Tactical Solutions from Beginners to Pros
Hi this is Maani from PTS and today we’re going to talk about inside the waistband holsters and sweat guards and why I like high sweat guards more than mid-length sweat guards.
Let’s first of all talk about what a sweat guard is – this is the rear of the holster which rests against my body – this is the sweat guard that protects the top of the slide from perspiration which has salt in it and which can corrode metals.
This again is a high sweat guard, and a mid-length sweat guard would be right up to there. Basically the top portion of the slide is exposed to my sweat, and on days like this where it’s 105 degrees, you’re sweating a lot – especially if I’m appendix carrying, I’m getting a lot of perspiration on that on that slide. As you can see here – hope you can see it – these screws are rusting, they’re all rusting now. You may say, well, the screws don’t have the finish (treatment) that the slide on the Glock has for example – in the old days they used Tenifer now it’s Melanite, which is an amazing treatment that they apply to these things.
Regardless of that treatment, I don’t want that thing exposed to. perspiration eight, ten or 12 hours a day. That’s why I like to have this higher sweat guard.
The manufacturers of this holster (I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, I don’t want to come up with any names) now only offer this holster in the mid sweat guard and their reasoning is that they want to streamline manufacturing and cut down on ship shipping delays. To me that makes no sense – you don’t sacrifice utility because of manufacturing, streamlining, and cutting down on lead times for holsters. You have got to get the high sweat guard – in my opinion.
Now even with the high sweat guard, I still get some perspiration on the slide. Regardless, I must be diligent and constantly clean it and apply a light film of code to it. But if your gun hygiene is not that good, you may have problem and it could seep into the internals through these openings where the slide meets the frame. You could get some sweat in there and over time it can’t be good for the gun, let’s put it that way.
Some of you claim that you’re faster with the mid sweat guard. For me, that’s aa non-issue. My best time without of this holster concealed carry is .63 seconds, one shot:
Maani demonstrates 0.63
Now if I can be .628, that’s not going to change my decision as far as the sweat guards go.
Conclusion – High or mid sweat guard
The high sweat guard is the way to go in my humble opinion. Even on the magazine – always constantly check your magazine, especially if you have steel magazines. I’ve had M&P magazines rust just from wearing a couple times to the range and then putting them over without cleaning them. To clean them, make sure there’s not too much perspiration in them. Check your rounds every so often because that moisture can affect your rounds too.
Anyway, that’s why I like high sweat guards. Thanks for watching.
Maani demonstrates shooting – 40 yards – 7” x 10” Steel Target – 1.63 -1.69 – 1.98 – 1.60
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