered (gun unloaded mind you) and it is GTG. I would love to get a MS VM2, but the wait is what turns me away. TT Gun Leather makes a copy of the VM2 and the wait is not as long. There was a review here and they said it was GTG. The only major difference was the snaps were of better quality on the VM2. |
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A big +1 for Comp-Tac. I just got my MTAC today, which I will be using to carry my Commander once I move to a free state (which will be after graduation in May). Have been wearing it around the house all afternoon/evening, and have to say that it is quite comfortable. I'm sure it will only get more comfortable with use, as the leather breaks in. |
6 mos........holy crap......did you check La? I got one just a few weeks ago and they had them in stock.  |
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the VMII is a well crafted holster and very comfortable to wear. The only problem I have found with it is, it rides a little high and it prints the slide more than my TSC/UCR. That's on a Glock G27. I have to wear it more in the 9:00 position (left handed) to decrease the print. I prefer the 8-8:30 position for carry. As far as the 6 month wait, that is a long time. For my TRP Operator, I opted for the TT Gunleather. His lead time is 6-8 weeks. I don't plan on carrying the Operator, but wanted a holster just in case. Tim's reviews all seem to be positive. So, I'm hoping for a good quality alternative to the MS VMII. |
| The 5-6 months lead time is not a big problem for me since I won't get my CCW till September or so. I started looking early with the eye for possibly having to wait. The VMII seems to be what I'm looking for, plus it gets good reviews from so many folks here. Now for the wait till CCW time.... |
It should be noted that the issue you describe is more a factor of the pistol than the holster. The shape of the subcompact Glocks create a fairly high center of gravity, especially when you're dealing with inside-the-waistband holsters. It's just the nature of the beast as you still have to have enough room to establish a proper grip when drawing from the holster. If you tried a VMII with a full-size 1911, the issue you describe with the Glock 27 would not exist since there is plenty of slide below the waistline. |
That's probably true. The 27 is a bit of a brick. The top of the TSC/UCR rides just at the belt line as opposed to above the beltline, like the VMII. This allows the entire pistol to set lower on the body. Which, in my case anyway, allows for better concealment. |
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I’ve carried Kimber Compacts (CPD and stainless) in both for extended periods. I landed on the C-TAC. Why? • For me, the presentation speed from Kydex is significantly faster • I used to routinely sweat through the MS VMII during the summer. It wouldn’t dry out completely until the fall. I couldn’t stand having sweat soaked leather against my Kimbers • Neither would stay put at 3:00. Both would eventually wander fore or aft of my hipbone after climbing in and out of my pickup. A few minor DIY mods to the C-TAC, problem solved. • I was able to customize the forward rake and depth the holster rides with the C-TAC I’m indifferent to holster wear. I shoot regularly and dry fire practice almost daily, therefore holster wear on the finish was inevitable with either material. |