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Sidearms & Scatterguns Do Kydex Leather Combo Holsters Exist?

1911addict42

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
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  • Aug 1, 2020
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    Las Vegas
    Hi guys,

    I have been researching the following and have come up short... Are there any quality holsters that have Kydex to secure the slide (I want that “click/lock”) and leather for the remainder of the holster? Would that even work properly?
    I haven’t seen anything from reputable companies, and definitely not for the guns I want it for. (EDC X9S and Bul SAS UL 2)
    Are there any custom holster makers that can make one for me and do a good job with it?

    Thanks!
     
    Crossbreed holsters are the only ones I know of. Safariland ALS holsters have a very positive "click". The mechanism locks on the ejection port, I highly recommend them.
     
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    Crossbreed holsters are the only ones I know of. Safariland ALS holsters have a very positive "click". The mechanism locks on the ejection port, I highly recommend them.
    They actually look really good but unfortunately don’t make anything for my guns...
     
    Garrett Industries.
    Do you have hands on experience with those? From what I saw on their site, I wasn’t impressed.
    Granted, quality typically doesn’t come across well virtually, but it looked kinda... cheap quality.
     
    I have a couple. They work well. Workmanship is quite good. They look like a kydex holster, but are leather on the inside.
     
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    You know, I haven’t done much concealed carry, so experience is limited, but is a high quality leather holster sufficiently safe and (almost) as good as Kydex? Is the locking mechanism truly necessary?
    I WANT all leather, but don’t want to make a mistake based on personal preference.
    When I look at your suggestions, and they’re good ones, I find myself longingly looking back at products from Wright Leather, Milt Sparks etc.
     
    Depends on the gun. For a 1911, leather is fine.
     
    Big fan of Garrett holsters.

    I have a half dozen or so for revolver and pistol.

    A few have G Code adaptors.

    My daily carry Combat Cmmndr model is 12 years old, no leather delamination, and only broke belt loop fixture once and I replaced it.
     
    Do you have hands on experience with those? From what I saw on their site, I wasn’t impressed.
    Granted, quality typically doesn’t come across well virtually, but it looked kinda... cheap quality.
    I have one that I’ve actually used in several uspsa matches. I Really like it a lot.
     

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    I have one that I’ve actually used in several uspsa matches. I Really like it a lot.
    Thank you for those pics, it does look nicer than on their site. (Garrett should work on their marketing materials!
    That’s quite a few endorsements for Garrett, both on here and the 1911 sites.
    I’ll give it a shot for the Bul SAS Ultra.
    Went with the Milton Sparks Summer Special 2 for the Wilson.
    Thank you all!

    Levi
     
    You know, I haven’t done much concealed carry, so experience is limited, but is a high quality leather holster sufficiently safe and (almost) as good as Kydex? Is the locking mechanism truly necessary?
    I WANT all leather, but don’t want to make a mistake based on personal preference.
    When I look at your suggestions, and they’re good ones, I find myself longingly looking back at products from Wright Leather, Milt Sparks etc.
    No Leather is obsolete. There are too many drawbacks and it is an inferior material in this day and age.

    I say this as a former leather worker and holster/belt maker. The juice is not worth the squeeze unless you put form over function.
     
    IWB or OWB?

    What position? Appendix? 3:00? 5:00?

    From what you're describing, Alien Gear may be what you're looking for.

    Not leather but has a modern material backer that many holsters use leather for. You can adjust retention. Base system can be used with different Kydex units to save costs.


    Similar to the AG is the StealthGear which seems to be quite popular right now. Again used more modern materials for a backer rather than leather and I believe this has the same system where you can change the Kydex. Also retention is adjustable.



    My current brand is Crossbreed. Been using them for years and w/ many 1911s. Similar to above but uses leather backer and retention is not very adjustable. Although you can heat up the Kydex and adjust it, just not as easy as the above. I will state that retention on a IWB is not nearly as critical as OWB. Just my opinion. I've been carrying using the Crossbreed holster since 2008. I've tried some other brands and styles but always seem to come back to Crossbreed.



    I've ordered a newer Crossbreed that is a hybrid similar to the AG and SG above. Should see it the end of the week. I also ordered an all Kydex single clip appendix carry to try out.



    The Milt Sparks or similar is all leather and many people are extremely happy with them. My Galco clone didn't thrill me.


    Many clones for cheaper but I'd stick to the Milt Sparks unless you can't find one and want to try it out. That's what happened to me.
     
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    The MTAC from Comp Tac is a hybrid leather back/Kydex shell holster. Th leather makes it more flexible and comfortable to wear.
     
    No Leather is obsolete. There are too many drawbacks and it is an inferior material in this day and age.

    I say this as a former leather worker and holster/belt maker. The juice is not worth the squeeze unless you put form over function.
    Too broad a statement.
    Nothing yet exists to rival the combination of durability, flexibility and body contour conforming comfort that leather provides when worn next to the skin.
     
    Been running my glock 19 in a cross breed supertuck (no combat cut) for 12 years. With a 5 year stretch doing some bar/ personal security work. Never had a retention issue even when in a tussel with some of my cities choice patrons.

    They have the mini/ micro tuck option for some of the smaller guns. Left the cross breed at home one day and bought the MTAC thinking it was close to the same but I hated every minute of it. (Granted my cross beed is very broken in)
     
    Waiting on a DC3 from tucker. Will be 4 months on the 6th so it should be getting close. Will post photos if it shows up.
     
    IWB or OWB?

    What position? Appendix? 3:00? 5:00?

    From what you're describing, Alien Gear may be what you're looking for.

    Not leather but has a modern material backer that many holsters use leather for. You can adjust retention. Base system can be used with different Kydex units to save costs.


    Similar to the AG is the StealthGear which seems to be quite popular right now. Again used more modern materials for a backer rather than leather and I believe this has the same system where you can change the Kydex. Also retention is adjustable.



    My current brand is Crossbreed. Been using them for years and w/ many 1911s. Similar to above but uses leather backer and retention is not very adjustable. Although you can heat up the Kydex and adjust it, just not as easy as the above. I will state that retention on a IWB is not nearly as critical as OWB. Just my opinion. I've been carrying using the Crossbreed holster since 2008. I've tried some other brands and styles but always seem to come back to Crossbreed.



    I've ordered a newer Crossbreed that is a hybrid similar to the AG and SG above. Should see it the end of the week. I also ordered an all Kydex single clip appendix carry to try out.



    The Milt Sparks or similar is all leather and many people are extremely happy with them. My Galco clone didn't thrill me.


    Many clones for cheaper but I'd stick to the Milt Sparks unless you can't find one and want to try it out. That's what happened to me.
    Tried the Milt Sparks and it was thicker than I wanted. Will try Garrett and possibly one of the products you mentioned. The issue I’m having now is that my guns are somewhat obscure and holsters aren’t readily available unless they’re custom. But I’ve gotten some good options on this thread
     
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    High Noon Holsters.....


    I have a bunch of High Noon stuff (not hybrids - Kydex and regular leather holsters) and every one of them has been awesome. Their Instinct Extreme for AIWB is awesome. Good stuff - great company.

    VooDoo
     
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    The only thing going for the hybrid holsters is that they're comfy.

    They typically have poor retention, interfere with your firing grip on the draw, and the leather likes to collapse in toward the kydex shell on the draw so that when you reholster you either need to use your support hand to keep the holster open, or you end up pointing the muzzle at yourself trying to slip it in.

    Find yourself a good, full kydex holster from RCS, Phlster, Dark Star Gear or similar & do it right.
     
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    I really like these single clip holsters from hidden hybrid

     
    The only thing going for the hybrid holsters is that they're comfy.

    They typically have poor retention, interfere with your firing grip on the draw, and the leather likes to collapse in toward the kydex shell on the draw so that when you reholster you either need to use your support hand to keep the holster open, or you end up pointing the muzzle at yourself trying to slip it in.

    Find yourself a good, full kydex holster from RCS, Phlster, Dark Star Gear or similar & do it right.
    Actually just received a holster from Garrett this week.
    It appears well constructed, with good retention, and a nice blend of quality, comfort and function. Definitely was a good suggestion, will see how it performs soon.
    Thanks for all suggestions, I’m sure I’ll need more holsters 😊
     
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    I've been using Crossbreed hybrid holsters for 13 years. NEVER have I had the leather collapse and I've NEVER had an issue reholstering. I've had both standard and combat cut. The combat cut gives full purchase to the grip. I have at least five CBs and several other similar brands. None of them presented any of those problems you listed. I've had the Kydex begin to split/tear on two. One was the cheap King Tuck brand and the other is the first CB I ever bought and is getting repaired now for the cost of shipping. I'm not stating it's a better holster or a better solution. The full Kydex do offer better retention. All the hybrid holsters use your body for retention and really isn't an issue carrying IWB.
     
    Every one of the hybrids I've seen in a class had collapsed to the point that they're flat dangerous. There's a number of better options and no reason to use one in this day & age.
     
    Bums me out Garrett wont make a holster for the S&W M39.
     
    No one mentioned it but a sturdy belt is crucial. Ive been running a crossbreed for my Glock27 for almost 8 years. Before that I carried a full size Glock17 in a crossbreed.
     
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    Hard rolled horse hide holsters will give you the secure pop. I make my own, but Kramer Gun Leather uses it. When impregnated with wax it is like the best of kydex and leather in my opinion.

    This one pictured is about 10 years old and has seen lots of daily use during that time (probably equivalent to 6 years of every day carry for 8 plus hours a day). You can see that it is stiff and does not collapse.

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    I forgot, Theis Holsters makes leather/kydex combination holsters similar to Crossbreed. I have one of theirs and it is decent. I did have to trim it up a bit to make it work like I wanted though.

    Edit: don't know of a holster maker called Cross Bread, so I edited the post.
     
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    F.I.S.T. holsters has a Kydex/Leather combo. They'll make anything you want.
     
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    WOW when it rains it pours.
    I just got an email from another company that they make a Kydex holster for my Taurus 608 and now I find another Kydex maker for the gun from F.I.S.T.
    Thanks for the post.
     
    Im liking these Tucker DC-2 holsters.....


    Id prefer belt loops but Tucker likely has to avoid getting too close to Garrett Designs so they probably avoid the changeable belt configurations.

    My first "Garrett" bought is actually stamped "Tucker Gunleather" as they were partnered ten or so years ago.

    Garrett wont build me a Kydex/leather holster for my S&W 39-2.

    Sent a question in to Tucker to see if they will make a DC-2 for this gun....Ill suffer the paddle just to get something to slip the 39-2 in.
     
    Another vote for High Noon holsters. I have a couple of their kydex/leather holsters and they are excellent. Leather on the body side, with a kydex shell on the outside. They make IWB and OWB kydex/leather models.

    Hidden Hybrid holsters are also very good, but lately l have been migrating to the High Noon holsters.