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another consideration with the combat cut is the mag release. on my M&P, if i didn't have the combat cut i'd have a problem with my magazine ejecting randomly. even with the combat cut, the leather was touching about half of the mag release and when i strapped my belt on and got to moving around (especially when sitting down) it would press against the release button just enough to eject the magazine. i made a small cut with scissors to fix this problem though.

as for comfort, at first i was regretting the combat cut because the gun was uncomfortable rubbing against my skin, but now i don't notice it so much. now if you have stippling or grip tape on your gun then i can see where the extra leather would be a necessity.

rmr1923, how much leather extends past the end of the barrel?

RAM4171 wrote:rmr1923, how much leather extends past the end of the barrel?

i can get a more exact measurement (and pics) when i get home later, but i'd say at least an inch, probably more like an inch and a half. it's enough that if i had a full-size M&P, the leather would probably still extend past the end of the barrel.

RAM4171 wrote:rmr1923, how much leather extends past the end of the barrel?

ok after looking at the holster, there's less leather beyond the end of the barrel than i thought. looks to be about an inch, maybe less. here are 4 pictures to show you how the holster fits my M&P 40 compact. the back shot shows how the combat cut exposes the grip of the gun, and i even zoomed in to show you where i had to make a cut in the leather around the mag release as i mentioned before. you can see that the leather was covering about half of the mag release and would sometimes press against it hard enough to pop the magazine out... not a good thing if you're carrying in public. the 4th photo is of me holding the holster upside down to show the level of retention, absolutely no concern whatsoever of the gun coming out of the holster if i were to trip, fall, etc. the fit was REAL tight when i got the holster, with instructions to heat the kydex up with a blow dryer and work the gun in and out until the retention level was where i wanted it. i can shake the holster up and down and the gun won't come out, but it comes out plenty easy when drawing.

for those that may have not read through this entire thread, the pics above are of a customer made holster by Shielded Holsters. this guy will make it however you want it for $50 shipped and it's guaranteed for as long as you own it.

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1194122" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the pics em1923. Can't wait for mine to get here. I think I'll start a new thread when I do and let Curtis know

Em1923, what length is the barrel ? Mine is 4"

RAM4171 wrote:Em1923, what length is the barrel ? Mine is 4"

i think the barrel on my compact is 3.5"

I just ordered one of these also. It looks like a quality holster at a very affordable price.

rmr1923 wrote: the 4th photo is of me holding the holster upside down to show the level of retention, absolutely no concern whatsoever of the gun coming out of the holster if i were to trip, fall, etc. the fit was REAL tight when i got the holster, with instructions to heat the kydex up with a blow dryer and work the gun in and out until the retention level was where i wanted it.

It is probably worth pointing out to people who haven't had a kydex/leather holster before that it is going to loosen up significantly on its own as the leather backing gets broken in and forms to the back of the pistol. If you permanently loosen the fit of the kydex with heat right after you get it, it is probably going to be way too loose after a month of carrying it. This is why the MTAC's have retention screws.

koolaid wrote:

rmr1923 wrote: the 4th photo is of me holding the holster upside down to show the level of retention, absolutely no concern whatsoever of the gun coming out of the holster if i were to trip, fall, etc. the fit was REAL tight when i got the holster, with instructions to heat the kydex up with a blow dryer and work the gun in and out until the retention level was where i wanted it.

It is probably worth pointing out to people who haven't had a kydex/leather holster before that it is going to loosen up significantly on its own as the leather backing gets broken in and forms to the back of the pistol. If you permanently loosen the fit of the kydex with heat right after you get it, it is probably going to be way too loose after a month of carrying it. This is why the MTAC's have retention screws.

good point, this was mentioned to me by Kurtis (the guy who makes the holsters) so he suggested that i leave it a bit on the tight side, and i have noticed it's gotten a bit looser. he told me to get it to where i could draw the gun with a little more effort than i'd like and wear it like that for a while before i try to loosen it anymore. i did that and after a month or so it's loosened up a bit and is a perfect fit. i wasn't aware the MTACs had retention screws, not worth the extra $30 to me though but that's just one man's opinion.

rmr1923 wrote:i wasn't aware the MTACs had retention screws, not worth the extra $30 to me though but that's just one man's opinion.

It is worth it to me not to have to deal with metal belt clips. They also have an ebay discount outlet. Anyway, derail complete.

koolaid wrote:

rmr1923 wrote:i wasn't aware the MTACs had retention screws, not worth the extra $30 to me though but that's just one man's opinion.

It is worth it to me not to have to deal with metal belt clips.

can you elaborate a bit? i'm not sure what you mean by not having to "deal with metal belt clips".

rmr1923 wrote:

koolaid wrote:

rmr1923 wrote:i wasn't aware the MTACs had retention screws, not worth the extra $30 to me though but that's just one man's opinion.

It is worth it to me not to have to deal with metal belt clips.

can you elaborate a bit? i'm not sure what you mean by not having to "deal with metal belt clips".

The plastic Comp-Tac clips are a lot easier to deal with than the metal Crossbreed style ones. They hold just as secure while you are carrying, but make putting on/taking off your holster an order of magnitude easier, as well as making repositioning your holster once it is on your belt (especially a thick belt) easy rather than frustrating and difficult.

koolaid wrote:

rmr1923 wrote:

koolaid wrote:

rmr1923 wrote:i wasn't aware the MTACs had retention screws, not worth the extra $30 to me though but that's just one man's opinion.

It is worth it to me not to have to deal with metal belt clips.

can you elaborate a bit? i'm not sure what you mean by not having to "deal with metal belt clips".

The plastic Comp-Tac clips are a lot easier to deal with than the metal Crossbreed style ones. They hold just as secure while you are carrying, but make putting on/taking off your holster an order of magnitude easier, as well as making repositioning your holster once it is on your belt (especially a thick belt) easy rather than frustrating and difficult.

You can buy comptac clips and put them on a holster like rmr's I have a magazine holster from the same guy (Shielded holsters) and I put a comptac clip on it for comfort and ease of positioning, not to mention it is better for your belt.