All posts tagged Blackhawk Serpa

In praise of the Sig 239

I have to force myself to buy various technical gear and sometimes even firearms just to stay on top of what is out there.   I still haven’t jumped into the .380 market, but at some point I’ll settle on some kind of pistol.   I was never big on j-frame revolvers until I went to 5 weddings in one summer and got tired of putting a Sig 239 in a pocket.   The pants I was wearing could fit a Sig 239 very easily, but the gun was so darn heavy that the constant off balance pull it had was as bad as jock itch.   I started out with a 38 Special snub nose T-85 for CCW and got tired of it real fast.   I then tried a Colt 1911 for  a little, but didn’t like the idea of having to disengage a safety.

After several months of not knowing what to carry, I carried my Beretta 92FS and one spare magazine.   It was ok, for a little while, but if I need to carry it for more than 5 days, I got sore spots on my hips.   A friend of mine has his own gun holsters company and offered to make me a holster, but I knew that I was on the verge of changing my concealed carry gun so I held off.  Like a freakish bought of karma, I walked into a gun shop and saw a used Sig 239 for sale, called up my buddy and told him to make a holster for me and here we are 8yrs later.  The Sig 239 is by no means a light handgun, it is small, but this is a combat worthy and durable firearm.

Top

CCW for the skinny guys

I’m talking about guys here because I don’t k now very many females that carry guns IWB or pocket carry.   I’m not sure why, but most females I am friends with carry in a purse or carry in a paddle or strong side holster.   There are many ways of carrying a gun on just a belt line.   You can carry with a belt loop, double belt loop, clip on or paddle holster.   I have a few backup holsters that are the Don Hume jit holsters that work very well for me because they keep the gun up and don’t take up very much room like a paddle holster.  I also can’t feel it push against my body at all when I am sitting down, unlike the IWB holsters.   I am still looking to pick up a crossbreed holster for a Sig 239 in 40 S&W because I’ve heard they are the most comfortable holsters.   I’ll find out and tell you my thoughts later.

I have never been a big fan of putting on a holster that need to through with a belt because I really don’t feel like having to do that every morning when I get up and go off to work.  That extra 20 minutes of wiggling things around and trying to line up the holster to the belt loops ect. is rather annoying and a clip on the belt gun holsters takes 2 seconds.   I do believe that I may have found a replacement for my paddle holsters which I tend to only carry when I am wearing a vest.   The Don Hume Jit holster may work for you if you have a large cut shirt, but us skinny guys don’t have the shape to hide very much unless it’s flat up against us.

Top

The FN 5.7 as a defensive weapon

I first saw the 5.7  in all it’s glory with what I would consider to be AP ammo.   I heard a few people mention that they thought that this gun should be illegal, but ballistically it couldn’t do anything that the much more common M855 or SS109 could do.   Yeah I know that a criminal might prefer a handgun to defeat a police officers armor, but the last Police Officer killed here in Pennsylvania was killed with an SKS with standard ammo and a 30rd magazine that actually jammed.   The SKS can take detachable magazines, but I have never seen them hold up as well as the AK family of guns with these mags.   The 5.7 has the ballistics of something close to the 22 magnum, and even though that is not a very powerful stopping round it is as effective as the person carrying it.

I don’t know of any reliable 22 magnum semi auto guns, I know a few pocket revolvers that were fun to shoot, but if you want a small and light semi auto with similar 22 magnum ballistics and has a much  higher capacity, there’s nothing wrong with packing the 5.7 FN.  I think there are better calibers for duty officers, but there are a number of gun holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa that can be had for this gun.  Unfortunately the piece of crap that killed our soldiers at Fort Hood used this firearm arm very effectively, but hopefully anyone reading this will know that every firearm used in the hands of a good and law abiding citizen is an asset to society.

Top

Tactical clothing and gun holsters

I recently took a swing by several big gun shops and picked up a few products from tactical clothing companies that I was unfamiliar with.   I do think that many of the top tactical clothing companies are much better than the stuff that was being made years ago.   Clothing manufacturing has gotten better in many regards.   I have several BDU pants from Army Navy stores, but I just can’t stand wearing them anymore.   The hand pockets are too small and the BDU pockets are too flimsy.    If I want BDU pants,  The Eotac Style 201 Pants are the way to go.   If I want to wear denim jeans, I’m going to go with one of the tactical jeans from 5.11, Woolrich Elite or Eotac.

One thing I didn’t like about the 5.11 jeans was that the hand pockets were not any larger than my regular jeans which completely eliminates the possibility of pocket carry.   I had a j-frame 38 Special in the pocket and the handle was showing.   I find this to be a real short coming even though the internal pockets that can stow guns or magazines.   I find these pants to be concealed carry friendly to some degree, but they really were missing some features.   I don’t like the fact that there isn’t spot in the right side at about 3 o’clock that would be gun holsters for most right handed individuals.   Even though I think some of the 205 jeans are a little over designed with the rear pockets, I think pocket carry is really important for CCW wearers and the 5.11 jeans isn’t for that.  The 5.11 jeans can hold your wallet or money, but that’s about it.

Top

5.11 tactical jeans review pt 1

I finally did my rounds and checked out a few local 5.11 dealers to see what they had in stock.    Something I always find annoying about stopping in these places is how much of a mess the clothing usually is.   I always have to dig around for my sizes and rarely do any of these gun shops or police and security stores keep there crap together.   The other thing that I find annoying is that so many of them clear out certain styles of clothing during the year like there is a non-season for polos and jeans.   Some of these tactical clothing manufacturers are running huge shortages and various products are out of stock for 6-9 months at a time.   I actually noticed many of the gun shops in my neck of the woods stopped selling 5.11 tactical pants because it was too much of a headache for them to deal with.

It was time to restock my tactical pants inventory and I’m not prone to sticking to only one manufacturer.   I have worn 5.11 tactical pants, Eotac, Woolrich Elite and even SigTac.   Each tactical clothing company and tactical gear manufacturer has it’s pros and cons,  but I’d give Eotac and Woolrich Elite the edge on quality control.     I am comparing the Eotac 205 concealed carry jeans to the 5.11 jeans and there is no comparison.   I feel a difference in the movement of each jean, but I really don’t think I feel restricted in any way.   They are both well made, but there are huge differences in the designs.   The Eotac jeans are very similar to the Woolrich Elite Discreet MKII pants, but they are definitely not the same.   The 5.11 jeans are what I’d call more for deep concealment.   There are internal pockets that can hold a j-frame revolver or a small semi-auto and a few spare magazines.   I find the pockets to be a  little too deep and don’t really like the fact the guns are practically inside the pants.   I tried putting a Sig 239 in the pockets with spare magazines and it was extremely uncomfortable when sitting down, so I would have to say you need something smaller than that.

Top

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.

Top

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.

Top

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.

Top

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.

Top

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.

Top
1 2 3 4 5 6 Page 4 of 6