I plan to order a Mitch Rosen shoulder holster for my P228 to complement my belt holster from them. Their web site indicates two options:

1. Stylemaster. Brass fittings, all pieces including harness are lined. $460.00 for black. $385.00 for light brown.

2. Express Line/Stylemaster Express. No lining, no brass connector, no hand honing. Quality leather. $135.00 for all colors.

Since I am on a beer budget, but want quality I am leaning toward the Express Line option #2 in black. Here are my questions:

a. How important is lining for my P228?

b. How important is hand honing?

c. If it doesn't have brass fittings, are whatever fittings it does have ok?

Comments from owners of each option are welcome.

I have a stylemaster in light brown (not express line). All of the Rosen holsters I have are lined, but the unlined mag/light carriers I have seem to have burnished in pretty well with use. The hand-boning work of the full detail line is nice, but not a necessity for fit and function. I believe the express line has brass screws, just not the 4-way brass connector at the back.

The reason I went with the full detail in light brown was that Mitch said the other colors can have a tendency to bleed onto shirts.

quote:

Originally posted by rad28:
I have a stylemaster in light brown (not express line). All of the Rosen holsters I have are lined, but the unlined mag/light carriers I have seem to have burnished in pretty well with use. The hand-boning work of the full detail line is nice, but not a necessity for fit and function. I believe the express line has brass screws, just not the 4-way brass connector at the back.

The reason I went with the full detail in light brown was that Mitch said the other colors can have a tendency to bleed onto shirts.

Hi rad28. Wow, I hadn't thought of the possibility of my preferred color of black bleeding into shirts. Valuable comment!

quote:

a. How important is lining for my P228?

b. How important is hand honing?

c. If it doesn't have brass fittings, are whatever fittings it does have ok?

A. Lining, although not super important will offer less wear and tear to your gun. It also offers a better overall look to the holster. It also means a bit more stitching, a bit more product and consequently a bit more stability to the holster. Budget conscious individuals might take a pass so long as the leather is properly prepared and the proper weight.

B. Honing/Boning is purely aesthetic. So long as the designer has met the required retentive needs. Less boning may assist in "printing issues" if that is a consideration. Detailed holsters look nicer but serve no real functional purpose.

C. Spend some money to make sure the fittings the best possible (Brass, Stainless Steel etc.) Sub-standard fittings will degrade over rime and ruin your investment. I personally do not even offer such options.

Make sure your vendor stands behind their product.

hand boning is purely cosmetic...
but that said I like it, though it does add to the cost.

another advantage of a lined holster is that the draw speed is somewhat faster, especially from the start without a lot of breaking in.
smoother draw less of a tug.

I have been very pleased with the Stylemaster for my 228. It's more expensive but factor the cost over years of comfort and relaibility.