Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Milt Sparks Nexus Initial Impressions

I have been waiting since mid-September to be the first kid on my block to try a Milt Sparks Nexus holster. As some of you may have read in my prior posts, I had given up on the Sparks VMII because it generally does not allow my particular gun to get low enough to the belt or provide as much cant as I prefer. I have been carrying a Glock 30SF in a Crossbreed Supertuck that I adjusted to fit my style of carry with an untucked polo shirt. I know that others have suggested a Brommeland, but that�s $85 more than a Sparks and it exceeded the outer limits of my holster experimentation dollars.

The Nexus arrived this morning. It has the usual Sparks good looks and feel. It has the new neodymium magnetic clips that will have to be evaluated over time. I think that Sparks will put the �old style� loops on the holster. I did not specify what I wanted, and I am fine with testing the new style. They certainly make it easier to put the holster on the belt than either the CBST or VMII, and the loops should not damage the belt as much as the chintzy standard Crossbreed clips. The holster included an entire page of warnings on the neodymium magnets, including warnings not to get them near people with pacemakers or near magnetic media and electronic devices. I sure hope that is �lawyerese�, because only a person living in a cave is not around digital media, electronics and people with pacemakers. The page also states that the magnets are brittle and should not be slammed together.



The most important things to me are the ride and cant. I would say the Nexus scores high on these points. I have taken pictures of the G30 in 3 holsters, a VMII for a G20 (same frame but .8� longer slide), the Supertuck I have been using for a year, and the new Nexus. Although I could not get the belt position equally level for every picture (you get what you pay for with my photography), it should be pretty obvious that the Nexus is very close to the way I have my Supertuck set up (if not the same). They all allow the user to get a full firing grip with the gun holstered.

VMII


CBST


Nexus



I opted for the smooth outside finish on the Nexus, and it already is as comfortable against the skin as a VMII, and more comfortable than the Supertuck. The Nexus is made with horsehide on the body side and cowhide on the outside. Because it is tailor fit to the gun, it has less extraneous leather, especially at the front bottom of the holster that, with the CBST, can sometimes jam the upper leg when walking or sitting in a car. Most important, the Nexus also passes my �print test� with an untucked polo shirt. There are a couple of other pluses. I suspect that I will get less dust on the gun because the slide is fully covered below the belt. Also important is that it doesn�t squeak like the Supertuck. Fortunately, I do not hang out in libraries or museums much, because walking makes the Supertuck creak. (And, yes, I also tried one in horsehide and had the same result.)

My concerns about the Nexus include the previously mentioned magnetic clips, and the lack of a reinforced opening for one handed holstering. (The lack of the reinforcement does make the holster thinner than the VMII which is helpful when concealing the .45/10mm Glocks.) Those will have to be evaluated over time. As long as the gun is not left unholstered for too long a period, I am thinking that the lack of metal reinforcement will not be an issue. The leather is certainly more stiff than the CBST. Note that a person with a CCW permit may have different needs than a plainclothes police officer in this regard. One concern with the CBST is that it is getting beat up after little more than a year, and the sweat guard is curling which causes me to use considerable care in reholstering. Based on my prior experience with Sparks leather, curling should never be an issue with the Nexus.

Here are pictures of CBST and Nexus without the gun.



I will follow-up after in a month or so. I am posting this now because I have not seen a lot written on this holster, and a lot of people have to do mental gymnastics like me before committing dollars and the 4 month wait for the chance to learn 5 minutes after delivery whether or not it will work for them. Hope this helps.