Muscle Memory avoid deviating at all costs
That’s my short answer on the Blackhawk retention holsters if you wanted an opinion. I’m not a big fan of taking novice gun owners or new recruits with a holster like this because I’ve seen it all on the firing line. The NRA has really good standards for training new students, children and even adults. I have rarely seen a new handgun shooter start off shooting on a table but I’ve gone back to that when watching new people walk up to a firing line and do the dumbest things. You can judge competency by someones education level nor the muscle mass. I’ve grown tired of being at public firing ranges whether indoors or on a State Game range and looking down the barrel of someone taking their girlfriend to the range or a newly hired Police Officer that was issued a sidearm but can’t handle the 45acp recoil.
When my life is on the line which it is every time a gun is unholstered, I have my tolerance levels and keeping a controlled environment is my protocol. Once someone has been trained on using a firearm, adapting to a retention holster like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters is just learning another device. It’s a bad idea starting out with both and many, many departments hire not on experience, there are always new people learning to shoot and it’s very common to see firearms instructors put bans on this holster system when training new students or unknown discipline. I do use these holsters as a paddle holster as well is the drop leg format and I do have respect for them.