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Thread: Kusiak Leather - wooden claw AIWB

  1. #11
    Site Supporter Irelander's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Elwin View Post
    You may have looked at them already, but what about the AIWB offerings from JRC holsters? The Watson Special is in the same price range as this and, I think, has a shorter lead time than a SME. No personal experience, just came to mind since JRC and 5 Shot would be the two places I’d look for a leather AIWB, based mostly on what I’ve read here.
    JRC would be high on my list if they had HK options.
    Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
    Because I owed a debt I could not pay.

  2. #12
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    How about a Kydex/leather hybrid like the silent thunder slim from Garrett? I bet they could fit a wing claw on that holster.

    Sent from my moto e5 cruise using Tapatalk

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Irelander View Post
    JRC would be high on my list if they had HK options.
    Check with Jim. I think he's cutting back on holsters some, so may not be available, but he can make you anything you can get a blue gun for.

  4. #14
    That looks like a seriously classy holster! I would love to try out a leather AIWB holster, something that combines the comfort of leather with the concealability and draw speed of AIWB sounds ideal to me. I have looked at the SME but the lack of a claw makes it a non starter for me. I have found the claw on my JMCK 2.5 to make a huge positive difference compared to other holsters, including other JMCK holsters. As far as I can tell this is the only leather AIWB holster out there with a claw.

    My biggest concern would be the wooden claw. I think it looks really cool but it looks so damn thin, and if you want to file it down or something you couldnt easily replace it if you screw up. I would strongly prefer if they replaced it with the interchangeable claw JMCK uses. Perhaps if they did so they could knock $20 or so off the price?


    Also the SME website and JRC website both look sketchy. For SME there is an "order form" i guess you have to fill out and upload, no options to choose from so I have no idea if they support the gun(s) I would want a holster for. On JRC there is some stuff on the homepage referring to early 2019. Seeing stuff like that skeeves me out and makes me feel like a company doesnt really care about their business. By contrast the website in OP has a nice drop down ordering menu, and lots of pictures of the product.

  5. #15
    Site Supporter Rex G's Avatar
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    Once upon a time, actually 1985, as that was when I carried an HK P7 while on duty, for about half a year, I needed to shoot someone, who was trying to gut three people, with a big kitchen knife. My holster was not AIWB, but a flap-type duty holster, made by a very skilled local maker. The bad girl slashed two times, mightily, at gut level, then, what initially appeared to the third slash, instead became a throw, as the knife left her hand, away from everyone.

    That was the last holster I used, for a primary weapon, that did not allow enough clearance to get a firing grip, upon first contact with the weapon’s grip. I soon switched back to a revolver, as a duty handgun, because the PD had just adopted an open-top break-front rig for revolvers, while officers carrying duty autos had to keep using old-school flap holsters, for quite a while. Y’all’s mileage may vary.

    Well, yeah, in hindsight, I not not actually NEED to shoot, as nobody was actually cut, but the way she charged at those folks, she was acting with intent. The intended victims(s) dodged and backpedaled, which seemed to have saved them. The bad girl knew I was there, and seemed to think that she could cut those folks, a time or two, before I could draw and fire.
    Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.

    Don’t tread on volcanos!

  6. #16
    Site Supporter Irelander's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TicTacticalTimmy View Post

    My biggest concern would be the wooden claw. I think it looks really cool but it looks so damn thin, and if you want to file it down or something you couldnt easily replace it if you screw up. I would strongly prefer if they replaced it with the interchangeable claw JMCK uses. Perhaps if they did so they could knock $20 or so off the price?
    They say the wooden claw is actually wood and carbon fiber layered together. I would think that would make it a lot stronger.
    Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
    Because I owed a debt I could not pay.

  7. #17
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Irelander View Post
    While I would love to try out an SME, however, it is cost and lead time prohibitive for me. I have no doubt that it is worth every penny, but just too rich for my wallet.

    I'm just starting to look into leather AIWB holsters, but I don't see any that use a wing or belt wedge to tuck the grip, with the exception of the SME. That's what interested me in the Kusiak American. That it has no proponents here does make me less interested as LL suggested.
    So the challenge for leather is that it is more malleable to the hip shape and wings tend to not work super well, because where they attach to the holster isn't firm, so the wing flexes back and forth. The wing on the SME is made as part of the overall holster and is about 1.5x the thickness of the holster for this reason. Thus the bolt on 'wing' we see for kydex really doesn't translate well to leather.

    Now, let's revisit a wedge. A wedge helps and some loop side velcro and a different wedges from Mastermind Tactics or Darkstar Gear can easily be fitted. I added a DSG flat tear-drop to my SME to add a bit more tuck (my spare tire pushes it out a bit) and that works great. I have a Tucker Leather Coverup with a DSG soft teardrop (the rounded, non-flat one) underneath, which I use as my 'quickie' AIWB rig for my STI. I ditched Tucker's crappy clip for a DCC Mod 2. Works awesome in this regard.

    If you've got a neutral cant IWB holster, just get a pad and some velcro and slap it on and try it out. It'll give you a sense if it works well.

    FWIW - the SME is only $190 right now, 45 bucks more than the Kusiak thing. Far more worth it, in my opinion. I LOVE my SME. Only thing I would change is if John would make me one out of horsehide.

  8. #18
    Site Supporter Elwin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post
    I LOVE my SME. Only thing I would change is if John would make me one out of horsehide.
    Horsehide in a nice dark brown would have me sorely tempted, and I’m a huge kydex fan.

  9. #19
    Member olstyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post
    FWIW - the SME is only $190 right now, 45 bucks more than the Kusiak thing. Far more worth it, in my opinion. I LOVE my SME. Only thing I would change is if John would make me one out of horsehide.
    You never fail to make me feel like a cheapskate, Rob. "Only" $190.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik View Post
    Check with Jim. I think he's cutting back on holsters some, so may not be available, but he can make you anything you can get a blue gun for.
    He did HK in the past, although the website indicates only limited options now. I own a couple of JRC P-30 holsters. It couldn’t hurt to call and ask.

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