All posts tagged Glock 17 holsters

USMC now adopting Blackhawk Serpas

Not only has there been a huge a huge order submitted to Trijicon for the ACOGs, the USMC has now officially adopted the Blackhawk Serpa holster as the official USMC gun holster.  Well, I have to say this,  I’ve been  one step ahead of the most powerful military in the world since I have personally already adopted the Blackhawk Serpa as the official gun holster for Rogue Elite employees.   When it comes to working, running and as the military knows, fighting a war, losing a firearm or having it fly around is a bad idea.  Velcro and gun straps are hard to re-engage under stress and the Blackhawk Serpa design isn’t.

Keeping  your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot is one of the basic firearm safety rules and the holster designers at Blackhawk knew this.  When you are drawing you gun from your Blackhawk Serpa holsters, if you are practicing your basic firearm safety rules, you will easily be able to release the firearm from it’s holster.   Locking it back into place means just dropping it into the holster.   There are also easy ways to modify the firearm on your leg, belt or vest and the Blackhawk Holster platform gives you a spot for  holster or for carrying more gun magazines.

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Blackhawk vs Fobus holsters

At first I thought it was an absurd comparison, but we’ve had a lot of people walk into our shop and ask us which one was better.   I’ve always viewed Fobus holsters as competition or training type holsters but not really a duty holster.   I won’t say they are fragile, but there is something about them that just makes me thing they are kind of an introductory holster.   For about $20 you can get a paddle holster for just about any medium or large frame semi-auto and that is probable the number one reason people get them.   Most CCW holders don’t carry large size frame autos so Fobus gun holsters don’t really get used  for ccw as often.

I personally don’t think locking systems are a good idea for CCW, but for duty work, military work and open carry, they are probable the best holster you can have.    Blackhawk holsters are a great open carry holster because with open carry you have no obstruction to getting to your holster so finding the release button should be a non issue.  If you are carrying with a vest or under a shirt or sweatshirt clearing the firearm from a garment can be tricky enough, but trying to find a release button and the possibility of snags already in play, you are increasing your chances of not retrieving the 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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Even if you don’t want to wear a Serpa Holsters

If you were not aware of this, let me fill you in, the Blackhawk gun holsters are one of our biggest selling holsters, but a less known fact is that their magazine holders are the best thing you can use for CCW or duty use.   There is a time and place for Nylon gun holsters and magazine holders but they are not very practical for concealed carry purposes or for use in competition use.   I’ve had a few magazine holders that were either extremely uncomfortable, they rattled too much when I moved or they just didn’t hold the magazine at all.   I’ve never lost a magazine before but I’ve had them fall out of magazine holders that did not have any kind of retention.

Magazine retention is something you’ll have to decide on for yourself, but I am not a fan of carrying spare magazines in pockets or in nylon holsters if I am carry a firearm.  The Blackhawk gun holsters that I use are  normally in use while training on a Carbine course, but the blackhawk single stack and double stack magazines are always in use.   You can hang upside down with a loaded magazine and you won’t loose the gun mag,  and if you need the mag there is nothing to clear before pulling it.   There are a few color options as well as the Carbon Fiber magazine holders for you to look over.

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A simple solution if you need a tactical holsters

We mostly deal with people that are private contractors or civilians taking defensive training courses.   Recently there has been a real up tick in the number of people calling us that have trained with Chris Fry at MDTS Training.  Chris has really gotten a lot of attention in recent months and the number of people that have trained with him is really starting to add up.   Personal Defense Network is putting  out a new DVD wtih Chris Fry.  We’re proud to see someone like Chris getting noticed.   Several of his students have started purchasing holsters from us for upcoming Carbine Courses and one of the bigger sellers are the Blackhawk Omega holsters.

One good thing about the Blackhawk Omega holsters is they are very versatile in the types of firearms they can hold.  If you have a Sig 228, Sig 229 or a Glock 17 or Glock 19 you can use the same Blackhawk holsters.    The other good thing about them is its another way to carry a spare magazine.  You can prepare for the nightmare situation where your M4 Carbine goes down and you need a backup gun, but if you need to carry around 6 or more spare gun magazines for  your secondary weapon you’re more than likely going to over load yourself.   The real purpose of a secondary firearms is to help give you time to get your primary backup and running or give you an opportunity to retreat.

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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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Somebody has been finding about the Jit holsters

After being in business for so many years, and working in this industry, I’ve seen enough trends in various things like firearms, holsters, ammunition and attitudes in general.   I remember when I only knew a  handful of people that CCW permits and now that number is probable 4-5 higher and it’s mostly people that I didn’t expect to get them.   I have several friends that did the College thing, the Grade School thing, and after they got tired of changing jobs, they started their own businesses.   Unfortunately, some of them found out real fast about the liabilities of having a business and dealing with the public.

There are always statistics attached to certain types of crimes and if you own a pizza sh0p, restaurant, UPS driver, or just travel around in Urban environments, you general area going to witness or know someone that was robbed or assaulted.   I do like the Don Hume holsters that attached are belt through holsters, they seem to be the simplest and smaller holster design.   The gun basically hangs in the holster unlike many other holders that contain it.   There is no clip or paddle protruding into your hip and they seem to be one of the most popular ones CCW holders are buying these days.

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Glocks 17 holsters and safety

I view the Glock pistol as an unsheathed knife.  When you pull a knife or a sword you better pay attention to where your blade is because it will cut you.   I am not big fan of manual safeties on handguns because the closer you are to a bad guy the less time you’ll have.  On an AR15 it’s whole other story.   I am also not a big fan of carrying firearms around with empty chambers.   People gotta realize that when bad things happen, you don’t have all the time in the world and giving yourself one more thing to do before you can defend yourself is a bad idea.   I recently did an audit of all of the friends and family members that I know that carry firearms and the vast majority of them have never been in a really hostile situation.

I, unfortunately have too much experience in those regards and I completely understand what “stress” is in combat or hostile situations.  I never got into the whole CCW thing just for being a cowboy.   I’ve seen evil and I know the dark side of what humanity can do and it’s not just about defending our lives, it’s also about defending the innocent.    I think there are some good designs out that may be at higher safety level than Glocks, but the Blackhawk holsters that I like the most for Glock firearms is the Serpa.   The Level II tactical holsters lock the gun in place, you hear it click and you don’t have to worry about thumb breaks or guns flying out of the holster because there is nothing to retain it.

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Beretta 92 still going strong after all of these years

I jumped on the Beretta 92FS bandwagon in the later 1990’s because it seemed to be one of the most reasonable priced 9mm I could find.   This is a full size gun and  not really good for IWB, but it is the easiest handgun to take down and clean.   There was a movie where a fight broke out and a good guy took apart an M9 handgun in a gun fight, but the reality is that if anyone can get their hands on your gun they can hit a mag release or push the slide back and jam it up just as easy.  Sometimes knowing  how something works means knowing  how to break it, too.

The Beretta 92 does have a lot of play in the trigger and it’s kind of hard to claim it’s a great IDPA guy, but it is extremely well balanced and reliable.   It is also so common that finding good deals on used magazines and parts is easy.   Blackhawk holsters sells a great military style leg holster that will securely lock your firearm in place and the M9/Beretta 92FS is one of our top selling Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   This only goes to show that with all of the faults the guy may have, it’s still one of the best and people trust it with their lives.

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Thin guns for CCW might cut it

I’ve been trying to carry Glocks for the last year and had to buy a ton of new holsters because my thin build didn’t really hide them very well.   Glocks are thicker than most of my Sigs and carrying them in any other manor than IWB has been almost impossible if I want concealment.   I still love carrying them in Blackhawk Serpa holsters but these holsters are not CCW friendly in my humble opinion.  There are so many variables in trying to conceal a firearm and some modes are just not practical.   I’ve seen ankle holsters for Sig 229 and large Glock guns and I just find it unreasonable to carry that much weight on your ankle, not to mention how secure the thing is.

One favorite way to carry on an outside the waist holsters is with a 1911.  The 1911 is a much thinner frame and  even though the Government model is long, it is easy to tuck in and conceal.  You may have some issues with the cocked hammer snagging but that is something that can be dealt with.  Galco holsters made the Combat master which is a belt attached holster.  This holster is going to fit right up against you and not protrude.  If you add that with the thin framed 1911, you will have another OWB holster that can be concealed.  It does work with summer carry if you wear a large cut and dark t-shirt.

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