[ScottD]

I just received my custom made Milt Sparks Summer Special IWB holster in black horsehide today. This thing is a work of art! Perfect fit for my G-19 with more than adequate retention with easy draw. I can't even shake it loose with the holster upside down! It also has excellent reinforcement and stiffness. This thing will NOT collapse with the gun drawn, allowing for easy re-holstering. The only down side was it took 2 1/2 months, but hey...perfection doesn't come overnight! Now I'm thinking about one for my Kimber... Around $95 delivered, so not bad at all.
-ScottD

[Biker]

I purchased a MS Summer Special about 15 years ago for my G23. I've been very happy with it aside from the fact that it seems to....um....*swell up* in the winter after I get laid off. It goes back down after I get back to work.
Wow, what a coinkydinck! :)
Biker

[ScottD]

Biker, wow... 15 years ago? How did it hold up? Is yours leather or horsehide? They recommended horsehide as it is denser, more durable, and will not allow sweat to soak through and reach the firearm. And it had to be in tactical black, just like the Glock it carries. :)
-ScottD

[Lone Star]

Gentlemen:

Holstering a Glock in a Sparks rig is akin to sheathing a sow's ear in a siik purse. :D I think plastic frames are for water pistols...

However, I do own holsters of other makes (used with S&W and Ruger revolvers) that I have worn almost daily for 15 years, and they remain in good condition. Proper care makes a difference, as does initial quality.

Lone Star

[W Turner]

I had the same experience with my SSII. I picked mine up in a pawn shop for $25 two years ago and it is still going strong. I was actually considering selling my 1911 until I got this holster. Now I won't be without one just because it is so easy to carry in this holster.


W

[Onmilo]

May Milt rest in peace 'cause his holsters never seem to die.

Being a plastic pistol fan most of my guns go into plastic holsters but the 1911s, oh no, they ride in Milt Sparks rigs and they all smile when they do,,,,

[rick_reno]

I have a couple of drawers full of holsters - trying to conceal a 5 inch 1911. I finally broke down and ordered a Sparks - and it's perfect. They really do make a quality product.

[C. H. Luke]

"The only down side was it took 2 1/2 months, but hey...perfection doesn't come overnight!"

10 weeks is bad but in our Rat Race, throw-away Society we are lucky there are still guys like Tony & Co. making primo "Lifetime" gear by hand......

[Soap]

I love my Summer Special. I think a lot of people really miss out by buying holsters that aren't as nice; even holsters in the Galco price range don't compare.

[Checkman]

I have a Milt Sparks 55BN with thumb break for my Sig 220. I'm a lefty so it took a little while, but it was worth the wait. They have to wait until there are enough lefty orders in to make it worthwhile to change over the line and make holsters for us southpaws.

I live in the Boise area so I can drive to the shop. They just call when your order is ready. It isn't what you would expect. They're in an industrial warehouse area in Garden City and there is a little tiny sign next to the entrance. You walk in and have to yell for somebody to help you.When you do get somebody it's going to be one of the leather workers and yes they all carry in the shop. And yes the holsters are all Milt Sparks holsters.

Occassionally they'll have a couple of boxes sitting out with overstocked holsters which they'll sell at a 50-75% discount.that should make those of you who aren't locals grit your teeth in frustration. It does me because they're always for right handers! :banghead: Anyhow they make a quality holster. I loaned mine to a fellow officer for a few months until he could get his own. When he got his he offered to buy mine as well! I told him to buy another one. Southpaws. :rolleyes:

[El Tejon]

Milt rocks!

Good to see another black horsehide fan. Tacticool, baby! :cool:

[Hawk]

The only down side was it took 2 1/2 months, but hey...perfection doesn't come overnight!

VM-2 ordered 1/31 is showing up today, according to the fine folks at brown truck tracking site. Mine was closer to 3 months but Feb wasn't much of a month and it did include a belt to hang the VM-2 from. :D

Go drop a deposit at Randall Knives website and it'll make Milt Sparks look like greased lightning:
Currently, we are scheduling knife deliveries for June 2009. Order limit is two knives every other month per household.

[Southern Raider]

I think the best Milt Sparks design in the Versa Max 2 and the Watch Six (essentially the same but thinner). The Summer Special might be a classic, but those two can't be beat for comfort.

[Biker]

ScottD. Mine has held up great. Mine is leather and it came with one belt loop. I had another added for greater stability and because it was brown and I wear a lot of black, I had it dyed black. I've been very happy with it. I'd be happier if it didn't get bigger in the winter. ;)
Biker

[Brass Balls]

I've tried quite a few holsters, but I stopped searching for the the right one once I bought my first Sparks Versa Max 2.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/148505.jpg

[Billy Sparks]

I know a lot of people grip about Lightning Sports charging more than Milt Sparks does for his holsters but if they have it in stock you will get it within 3 days of ordering it. I live on the East Coast and generally when I order from them it is to my house in no time. Combine that with they are great to work with.

[OF]

My VMII is the best holster I've ever owned. It's unreal how much better it is than everything else I've tried. Never thought I'd go back to leather holsters but his piece made a believer out of me.

Right on, Billy. Re: Lightning Arms complainers: someone is going to have to explain to me how a company is supposed to do business without charging for what they offer. They have the stuff in stock, that is a service that LA offers you cannot find most places, so you as the consumer pay for that added value. If it's not worth the 20 bucks or whatever it is to you, don't buy it from them. But then you have to wait. This is a bad thing, how exactly?

- Gabe

[mini14jac]

+1 on the Watch Six holster.

Had to wait about 3 months, but I had never been able to comfortably carry a full-size gun all day before.

Now, I forget I'm carrying.

Milt Sparks is da bomb! :)

[ScottD]

How do y'all clean these beauties? What leather care preservatives do you use for the SWEAT? I sure does get sticky here during the Central Florida summers!
-ScottD

[Glocker]

they look nice. but for a holster that fits in the waist band for me sucks :cuss: i weigh in at 330 lbs. and people say i'm really not fat due to i'm 6'4" but i do have i bit of over hang and holsters that fit in the waist ban can be uncomfortable :( anyway those are some nice looking holsters :) maybe someday i'll be able to wear one :rolleyes: until then i'll stay with fobus.

[IZinterrogator]

+1 on what Billy and Gabe said. I don't mind paying $25 extra if it means I'll have it this week instead of doing the Mexican carry for three months. Plus, Craig at Lightning Arms is a standup guy that I enjoy doing business with because he has a great attitude and cares about helping me find exactly what I need.

[Billy Sparks]

Glocker, I used to agree with you (I have the same body style) until I got a Milt Sparks holster for my 1911. Wore it most of the day today and it was very comfortable.

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I ordered my Milt Sparks Exec's Companion in '97 & got the matched belt with it. I wear it daily, four seasons a year & it's still going strong. My turn-around was sure a lot less than 2.5 months though.

My carry gun is an H&K USPc in .40, not an especially small unit. The Exec's provides excellent concealment as well as comfort IMHO.

And by the way Checkerman, I'm a lefty also.

900F

[Zach S]

The turn-around on my SSIIs was about three days for each. I ordered them from brownells, when I ordered the first one they only carried 1911 holsters.

[HighVelocity]

I'm a Milt Sparks Fan. I've got Sparks Leather for all my Carry pistols. :D
Here's my XD Sub:
http://webpages.charter.net/silverspurs21/range/hotchick.jpg

[jamz]

Is the VM2 the only Milt Sparks "tuckable" holster?

Tucked in shirts and no cover garments are sort of required where I work.

-James

[Brass Balls]

The tuckables will work best with a slim gun like a Kahr or 1911. To me using a tuckable is like being technically concealed. You can't see a gun, but if someone has the ability to examine the area where the gun is they will see a bulge. They may not be able to say for sure what the bulge is, but it doesn't look normal.

I found that when using a tuckable cliping my cell phone just in front of the gun helped break up the look of the bulge.

Personally I think a better solution to CCW with slacks and tucked shirt is a pocket gun, ankle holster or smart carry. JM2c

[Brass Balls]

Oh, as far as comfort with IWB and keeping the holster clean, something I found to help in both regards is wearing a tucked t-shirt between your skin and the holster.

Keeping the holster dry will be assisted by taking the gun out each night and leaving the holster out to dry. You also can wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove the salts of your perspiration. You also could use a towel dampened with Lexol (http://www.lexol.com/home.html) every now and then.

If the holster gets really damp from sweat everyday it might be worth getting two and rotating. That's a tip I learned about preserving good leather shoes. Even if one has to wear Black wingtips everyday, the shoes will last more than twice as long by using two identical pairs and rotating them.

[19112XS]

+1 on Craig at Lightning Arms. He talked with me (not down to me or at me) about my needs and happened to have what I needed (and wanted) in stock. I ordered it from Oregon on a Friday evening and it was way over here on Monday. It is tight. It is nice. Cost with shipping = $136, not much more than cost + shipping from Milt, without the wait :) Overall a pleasant experience.

[JNewell]

I have boxes full of holsters from major names -- nothing touches Milt Sparks. The VM is IMO the best of the IWB holsters out there.

[Flyboy]

OK, thanks a bunch, the lot of ya! Now I had to finally break down and order one (VM-2, horsehide, cordovan, full-size 1911). Lightning Arms was out of stock and predicting about a month, so I just ordered direct from Milt Sparks and got exactly what I want.

<mumble grumble> Now that my holster won't suck, what am I going to have to grouse about <growl>

[Brass Balls]

Flyboy I think that you'll be very pleased with your VM2. However in the event that you weren't for some reason it is comforting to know that the VM2 is so popular you could sell it for what you paid for it or darn close. So there's really very little risk in trying a VM2.