All posts tagged Glock Holsters

The importance of practicing with your CCW

There are many times in our life when we just won’t have time to get out and go shooting, married life and children can always shorten your free time, but lack of gun maintenance and shooting rehearsal will affect your performance.   I recently read an interview with the Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel and he mentioned that he won’t let anyone walk up to the plate during the regular season unless they have had atleast 75-100 pitches in batting practice.   The hand eye co-ordination is something that get’s lost and even the best guys are terrible at bats if they haven’t had practice, shooting skills are no different.

Regular cleaning atleast once a month in the summer or hot weather depending on the type of gun and holster you are  using and I strongly suggest you put 50rds through your firearm atleast once every 3 months.   Fobus holsters will work for you for CCW, but you will need a vest or long jacket to use such a paddle holster. Considering how inexpensive these holsters are, I would suggest getting one even for something like a J-frame which tends to be a pocket gun.   Practicing from concealment is good practice as long as your gun range allows it.

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Getting picky about gun holsters is the norm

We get so many phone calls asking us basically asking us to tell people how to dress themselves when they get out of bed in the morning.   Maybe 5% of the questions we get asking about tactical clothing and concealed carry clothing are about how someone will look in the clothing once they put it on.   The same goes for gun holsters.  People often ask us how they feel and how well they are made and all of this really comes down to your personal preference.  I can give you a calorie count for every food item you eat, but you gotta tell me if you liked eating it.

Going through your house and pick out the type of clothing that you can wear all year long is probable impossible for you unless you live in a desert or the North Pole.  Just like we need rain coats when it’s raining and winter coats when it’s snowing, we need gun holsters and clothing for changes in weather and seasons.  Most people don’t carry a shoulder holster when they are living in t-shirt and flip flop land and nobody is going to tell you that you have to wear a leather holster in 100F temperatures.   You have to find what feels right and works for you and then think about another scenario for the other things.

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Shoulder holsters and the firing line

I always use to carry my full size autos in a shoulder holster, but I had a situation a few years ago where I thought that since the gun was vertical holster I didn’t need the retention strap and I ended up almost losing a gun when I unexpectedly felt it almost fall out.    I’ve grown to appreciate locking holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa and I always use a retention strap when using a shoulder rig.   Shoulder holsters are frowned upon by many firearm instructors because it’s hard to train someone on a firing line in that configuration.   Back in the day, most of the FBI agents I worked with carried in a shoulder holster, but not anymore.

There have been times that I have walked up to a firing line and noticed that I could clearly identify the hollow point ammunition in a firearm because even though it was holster, I was looking down the barrel.   A few guys in a long range shooting competion had their guns in gun holsters, and they were locked in, but I was still uncomfortable standing there.  If you have a horizontal shoulder holster and you were on the firing line, and I was standing directly behind you, you would be pointing  your gun at me without having your hand on it.   Is this alarming?  Not really,  but there is a split second period where if you were to go and unholster the gun, your hand would be on the firearm as it was pointing at me, and you would be violating one of the safety rules.

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Outside the pants holsters

The first question I would ask someone if they were asking me for a holster would be to ask them “for what” and then say “how much do you want to spend”.   I am starting to feel very uncomfortable in carrying inside the waist.  I believe it is probable the best location for CCW, but it can get uncomfortable if you are a 7 days a week carrier.    Most cops carry in a paddle or belt holster and that has a lot to do with comfort.   I’m hearing good things about Crossbread holsters, but I still haven’t held them in my hands or tried them out.   I should be getting a few in sometime next month, but in the mean time, I’ve been carrying with a Don Hume Jit holster and I am finding it very comfortable.

I haven’t had to alter the types of clothing I have worn since switching the way I carried, and I have to watch I don’t lift my arms up too high.   I can’t wait for Spring when I can wear some of my lighter weight vests because right now this winter indoor heat at stores is killing me.   I almost passed out when I was walking around doing Christmas shopping because the dry heat and lack of breath ability of the heavy winter coat I wore almost made me want to turn around and go home.   I have several Fobus holsters that work very well, but even the paddle starts to bother me.   A friend of mine took a class with his Fobus holster and said that it hurt at the end of the day after he was rolling around on the ground.   I have found that full size autos work very well with the Fobus paddle holsters, but they are not the most comfortable to wear.

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CCW for the skinny guys

I’m talking about guys here because I don’t k now very many females that carry guns IWB or pocket carry.   I’m not sure why, but most females I am friends with carry in a purse or carry in a paddle or strong side holster.   There are many ways of carrying a gun on just a belt line.   You can carry with a belt loop, double belt loop, clip on or paddle holster.   I have a few backup holsters that are the Don Hume jit holsters that work very well for me because they keep the gun up and don’t take up very much room like a paddle holster.  I also can’t feel it push against my body at all when I am sitting down, unlike the IWB holsters.   I am still looking to pick up a crossbreed holster for a Sig 239 in 40 S&W because I’ve heard they are the most comfortable holsters.   I’ll find out and tell you my thoughts later.

I have never been a big fan of putting on a holster that need to through with a belt because I really don’t feel like having to do that every morning when I get up and go off to work.  That extra 20 minutes of wiggling things around and trying to line up the holster to the belt loops ect. is rather annoying and a clip on the belt gun holsters takes 2 seconds.   I do believe that I may have found a replacement for my paddle holsters which I tend to only carry when I am wearing a vest.   The Don Hume Jit holster may work for you if you have a large cut shirt, but us skinny guys don’t have the shape to hide very much unless it’s flat up against us.

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The FN 5.7 as a defensive weapon

I first saw the 5.7  in all it’s glory with what I would consider to be AP ammo.   I heard a few people mention that they thought that this gun should be illegal, but ballistically it couldn’t do anything that the much more common M855 or SS109 could do.   Yeah I know that a criminal might prefer a handgun to defeat a police officers armor, but the last Police Officer killed here in Pennsylvania was killed with an SKS with standard ammo and a 30rd magazine that actually jammed.   The SKS can take detachable magazines, but I have never seen them hold up as well as the AK family of guns with these mags.   The 5.7 has the ballistics of something close to the 22 magnum, and even though that is not a very powerful stopping round it is as effective as the person carrying it.

I don’t know of any reliable 22 magnum semi auto guns, I know a few pocket revolvers that were fun to shoot, but if you want a small and light semi auto with similar 22 magnum ballistics and has a much  higher capacity, there’s nothing wrong with packing the 5.7 FN.  I think there are better calibers for duty officers, but there are a number of gun holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa that can be had for this gun.  Unfortunately the piece of crap that killed our soldiers at Fort Hood used this firearm arm very effectively, but hopefully anyone reading this will know that every firearm used in the hands of a good and law abiding citizen is an asset to society.

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Options other than paddle holsters

I think the real question that some people need to think about when they are going to take a firearm to a Carbine course is to take some serious thought into what kind of retention they want.   I have never seen a firearm come out of a Fobus holster on the firing line, but I have seen gun magazines pop out of that type of magazine holder.    Blackhawk makes a better magazine holder due to the fact that there is actually tension on the mag in the holder.   If you are carrying an M4 around, and you need a sidearm, I strongly recommend you have a holster that has a thumb break or a Blackhawk Serpa type of holster.

One other suggestion I have because I have a pile of these types of holsters is the Uncle Mikes hip holsters.    I have a few that have a magazine holster right in front of the gun holster which is a nice way to carry a backup mag, you always know where it is in relation to the gun, and if you are carrying a lot of gear, it’s nice to keep the spare mag next to the spare gun.   I have some of Uncle Mikes  holsters that are leg holsters, hip holsters and should holsters.   There have been a few modifications they have made to the shoulder holsters which in my opinion were an improvement.   The magazine holders are now on the opposite side of the holster and you don’t have to carry them separately.

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Fobus gun holster reviews

I am a strong believer in having atleast 3 magazines for every semi-auto handgun you own and having atleast one holster for it.   If you are every in a situation where you may have to give a family member a firearm, it’s in my humble opinion a good idea to have it in a holster especially if it is loaded.   Even though most gun fights are usually only a few rounds, magazines can break and nightmarish situations can occur.   I actually know someone that was in a defensive situation here in Philadelphia where he was attacked by multiple persons, and you could have used an M4 in a concealed carry situation and still may not have been able to hold off what had occurred to him and his family.

If I owned a gun shop, I’d probable sell Fobus holsters for half price to just about anyone buying a medium or large frame firearm.    These holsters are very good for open carry or for winter carry under a vest or a jacket.    The only down side to these holsters is that they can become uncomfortable to use when shooting on the ground.   I have a few of the magazine paddle holders and I find it to be a little too much to take if I have paddle holsters all around my belt line.   For real seriou

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Keeping it lightweight and simple

I know the idea of keeping it simple may mean carrying a larger auto and no spare magazines for concealed carry, but my idea of keeping it simple is usually pocket carry.     Sometimes people can go overboard with the CCW and even though you are well withing  your right to carry a gun legally, if you are packing too much gear, there’s a pretty good chance you will eventually be outed or “made” by someone that you don’t really want to know what you are carrying.   I have had atleast 2 times in my life where someone I barely knew, figured out real fast that something metal on my belt line, that wasn’t where my cell phone was. was there.

Every time you walk past someone in a close environment, there is a good chance you will get an “excuse me” and they will bump up against you.   People don’t realize how often it actually occurs, but elevators stares, doorways ect, are known for bumpin.   Carrying at social environments like business meetings is something that even more bumping can occur.   Sounds funny, but I speak from experience.  Sometimes I carry a Kahr K9 in 40 in one of my many Galco holsters that is an ankle holster.   This is one of the best ways to avoid bumping and being made in a white collar or close quarters social environment.   Find a good gun shop that allows you to try them on.

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Buying used guns that have hardly been used

I recently jumped into the world of Glock ownership.   It is a used Glock 19 which is a Generation 2.   I got it fora about $400 out the door and even though it has a little bit of holster wear.   The barrel looks like it has less than 500rds through it.   It’s funny how many times I’ve picked up a new firearm from a gun shop that had a few dents or dings on it but the internal parts were hardly worn.   I’m sure 90% of the lever action and bolt action firearms you see in the used section have the same history, but you should always inspect the internal workings before purchasing.   I’ve seen excessive wear on firearms due to lack of cleaning and lubrication and although the guns haven’t jammed, they had less than 1000rds through them and look really beat up.

There are great deals on used Sig Sauer pistols, Glock firearms and Beretta 92FS types.   These guns were standard issue for most of our LEOs in the last two decades and many are switching over to other types of autos.   Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have put out there own handguns that have taken a bite out of the Glock stronghold, but I won’t pick a winner  yet.   I prefer to have atleast a paddle holster for each handgun I own and gun holsters for concealed carry if I am expecting to carry it at some point.   The only handguns I don’t have holsters for are a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MKII pistol.   These are primarily plinking guns and not going to be carried.

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