Thoughts On Sweat Shields

[TwinOaks]

Beaver Tail Grip Safety...which refers to the larger and more profiled grip safety seen on many of the newer platforms.

[SooperJake]

Mike, why not SHOW us what you mean? Would sure help me out.

Thanks

[Shooter McGavin]

http://www.kholster.com/products.php?cat=Infinity+Tuckable+Holsters

[renegadelizard]

Wow....thats a metric sh*t ton of leather in those...those need to come with a sign, "only 4 cows were killed in the making of this holster"....

[Rayban]

Wow....thats a metric sh*t ton of leather in those...those need to come with a sign, "only 4 cows were killed in the making of this holster"....

I believe they're meant to double as love handle reducers too.

[renegadelizard]

I put them on almost all of my holsters, but much smaller. I call them love bumpers.

I believe they're meant to double as love handle reducers too.

[SooperJake]

The illistration that Shooter posted makes more sense in relation the original disertation. IWB "hybrid" style holsters with a yard of leather. One brand even has its own tv show, more or less.

[immiketoo]

That's not a moon, its a space station. And its ugly as heck... wow I lug these shooters around all day every day. They get sweaty. Wet even. They poke you cause they're hard and pointy. I guess that guards seem a bit like correcting for a problem that doesn't exist. Maybe I have dead nerve endings or I take comfort in the fact that I can feel my thumb safety. Really, all they look like is the back side of a thumb break without the thumb break portion.

[chiefjason]

Sounds like this is what you are talking about. I tried to talk the guy out of it and what did he do? He ordered this one and the standard body shield. Go figure. He said he wanted one that completely shielded the gun from his side. I'm not sure what he's planning on doing with it but I hope he does not need it really fast when he decides. Little pistol on a big ole hunk of leather. Go figure. Personally, I don't see any sense in it. A few years ago I ordered one of the brand name hybrids and promptly cut the darn thing so I could get ahold of my gun.

[malabar]

Mike,

i agree that there can be real issues with using "sweat shields." I'm down in Florida, and almost all of my work is for Floridians (a bunch of snowbrids, though). We sweat a lot down here, and almost all of my holsters have "sweat shields,"

but the primary purpose of the little leather tab is comfort.

A couple of thoughts...

-- This is heavily dependent on the style of the holster. The tighter the holster is to your body, the more important the shield is. Is a shield effective on an Avenger style holster? I don't think so. Is it essential on an appendix-carry IWB? You betcha. Feels like appendicitis without one. Any time the holster is being pulled-in tight to the body, a shield is essential to improve comfort.

-- Body type is a factor. If you've got a spare tire and you carry, a shield makes a huge improvement in comfort.

-- Proper presentation is a serious concern. A shield can't just be an afterthought, it has to be part of the design, and the shape has to reflect both the shape of the pistol AND the grip used by the shooter. I have one repeat customer who uses a a very thumbs-high grip on his Glocks, and I cut his holsters with the barest of a guard so that he can put his thumbs where he wants them.

-- If you dip a holster in vinegaroon, sweat will not penetrate it.

tk