Thumb Breaks: Good or Bad?

[JayFramer]

I’ve got another holster question, guys! What are your thoughts on thumb break holsters?

I’m looking for a good open carry holster for my Beretta 92A1 with mounted Streamlight flashlight, but there are few options. One is the Bianchi Model 140 Reveal (pictured above) and it seems to have good reviews.

I know many old lawmen here probably used thumb breaks in the past, as well as many other people here. Do you think this is a serviceable and good method of retention still today? Do you think it would work alright for an open carry holster? I’ll only be carrying on my own property and that of my friends and family, or in the woods or desert areas. Not in town or in public.

Thanks!

-Jay

 

[ISCS Yoda]

It might not be the best design for LEOs but I personally prefer it for any outside the waistband guns that I carry.

 

[Old cop]

I carried a design like this while in uniform for a few years. The thumb snap can bump open w/an elbow or the arm of a chair when you sit down. It’s not something I’d be comfortable with unless worn under a cover garment.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I temporarily lost a 19 in a thumb break while navigating a tough briar patch.......When not in the thick stuff I like "em".

 

[Justin T]

I can be okay with them in certain circumstances but it seems to me holster choices start becoming limited when you have a bobbed hammer.

So if I use a thumb break I much prefer those that come around the other way between grip and trigger guard.

And if I were to adopt them I’d prefer the same method for all my holsters for consistency. But I don’t have the inclination to replace all my holsters, so I usually dont use a thumb break. ETA: prefer open tops myself.

 

[squidsix]

I broke my thumb once. I found brushing my teeth lefty to be the biggest hurdle.
On a serious note: I greatly prefer open-top holsters but in the woods my revolvers go in holsters with snap retention of some kind.

 

[Well Armed]

I use them for all my OWB leather holsters... I currently have 4 of them for my Shield 9mm and 45, M&P 2.0, and my one for J Frames. They are are Desantis Thumb Break Scabbard.

 

[Well Armed]

I carried a design like this while in uniform for a few years. The thumb snap can bump open w/an elbow or the arm of a chair when you sit down. It’s not something I’d be comfortable with unless worn under a cover garment.

Interesting... Was the snap on the outside instead of the inside (closes to the body)? Can't say I've ever had that issue, but then again, not every holster is the same or uses the same components..

 

[mike campbell]

I don't get it ... a retention strap can accidentally come undone. How is that worse than having no retention at all?

I like 'em.

Even if I could still do somersaults without losing my gun from an open top holster, Mr. Murphy seems to follow me everywhere I go.

You're having a bad day with your open top when...

You squeeze into a tight movie theater chair and your gun goes sliding down the aisle in the darkness,

You squeeze into a tight diner booth and your gun hits the waitress on the toe,

You exit quickly from your vehicle and realize the gun is still hanging onto the seatbelt,

You drop your drawers in a public restroom and the gun skitters into the next stall (lotsa true stories of guns found in restrooms), or even worse...

You drop your drawers in a porta potty and hear a splash....uh oh ... that's a really bad day.

 

[crazyphil]

I think a thumb break strap on a holster is very appropriate when you
carry in the open. But not concealed. I like my concealed carry holsters
to be speed holsters. No snaps or straps. Hammer guards are OK.

 

[Borderboss]

I will always opt for a thumb break if available. It helps to make sure the gun stays where it's at. I always require one on a holster I'm carrying a 1911 in. I like that added bit of safety with leather between the hammer and the firing pin.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

For open carry an OWB holster should have some form of active retention. I prefer a thumb break over something like a Serpa holster.

I primarily conceal carry and my OWB holsters are open top with good boning for passive retention.

 

[rednichols]

Bad on automatics, good on DA revolvers. They were invented for the latter in the late 1950s and the thumb is down already for a natural release. For the automatics the thumb must be lifted high in an unnatural way; and on 1911s and other pistols with thumb safeties the very action of snapping one shut can switch the safety to off.

We labored with this at Bianchi throughout my time there; I think because we reckoned it had to be good to have a thumbsnap; but without realizing that the automatics are simply incompatible. I've learned since then to simply avoid them and that's easy because strapless is so popular nowadays; and I use a different design I call 'thumrake' that involves lifting the thumb upwards against the end of the strap.

 

[andy52]

There are some that I would trust and others I wouldn't, it depends on the design. Here's a photo of a thumb break that I have that I would trust.

 

[torizus]

All my holsters (prob over 25 or so ) in the last 43 years have thumb breaks.
The only exception was as a 1st year rookie, dept specs required the strap down. Never had a mishap both service and off duty.
With the exception of the LCP pocket gizmo, I still prefer them,even my most recent buy,a G43 cross draw has one.
Like anything else,practice and then practice some more.

 

[SG-688]

Bad on automatics, good on DA revolvers. .....

Red and I have disagreed on this before. I intend to eventually wear him down to see it my way. That prototype with the hammer & sight shield is almost there ...

I found thumb snaps to be fine with auto pistols. User technique matters - push down through the snap - as does individual design. As can be inferred from his critique, both sides of the strap must be very rigid fore and aft, and the male snap side must be carefully shaped to avoid safety levers.

 

[rednichols]

Red and I have disagreed on this before. I intend to eventually wear him down to see it my way. That prototype with the hammer & sight shield is almost there ...

I found thumb snaps to be fine with auto pistols. User technique matters - push down through the snap - as does individual design. As can be inferred from his critique, both sides of the strap must be very rigid fore and aft, and the male snap side must be carefully shaped to avoid safety levers.

We disagree because the thumbsnap is meant to work after attaining a full grasp of the pistol. On a revolver a thumbsnap is then quite natural; on an automatic the release is quite unnatural.

And yes, one can adjust the shape of the thumbsnap's free end to accommodate the safety -- but I reckon no maker here even knows about the problem! It's very old but requires heaps of production volume before the tip of the iceberg yells 'ICEBERG'!

That free end can also enter the guard and holstering then fires the pistol if there's no safety. Think Glock now! Do you reckon any maker here ensures that the free end of his/her strap can't enter the guard on a striker-fired pistol? I'll bet a year's salary they don't.

The average maker doesn't know, what they don't know. It takes more than 'time in the saddle'; it takes heaps and heaps of manufacturing volume to encounter all the data points.

 

[ContinentalOp]

The only time I used a thumb break holster was several years ago when I worked as an armed guard and had to carry openly. I didn't care for it. The thumb break snap wrapped over the top. I would've preferred one that placed the snap in a more natural position.

Nowadays I carry concealed and prefer a properly molded, open-mouth holster.

If I were to carry openly again, for whatever reason, I would probably check out Safariland's ALS holsters. I don't know how suitable that would be for your purposes, though.

 

[km101]

Just about all of my holsters have thumbbreaks, Including my 1911 holsters. Never had a problem with them that wasn’t something I had done. In my experience they are the best retention method around.
They have performed well for the.

 

[Rpg]

I carry a Colt Commander or Government Model cocked and locked pretty exclusively.

I wouldn’t dream of using a thumbreak holster for all the reasons rednichols has enumerated.