All posts tagged Glock 17 holsters

Signs from Law Enforcement

I must spend about an hour a day watching Youtube to learn about various products.  Sometimes I don’t even bother going to the manufacturers websites because so much of it is all on the tube.   It’s much easier to watch a 10 minute video about a product than to read through pages of product descriptions and features.  There are a lot of things about clothing and guns and gear that aren’t spelled out very well and the funniest one that we’ve seen clothing companies talk about were “hook and loop” closures.   Basically they couldn’t just tell you that it was velcro and we’ve had people spend several minutes trying to find out what the heck a hook and loop closure was on a shirt.

When it came to figure out what the differences were and why there was so much drama flowing around on about the Blackhawk Serpa holsters being banned form various firearm instructors, we had to do some research.   After much research Safariland holsters seemed to be the chosen retention holsters for Police Officers in Pennsylvania and most of the Cops that I know are happy with them.   There are always trade offs with any type of holster but I would say that Safariland holsters are probable 25% better and safer to use than the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.  Idiots are capable of doing anything but the Safariland holsters don’t rely on your index finger doing anything.

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Arguments about the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters are the same as the Glock vs 1911

I remember some of the biggest arguments against the 1911 were that they had a manual safety.   Then I started noticing that 90% of the Cops I know were putting their guns in Safariland or Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   What’s the difference?  There is no difference between having a safety on a firearm or a safety on a holster when it comes to deploying your weapon.   I don’t like the idea of having safeties on a concealed carry weapon because deployment in those situations means drawing a firearm from under clothing which in it’s self is another obstacle for you before you can get to the trigger.

I understand the flaws that are being debated and why many firearms instructors do not want those holsters in training classes, but some of the warnings are over reactive.   I have seen many news story of cops with Glocks shooting themselves and it wasn’t because they used Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   I use the Blackhawk drop down leg holster and am very happy with it.   I do not use them for concealed carry nor would I use a Safariland retention  holster.   The debate should not be about the equipment, but about the operator.  Some firearms and weapons should  not be in the hands of novice shooters because they may be more prone to hurt themselves like new shooters.

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We are a stocking Desantis holster dealer

Desantis holsters are probable the best known leather holsters for Law Enforcement in our neck of the woods and it was only a matter of time before we had to start stocking them.  Given all of the variations you have with firearms these days and the recent surge in small autos for pocket carrry, then through in all of the guns with lasers, and you’ve got a very complicated and ever changing situation for a holster maker.   As soons as somebody changes the sights or puts the sights on the gun, you better pay attention to the holsters you are using.

I have to admit that I have modified firearms without checking to see if there were holster issues, but I was lucky enough to not have the problem.  The Desantis holsters that I prefer to use for concealed carry are the Desantis Speed Scabbards.   I don’t like the idea of having to have retention of any sort other than a holster when I’m carrying under a shirt or a garment and the Speed Scabbard fits the bill.  I’ve been using the Don Hume Jit holster which is kind of the same thought but doesn’t seem to be as up against the body as the Scabbard.  Every firearm will be different and much of this is about preference.

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Inside the waistband holsters?

I remember when I finally realized that there is no such thing as a perfectly comfortable way of carrying a firearm, you just learn how to adjust to carrying it.   The people that have no complaints about how they carry a firearm probable don’t do a lot of physical work because for those of us that are physically active are going to feel the guns press up against us especially if they are medium or large frame.   It is funny to say though that the most comfortable gun I can carry is not the smallers, but its actually the thinnest, the Colt 1911.

More people I know carry firearms on belt holsters and not IWB and I have to say that that is partially because they are too fat to put a gun in the belt. The Desantis holsters that I have been using recently are the Sof-tuck holsters.   I will report back after I use them for awhile.   One of my biggest issues lately with the IWB holsters is they become flimsy and do not hold their form and re-holstering firearms can actually become dangerous if the holster does not all the gun to go in easily.   There are reasons to be able to quickly re-holster a firearm after a fight so that  you can lay low until the police arrive and not be standing there with a gun in your hands.

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Different modes of carry doesn’t mean you should skip the holster

I am a firm believer that people should consider atleast 2-3 concealment options for each of their firearms.  Not all firearms can be carried in a pocket and some are too darn heavy for ankle holsters but just because it’s a small gun doesn’t mean it’s always meant to carried in  your pocket.   Inside the waistband is the best way for most firearms to be carried but it can also be the most  uncomfortable.  There are certain things you need to consider when carrying a firearm in this manor and I would highly recommend elastic waistband pants.

We will become a full line dealer for desantis  holsters in the coming weeks and Pocket holsters are something you should always consider for your pocket guns.   Pocket lint and tumbling can occur with firearms and the Desantis holsters that we recommend for LCP users is the Desantis Nemesis.  Sometimes people thing that since it’s a pocket gun, you don’t need a holster.   If you don’t use a pocket holster I guarantee you’ll need to cleanin your firearms more often.  Some lint will still collect on a pocket gun but usually just around the hammer and firing pin which can easily be cleaning up with a q-tip.

 

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Paddle holsters and Locking holsters

Fobus holster have been around for a long time and for roughly $20 they are a very good open carry or sidearm holster.  Recently there was a reminding wake up call to people that open carry after a CCW holder was shot with his own firearm at a convenience store after several youths pulled his gun.   We must always remind ourselves that there are some highly trained criminals out there that can spot 5.11 tactical pants from a mile a way, but many criminals are just looking for the easy life and not going to pull anything off if we don’t make it easy on them.

Locking systems have been around for a long time if you consider thumb break holster, but there are improvements like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters and the Safariland ALS.  Blackhawk Serpa holsters seem to be more popular for civilian gun owners and the Safariland for Law Enforcement and Military.   Each locking holster has it’s pros and cons and to each his own, but if you are an open carry CCW holder, a locking holster should become more of a priority for you.

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Open Carry Holsters and firearm retention

Recently there was a major news story about a guy that was open carrying a firearm that ended up being used against him.   A group of teenagers used his firearm in a robbery.   Apparently there was video of the 2 attackers standing behind the individual with the gun and pulled it from his holster when his back was turned.   While this crime was evil and the attackers should be put on death row, the stupidity of open carry in many situations just doesn’t click.  Here in Philadelphia there was a law abiding gun owner that was arrested for Open Carry when it was wrong for them to do so because it was legal to do in Pennsylvania.

It’s not smart to open carry for both of those reason, you can piss off a Cop that isn’t use to seeing it or you could get shot in the back by two 15yr olds that were unarmed until you turned your back.  If you are open carrying, firearm retention holsters like Blackhawk holsters and Safariland holsters are our biggest sellers.   It is very difficult to get a good grip on a firearm and release it at the same time unless you are the one wearing it.   The angle of retrieval can be in your favor.

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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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