Any experience with Mitch Rosen ARG Slimline?

[j-framer]

Hello All,

As this is my first posting, I would like to thank the forum for having me and wish everybody well. I've been browsing through the various threads for some time now and the forum looks like a great place overall--especially refreshing for a sanity-starved resident of Massachusetts.

A brief question for those of you out there who have patronized Mitch Rosen Extraordinary Gunleather, or who have an IWB leather holster that you love:

I recently purchased a Kramer IWB #2 for a Smith 640-3 .357 and was impressed with the work--built like a tank, crisply molded and fairly comfortable. Unfortunately, before buying, I did not sufficiently appreciate the bulk that the belt loops would add to the package, as they are placed over the cylinder of the gun. This makes hiding the gun only marginally feasible under an untucked T-shirt, which is the necessary criterion in my case. The holster will be kept, but I consider it out of the running as far as being my everyday rig.

As regards my next purchase, I am fairly confident that, as long as the belt loop(s) are offset, as it is on Mitch Rosen's ARG, the 640 will be concealable, particularly if I went with the "Slimline" option that he offers. I know that a number of other makers offer holsters with such loops, but since Rosen's showroom is relatively close by in Manchester, and since I would like to have the holster done in sharkskin if possible, I am pretty much seeking information pertaining to Rosen in particular.

However, any suggestions are welcome. It's just that absolute minimum thickness over the cylinder is mandatory--the holster does not need to be tuckable, and money is not a problem). I would also, as said above, prefer to have the option of exotic leather (I have a regrettable weakness for "nice" things ).

Do any of you have experience with this Mitch Rosen's ARG, either regular or Slimline? Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Thank you and take care.

[Billy Sparks]

I had a ARG for a Sig P229. The holster was very well made concealed the gun well my only complaint is that it was too tight. Took the better part of 2 months to break it in. The only other thing is that the ARG uses a fixed loop to run the belt through. That can sometimes be a bear to do.

[stang46gt]

I have a number of his other holsters and belts. They do come a little tight it's better to be too tight at the beginning then a little loose. I use his leather lightning during the break in period, which takes about 1 weeks. They are hand boned and well worth it. If you call them up you will more likely be talking to him. Tell him what you are looking for and he will guide you. He is local to me so I just call ahead and he will meet with me to discuss what I am looking for.

[j-framer]

Thanks for the input, everybody. I plan to meet with Mr. Rosen sometime within the next month or so to discuss. I am rather curious to find out if he offers sharkskin for the Slimlines, since the his website only seems to mention cowhide; I have heard a number of other leathers mentioned, but still wonder if he offers all material options on all holsters.

[j-framer]

Thanks for the input, everybody. I plan to meet with Mr. Rosen sometime within the next month or so to discuss. I am rather curious to find out if he offers sharkskin for the Slimlines, since the his website only seems to mention cowhide; I have heard a number of other leathers mentioned, but still wonder if he offers all material options on all holsters.

[stang46gt]

Offers exotic leathers on most, if not all, his product line. If you go to his shop, the front is very small but you can see some pretty impressive rigs in his finest exotic materials. Make sure to look at the ones in the glass cases.

[stephen426]

I have an ARG for my Sig P229 as well but I don't use it. The quality and workmanship were top notch, but I do not feel comfortable carrying my gun in this holster. I find SOB carry to be very uncomfortable, especially when sitting (maybe because of my love handles ). I would also have to agree with the holster being too tight. I used the leather lightning that came with it but I still felt that it was too tight. I like the idea of having a single belt loop to allow the gun to move. The problem is that the holster moves when you draw and then gun binds to the holster if you are not drawing straight out.

Another reason I stopped carrying in this holster is the Sig P229 is hard for me to conceal. In Miami, there are only 2 to 3 months of cool weather that might call for a coat. I don't wear a suit much so basically, I have nothing to conceal my gun. I hate it when people wear vests since it just screams "I'm packing a gun".

I finally decided to down size my carry gun and ended up getting a Glock 26. It is small enough for pocket carry (which is easy with slacks) and very comfortable to do so. Be sure to place your wallet in front of the gun so your wallt prints instead of the gun. I know this scares a few people, but I also carry my Glock 26 in my waistband without a holster in the 3 o Clock position. I insert the gun up the the handle and just tuck my shirt over it. I keep the rest of the shirt loosely tucked in and the untucked portion is folded under to appear tucked. I wear a belt to keep the gun tight and have carried for over 12 hours at a time without any problems. Just make sure you don't wear tight fitting pants as it will get uncomfortable after a while.

Frankly, I don't really care for leather holsters. Maybe because I am from Miami and most of the time it is hotter than heck down here. If I get a kydex holster all sweaty, I just rinse it off. The leather is softer against the skin of course but it gets sticky and nasty. Oh well. Good luck with your holster selection.

[j-framer]

I am glad to see that you mentioned the issue of holster movement during drawing from the ARG. The advisability of placing the anchoring point of the holster away from the gun's center of mass is something that I have wondered about when looking at pictures of the ARG, and yet in all my searches for information on this holster I haven't seen it addressed anywhere else.

Presumably, as you pointed out, proper drawing technique would avoid problems with this. I'll just have to practice, as I would anyway to break the holster in.

Just as an aside, I have been continuing my research on exotic hides used for holster making, and have read in several places that holsters are practically never manufactured from the exotics alone, but rather layered over a thickness of standard cowhide that acts as a liner. Does this mean that for a given holster design, a pure cowhide or horsehide specimen will be thinner compared to the same holster made from an "exotic" that is actually two layers thick? Or do the makers decrease the thickness of the lining material to arrive at the same overall thickness once the exotic and the liner are sewn together?

Since the thinness of the holster is of great concern to me, it would be very discouraging to find out that an exotic "Slimline" ARG would have to be thicker than the plain cowhide one.

[stephen426]

j-framer,

I think you are missing my point. While I am glad you will practice drawing, what will you do if you have to draw from some strange position such as sitting down or lying down (say you get knocked down). If the gun can only be drawn straight out without binding, I do not feel comfortable about it. You will never have that problem with either kydex or nylon since it does not bind like leather. I'm not knocking Mitch Rosen's products. I just don't feel comfortable that I will be able to draw quickly with it. I know that they have a version that adds an extra belt loop where the gun actually goes in. This may reduce the movement and facilitate drawing.

As for spending money on exotic skinned holsters, I personally would not spend the money. A holster is designed to be concealed. Why do I care if it has dead ostritch or shark on it? I should be the only one that sees it anyways. I would get the holster that functions the best and skip the frills. I feel that money would be better spent on ammo or range time (but hey, it your money so do what ever you like). I do believe that you are correct in saying that the exotic skins are just overlays. While it does not affect the functionality, cow hide or horse hide is just much more durable than the exotic stuff.

One other thing to think about, you should try to borrow an SOB holster to wear for a couple of days from any friends that might have one to see if you like it or not. Try to go the whole day with it (sitting and standing) and see if it will be something you feel comfortable with. For me... no way!

[j-framer]

Sorry for misconstruing your point, but I see what you mean and agree. I guess that, in the absence of any first-hand experience with this holster, I had some confidence that the design was a sound one given its popularity and the reputation of its original namesake, not to mention the manufacturer. But actually, the thought of any movement at all during drawing, whether from a standard position or not, makes my hair stand on end. Kramer was great in this respect, very stable, just didn't hide. There was no compulsion to go with the ARG in particular, it just stood out for its combination of offset loop and thinness.

Although I still feel that it is probably a good holster, frankly for the past few days I've been looking at a variety of dual offset-loop designs like Milt Sparks' VMII and the Garrity In-Cognito--these seem to be very well liked by many people and generally have a reputation for being comfortable and stable.

And oh, about the exotics--yep, many can't understand why any sane person would dump money on African Bullfrog skin when it will never be seen, maybe even if it would be seen. Indeed, I've seen some very hostile and contemptuous opinions expressed towards "frills" like this, so let alone not showing it to anybody I'll likely take special pains to keep it under wraps . It's probably a character flaw of mine. Anyway, for what it's worth, I dress like I come from a poorhouse and care nothing for fancy cars or most other amenities; but an everyday carry holster is an intensely personal thing .

And I have heard that shark and elephant are really tough, but maybe they will wind up not being the best choices, so I'll have to see what happens.

[j-framer]

Oh, I forgot one other thing--I noticed that you have referred a couple times to SOB carry. Are we talking about the same thing? I'm looking at IWB holsters. Like you, I would never carry SOB, not only for reasons of comfort but of safety (wheelchair, here I come ).