All posts tagged Galco Holsters

Shoulder holsters are not out of style

I know that many gun ranges do not allow people to train for defensive shooting classes with shoulder holsters and I complete agree with the reasons.   I still believe that if you have to carry a full size auto, carrying it in a shoulder holster is the way to go.   For driving in vehicles whether for military purposes or for concealed carry, it is a practical way to defend yourself.  I think the vertical should holster is a much more practical and safer way to carry in a shoulder holster but small or medium size firearms work well in horizontal rigs.   I find the Elite Survival systems holsters to be the best nylon holsters but you get what you pay for.  Some of  my Uncle Mike’s holsters worked well but they are not as comfortable to wear.

There have been some pretty big design changes and I like many holster makers, the contour of the holsters has been modified.   The Miami classic holster from Galco holsters is still a very widely used holster for law enforcement.  This is probable the coolest shoulder holster and with a Glock 19 it works very well.   For winter carry these are above the belt line and are not something that will restrict you with the type of jackets you wear.  We have had some issues with customers buying the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jackets and then not like the length of the jacket.  Our answer is that it’s a jacket not a coat and if you want to wear this you need a different setup.

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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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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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CCW holsters can become complicated are they worth the hassle?

We recently had a few guys being deployed to Afghanistan that were looking to get Molle vests but they heard about an Elite Survial quick detach one that is coming out.  These guys all knew what it was like to get into situations where you have so much stuff strapped on you that it can be life threatening if  you get snagged on something or need to drop the load and move somewhere.   It’s also a comfort thing to some degree because if you can take it off quickly you aren’t wasting time.   The same goes for getting the stuff on which is why quick release gear sells faster.   Shoulder holsters can be very comfortable to wear especially for large autos but they are hard to get in and out of.

When it comes to waking up everyday and putting on a gun, nobody that CCWs for a long time is going to want to spend extra time with the hassles of clip things here and there and make adjustments.   The Galco Kingtuk holsters are a good idea and more comfortable but for every day carry they are little bit of a hassle to get on and off every day.   I will say that I use them for social environments and not for work because of the comfort levels but thats something for the buyer to decide.   Galco glock holsters  and Galco 1911 holsters are outstanding leather holsters.

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Blackawk Serpa vs CCW gun holsters

I love all of my handguns for various reasons and I guess that’s because I’ve learned to appreciate each aspect of them and the genius of the designs.   Once you achieve a certain level of experience you become to know that so much of guns and gear is about the job at hand and personal preference.   When arguments break out in our showroom its not about leather vs. kydex, but it’s about the levels of retention, Safariland holsters and Blackhawk seem to go together, but many like one over the other.  Much internet traffic has been generated about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa and how the guns can get jammed up in the  holsters and not release.

The Blackhawk CQC holsters are a marketed as concealment holsters too but many will find a holster like this hard to conceal except in the winter months, Blackhawk holsters like the Serpa in many peoples opinion, especially the Military is a fine duty holster.   There will always be a need for IWB gun holsters and Don Hume holsters and Galco holsters are still our biggest concealed carry gun  holsters.   IWB is probable the most practical although pocket carry is becoming very popular.   Pocket carry is still very much a white collar CCW and not really the best option for self defense.   Practice and situational awareness come before modes of CCW, but IWB will always be a more reliable way of carrying a firearm.

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Holsters that don’t cut it

I have a long list of things about various holsters makers that I don’t like and really wish they would fix, but it just doesn’t seem to happen.   I still don’t get these clip on IWB holsters that pop off of you when you bend down and get up.   I guess some people are as flexible as I am at my age, but I’ve tested a few IWB holsters this year after carrying a Glock 26 for a few months and 2 of them failed the first day i wore them.   Even with a good gun belt you can still have failures with IWB belts.   I believe I saw an instructor at Gunsight tell me that he sees failures with IWB holsters at almost every one of his training classes.

The failures usually occur when you draw your gun from your holster in a manor that you don’t normally do when you are moving slowly and something makes the clip hop off the belt.   The next thing you are doing is point a holster firearm at a target and you won’t be able to get to the trigger.   I have a pile of  Galco holsters and some of them are really nice and others just don’t cut it.   The Stow-n-go holsters are very comfortable but once you draw your gun, it’s very difficult to get them back in and that’s not a good thing.   Being able to holster your firearm after an incident is very important.

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The balance between design and size

In the firearm community there are some very well known facts, but they don’t always get the spotlight that they should.  One of them is about the reliability of shorter versions of the 1911 style firearms.   Sometimes the more you deviate from a reliable design, the more you deviate from reliability.   I see an awful lot of people go for smaller, compact or sub compact versions of a firearm and the limp wristing and an ammunition tolerances seem to decline.  The lighter the slide, the more likely the gun is not going to handle the same volume of fire, may need more gun lubrication and most likely will be more prone to limp wristing.   One of these examples I have seen time and time again are with 1911s and the Springfield XD models.  The standard size firearms are extremely reliable, but the other shorter versions are not.

When it comes to gun  holsters, I recently found that although I like certain gun holsters, it doesn’t mean I like them for every gun I own.   Most recently I was ordering a restock on the Don Hume gun holsters and I ordered several of the Don Hume Jit holsters for every gun that they made them for.   I have never used one for a Glock 19, but I thought I’d give it a try.    A j-frame, or Sig 239 work really well in these holsters because they are smaller and thinner than a Glock 19, but the Glock 19 that I tested them out on felt kind of flimsy.    I was looking at this  holster as a CCW option, but it really did not hold up against my body like the other firearms did.

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J-frames should never be underated

I recently did a ballistics test between a j-frame 38 Special and a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4″ barrel.   I thought that I would get better ballistics out of the obviously longer barrel, but I was wrong.   It’s amazing what a chronograph will do to your belief in gun energy.   I’ve seen ballistics out of M4 Carbines that nobody would believe.   I’ve read lots of stuff online about how weak the M4 Carbine is and that 2800fps was what they normally shot at.  Well, I was clocking in ballistics that were 400 fps above that.   I’m aware of the amount of stress and wear you can put on a firearm if you shoot it that much, but let’s just walk about capabilities within a certain threshold.

There are so many .380 pistols showing  up out there that people are more content with small pocket pistols like never before.   I finally got to shoot a Ruger LCP .380 a few weeks ago, but wasn’t blown away.  I know why people like them, but a j-frame in a pocket or even in Galco holsters, like a paddle  holster are just fine for me.   The Rohrbaugh guns are the race cars of small compact semi-autos, but the j-frame will always have it’s grip in that mode of CCW.   Considering that all of these .380 pistols are usually 6 or 7 shots, going with a 5 shot and a speed loader isn’t much to loose sleep over.

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