I wanted a place to discuss my handguns and firearms in general. Everyone seemingly has lots to say about guns, so I promise you this won't be a rant blog.
I may need to fine-tune the position placement, but the Certum 3 appears to wear better than the Velo 4. I’m not sure if that’s a fair thing to say, because the Certum does offer a lot more adjustment than the Velo. I have it canted maybe 10-15 degrees to the left, and have it at the 1 o’clock position on the right side, carrying appendix of course. I’m not able to cant the Velo 4 in that fashion (it may be possibe if one clip is removed).
I also installed the largest camming bar, which helps a ton. Tenicor should rework the Velo 4 to have the same camming bar (and not the integrated camming bar).
There’s still a hot spot with this holster, though. The muzzle of the shell is pressing down into my pelvis badly. I’ll be cutting another yoga wedge (a small one, just to negate the pressure of the shell’s muzzle).
I’m already quite happy with this holster. It appears to be more stealthy, as I’m just casually wearing while at home and it’s not as noticeable as when I’m wearing the 1911 in the Velo 4.
I’ll maybe capture some video footage to show how well both work with my 1911 and body type.
So, I ordered the 5-hole belt clips for the Crossbreed holster I recently bought.
The package arrived yesterday. When I opened it, I was disappointed. They’re plastic. The original clips are metal.
On the left is the original clip (metal); on the right is the 5-hole clip cost extra ($10) – it is plastic.
Crossbreed is all over the place with this holster.
I’d complained in an earlier post that they should include some type of wedge system. Yeah, it’s a hybrid holster, but it needs something to help with grip tuck (something more than just the claw).
I now believe that the claw that they have should stick out more, as well.
I also believe they should include 5-hole clips with every holster – why nickel and dime folks to death with pricing of parts that are actually needed to dial in the holster? An appendix holster that has no adjustability of ride height or cant is a bad holster, in my opinion.
And on top of all the above, and I posted about this a few days ago, the shell for the Commander-sized 1911 is not deep enough; they have 4″ 1911s listed as an option, but that’s a non-standard size as far as Commanders go. The standard sizes for 1911s are 5″, 4.25″, and 3.5″, not 4″ and 3″. I had to cut the muzzle portion from the shell just to get the gun’s trigger inside the shell.
I pretty confident that I’m not going to continue using this holster. I just waiting for the chance to get a Tenicor, then this one will be sold or go into my box of unused junk holsters.
I was able to rig up a wedge to the Crossbreed The Reckoning holster.
I used heel gels (ala Dr. Scholls) and velcro.
I carried using the holster most of the day. It’s a HUGE improvement! The pelvic hot spot is no longer a hot spot.
At first I thought I needed more wedge, but I’ll play around with the holster height – I can affort to raise it a bit so that the muzzle is not right above my junk (remember though, this is a Commander-sized 1911 I’m trying to appendix-carry).
Once I get the 5-hole clips, I’ll have better cant and height adjustment.
Every day, I feel that I’m getting this thing dialed in a bit better. The thing is, this holster isn’t exactly cheap. I shouldn’t have to be tweaking things like this. IMO, ALL AIWB holsters need to include a wedge (possibly adjustable). Yeah, I realize that each body is different, but if I’m going to spend $100+ for a holster, it needs to be better configurable. Another thing: Crossbreed should be including 5-hole clips with these, as the holsters are marketed as AIWB-capable. They already included the claw – why the claw and not also a wedge and 5-hole clips??
Pics of the holster (on and off the body):
This will give approximately 1/4″ of leverage and pushes the grip into the stomach, helping with less printing of the grip. And yeah, the leather is already wearing (and this photo is zoomed-in).
Secured with velcro. Velcro is stuck to clear packing tape (sticks better this way than directly to the leather).
This protruds out a bit, purposely – I wanted a good buffer since this area is a strong pressure point.
How it looks now.
This is pre-wedge install.
This right here is what counts! This is MUCH better than the above picture – less printing!
The issue is that I’m having some issues carrying at the appendix position. Part of it is a holster issue. The Crossbreed Reckoning needs a wedge – the claw alone won’t tuck the 1911’s grip into my body enough and the gun’s muzzle is putting pressure on my lower abdomen. Also, I doubt that I’ll be able to bend over fully while carrying a Commander-sized 1911, but will better assess things once I’ve made some customizations.
I ordered some velcro patches and a set of Dr. Scholls heel gels. I’ll be attempting to make my own wedge (the velcro has adhesive to stick to the Reckoning’s leather backing).
I’ll ensure I add enough velcro so that I can fine-tune where the wedge is placed on the holster, so that I can better adjust it to hide my 1911. I will use a hair dryer after the velcro is placed on the holster so that it sticks better (I’m hoping the leather allows the velcro to stick without issue – it’s not soft suede).
I’m also going to order a set of clips that offer better adjustability (5-hole clips for this holster are here). Doing this will allow me to better place the holstered gun so that it’s not awkward for me.
The above-mentioned customizations will hopefully have me carrying AIWB full-time soon.
Because I’m trying appendix carry (with a 4.25″ 1911), I needed a new belt, as the traditional belt (with buckle) doesn’t work well with appendix carry.
I bought a Wolf Tactical Heavy Duty Simple EDC belt from Amazon. I’ve tested it’s fit and it wears well! I like it a lot, so far but really, all it has to do is not be in the way when I carry this 1911 appendix-style.
How’s the Crossbreed “The Reckoning” holster? Eh, it’s OK.
I ran into one issue where the damned gun wouldn’t fit into the kydex shell. The mould is wrong for this shell, as ended up cutting a bit of kydex off where the muzzle rests – the shell has a muzzle stop, but it ends up stopping the gun from fully seating into the holster; the trigger is exposed. Once I cut off the muzzle stop, I was able to properly seat the firearm.
I didn’t want to return the holster because it’s December and I didn’t know when I’d have received the proper holster. Cutting the kydex a bit didn’t bother me. I do recommend that anyone that wants to try this holster and needs to carry an Officer or Commander 1911 should probably buy the holster for the 5″ gun, otherwise you’re going to run into fitment issues.
Another thing I wish this holster had was height and cant adjustment. I’ll look at their website to see if they’ve adjustable clips. UPDATE: I just looked on their website and they have 3-hole versions of the clips that I have, for $3.75 each. I might be able to use clips from other holster makers, too. would be nice to have more than 4+ hole adjustments.
Also, this holster has a claw, which helps a LOT, but I also needs a wedge. I need the gun pushed into my body a bit more than it is, as the gun’s grip is poking out and printing. I suppose I could add a wedge to it.
Mirror shot #1, concealed
Mirror shot, unconcealed
Mirror shot, close up, unconcealed
From above, notice how the grip sticks out – a wedge would probably fix this issue.
Mirror shot, zoomed out a bit
From the right side
From center-right
From 3:30 – 4 o’clock
1-2 o’clock
Directly from the front
Mirror shot #2, concealed
I’ll report/share more as I learn more about appendix carry, but it looks like I may need a wedge (it’s digging into my lower abdomen pretty good, too).
