[Glockodile]

I see the holster has a protective tab on the inside. How well does that tab keep the safeties and hammer from rubbing and jabbing you in the gut ? It is too hot to always wear an undershirt here in Fl.

Also with the VM2 people always boast of its ability to hold the gun steady. Does it still allow you to manually move or adjust the gun/holster to make it more comfortable when say sitting in car or it is where it is once you put it in place ?

Thanks in advance

 

[Who?]

My guess would be that it depends, at least partly, on the size of the gut.

Cheers!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

If your gut is so large that the gun and holster are swallowed by it, then you may get rub as the gut folds over the tab and gun.

As for not wearing an undershirt, I assume you are suggesting you would wear an untucked shirt for concealment and then nothing underneath to separate you from the holster. Is that right? If so, the very heat that makes an undershirt bad will make wearing a holster against the skin even worse. The holster will stick to your skin when you get sweaty.

As for being able to adjust things when you sit and and what not, well first the your sweaty gut is going to have the holster glued to it and movement will be limited and when you do try to move it about, it won't be pleasant if you just start tugging. Second, the VM2 holster is very well made and part of its construction and orientation is that it remains very stable and does not move around on you. As such, it does not readily adjust so as to be more comfortable when you sit down. What I am have found is that when the holster is in the right position, it will carry very comfortably in standing or sitting positions and more importantly, it will remain in that position and not migrate around on you.

Of course, you could affix the holster to a belt that is way too small and hence allow for much more movement and thereby give you a much less than ideal carry situation, but by golly you can wiggle the gun around some when you sit down.

 

[AZ Husker]

I've learned, like most folks living in the blast-furnace of the southwest, that undershirts actually help cool the body. A great secondary duty is maintaining a buffer between the holster/gun and the skin. The VM2 does as good a job as any, but the leather can be abrasive without an undershirt.

The lack of movement is exactly what most of us love about the VM2 style. If you need to "adjust" the pistol, the problem is not in the design!

 

[dubb-1]

Concealed carry without an undershirt? Not a chance!

Be well!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Oh, and I forgot to mention the other really bad aspects about concealed carry without a shirt that I have discovered. First is grip rash. This is where the checkering on the grip rubs one's love handle into raw meat that stings profusely when you sweat...which leads to the other part, corrosion. Since the holster is stuck to your skin as you are sweating and have an open wound forming, you find that the sweat that may run down your body now gets onto your gun and seeps into cracks of the wood, in the gaps between the wood and the metal, between layers of metal, etc. That, combined with the little bit of blood that may be oozing will do nasty things to the wood, grip screws, and steel (even stainless as stainless is called stainless, not rustless).

It isn't sexy.

The only holster that I have found that worked well against the skin was an old summer special that was covered with some cotton-like fabric. The holster did not stick to the skin. Use the undershirt. It is in your best interest.

 

[AZ Husker]

DNS...Thanks for a wonderful suppertime post! :biglaugh:

 

[Reddevil]

I agree with DNS.Allthough I carry a Summer Special2, it is the grip that rubs ya raw without a undershirt.I usually wear button down shirts but occasionally wear t-shirts and always have an undershirt under them.I have gone twice without an undershirt and that damn grip is terrible on the skin.I've also found quite a bit of rust under the grip that contacted my skin as well as rust on the firing pi.This is on a stainless gun.

 

[AZ Husker]

I've often wondered about a smooth left grip and checkered right...anybody carry this way?

 

[Valkman]

Here in Vegas it's been in the 90's lately but my "wardrobe" of a tank-top under a button-up shirt (left unbuttoned) works well. I've been carrying a 4" Kimber CDP in a VM2 this way, and found I like to shift it forward when I get in the truck - wouldn't be too easy getting it out at 4 or 5 o'clock. 3 o'clock is much better for driving.

And loud bright flowery shirts work the best.

 

[Reddevil]

I've often wondered about a smooth left grip and checkered right...anybody carry this way?

I've thought about the exact same thing.The palm side is really the only side that needs some good checkering.it might turn your pistol into a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde though

 

[Pampers]

VM-2 & Hot Weather

First, an undershirt as in absolute must. I recommend one made of micro-fiber polyester. Cool Max and Wickers are two name brands. Unlike cotton, which retains moisture and remains damp once sweated into, micro fiber wicks moisture away and drys quickly.

Second, the holster should be properly treated. To do so, get some paste wax with the highest Carnuba Wax content you can find. Usually hardwood floor paste wax is as good as you can get. I believe one name holster manufacturer supplies a pure carnuba wax paste. Liberally coat the leather with the wax, and melt it into the leather. This can be done with a hot hair dryer, heat gun, a drying rack in the dryer, or the oven set at the LOWEST temperature. Be sure not to heat the holster with the Kydex clips attached. They will turn into long, flat strips of plastic! When the leather quits absorbing the wax, you're done.

I've been wearing my VM-2 12/7 for the last five years, and it, and my blued Colt OM look like new.

 

[ECHO154]

Glockodile...I carry a commander size 1911 in a VMII and I have to agree that an undershirt makes things more comfortable and it also lets you shift the rig a little easier as it is not glued to your gut .Speaking of guts...I have a little more than I'd like but it rides ok....I went with a set of slim line grips they are about 1/2 the width of regular grips and are not checkered,rather they have horizontal slots for better grip......I love em!

 

[Brass Balls]

I found that using the same VM2 holster but with different guns gives different rubbing results. My Baer TRS has a sharp corner on the leading edge of the hammer and the beavertail is narrower top to bottom (when the barrel is horizontal) creating an edge that rubs. The same holster with a Kimber Custom CDP II produces no noticable rubbing because the above mentioned parts are more rounded than those on the TRS.

 

[Climb14er]

My VM-2 for the P239 357 Sig is well protected by the tab which keeps the pistol from digging in. In all honesty, I don't have too much on the side to dig into.

 

[rhino465]

. . . have an open wound forming, you find that the sweat that may run down your body now gets onto your gun and seeps into cracks of the wood, in the gaps between the wood and the metal, between layers of metal, etc. That, combined with the little bit of blood that may be oozing . . .

You forgot to mention the pus and interstitial fluid that will drain from the wound. That can't be good for blueing!

 

[SW9mm]

I've often wondered about a smooth left grip and checkered right...anybody carry this way?

i thought about that too but the right hand checkering grabs my t shirt and helps the gun print. i use smooth grips for carry.

 

[Captain Bligh]

I carry a Kimber Compact in a VM-2. I suppose you have to have a gut to proprerly answer this question. Although, I don't have a gut, my little love handles may quailfy me.

I think the purpose of the VM-2 is to protect the gun from the gut and not the other way around. The tab is a sweat shield providing a barrier to keep perspiration away from the gun. But what I really like about the sweat shield is the way that it is molded to lock the thumb safety in place while being carried cocked and locked. I've carried in other holsters and experienced the safety being deactiviated from rubbing on me. This has never happened with the VM-2 so it makes me 100% confident and at ease with cocked and locked carry.

Of course, I live in the midwest so wearing a t-shirt under the rig isn't a big deal here throughout much of the year.

RJ

 

[nickcarr]

VM-2 w/o back flap

Guys,

Since I've moved away from 1911's in general, I placed an order for a VM-2 for my DAO S&W 1086... without the protective flap. I'll be sure to post pics when it arrives sometime next year.

It did make a difference on my ex-Kimber CDP, due to the extra-wide thumb safety on the left side. The flap kept it from jabbing my side, regardless if shirt was under it or not.

BTW, it also acts as a guide when re-holstering...

PS. If the VM-2 is used with a proper belt, then no, it doesn't freely move around once it's in place. IMHO, this is a good thing.


-Nick