All posts tagged Glock 19 holsters

Paddle holsters and the differences between them

When i think of paddle holsters the first thing I think about are Fobus holsters.  I see many people bitch about them online but I have not had any bad experiences with them.   The only complaint I have about paddle holsters is they are very uncomfortable to use when shooting from prone.  I wore one to the range during a glass and switched to my Elite Survival drop leg holsters to free up my waist.  Fobus holsters are really nice to use in the winter or for open carry because they are so easy to get on and off and they only cost about $20.  For someoone that is taking a defensive training course we always sell them a Fobus paddle holster and then a Woolrich Elite lightweight vest.   I would say that I am not a fan of the Fobus magazine holders because they are just too bulky, the Blackhawk magazine holders are better contoured.

The simple answer for which paddle holster you should use would be to ask  yourself if you want retention or not.  Blackhawk Serpa holsters are very big with Glock guys and the Safariland holsters for Glocks are very very popular because of the retention.  If you don’t want any type of firearm retention you have many other options out there. There are Desantis holsters, Galco holsters, Fobus and many more that make decent paddle holsters but there are huge price differences.   I usually stick with Fobus and Blackhawk to make it simple but I have had some reasons to acquire the Safariland holsters, too.

 

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Blackhawk Serpa holsters for sidearms

I have taken several courses with my Carbine and I still am sticking with my Blackhawk Serpa holsters even with all of this brewha that has been going on.  I’ve seen it so many times at the range that ceratain holsters or gear is more likely to cause accidents with shooters that are not as disciplined.  It’s not the gears fault its the shooter and everyone knows that even though so many instructors have banned the holster.  They get tired of the “new guys” always doing the same mistakes.   The thigh rig for my sidearm is a great way to carry because i do not like having a sidearm on my vest or on the belt line if I am toting my LWRC M6A2.

Keeping as much gear off your belt is a good  thing and new shooters will find that out after the first hour on a firing line.   With a full range of holsters for medium and large frame sidearms the Blackhawk Serpa holsters are still the hottest selling thigh rigs for students heading off to the range.  They are about $50 less than the Safariland holsters and I really can’t argue one being any better for the chore at hand.  We stock a large supply of these holsters for the most popular Sig Sauer, Glock, Beretta and 1911 firearms.  Even the XD45 is one of the most common we see carried in this type of holster.

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Galco leather holster reviews

In the tactical accessories and tactical gear market, it’s not always about what is the best, it’s about what is the best for the job at hand.  Many gun holsters are not that practical and are good for backup situations but not primary.  Any gun is better than no gun, but ankle holsters and deep cover holsters that are tuckable might be your only option in some circumstances.  Galco makes a very comfortable ankle holster and the tuckable holster are one of our biggest sellers.

With gun holsters and accessories, there are so many well made products out there that it’s a testament to American ingenuity and creativity to how they are made and why they are made like that.   Galco holsters is probable the best direction someone can go for concealed carry and defensive shooting.   While many gun holsters may hold a niche market, Galco holsters are some of the nicest leather holster that don’t cost much more than one or two pistol magazines.  The Stow-n-go holsters are big for Concealed carry and not all of our Glock customers want a Kydex holster.   Sometimes a nice leather holster for a Glock is the way to go.

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Full size guns and holster options

I have stacks of gun holsters in my closet but in all honesty I still use most of them.   I carry for work but sometimes I just feel like carrying something different and I’ll break out a Beretta 92Fs in a shoulder holster or a Sig 226 in a Miami Vice Classic holster.   Sometimes its just fun to put one on and get the gun out of your waistband.   I personally prefer to carry a firearm inside the waistband for concealment but when you have to do heavy lifting or bending over a lot.  Sometimes  you can develop bruising or soreness depending on the holster you are using. Kydex is great and so are some of the Kingtuk style holsters but there are body movement limits.

When I just want to get moving and I have a concealment vest or jacket on, I have a lot of fun with my Fobus holsters.  I never understood why people bash Fobus holsters as being inferior because for $20 they make a darn good holster.  I have never had fit issues with them and I have yet to have ever broken one.  They are very easy on off holsters if you think you have to do banking or go into a Government building and remove your firearm.   Fobus holsters are very well balanced with full size firearms but a bit of an overkill for j-frame revolvers.

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New guns vs the old guns

We got a lot of weird questions about firearms and clothing and some things just aren’t worth our time pursuing.   There are new products  coming out every couple months and there are always new guns after SHOT Show or the NRA Convention that we basically have no interest in buying up holsters or gear with.   We normally wait for our customer to give us feedback on products and if there is enough interest in them, then we’ll bring in holsters, tactical lights or keep standard capacity magazines around.   Tactical lights are becoming a major headache for some manufacturers because there are fit differences between each tactical light.

Lately there seems to be a trend from local police departments to go back to Glocks just because some of the products have become so complicated it’s just not worth the hassle being the first to pick up a new handgun.   One thing that seems to be true is everyone goes back to Safariland holsters for their Sigs and Glock pistols.  Today a local police department asked us to look into getting them holsters for the Sig 220 handguns that are issued to them.  It was odd to hear that that gun is still in service locally, but it is.   There are polymer Sig pistols and even if they have an advantage, in the market place, there just aren’t as many options for them.

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More info from walk in customers about guns and gear….

I have been told I’m an old soul because I’m far more mature than most my age and I’ve been that way for probable most of my life.   Many of the good things I remember about growing up was getting all the info I wanted from my Grandfather and all of my Uncle’s.  I only had a couple of Aunt’s so it was not very balanced in having sources of information.   When it came to Astronomy, Science, Politics and Religion, I got input from so many different views that I was forced to pick  one or think about it and come to a conclusion.  The same goes now for all of our customers that tell us about the gear and gadgets they use.

One of the best things I got from both of my Grandfather’s was the ability to always ask questions.   I always ask customers about the fiasco over the Blackhawk Serpa holsters and the recent bans that are taking place all over.  My own thoughts on it are that a less trained shooter is more likely to happen with a Serpa holsters than a Safariland holster but I still use the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, and I have them for all of my combat sidearms.   Those debates about what can happen to a Serpa holster are true, but try jamming the same dirt and snow in your AR15 bolt and tell me if that locks up the same way.  Yep, it does.

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Be careful what you decide on for a pocket holster

They are not all the same even though they are probable all under $20.   We have several people coming in here and looking at the various pocket holsters and giving us some feedback.  I personally have a stockpile of Uncle Mike’s holsters that I picked up at gun shows and and ended up retiring them for something a little bit more sturdy.  Not that Uncle Mike’s products are crap, but they aren’t the best product for the buck.   I have carried Taurus revolvers in the past with clip on inside the waist band holster but the belt clips did not hold up when you bent over.  A good gun belt like The Wilderness or an Elite Survival Systems belt namely the Cobra Belt are great options to reduce this, but why not do something more secure.

The Uncle Mike’s holsters I have that were pocket holsters had a small piece of fabric that is suppose to cause some friction when the gun is drawn, but it’s not that good.  We have leather, nylon and kydex holsters here but the Desantis holsters that we sell a lot of are the Desantis Nemesis pocket holsters.  They have more friction material covering the outside of the  holsters, but they are closer to $20.   The Elite Survival Systems pocket holsters a huge seller because they are just as good and about $50 cheaper.   The Woolrich Elite Chino pants that we sell are probable a big hit in store, because the pocket holster shoppers are always looking for concealed carry pants that work for them.

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Glocks the unshethed knife

I remember when Glocks started showing up in Law Enforcement agencies and people were claiming that they were more dangerous than previous firearms that were issued.  Supposedly they were sold as not having a safety and from what I saw, yes, I actually did see more accidents over a course of a year when they first were issued.  Now that Glock pistols have decades long experience you can’t argue with something that obviously works and work well.  The military issued sidearm the Beretta 92 or M9 as it is called defanitely is not  up to what the Glock can do and by watching what military contractors are using.

The Glock trigger safety really should not be called a safety because it does not work like a traditional safety at all.   It is more of an accidental discharge prevention safety but a top selling Safariland holsters with the ALS system are the reason we refer to the Glock as an unsheethed knife.   If a Glock is put in a retention holster it is like sword that has been sheethed.  There are always trade offs with firearms but it truely is an out of the box point and shoot sidearm.  Love them or hate them, they work, and work well

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Over thinking concealment holsters

We’ve had a few people stop in and ask us if they can try out some of our holsters and we don’t mind that at all.  Many times people spend too much trying to get a product to adapt to them when they really need to think about adapting to it.  There is nothing wrong about customizing accessories and gear to you, but sometimes people spend too much time thinking about.  Take for instance a grip accessory on a firearm like an AR15, if you don’t like the position, you just unscrew it and move it. If you can’t figure out if it fits your hand, then you’re overthinking it, we see that all the time.

When people make the decision to carry a firearm, they are taking on many responsibilities unless you want to carry the smallest firearm possible expect a level of discomfort.  When people need a quick and easy decision about a gun holster we point them towards Fobus holsters unless they are looking for an inside the waistband option.   Fobus paddle  holsters are easy on, off holsters and great for full size or duty guns.   A good companion to any gun holster is  a good belt like the Blackhawk Pistol Belts or the Wilderness instructor belts.

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Is your gun holster going to get you killed?

I remember hearing all of the stories about how AR15 rifle jam and that they need to be cleaned.  Well all of this is true but the complaining seems to be exaggerated.   All firearms will eventually go down if they are not cleaned or maintained which in my opinion is a better term, but some may last longer than others.    I have seem ammunition malfunctions occur in rifles where just the slightest burr on the bullet can cause a feeding problem and taking your gun apart or clearing the malfunction can be difficult.   The same type of thing can occur with any mechanical device, ever get your shoe on your foot all wrong and have trouble getting your socks pulled up?  Mechanical parts will eventually cease up or jam up at some point.

Gun holsters have become far more complicated anymore and with everyone and their dog putting on sights, laser or just night sights, you can end up needing a different holster unless you’re brave enough to tweak the holster yourself.  Recently we had a tactical team show up at our store and pick up some of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters we sell and asked them what they were seeing in the Law Enforcement Community after all of the recent  hoopla.  I already knew the answer to this but I sometimes like to test out the customers we have and find  out what their opinions were of this mechanical device.  The answer was, it’s a mechanical device and it can fail.

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