All posts in Holsters

Buying used guns that have hardly been used

I recently jumped into the world of Glock ownership.   It is a used Glock 19 which is a Generation 2.   I got it fora about $400 out the door and even though it has a little bit of holster wear.   The barrel looks like it has less than 500rds through it.   It’s funny how many times I’ve picked up a new firearm from a gun shop that had a few dents or dings on it but the internal parts were hardly worn.   I’m sure 90% of the lever action and bolt action firearms you see in the used section have the same history, but you should always inspect the internal workings before purchasing.   I’ve seen excessive wear on firearms due to lack of cleaning and lubrication and although the guns haven’t jammed, they had less than 1000rds through them and look really beat up.

There are great deals on used Sig Sauer pistols, Glock firearms and Beretta 92FS types.   These guns were standard issue for most of our LEOs in the last two decades and many are switching over to other types of autos.   Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have put out there own handguns that have taken a bite out of the Glock stronghold, but I won’t pick a winner  yet.   I prefer to have atleast a paddle holster for each handgun I own and gun holsters for concealed carry if I am expecting to carry it at some point.   The only handguns I don’t have holsters for are a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MKII pistol.   These are primarily plinking guns and not going to be carried.

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Protruding magazines, snags and sights

As someone in the tactical gear and accessory business, I am a little overwhelmed by the number of holsters that are available and how they are being used.   I get questions about how to assemble and modify various things and often it takes a little research to find how to answer a customers questions.  Something that I am finding more and more about is that customers are ordering holsters for firearms knowing the gun should fit the holster, but the sights that they put on the gun are now causing the gun to snag when being drawn.

The best way to know that you have tactical gear that works is to test it out,  even if you have done research into matching up the correct gear, practice with it before you actually train with it or god forbid have to use your gear and training in a real situation.   Pocket gun holsters and clip on holsters tend to have high rates of failures in Defensive training classes.   The real reason is that many of these students are practicing with higher levels of stress and doing things that they didn’t think they would be doing and causing guns to spin in their hands when the front sight snags in the  holster.

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New CCW holders and training

Even though I would have to acknowledge that I am above average in training, I would rather spend my afternoon working with a new shooter or a new CCW holder than train with fellow SWAT Team students all day.   There is something more that I get from seeing a Civilian learn responsible ways of handing a firearm and basic defensive shooting skills.   In some Countries like Israel and South Korea, there is mandatory military service and every young man and women gets training to understand that there are threats against their Country and that it’s up to them to pass on the information they learned to every succeeding generation.

I have seen some really bad instructors in all of my years of sitting in on classes and most of them were overzealous in teaching.   I don’t think it’s good instruction to freak people out when they are new to handling firearm in certain situations and being a CCW holder doesn’t mean  you need to train to storm the beaches of Normandy with your Blackhawk Serpa gun holsters.   Learning how to move away from an attacker or barricade yourself in your bedroom with a firearm and knowing where the safest postions are can be life saving training that every adult family member should know.

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Comfort is the primary goal

I am beginning to grow tired of carrying IWB anymore.   I guess it’s my present work load and the amount of physical work I’ve  been doing the last year, but I’m really starting to feel it when it gets to day 6 of the week and I’m carrying IWB.   I am growing more comfortable with smaller semi-auto guns and my Ruger LCP is a fun gun to shoot and carry.   I had some reservations about carrying a small semi-auto because I’ve shot some NAA 32acp guns and I though the bite was a little much.   Any gun is better than no gun, but I really don’t like having guns that I don’t enjoy shooting.   I have sent a good bit of lead downrange with the Rohrbaugh R9 guns, but they are more of a novelty backup gun and I’m honestly afraid of breaking the gun or wearing it out too soon.

Pocket carry is the most comfortable for me, but I am having a little bit of trouble with some of my wardrobe and the types of pocket holsters I have.   I am noticing an awful lot of lint building up in my gun holsters and I’m tracing it to the sweatshirts that I own.  Now that FAll is almost over and Winter is a few weeks away, I’m wearing things that cause lint build up to increase.    I prefer to carry guns that are combat proven, but CCW is another thing.   If I notice too much build up on my pocket guns I’m going to have to do some serious overhauls in my wardrobe.   The thought of having to clean my guns more than once a week is a little impractical and.

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Don’t burry your weapons under clothing

I think there is a point that people really can get carried away with the CCW point of view.   There were a few wacky incidences that occured over the years where a gun owner got himself or herself into a gray area and really invited trouble.  The whole open carry debate can be a powder keg amonst many on our side of the aisle, but not invited problems is something we should be trained to think about.   Don’t put yourself in a situation where the method in which you are carrying is going to make you stand out.   For example, we have a lot of customers that carry full size autos that want to carry their firearms in jackets and they always want to know which vests or jacket it will work in.    If this is what you want to do, go ahead and do it, but if you are standing out on a football field at your kids football game and you are the only person wearing a jacket and it’s 70F out, you are going to be out of place, and may invite problems from a smart ass anti-gun person that knows you may be in a grey area by carrying a gun on school property.

I have stated several times that some of the toughest people I know don’t always carry firearms, and many of the best trained shooters are carrying j-frame revolvers.   This has slightly changed in the last few years since there are some reliable .380 pocket guns coming into the market.   I really don’t have much experience with these, but since many of them are new, it’s sometimes a good idea to just sit back and see how well the products hold up and what their reputations are.   There is not always a real need to get too exotic with gun holsters.   A good pocket carry gun could have 6 or 7 rounds of .380 or 9mm and depending on your body size, you may even be able to get a .40 S&W gun in there.  Pocket carry is probable one of the most comfortable ways to conceal a firearm and won’t restrict much of your movement.

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Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t good CCW

Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t a good way of concealing a firearm, but I’d have to say that I think it’s the most comfortable way to carry a medium size auto.   There are considerable differences in the fit of each should rig, but I have actually found that Bulldog and Uncle Mike’s have made some really nice holsters that are very inexpensive.   If you are wearing a good gun belt you won’t have any bunching up where the straps latch on and if you are carrying a firearm in the winter, this can help free up the room around your belt line and give you some other jacket options that aren’t full length.

Galco gun holsters are still making the popular Miami should rig, but I’m not a big fan of the horizontal holsters.   These are banned at most of my CCW courses because it’s hard to actually use the holster and not sweep someone behind you if you are on the firing line.   I prefer to carry large size Sig Sauer pistols when I know I will be wearing a jacket full time and I like to carry them in something other than inside the pants gun holsters. I have recently picked up a Sig 229 in .357 Sig that I hope to get some good practice time in.  I don’t think it’ll be much of a big change from going from a Sig 228 9mm to a Sig 229.   There is a noticeable amount of weight but a whole bunch more punch.

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Concealed carry holter or tactical?

I have to admit that I do read a lot of gun magazines, I guess it’s primarily to educate myself on what is out there as far as firearms and gear and see if there is anything ground breaking.   I remember when I could name about 5 or 6 good gun manufacturers, but now there are so many people making AR15 guns that I don’t think I could really say that I have a very good point of reference if I was going to give my critisism because not all of the direct impingement guns are the same.   There have been some productions with Springfield Armory XD guns when they first came out as well as a few others, but eventually the gun company gets it right.  I have never seen so many holster modifications done in the last 2yrs as I have before.   If you had a Sig 229 6yrs ago and get one now, and put a light on it, time for another gun holsters.

I guess the real question that we need to ask ourselves is do we want a tactical gun or a concealed carry gun?   Even that can become complicated if we start putting lasers on them which many are doing for small frame revolvers and semi-autos.   I took a training course using lasers and gun holsters and learned in the first 5 minutes that a laser has an extreme advantage over non laser guns with shooting around corners.   Anyone that has taken a defensive firearms course has learned to use cover, and limit the exposure when shooting around a corner, keep your feet behind cover and try to only move the barrel and your eyes around the corner.  With a laser, you can learn to keep your gun at one firing point and your head at another which gives your threat 2 things to think about if they want to return fire.

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Don Hume paddle holsters

I have a pile of Fobus gun holsters that have served me well and I don’t ever question the money that I have spent on holsters for the firearms that I now own.  I guess I’ve gotten smarter in regards to which configurations of holsters to have around.   I rarely carry using paddle holters due to the fact that I am usually not carrying openly and when I’m carrying openly I’m usually working with an M4 Carbine.   I have had bad experiences with some belt clip on holsters but I blame 90% of the failures on the gun belts I used, but I still have had them come loose on me.

For anyone that owns a medium to large frame sidearm, a paddle holster is something you should consider having available for your firearm.   Fobus seems to be the most commonly seen paddle holster at my ranges, but since I am a fan of Don Hume holsters especially for concealed carry I decided to pick up a paddle holster from them.   The first thing I noticed when I was wearing it was that it looked nice and felt like the $50 I spent on it unlike the $20 on the fobus.   The only thing I still to this day do not like are the thumbreak release on the top.   If  you practice enough it is something you can learn to get use to, but they really aren’t for me.   If I am going to take a step from Fobus gun holsters, I prefer the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.

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Tactical holsters and combat holsters

I have to admit that I fall under the category of people that have a pile of holsters that I hardly use, but I still don’t think they are worthless.   I think it’s always good to keep spare  holsters around incase you break one, wear it out or have to wait awhile to get one custom made.   I’ve had situations where a favorite gun holster broke and it took a few months to get a replacement.   When it comes to needing gun holsters for hard training, I think it’s always a good idea to know ahead of time on how many magazines you intend to be carrying.  Blackhawk Serpa holsters are outstanding combat holsters due to their superior durability and stability, but some nylon holsters will still work very well.

There is a point where I think people have to be realistic about how many handgun magazines they are willing and needing to carry and how much bulk they want.   At a certain point  you really need to put more thought into carrying  a Carbine if you want that much firepower.   There are gun holsters with a drop leg setup that will allow you to carry more magazines that are off the belt line, this can be a tricky configuration to use and I would put serious thought into whether or not you want that bulk, but it will free up your gun belt for cell phones, flashlights, radio ect.

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What are your options for suit and tie environments?

I will always leave room for imagination when it comes to CCW because there are different types of clothing that give you more possibilities and limitations and then there are variables in gun sizes and types of holsters.   What it really comes down to is comfort.  I don’t believe every firearm has to be carried in such a way that you have to always expect to be a gunslinger.   Deep concealment is something to consider in situations where there may be some unfriendlies and you don’t want to have to deal with the repurcussions of being outed.

I’d say that the closer you are going to be in contact with people the more you have to consider pocket carry or ankle holsters.  I prefer to use J-Frame 38 Special with 110gr Hornandy bullets due to the fact that this is about as light as you can possible get with a firearm without getting into the plinking caliber pistols.   There are situations where you have to consider that a person passing by you may feel the clunk of your IWB Galco Holsters or any other type of firearm that is at the waist line.   People tend to not be as suspicious about pocket gear so that is a office environment consideration.   For weddings I think pocket carry and Ankle Glove holsters are probable your best bet.

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