Originally Posted by rednichols

In reply, how about a holster designer-maker's 'rant':

1. U$100 for a 'good' holster is not a lot; the search for a 'good' holsters is not meant to be a bargain hunt. As with the pistol and the ammo, one pays as much as it takes to get the right one.

2. No excuse for makers on target hammers vs. standard ones. At Bianchi before 1990, the practice was to fit to the target hammer on those that generally came with them (N frames, Python) and the standard one on those that didn't. That said, I have a Jackass (now Galco) here that has a thumbsnap that is a very tight fit on an SW M&P M10. Very tight, one has to 'believe' to get it to snap up.

3. Belt loops: anyone who tells you to get a 'good' belt means a wide, stiff one; and if you need one, then the holster is badly designed; generally, this means top heavy. There are plenty of other errors designers make! Such as position L to R on the backside, it's physical width, etc. So: a 'good' holster can be made with belt loops down to 1"; it's only the 'bad' ones that need a too-stiff belt.

4. Why do they keep doing this? Because 95% of them are either self-taught (how hard could it be, just copy somebody else's design including its flaws) or were taught by the founder (who was also self-taught). Only the remaining 5% ever worked for more than one maker of any size, to learn the science of holster design.

5. Get used to it. Because all makers will blame the consumer and tell them to get a 'good' gunbelt when that is a nullity.

6. Choose your pistol well in the first place. There is a very good reason that the Bond character began with a Beretta .25 and switched to a .32 Walther, both with aluminium frames: small, light, carry them anywhere. Want to carry a 3# pistol? Don't. Want to carry a full-sized 1911 but you weigh 98# yourself? Don't.

This is all very old knowledge, for a hundred years. Your body, then where you will wear it, then biggest power you can conceal there, then (the hard part) find a holster that carries there.

Old wives' tale: you need a so-called 'custom' maker who will make you just what you want. You (and I'm using the general you here, I am not taking the OP to task here) don't know what you want because you're not a holster designer/maker. THEY don't know what you need. This 95% is copying Nelson or Bianchi (which then is me) or Hume or whomever, and their sites will tell you their designs must be good because of who they copied. But we've learned a lot about the science of design in the last half a century. A holster designed by a teenager in 1968 (think Nelson) and copied ever since (think Sparks) is not the sophisticated item you should (but can't) get from a 21st century maker :-(