USA -(Ammoland.com)- Some shooters and CCW carriers are lucky.
They choose a make and model of firearm that they are comfortable with, try out a few holsters until they find the right one and life is good.
It’s a bit harder when you collect, review and carry something different every once in a while.
Remembering if you have to operate a safety or just pull, aim and squeeze is a notorious problem for the multi-gun aficionado, but so is coming up with a different holster. Some firearms simply ride better in certain holsters.
When Crossbreed Holsters asked us if we wanted to try a few of their designs, we opted for the Sig Sauer P226. As a longtime Sig fan, we had a little of everything on hand, except for a hybrid, so we wanted to see if Crossbreed could sort us out.
Crossbreed Holster SuperTuck Deluxe IWB
At first glance a Crossbreed Holster SuperTuck Deluxe IWB (Inside Waist Band) model, looks overly large, but this is the appeal of the hybrid design: it spreads the mass of the handgun over a greater surface area. The leather backing board does the trick and the Kydex holster body is riveted in place.
The belt clips are positioned far enough apart to help with the spreading of the handgun’s weight across the side of the belt where you are carrying.
Our first concern with this model was that the Sig P226 felt a little loose and there was no way to adjust the tension or the cant of the gun due to the rivets.
We found both counts to be completely unfounded, the handgun never wanted to push out of the holster while seated, remained secure throughout an active day and the cant was dare we say perfect.
Then again, this is the company that originally came up with the concept of the hybrid holster, so they have an idea of what they are doing.
Most importantly was that we displayed minimal printing with essentially a full sized duty handgun when we tried it with our Sig P226 and Sig Sauer P220 Pistol. The smaller Sig P229 carried a little better due to the lighter weight and shorter grip.
Crossbreed Holsters QwikClip
The second holster we tried was the Crossbreed Holsters QwikClip. This is a similar rig, but only relies on one extra wide clip at the rear of the holster instead of two to secure it to your belt.
We had our doubts at first as the thought process behind the hybrid is to spread the weight of the pistol over a greater surface area, but this little holster supported the weight of the pistol. There was a small amount of sag due to the weight, but for a comfortable quick IWB in the winter months when you’re wearing a jacket or sweater, this is a viable option. This will probably be more viable if you tote a lighter piece than a Sig P226.
Crossbreed Holsters Bedside Backup
Lastly we put the Crossbreed Holsters Bedside Backup through the paces.
What you get is a polymer unit with a soft Velcro side that fits between your mattress and box spring. The holster component simply sticks to it and keeps your handgun ready at your side when you hit the rack.
It is probably not ideal if you have small children wandering about your bedroom or are stuck in the seventies and haven’t gotten rid of your waterbed, but the idea is a sound one.
We found more use for it by pairing it up with our 5.11 Photographer vest. It fits in the inside pocket and holds tight to the Velcro.
The only problem with the 5.11 vest is that it either marks you as a gun owner thanks to Walter Sobchak from The Big Lebowski or as a professional zoologist. (The last time we wore this vest was on a trip to the LA Zoo and we stopped wearing it because at least 10 people asked us if we worked there).
Luckily 5.11 uses the same system for their bags and it works extremely well in our 5.11 Rush Delivery Messenger Bag.
Crossbreed Holsters The Good
All three of these holsters are made in the USA from quality materials and work as intended. As we said earlier, Crossbreed pretty much invented the hybrid holster, so they know what they are doing when it comes to putting one together.
Crossbreed Holsters The Bad
We would prefer the shells to be a bit tighter and allow the option to adjust the positioning of the holster. As they come from the factory they are good, but this option could make them great. Again, we had no retention issues or comfort issues, but we like to have options.
The only real disappointment was the QwikClip with the P226. This really needs to be paired up with a more lightweight pistol and we blame ourselves, not Crossbreed for this one.
Crossbreed has a Handy Online Video on Adjusting your CrossBreed Gun Holster’s Retention:
Crossbreed Holsters The Reality
In addition to the rock solid construction of their holsters, Crossbreed Holsters offers some of the best customer support in the industry. Many holster makers of their size are more concerned with upselling you to a newer model if you have issues with fit or accessories, Crossbreed still has the attitude of a small business that will go out of their way to make things right, should an issue come up.
About Mike Searson
Mike Searson’s career as a shooter began as a Marine Rifleman at age 17. He has worked in the firearms industry his entire adult life as a Gunsmith, Ballistician, Consultant, Salesman, Author and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1989.
Mike has written over 2000 articles for a number of magazines, websites and newsletters including Blade, RECOIL, OFF-GRID, Tactical Officer, SWAT, Tactical World, Gun Digest, Examiner.com and the US Concealed Carry Association as well as AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
- Home page: www.mikesearson.com
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mikesearson
The Good= Very comfortable and great concealment for full size 1911 and 9mm
The Bad= Not the fastest draw in the West
The Ugly= Yes,very ugly. Guess that’s why it’s concealed
It’s been difficult to find an IWB holster to hide my 1911 so I was carrying my compact 9mm when concealment was an issue. Took me a few years but finally bought a Supertuck and it hides the 1911 like no other. Now I don’t have to feel undergunned. Time to give the wimpy 9mm to my wife. Lol!!