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I've seen a lot of great reviews on the crossbreed and comptac holsters, and i'm leaning towards one of them very heavily at the moment. The one thing i don't see much talk about is how well these holsters hold the weapon inside without a thumb break. To those of you who have the experience between the two types, does the comp tac styles hold well with the active lifestyle or is it something you have to be catious of? and does the thumb break give any off feelings about maintaining that quick draw? i appologize if this has been covered somewhere that i couldn't find. just covering my bases. thanks.

I assume you're referring to inside the waistband designs - the Supertuck and MTAC. Both of these - and really all IWB designs use the tension of your belt pressed around the holster to retain the gun in the holster. This works very well. I have both Crossbreed ST and Comp Tac MTAC and both retain the gun perfectly while active. In fact I've used both while runnin' and gunnin' at shooting competitions, as well as doing normal activities like playing with my kids, working in the yard etc (used to have a video I've since lost if me sliding with my 2-year-old in one of those two-story inflatable bouncy things and I have a Glock in CB Supertuck holster concealed on me the entire time).

The need for a thumb break or any other active restraint device with concealed carry is redundant. If you think you need a retention device don't let me tell you not to use one. The passive restraint devices on most holsters is enough for most active lifestyles. If you are openly carrying, an active retention device is almost mandatory to prevent gun grabs.

Beyond belt tension (at least for the Crossbreed - never used an MTAC), the holster is molded so that the material is indented into the trigger guard and ejection port, providing a click when the gun is inserted. This means that removing the gun requires deflecting the material outward. The resistance of the material to this deflection holds the gun in place.

MasterOfNone wrote:Beyond belt tension (at least for the Crossbreed - never used an MTAC), the holster is molded so that the material is indented into the trigger guard and ejection port, providing a click when the gun is inserted. This means that removing the gun requires deflecting the material outward. The resistance of the material to this deflection holds the gun in place.

my guns "SNAP" (click/lock) into the molded fitted Kydex holsters. Add to that the tension from pants and belt and I'm pretty sure if I was bouncing on my head it's not going to "fall out" lol (If a bad guy tries to get it ...expand your belly to make retention/belt-pants tighter or eat more ice cream to tighten it)

But
If you are worried about a "bad guy" getting it
it's concealed
Like I tell people worried that "guns on campus" will result in "guns falling into the wrong hands"
"My car has been broken into and the contents stolen, I but I can't recall anyone I didn't want to ever reaching into my pants to grab what's concealed in there." (my gun)

Still, if you are worried about that happening:
Youtube, and other places have some good police videos on "gun retention" techniques, there are many techniques, depending on situation. I'm not saying to play kung-fu master, but there are a few things one can learn about keeping it holstered and body mechanics, the way wrists/fingers/elbows bend/do not bend etc..

For example: (just the "Pin and Spin" portion, and expand your belly, and bend at the waist to that side to increase retention while pressing on his hand to keep it holstered while spinning away), but remember, "it's concealed anyway" It's in your pants, harder to grab for the bad guy than some openly viewed Police OWB duty holsters..
(Note: This is only one reason I carry at 3:00 instead of 5:00 now, due to my own arm's/shoulder's range of motion, speed getting my hand in position to push down, and relative strength pushing *down* in various positions, plus what I carry conceals better at 3:00.)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=-ok79o2NAhA[/youtube]

My Simply Rugged Cuda holds a my fully loaded CZ (18+1 of 9mm, steel frame) upside down, and that doesn't even involve the added security that clothing and belts provide.

Gotchya. makes sense, just have to make sure, right? Thanks