All posts in Holsters

Is your gun holster going to get you killed?

I remember hearing all of the stories about how AR15 rifle jam and that they need to be cleaned.  Well all of this is true but the complaining seems to be exaggerated.   All firearms will eventually go down if they are not cleaned or maintained which in my opinion is a better term, but some may last longer than others.    I have seem ammunition malfunctions occur in rifles where just the slightest burr on the bullet can cause a feeding problem and taking your gun apart or clearing the malfunction can be difficult.   The same type of thing can occur with any mechanical device, ever get your shoe on your foot all wrong and have trouble getting your socks pulled up?  Mechanical parts will eventually cease up or jam up at some point.

Gun holsters have become far more complicated anymore and with everyone and their dog putting on sights, laser or just night sights, you can end up needing a different holster unless you’re brave enough to tweak the holster yourself.  Recently we had a tactical team show up at our store and pick up some of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters we sell and asked them what they were seeing in the Law Enforcement Community after all of the recent  hoopla.  I already knew the answer to this but I sometimes like to test out the customers we have and find  out what their opinions were of this mechanical device.  The answer was, it’s a mechanical device and it can fail.

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Desantis makes more than just leather holsters

We have the Desantis holsters catalog and we’re really blown away at how much stuff they really sell.  We were looking for a product line that would help us get our foot in the door of the law enforcement and police supply product lines.  They have some really nice tactical bags, handcuff holsters, and the long list of tuckable and IWB holsters that have made Desantis a king of the leather holsters world.  The one thing that really struck me is they seem to be really on top of what concealed carry holsters can be made of.  I never thought of Desantis when I was shopping for a kydex holster but I found one in the Desantis holsters catalog.

I am presently a Glock guy but it was after a very long evolution of having firearms become too bulky, too heavy or I just felt underpowered.  The Glock 19 with the Desantis holsters like the Scorpion are modern concealment in a very comfortable package. This is the most comfortable IWB holster I have ever used and even the square looking Glock 19 does not feel like it did when I first used another kydex and soft gun holster.  These are kind of pricey but I don’t think I’m going to  have issues with breakage.

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Observing who uses the best stuff

There are so many things in this industry that are well made, but all have their good and bad points.   Some things are all about preference and not really better than the other.  For instance, there is a certain point that a discussion about 9mm firearms being better than one another is and dumb conversation because as long as the gun is reliable  for the first 5 rounds, in the real world the hits are all that counts and most shootings for even law enforcement are in the single digits.  The Sig 228 is a good firearm but will need more lubrication to run properly than a Glock.   If you are going on long deployment the Glock is an obvious lower maintenance firearm.

One thing we do see though is military personal mostly Special Ops that stop in our shop all buy the Safariland holsters.   I personally have no problem with the drop rig Blackhawk holsters but the Safariland holsters are the ones that the pros use and that is something to pay attention to.   I’ve always liked my Beretta 92 pistols and even though they are still being used in the military as a primary sidearm the guys that have the option to carry something else, do.

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Training with new gear and being consistent

There is no debate about firearms safety, you either follow the rules or you will have an accident.   The problem with fireams training is everyone has an off day, not everyone wakes up in the morning and is at 100% mentally there.  Everyone trips or falls at some point, every slips on the ice they didn’t see and not everyone can think straight until they’ve had their cup of joe. I’ve seen more accidents with Glocks than any other sidearm, but I would say that Glocks are the most reliable firearm I’ve seen at training courses.

One thing that I have seen happen with gun owners, is they juggle firearms around too much.  It really is not a good idea to switch up your holsters and firearms too often because mental lapses can occur.  This seems to be the problem people are having with the Blackhawk Serpa holsters that are getting on the news.  If you don’t use this holster all the time, you may have a problem keeping your hand in the same spot and you’re more prone to curling your finger and causing an ND.  I very much like the retention design and the strength of the holsters, but I would not let a novice shooter start out with  one.

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Gun holtsters for the M9 firearm

Every time we get an order for a Beretta 92 holster we pretty much know it’s a Military customer.   Since we deal with so many soldiers deployed over seas and have been an established business for 7yrs people are finding out about us.   There are some new finishes for the Blackhawk Serpa holsters but most people still stick with the Black versions.  One reason I believe the Beretta 92FS has survived all of these  years is that it for the most part is easy to  use for left handed shooters.   I don’t know what the percentage of left handed shooters are in the Country but it’s a fairly high number to market to.

We’ve been getting more and more traffic at our retail location and a shocking number of our customers are left handed.   We were not sure which gun holsters we should be bringing in, but we did order many of the left handed Blackhawk Serpa holsters for the more popular firearms.  Having ambidextrous magazin releases and charging bolts is very important because a left handed individual is really forced to re-learn mechanical movements that his body doesn’t want to learn.  With defensive shooting training, it is important to practice things that you find uncomfortable but starting out with gear that isn’t up to your primary hand movements just royally sucks.

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Spring and Summer holsters, time to ditch the leather?

That is something that I had to learn the hard way after I damaged several of my Sig Sauer pistols with using leather holsters in the summer that caused the inner side of the gun to rust.   I don’t know why Sigs aren’t made with a better finish, but I have learned to switch to Glocks in hot weather just because I know the guns won’t rust.   It’s taken me awhile to get use to them, but the higher capacity and a couple ounces lighter of a gun actually makes life easier in the Summer heat.  Kydex holsters are pretty much the standard now because re holstering is also easy  under stress.

I really do like the Don Hume holsters, Galco and especially the Desantis holster line.   There are big differences in the cost of these leather holsters and the Desantis holsters are somewhat pricey but they really do look good and have a very nice finish.   One thing that I did not like about some of the IWB holsters that are leather is they do start to flop with age and re-holstering under stress is something that can be a problem.  The IWB tuck-n-go holsters are difficult to re-holster. I actually suggest taking the holsters off for safety sake.

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More news from the training world

Yet another firearms instructor that I have a good relationship with has banned the use of the Blackhawk Serpa from his course.   I will make myself very clear before anyone things I am going to go off on a tangent and say that the Blackhawk Serpa Sucks and is a piece of shit and should not be ever made.   So here me straight, some firearms accessories and gear need more training to use properly and many novice gun owners and ill-trained Law Enforcement are more  likely to have an accident with them than with other gear.  When it comes to firearms, yes, I have known of more negligent discharges with Glocks than with any double action firearm, am I going to bash Glocks? No, I will not.

I do not have combat experience with a gun holster but I have had extensive experience in dealing with the bad elements of society and understand what stress is.  There has been much to say about the designs of retention holsters under stress and the Safariland holsters are the best holster according to what we have seen and heard.   Blade Tech seems to also have a good reputation but in all honesty i’ve never head one in my hands so I couldn’t say.  The 5.11 thumbdrive holsters are another retention holster that has very limited testing experience so I guess we have to resort to the tried and true.

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Elite Survival Systems quality tactical nylon gear

We had to pick a gun case and gun bag company that we knew made quality stuff and after seeing all of the Blackhawk gun bags, 5.11 range bags and the Bulldog gun cases.   There is a really big difference in the material and the quality of the Elite Survival Systems tactical nylon.   Gun bags are a hard thing to buy online and it’s up to the manufacturers to supply us with good images of what the bags and compartments are for and that is something we’re glad Elite Survival is doing.  Every person that needs a range bag, EMS bag or Patrol bag may have different needs but the features and designs have been a hit with our customers.

When it comes to stocking products that are in demand in this day and age, products line belly bands are hard to sell online because getting the right fight is a guessing game online.   The Core Defender gun holsters from Elite Survival Systems is something you will want to stop in a store and try out.   I consider myself to be above average height and ended up being a Medium for this bellyband.   I would have guess a large or an X-large at first, but that is the hard thing about shopping online.

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Something new and interesting from Desantis

We had a special order for a product that we don’t normally carry called the Desantis Rail Ryder.   When we get requests for products that we don’t stock we usually evaluated the product first, ask the customer why they want it and usually ask them to give us a review after that have used it for awhile.  When we first saw the images for the Desantis Rail Ryder we didn’t understand what it was all about but after playing around with it for a few minutes we got it.   This is a HD holster that you can quickly put on if you had to go around your house.

One reason I have often suggested IWB holsters that are made out of kydex is because you have to be realistic, if you are ever in a gun fight, you will want to be able to reholster the gun with ease and possible under stress and leather holsters tend to collapse or fold in on themselves.   This is a very unique product from Desantis holsters that is very practical.   There is no real way to holster a firearm without having a holster on already if you had to get up in the middle of the night.   You could quickly move about your house and if need be the gun is already to be attached to a belt.

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A good holster that protects and retains a firearms

There has been so much bad mouthing of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, but there seems to be some sense getting to people’s heads that its now becoming an accepted reality.   There is always a certain amount of training one most achieve before they carry a firearm. There are plenty of things that one can avoid if they are taught to avoid them and it’s something that always is the result of ND.   I have seen too many people pushed off to firing ranges that had very little training before they started doing defense shooting and dumb things like trigger control meant making an ass out of themselves by touching off a round while holstering.  The one statistic I will have to state is that with everyone of those it was with a Glock.

The differences between having a few extra pounds of trigger pull on a firearm can also reduce this, but if one  has trigger control it’s a none issue.  I have been using Blackhawk Serpa holsters for years now and they are still one of my favorites.  Yes they can fail if they roll in the dirt or snow but all firearms can fail for the same reason.  I have recently been using the Safariland holsters that many LEO have recommended and I understand the differences.  The reality for those that are carrying a firearm is this, if you want firearm retention with a holster, the Blackhawk Serpa holster is still  one of the best  holsters to protect and retain a firearm.

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