thedriver101
Member
After an excruciating 6 month wait, I finally received my Milt Sparks order. (Warning: this is very lengthy, but hopefully extremely thorough) Here's what I got (I'll go through what I think of each one in turn)
Nelson Legacy OWB holster, aka Bruce Nelson's "Professional"
S-4C magazine pouches
1B cowhide belt
Here my complete setup; as you may notice, I had it configured for my 1911 Government model (5" barrel), so let's keep that in mind as we proceed.
As noted elsewhere, Milt Spark's craftsmanship is fantastic, bar none. I'm rather new to concealed carry, so I haven't personally seen many other holsters, but it definitely outclasses Galco by miles, and is slightly better than Alessi (this if from the post-Lou Alessi era, may he rest in peace). The boning matches the contours of the gun very very well - this is why they ask if you have any custom features on your gun. Initial fit was very tight, but it broke in very quickly and is now what I'd deem snug - still holds the gun well but easy enough to draw from.
Because of my body geometry, I find it most comfortable to carry between 3:30 and 4 o'clock. However, due to this position, I have historically found that pancake holsters are a hassle to put on, because there is usually a pants belt loop exactly at 3 o'clock. This generally requires threading the belt through the holster, through the pants, then through the holster yet again. Very bothersome indeed. For that reason, I decided to try a holster style such as this. On this model, the forward loop on the holster is directly behind the gun, instead of ahead of it. This allows positioning at my chosen carry location without making spaghetti of the belt.
Downside, the holster seems to carry slightly away from the body - more so than a pancake style. This gets somewhat annoying during fast walking or running, where the gun WILL bounce slightly. Granted, its the Texas summer right now (well, it's the beginning of it), so I wore it directly underneath a polo shirt. It might tuck in closer if you had more garments underneath it, say if you wore it under a suit (where you have an undershirt and dress shirt between your body and the gun. YMMV. Unfortunately, it's starting to get way too hot down here for continual carry of something this large (to me), so I probably won't get to try extended carry of this rig until this winter.
Another touch, which I'm still debating, is the sight track that is sewn in. Not sure exactly how it helps (perhaps someone could enlighten me), but it works, er, for whatever it may be designed or. Cons, it seems to be a bit rough on the blued finish of my slide. Oh well...
Overall, I still think this is about as good as belt holsters get. It's very comfortable, exceptionally well made, and looks stunning (which may be important should you want/need to open carry
). A bit pricey, though, but worth every penny.
Now, the belt, as advertised, has the contour/curvature built into it. I'm of the opinion that this is desirable, as this is the natural shape that a belt would/should take. It's finished just as well as the holsters (in my opinion better than those made by the Beltman), and has that "just-right" suppleness from the start. I found Beltman's belts to be rather stiff at the beginning, whereas Milt Spark's belts have a little flexibility from the start. Granted, this would improve with age and use, but I find it nice to not have to break it in as much. Of course, the belt does a wonderful job of almost making the heavy 1911 + 2 mags disappear. Almost. Guess you can't beat physics after all...at any rate, the belt is excellent. Also a bit pricey, but still worth it.
Finally, I ordered two single magazine pouches. These in particular have the snap loops, as opposed to the fix loops. I definitely enjoy the flexibility of having two separate magazine pouches, as well as the ability to space them out a bit (makes them easier to grab). Prices are more in line with other makers here (still more expensive though), but also well made - noticing a pattern yet? The downside is that the snap loops make the magazine sit a touch further from the body, which sometimes makes concealment tricky. Ocassionally the untucked cover garment gets caught in the gap and pulls up, revealing the bottoms of the rig. Not major, and possibly not an issue for you. Just somethign to keep in mind, due to the slightly larger body gap. Also a downside (for single mag pouches in general) is the cost - a single double-magazine pouch usually costs only slightly more than a single single-magazine pouch. Buying two pouches definitely costs a good deal more - nearly double in most cases. You'll have to weigh what you value most when you decide which route to take.
On the plus side, the snap loops make it a breeze to attach and remove magazines from the rig. You can change them at will, without having to undo the belt at all. Again, it will come down to weighing the factors, concealment vs ease of use.
In summary, here's what I think of my first Milt Sparks order:
Pros: exceptional fit/finish, perfect balance of retention and ease of draw, Cordovan color is perfect (and matches all my other leather accessories)
Cons: pricey, ridiculous wait time (mine was quoted 22-26 weeks, ended up being right around 24 weeks), snap loops add extra width to accessories
So if you're wondering if you should order stuff from Milt Sparks, don't. You'll just lengthen the wait time of MY next order.
Just kidding, his stuff is worth it. It's definitely a purchase you won't regret. Hope I didn't put y'all to sleep
Nelson Legacy OWB holster, aka Bruce Nelson's "Professional"
S-4C magazine pouches
1B cowhide belt
Here my complete setup; as you may notice, I had it configured for my 1911 Government model (5" barrel), so let's keep that in mind as we proceed.
As noted elsewhere, Milt Spark's craftsmanship is fantastic, bar none. I'm rather new to concealed carry, so I haven't personally seen many other holsters, but it definitely outclasses Galco by miles, and is slightly better than Alessi (this if from the post-Lou Alessi era, may he rest in peace). The boning matches the contours of the gun very very well - this is why they ask if you have any custom features on your gun. Initial fit was very tight, but it broke in very quickly and is now what I'd deem snug - still holds the gun well but easy enough to draw from.
Because of my body geometry, I find it most comfortable to carry between 3:30 and 4 o'clock. However, due to this position, I have historically found that pancake holsters are a hassle to put on, because there is usually a pants belt loop exactly at 3 o'clock. This generally requires threading the belt through the holster, through the pants, then through the holster yet again. Very bothersome indeed. For that reason, I decided to try a holster style such as this. On this model, the forward loop on the holster is directly behind the gun, instead of ahead of it. This allows positioning at my chosen carry location without making spaghetti of the belt.
Downside, the holster seems to carry slightly away from the body - more so than a pancake style. This gets somewhat annoying during fast walking or running, where the gun WILL bounce slightly. Granted, its the Texas summer right now (well, it's the beginning of it), so I wore it directly underneath a polo shirt. It might tuck in closer if you had more garments underneath it, say if you wore it under a suit (where you have an undershirt and dress shirt between your body and the gun. YMMV. Unfortunately, it's starting to get way too hot down here for continual carry of something this large (to me), so I probably won't get to try extended carry of this rig until this winter.
Another touch, which I'm still debating, is the sight track that is sewn in. Not sure exactly how it helps (perhaps someone could enlighten me), but it works, er, for whatever it may be designed or. Cons, it seems to be a bit rough on the blued finish of my slide. Oh well...
Overall, I still think this is about as good as belt holsters get. It's very comfortable, exceptionally well made, and looks stunning (which may be important should you want/need to open carry
). A bit pricey, though, but worth every penny.Now, the belt, as advertised, has the contour/curvature built into it. I'm of the opinion that this is desirable, as this is the natural shape that a belt would/should take. It's finished just as well as the holsters (in my opinion better than those made by the Beltman), and has that "just-right" suppleness from the start. I found Beltman's belts to be rather stiff at the beginning, whereas Milt Spark's belts have a little flexibility from the start. Granted, this would improve with age and use, but I find it nice to not have to break it in as much. Of course, the belt does a wonderful job of almost making the heavy 1911 + 2 mags disappear. Almost. Guess you can't beat physics after all...at any rate, the belt is excellent. Also a bit pricey, but still worth it.
Finally, I ordered two single magazine pouches. These in particular have the snap loops, as opposed to the fix loops. I definitely enjoy the flexibility of having two separate magazine pouches, as well as the ability to space them out a bit (makes them easier to grab). Prices are more in line with other makers here (still more expensive though), but also well made - noticing a pattern yet? The downside is that the snap loops make the magazine sit a touch further from the body, which sometimes makes concealment tricky. Ocassionally the untucked cover garment gets caught in the gap and pulls up, revealing the bottoms of the rig. Not major, and possibly not an issue for you. Just somethign to keep in mind, due to the slightly larger body gap. Also a downside (for single mag pouches in general) is the cost - a single double-magazine pouch usually costs only slightly more than a single single-magazine pouch. Buying two pouches definitely costs a good deal more - nearly double in most cases. You'll have to weigh what you value most when you decide which route to take.
On the plus side, the snap loops make it a breeze to attach and remove magazines from the rig. You can change them at will, without having to undo the belt at all. Again, it will come down to weighing the factors, concealment vs ease of use.
In summary, here's what I think of my first Milt Sparks order:
Pros: exceptional fit/finish, perfect balance of retention and ease of draw, Cordovan color is perfect (and matches all my other leather accessories)
Cons: pricey, ridiculous wait time (mine was quoted 22-26 weeks, ended up being right around 24 weeks), snap loops add extra width to accessories
So if you're wondering if you should order stuff from Milt Sparks, don't. You'll just lengthen the wait time of MY next order.
Just kidding, his stuff is worth it. It's definitely a purchase you won't regret. Hope I didn't put y'all to sleep