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Crossbreed Super Tuck extended use review

dburkhead

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Oct 11, 2009
Messages
5
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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Crossbreed Super Tuck holster

What I got: The Super Tuck holster in black cowhide with optional J clips.
For: Taurus PT1911AR, a full size 1911 with an integral Picatinny rail.
Price: $69.75 ( +$15.00 for natural horsehide) $5.00 for the J clips.

First impressions: Nice build quality. Four holes on either side to adjust the holster height and angle. Molded kydex scabbard to hold the gun. The scabbard is form fitting and recesses slightly into the trigger guard for retention. The instructions that come with the holster explain how to use a blow dryer to soften the kydex to adjust retention or one can send the holster back to Crossbreed for adjustment.

One of the problems I had with finding a good holster was the rail on the Taurus 1911. The rail is wider than is typical on other railed 1911s and finding a holster that fit, between cheap "Uncle Mike's" or "Gunmate" holsters and very high-end custom gunleather was quite difficult. A quick email to Taurus got a prompt response that they were aware of the issues with the Taurus and could provide a holster to fit.

Crossbreed Super Tuck Front (fully broken in after about 6 months wear)
crossbreedfront.jpg


Rear
crossbreedback.jpg


Wear and use:

I tried several different positions with this holster and gun, from 1:00 to 5:00. For my body size and shape, carries in front tended to pinch when I bend. 3:00 was comfortable but the handgrip on the pistol jutted out and printed badly. Most people probably wouldn't notice, but I did and really preferred better concealment.

When I wore the holster in the 4-5 o'clock position, however, the situation changed dramatically. The holder was quite comfortable in that position. The gun was held flat against my back and didn't protrude. Worn with a shirt untucked or tucked between the holster and the pants it didn't print.

YouTube - Crossbreed SuperTuck - Untucked & Tucked

In this early period when I was trying it out I did, however, encounter several problems.

Problem 1:

While the leather completely covers the space between my body and the pistol, the kydex only covers a portion of the gun. The slide and frame extend out from the front of it. As a result, the finish on the gun is subject to wear as one moves and the clothes rub against the pistol. Personally, I don't consider this a downcheck. A carry firearm is not a show piece. If one is worried about wear or scratches, better to leave that gun in the safe and carry something a bit more utilitarian.

Related to the coverage problem, I had a problem where the edge of the kydex would wear holes in my pants. This was definitely troublesome. Wearing out my pants in short order is not something I want a holster to do.

I contacted Crossbreed about this (one thing I can say about Crossbreed holsters is that, in my experience, they have great customer service) and received this response:

While I certainly understand your concern, to be honest there have only been a handful of folks who have had this issue that I am aware of. The vast majority of our customers do not experience this and we have well over 40,000 holsters delivered to date. To be honest I suspect when this does occur it's more of an issue with the individual user. Perhaps it's the angle you carry your holster/gun at or more likely, how tight you wear your pants. I don't know these as to be certain answers as I personally have never experienced this issue and know no one personally who has. As far as folks who have reported on this issue, it's less than 6 or 7 that I can think of. Even if it were 10 or 20 folks, out of over 40,000 that is not enough to blame the design of the holster but rather a time to look at each individual situation for the cause. It is easy to think that if it happens to you it must surely be happening to everyone else, but such is definitely not the case.

While that answer could be self-serving, I don't think it is. To be honest, after the first few weeks of wear the problem went away. It could be that I had been wearing older pants that were really too tight (I've gained a few pounds over the years) and the new ones fit properly and therefore don't rub so hard, or maybe their was a bur or something at the edge of the kydex that smoothed off with wear. In any case, I am not having the problem any more so while this is something to be aware of, I don't think it's any more than a break-in problem, at least not for me.

Problem 2:

I would remove the gun from the holster and find the that safety was off. On further investigation this turned out to be a training issue. When reaching back for the gun I was, without noticing it, brushing the ambi safety on the 1911. A simple change in how I reached for the gun corrected this problem. I suspect I would have had the same problem with any holster worn in the same spot unless it actually covered the safety.

Problem 3:

Sometimes on drawing the gun I would see that the magazine was not locked in place. This usually happened when I had been wearing the holstered gun in my car. This was certainly disconcerting and would have been unconscionable in a holster for defensive carry if it were not resolved.

The clue to what was happening was that it happened when I was wearing the holster in my car. The gun and holster were pressed tight against my back in that position and apparently the pressure was enough to depress the magazine release. When I inspected the holster, I discovered that there was a small dent corresponding to the location of the magazine release.

I continued to try the holster for a while and gradually, that problem went away. Still, I was experimenting with a holster and this problem was potentially serious enough that I would not be able to recommend it if it were left unresolved.

I contacted Crossbreed about this issue too. My proposed solution was to drill a hole in the leather where the magazine release rests to relieve the pressure on it. Their response was as follows:

This is a bit more common, we hear of this issue maybe 10% of the time and the solution is very simple. Instead of cutting a hole in the leather, just moisten the back of the holster in the area where the mag button hits. Do this in an area about the size of a quarter, then using your thumb or a blunt tool, form a divot in the front of the holster where the mag button hits. Once this dries it'll hold it's shape and prevent the mag button popping issue, this has not ever failed to cure the problem as far as I know. We don't do this as standard practice because again, it's not a common problem, however I might add this tip to the instructions we send out with our holsters.

At a 10% occurrence rate, I would certainly recommend that they warn users about this particular problem and provide the correction instructions.

And that's really been it. The holster is comfortable, comfortable enough that I'll generally use it when I'm Open Carrying as well as when I conceal--just tuck the shirt behind the holster rather than between it and the pants. It conceals well. Drawing is easy and is facilitated in that you can adjust the height and angle of the holster. Reholstering one-handed is easy, even in the rather awkward position that works best for me. It's available at a modest price from a company with excellent customer service. Highly recommended.
 

smash29

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Mar 6, 2008
Messages
263
Location
Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA
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My daily carry set-up for the past 4 months has been a Glock 26 in a Crossbreed and I'd have to say I'm very pleased. Now that's it's broken in I forget that I'm even wearing it and I would highly recommend it as well.
 

jeeper1

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Sep 29, 2008
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692
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USA
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I have two of the QwikClips because they can be set up for cross draw. With them both my KT P11 and SA XD40 are so comfortable I forget they are there.
 

Damiansar-15

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Nov 25, 2009
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Mercer Island, WA
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Doesn't the metal on the back panel against your skin hurt? I am also surprised you have not busted the clips with that old-style clip cut. This style usually wears out faster than the patented groove cuts I have seen on other holsters. The press of the kydex also looks more like a plastic taco than a kydex holster. For $60, I would expect a mass-customized fit/finish/quality than this assembled/chopped look... Also, a well-fit kydex holster should not wear your finish off, per your comments...
 

smash29

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Mar 6, 2008
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Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA
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Damiansar-15 wrote:
Buy a Comp-Tac.

:D


Anymetal on the inside of my 2 Crossbreeds is smooth and doesn't rub me at all. And if I'm understanding the wear issue the OP mentioned correctlyit's from the exposed muzzle rubbing against the inside of the pants and not an issue with the Kydex itself. I would think that anyIWB holster that didn't cover the muzzle would cause the same wear pattern.
 

Damiansar-15

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Nov 25, 2009
Messages
199
Location
Mercer Island, WA
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smash29 wrote:

[/quote]

Buy Junk


[/quote]

Smasher, I glad that you like to rub yourself with your crossinbred holster, but I was more interested in dburkheads analysis than your jab about Texas holsters...
 

dburkhead

New member
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
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Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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Damiansar-15 wrote:
Doesn't the metal on the back panel against your skin hurt? I am also surprised you have not busted the clips with that old-style clip cut. This style usually wears out faster than the patented groove cuts I have seen on other holsters. The press of the kydex also looks more like a plastic taco than a kydex holster. For $60, I would expect a mass-customized fit/finish/quality than this assembled/chopped look... Also, a well-fit kydex holster should not wear your finish off, per your comments...
It's not the part covered by the kydex that had wear but the parts exposed.

I have not had any problems with the clips. From what I understand the holsters are custom made individually rather than mass produced. One of the advantages of that was that I was able to get a holster for a hard-to-fit handgun.

Within the difficulty of finding holsters that will fit at all, I've tried a number of holsters and the Crossbreed is without a doubt the most comfortable IWB holster I've tried bar none.

It conceals well. It is comfortable to wear. With those, I don't care what it looks like.
 

Damiansar-15

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Nov 25, 2009
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Mercer Island, WA
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Thanks dburkhead,

I have seen multiple version of these hybrid holsters, e.g. tucker, comp-tac, Hoffner, crossbred, but I always wondered about protruding metal and leather break-down. I have seen those type of metal fittings before on regular kydex and they seemed sharp. I suppose the leather forms better around the edges than kydex. The fittings don't seem to rust from the pictures, which is nice... I'll have to give one of these hybrid holsters a try. I have always preferred kydex holsters, but I keep hearing how comfortable the leather/kydex ones are...
 

smash29

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Mar 6, 2008
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263
Location
Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA
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Damiansar-15 wrote:


Smasher, I glad that you like to rub yourself with your crossinbred holster, but I was more interested in dburkheads analysis than your jab about Texas holsters...



[/quote]The smiley face was meant to signify that I waskidding with you but thejoke was apparently lost in translation.I wasgoing toapologizefor the misunderstanding but your seemingly springloaded "Crossinbred" comments and insultslead me tobelieve it would be a wasted effort...

Funny thing is, after readingyour postsI looked into Comp Tec holsters and was impressed enough with the variety they offered and their prices to plan on ordering one up. Thanks anyway...
 

Damiansar-15

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Nov 25, 2009
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Mercer Island, WA
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A Dimensional Analysis does wonders to compare quality and value elements... I do a lot of shooting and have seen a lot of holsters upclose over the years. I definitely thinkCB are inferior to others on the market, but if itworks for you, knock your self out. I know a lot of shooters enjoy Fobus products, but I think they are junk, as well...AtleastFobus prices appropriately forthe quality level...

I don't have to drive a Yugo to know it is junk...jackass...
 

Lawmaker

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May 14, 2009
Messages
225
Location
Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA
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Personally I love mine. G19. When I get my 1911 I am going to get one for it. I had a big problem with paddle holsters pulling my pants down. This one has a more equal distribution of weight. Also, it is by far the most comfortable IWB holster to use while driving. I always carry on long driving trips and it is my holster of choice.
 

Eeyore

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Aug 25, 2007
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551
Location
the meanest city in the stupidest state
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dburkhead wrote:
When I wore the holster in the 4-5 o'clock position, however, the situation changed dramatically. The holder was quite comfortable in that position. The gun was held flat against my back and didn't protrude. Worn with a shirt untucked or tucked between the holster and the pants it didn't print.

....Related to the coverage problem, I had a problem where the edge of the kydex would wear holes in my pants. This was definitely troublesome. Wearing out my pants in short order is not something I want a holster to do.
Concur 100% with the 4 o'clock. Maybe guys that are thicker front-to-back can wear it at 3 o'clock, but not me.

When I first got mine (with the old-style belt loops), I found that the edges of the Kydex were quite sharp--apparently the cutting process puts a burr on the edges (top & bottom surface). I solved thisby sanding the edges to smooth them and round them over. Took about 10 minutes. Maybe the same could help you reduce the wear issue on your pants?

Lastly, since I often wear the holster right against my skin, the back (rough) surface obviously absorbs some sweat and dirt. Anybody have a recommendationfor how to clean the rough side of the leather?
 

mel5051

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Dec 15, 2009
Messages
103
Location
Wixom, Michigan, USA
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I just took a butane lighter and ran it across the edge used my thumb and rounded the edge off, and did this to all the edged surfaces. No problem at all.
 
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