Strap or no strap?

[BabaBlueJay]

I am torn over what to do with my next holster. On the one hand, I hate the idea of having to remove a strap to draw my revolver, on the other hand I hate the idea of it flying out of my holster if I ever need to sprint with it. My Galco Outdoorsman strap annoyed me so much that I cut it off. The problem is as expected, a holster designed to have a strap now is not secure to run with. I tested it empty sprinting across my backyard and the gun flew out of the holster like a rocket which clearly is not safe. The good news is I wanted to replace my Galco with something nicer anyways, but now I want to be sure if I spend a ton on a Milt Sparks or other strapless holster that it will keep the gun in place even if I am sprinting away from or towards a threat to protect my family and I.

Some people say they just won't run with a holster on, but I don't want to be limited to "just don't run then" I carry a heavy 686 L frame in OWB holsters and want to be able to do almost ANYTHING securely with it. Limitations are not acceptable if I am going to shell out 200+ dollars on a top notch holster.

My question is essentially this, is there ANY strapless holster that will keep my revolver from flying out in extreme conditions like sprinting or climbing a wall, or ANY extreme activity that may be necessary in an emergency situation. Or do I just have to have a strap to ensure the revolver is secure if I want it to stay put under those extreme circumstances.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Valmet]

IMO a strap is simply another impediment in the unlikely event I’ll need to draw my firearm. We all have to make our own choices, your everyday lifestyle may be more conducive to carrying a revolver in a holster with a strap? I don’t even like manual safeties on my CCW, much less a retaining strap.

You may want to look into a kydex revolver holster with solid retention (I’m thinking something like Safariland).

 

[murphydog]

Yes, there are many revolver holsters made to retain them without a strap or thumb break. They can hold it in place via the cylinder or trigger guard (the latter is very common with semi-auto pistols). Best to ask the holster maker before purchasing in any case.

 

[K Frame Keith]

A thumb break is fast and comfortable. Every duty holster I ever carried had a thumb break. Faster than a strap and very secure. Just needs some practice.

 

[crazyphil]

The open top holster is referred to as speed holster. The reason is that it
is much faster. I would never carry a concealed gun with a retention strap
on it. When I need to get my gun out, it would probably be in a hurry.
A worthwhile goal is to draw and fire in less than a heartbeat. That is
approximately one second. I used to be able to do that, but not anymore.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I am a no-strap kind of guy. I am now WAY retired and old enough I am not going to be wrestling with bad guys or breaking up a fight between two teenage boys (or girls) throwing fists at each other. I am happy with a snug-fitting concealed holster. That being said I find myself, out of force of habit, pushing my thumb down on a strap that isn't there when I am working on my draw-presentation.

 

[WR Moore]

You have to look around, but there are holsters out there that have adjustable tension for retention. There are also holsters so finely fitted that it takes some (slight) effort to get the gun out (but they ain't cheap). The thumb break is an option, but you have to train to keep the release paddle out of the way until the gun is far enough out that the strap won't catch on the snap.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I like thumb break ccw holsters and depending on the season use them also but I mostly pocket carry so naturally there’s no strap. All my field holsters have straps. I’ve had competition holsters with triggerguard retention that worked well.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I tend to agree that a strap gets in the way, which is why I cut mine off. The problem is my Galco won't hold it when I sprint and I am a fast, athletic guy so I need my holster to hold the gun in a full sprint. I am just curious if there is a strapless one that does that job. I find even a thumb break too restrictive. Has anyone had a strapless holster without thumb break that keeps it tight even when running fast? I may just ask milt sparks if their holsters hold up to that.

 

[oink]

For an OWB holster a proper thumb break snap works great and is a necessity IMHO. A little practice makes the thumb break quick and instinctive. IWB is a different story as you don't have enough gap between the holster and body for the thumb break to release reliably. A good fat roll helps with retention with IWB.

 

[CH4]

No strap for belt carry CCW. Strap for shoulder rigs and OP/duty carry.

 

[oink]

Strap it on and the take off across a large field at a hard run. See how long it stays.

 

[jimmyj]

For "Off Duty" / Plain Clothes I have used Lobo Leathers Pancake holsters for years (negative restraining strap) with 100% satifaction. The holsters are custom made for a particular make, model, and caliber weapon.

 

[BAM-BAM]

A thumb break is fast and comfortable. Every duty holster I ever carried had a thumb break. Faster than a strap and very secure. Just needs some practice.

My answer to your question since 1982.

 

[growr]

my revolvers ride in a strapless holster or scabbard from Kramer and are horsehide. Horsehide is almost like kydex as far as retention is concerned.

NOT a cheap solution, but one of the very best for ME!

Randy

 

[OKFC05]

I use and recommend Safariland ALS holsters for open carry and sure retention in physical exertion. Easy one-handed draw and automatic locking when re-holstered.

 

[Old cop]

Our issued uniform holsters had the strap for years & it never slowed me down when I needed my thirty-eight but today’s holster market has a lot more choices.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Count me emphatically with K Frame Keith and Oink on this one !

A properly designed Thumbreak is no impediment to smooth and rapid draw . ( On any reasonably well designed holster ) your thumb naturally disengages the strap b as you aquire even a vaguely proper grip on the gun .

Dating myself to particular era , I started journey into handguns just as thumbreaks were becoming a thing , and that has been my thing ever since , when ever possible.

Should I ever have occasional to use a holster without , my thumb is automatically reaching for non existent thumbreak .

And yes over the years , I have hand guns skitter on the floor/ ground three times , and one bounce around the floorboards on a Jeep trail , so my opinions are firmly cemented .

Added - No , none of those Opps ! There goes my gun without me ! Incidents involved a proper thumbreak . It was a now forgotten style of leg holster , an upside down shoulder holster , a belt slide , an issued " semi- retention " laminated duty holster , that unfortunately was designed closely fitted for M10 , but issued M15s . The difference in profile was just enough that the gun didn't fit properly , and the internal pressure points would spontaneously unsnap itself with even casual body movement . If it had been old school leather construction , it would have molded to fit in about a week of wearing , but the new fangled laminate construction holds the original ( incorrect) shape indefinitely .

 

[WR Moore]

Take a good look at the fitting to the gun of the holster in post 11. That's what you're looking for.

I've never tried a revolver in them, but the Safariland laminate holsters retain semis without straps by fit. The laminate is between the leather outer covering and liner.

There's also pure kydex holsters, but they can be a tad inconsiderate of the finish.

 

[Bald1]

No strap. 1791 Gunleather. $59. Very tight. U can turn holster upside down. Google them and watch YouTube video reviews. I have one and another on the way.

 

[326MOD10]

As stated above, a properly fitted holster requires no strap.

A duty rig in the open needs a security device of some sort.

If you are wearing it concealed, not just plain clothes out in the open, nobody should know it is there to grab it.

I had an ankle holster for a Glock 26 and one for a S&W 642 made by Lou Alessi before he passed away. No retention strap and it went everywhere I did on patrol, weither fighting, running or climbing a fence, and never had it come out. In fact both were handed down and last I new still being used.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I don't worry about a handgun coming out of any of these holsters:

Concealment Express:

Galco hybrid:

Those are both for a pistol. The next is for a revolver:

Barranti with thumb break (K frame):

J-frame:

I thought I had a picture of my Galco Summer Comfort or whatever it is called but I don't. I assure you it has plenty of retention should I need to run (which is unlikely as a general rule) and I also have a generic Kydex holster for my J frame that has more than sufficient retention.

Only the Barranti has a thumb brak - the rest are what folks call speed holsters.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I think my problem was I cut the strap off of a holster designed to have one. My Galco Outdoorsman DAO was not designed to work without a strap. I am leaning towards milt sparks and just being aware my current holster cannot hold my 686 while running.

I conceal with a OWB holster and Hawaiian shirts during summer. The problem is I do occasionally run to get to my daughter who is a toddler and likes to get herself in dangerous situations haha. I think a Milt Sparks HSR should do the trick and I can be cautious with my current holster while I wait for one from them.

 

[RCL-09]

There are so many options I don't know where to start. Personally for EDC I go exclusively with kydex IWB holsters. Between the belt and the pressure retention of the holster itself I have never had a problem. When I carry my 13-2 3" that stays put nicely.

I seldom carry OWB unless it is hunting. In that case I use either a leather holster with a thumb strap, or a kydex like the Blackhawk Serpa (I haven't found a Serpa or similar for revolvers though).

I know a lot of manufactures make kydex revolver holsters that hold the gun very well. Even the Phobus padle holster holds on to the gun.

Also, there are several "made on the spot" kydex holster makers that set up at gun shows and will hold a holster right then an there.

 

[tops]

Strap it on and the take off across a large field at a hard run. See how long it stays.

At 80 yr. old I walk slow and if I need to cross a large field I drive. Larry

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Berns-Martin break-front. Bianchi used to make them, perhaps others did. Don't know about now.

 

[rednichols]

A thumb break is fast and comfortable. Every duty holster I ever carried had a thumb break. Faster than a strap and very secure. Just needs some practice.

A well-reasoned reply because: the thumbsnap on a revolver does more than retain the revolver; it shields the rear sight and prevents the elbow from accidentally cocking the hammer spur. In the former instance, prevents misaligned/broken rear adjustable sights, so not needed for fixed sights; in the latter instance, prevents the revolver being presented at a target and less trigger pressure required than expected. I know of at least one late 20th century case where this caused death of the other person and incarceration of the shooter.

NOW: thumbsnaps work very poorly on automatics. Took me a long time to work this out and the rest of the industry never did. On the 1911 one strap can release the thumb safety when snapping up the assembly; on any auto (even the Glock has the same plan view as a 1911) the end of the slide is so tall that the thumb has to reach very high to release; awkward. Thumbsnaps that reach around the grip are a hazard when grasping the pistol and gripping the strap, too.

The common safety strap is very slow and was called a 'retreating strap' by the Texas Rangers more than a hundred years ago: to be used only then and the reason the Threepersons holster caught on with them -- no strap needed because of its thick welting that gripped the revolver frames.

I would carry a well-moulded strapless horsehide holster for the auto without hesitation, but would choose one that carries the center of gravity as low as possible -- that is, mag button just above the upper edge of the trousers belt -- because modern autos are VERY topheavy with the big mags. Here's one such, of mine (I'm retired, you can't have one):



Horsehide is a thin and stiff as Kydex without the noise and finish wear. Few makers use it but Kramer does; however multiple reports including personal experience with them being so tight that the pistol goes in, but doesn't come out! This is caused by it being dried improperly after wetting for the moulding.

See, you thought this was going to be easy .

 

[BigBoku]

Take a look at the Kramer Belt Scabbard it should fill your niche quite well.

 

[ladder13]

DeSantis makes a fine holster for not a ton of money. Gun is held tight.

 

[growr]

How did this turn out?

Randy