All posts in Holsters

Beretta 92 vs 1911 and locking holsters

There has absolutely been a trend away from handguns with manual safeties for a very long time, but for some reason somebody is always trying to put one back on them.   The Springfield XD is probable the latest handgun that has a grip safety, but that still won’t cause you to not fire if you are are reckless.  Most negligent discharges occur when holstering firearms and if your hand is pushing down, which it mostly likely is, you still might set off the gun.  And now you have played your hands into Glock ownership.

The nice think about Sigs and Beretta firearms is decocking them after shooting and having a not so much safety, but just a heavier trigger which is somewhat of a buffer to prevent negligent discharges during holster ect.   The Beretta 92FS or M9 has a safety, but carrying with the safety off is far safer than carrying a 1911 with the safety off, the Blackhawk Serpa holsters seem to be a very good combination for the Beretta 92 handgun and the carrying them with the safety off gives you the above mentioned heavy first trigger pull and you won’t have to fumble a thumb safety then have to release the holster, and then get to the trigger.

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Locking holsters it is about preference

We have been selling far more Blackhawk holsters than ever before but several Law Enforcement Agencies that we deal with have bad mouthed them and have told us that they have banned them from training classes.   There are flaws in the Blackhawk system and it is true that a dirty locking system will cause the gun to get stuck and it will be difficult to retrieve, but the funny thing about the videos that are floating around YouTube are that if you did the same thing to an M16, the gun would jam up also.

Many of our Special Forces and Law Enforcement still prefer the Safariland holsters although they do seem a little bulkier than other holsters.  There really are duty holsters and for the most part Safariland Holsters are best for that job.  People that bash locking holsters need to take new students to a range and have them use thumb break holsters and you’ll see in about 5 minutes that Safariland and Blackhawk designs are superior.   Not only is it about being able to get your firearm out quickly, it’s also about locking the gun in place so it doesn’t fly out when you have to run or are in an altercation.

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Belt holsters, its not the same for every firearm

I have found holsters that have worked very well for me in the past and did make a mistake at one point, after picking up a Glock 19 and thinking my Don Hume Jit holster was going to work just as well for that firearm as it did for a Sig 239.   It fit just fine but the gun did not feel as balance in this holster type and it seemed to swing a little too much.   Movement with gun holsters is something that should be avoided.   I have often taught students in classes where the first thing we did before we went to the training range was to try running 100yds and back and feel the movement of their gear and get rid of the stuff that didn’t stay still.

Gun magazines and radios should not move one bit and any gun that has play in it has the capability of not being where you want it to be if you tried to grab it.   The Desantis holsters that we sell to customers that fit this criteria are the Desantis Scabbard holsters.  These holsters will keep your gun securely up against your body and not bobble about.  There are many operators that improperly deploy secondary sidearms with the holsters they use which often comes up on day one with leg holsters.

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Physical work and concealed carry

I still to this day do not know how I have hurt myself but there were times that I was carrying IWB and bruised my hips and couldn’t carry the gun for awhile.  I think it was possible from driving in a car for a long time and had the seat belt kind of squeeze the gun up against me a  little more.   That is still to this day the most annoying thing about driving is having to put a seat belt on and carrying a medium or large firearm on your belt.

I much rather carry on a shoulder rig, but that is not a very good CCW method in warm weather and the should harness can be a dead giveaway.   Galco holsters makes the nicest leather holsters and the Miami Vice Classic should holsters looks the best when when wearing a suit and tie.   I think  the real reason everyone is moving towards pocket carry as an option is there is really very little discomfort for every day carry.

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Desantis Instruder vs the Galco Kingtuk

I think the pocket holster accessory and clothing options have gotten much better in 2011 than before.    Everyone is starting to realize that concealed carry means not being able to tell that someone is carrying a firearm.   Besides printing and wearing 5.11 tactical pants, there are plenty of ways people will eventually be able to profile you and know how you are carrying a firearm.  Bumping into people is one way that you really can’t hide your 1911 and raising your arms up at work or in a super market is something you just can’t always avoid.

Good Concealment means being able to wear regular clothing and not have to always go out there and find out what Woolrich, Blackhawk, TruSpec, 5.11 or whomever else is something out that is marketed is CCW friendly.   White collar jobs make concealed carry harder and being able to tuck your shirt in and hide a firearm just got easier, Galco holsters are still some of my favorite but Desantis Instruder has a slight edge over it my book.  These are designed for smaller firearms which is more practical and realisic.

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For CCW, reholstering is as important as holstering

As Rogue Elite has grown in bringing on more and more tactical and concealed carry products, there is a certain level of scrutiny even we gun owners hold on products.   There have been some that we thought were such bad ideas or the products had such a high return rate that we dropped them even though we were making a profit.  The AR15 tactical accessory market is loaded with such items.  Now that there are about 2 or 3 variations of firearms for every design, holster makers have some real work cut out for them these days.

When most of us took a concealed carry holster course, part of that course we dealing with what to do after a shooting.  Re-holstering a firearm after a shooting and before the Police shoot up is very important.  Some gun holsters are very difficult to do this if they fold up.   Leather holsters are known to do this once they have seen lots of use.   Kydex holsters are something to really consider for IWB even though they may not be the most comfortable.  The Galco Kingtuk holsters and Desantis holsters have some more comfortable IWB holster desings.

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Everyone doesn’t need to drive a Porshe when the Speed limit is 65mph

I just got off the phone with several guys that were looking for a large order of gun holsters.   I was expecting them to say they wanted the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters and they all carried Glocks, but that wasn’t the case.   Not everyone has switched over to Polymer guns because even though it’s a fact that Glocks, XDs and the M&P guns will run longer with less lubrication, handguns are not realistically going to end up being used in the same situations or see anywhere near the round counts that M4 Carbines or M16 see.

It’s just a fact that nobody except the most extreme police shoot outs see handgun engagements that get into the double digits.   It simple just doesn’t happen that often.   Galco holsters are leather holsters for the most part even though there are now some Kydex and some mixed variations of leather and kydex.   Military Personel are still being issued and using Sig 220, Sig 226 and Sig 228 firearms.   There is no debate that the 45acp has seen a resurgence because all those double stacked 9mm and 40 caliber guns are bulky or an over kill.   A lower capacity 45acp for Police work is getting the job done.

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The Importance of pocket holsters….

There have been many times where we have thought we could just wing it when it comes to using firearms and skip cleaning it or carry it in a pocket without any kind of a holster.  I have never been a big fan of carrying firearms in a coat or a jacket because there are just too many things that can go wrong.   Years ago, it may go down as our favorite crazy customer, was a time when a guy picked up a Woolrich Elite lightweight vest and after putting various firearms inside the vest pockets, called us up and told us that the gun still printed and we were a fraud company for sell a vest that was suppose to conceal a firearm.

That level of knowledge or lack there of, is pretty common in every area of society, but I wonder if that guy still gets made if his guns spin around or when he reaches for them they aren’t there.   With all of the gun holsters out there, something like the Desantis holsters, especially for the pocket holsters like the LCP guns, which seem to have become incredible common you still should have any pocket gun in a pocket holster. Lint, and other things can cause problems and reducing the chances of excessive movement is very important.  It will cost you $20 or less for the most part.

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Blackhawk Serpa holsters for the 1911?

I admit that I do like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters and it is mostly in comparison to the thumb snap holsters that use to hold so much of the holster market.  Most Police in this neck of the woods use Safariland locking holsters or some other Safariland holster.    The biggest pet peeve of mine with the traditional thumbreak holster is snapping it back on when hoslter.  I’ve had them wear out on me and end up not being worth relying on and ended up just cutting them off.   I’ve had guns fall out of holsters so I do know there is a time and a place to lock them in.

When it comes to 1911 handguns, I am not a big fan of retention holsters.   As a matter of fact, there is enough of a debate about putting manual safeties on firearms that having a manual firearm safety on a gun and Blackhawk Serpa Holsters for a firearm is 2 more things you need to do other than pull the trigger on a sidearm.   The 1911 is a great firearm, but one more mechanical device to disengage?   Some guns are meant for certain things, and I would not recommend that for anyone who is CCW a 1911.

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Concealed Carry and potential injuries

When I look at all of the holsters that we carry and all of the ways someone can carry a gun, it’s almost endless, but there are the most popular ways of carry them and some really bad ways of carrying.  If you are carrying and your not that comfortable with the position of the holster, you really should try carrying to see if you can adapt or just completely overhaul the weapons that you carrying.   IWB is in my opinion the best way to conceal a firearm.   Something many people don’t think about is that when you are in public places people can brush up against you and if you are carrying a Blackhawk Serpa or paddle holster under a shirt, people will figure out what is going on.

I’ve seen a lot of fancy ways to carry and the small of the back is to this day, the one I strongly advice against.   If you are carrying in this manor in a car there is a serious chance you can have spinal injuries if you are in a car accident.   Desantis holsters are a bit different from Galco holsters and Don Hume holsters, but there are differences in holsters designs and the angles that they made in.  For some people they like the idea of having a roto tilt holster or angled forward or back, there is no wrong chose in these regards but being able to pull a firearm during a close up fight is something to consider and how much injury can you sustain if you fell on your firearm.  The small of the back is more of a liability in these regards than any other mode.

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