All posts tagged Glock Holsters

Safariland retention and thigh holsters

For those that work in the industry you see new products and supposedly new accessories that people want to pump you up about.  Marketing and advertising products are going to try and get you to believe that you need to buy it, but there are many things that are all about preference and styles.   Some products like the Safariland ALS are tried and tested and we’ve sold so many of them that it’s not something we’re expecting to see improved upon.

While the Beretta 92 or more commonly known as the M9, is still military issued, most in the Special Forces prefer to use something else. Most of our customer base use Glock firearms because the low maintenance firearm and the time tested Safariland holsters have the most reliable locking mechanism for Law Enforcement and Military applications. Every Police Officer that walks in our store prefers Safariland. The Glock 17  is still the most popular firearm we sell holsters for.

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Fobus holsters are the best starting point for buying holsters

There are as many gun holsters out there to choose from but it’s always a good idea to have a few different style of holsters to give  you more diversity in the way you can carry a firearm.   Fobus holsters are designed for primary or secondary carry, they are our number one selling Competition shooting holsters and often get sold with concealment vests.  Glock Fobus holsters, Sig Fobus holsters, Beretta Fobus holsters and Springfield XD holsters.   The 1911 Fobus holsters  have no retention devices to disengage and make a great companion to the 1911.

Recently we held a Utah CCW course in our store and several of the people showing up were very new to firearm ownership.  They were completely oblivious to what type of holsters to use and we recommended starting off with the Fobus holsters like their paddle holsters.  These guns are very inexpensive and are often used in our new competition or defensive training.   For many medium or large frame firearms, if you are not sure if you want a customer kydex holster that costs $50 and up or you you don’t know if you want a leather holster, this is the best starting point.

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Retetion holsters, open carry and concealed carry

There are many areas of this industry where it is all about preference and it’s not really a problem using holster A, holster B or holster C in a situation.   I realize that not everyone is going to be handcuffing a suspect and needs to worry about a bad guy grabbing his gun while stopping someone during a frisk, but there is more than that reason to have a locking holster of some sort.   There are plenty of youtube videos out there showing you the difference between the level 2 and level 3 holsters from Blackhawk and Safariland land and every one of them is for a different level of Law Enforcement or tactical applications.   Retention holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa are now military issued because in the middle of combat things can and will go flying if they are not locked down.

I know the Blackhawk Serpa holsters advertise that they are for concealment but I really have to put my foot down and suggest to any civilian that is carrying a firearm, that these are not the best holsters for hiding under a garment.  I personally suggest that the Blackhawk Serpa holsters be used for open carry or law enforcement because going under cover means the concern of snagging, and putting in another potential slow down like a locking holster in the mix is more of a liability.  There are plenty of holsters from Desantis or from Safariland that give you some level of retention that can be adjusted with a screw that don’t need to have a button release to get them out.

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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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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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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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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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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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Run on gun holsters as well as other firearm parts

There have been many products on our website that have been sold out for months and getting them back in here anytime soon isn’t going to happen. There are a few distributors we have had to stop dealing with and become direct dealers because the wait periods were so long.  Spikes Tactical and Don Hume gear and accessories have been so hard to get and this has to be the first time I have ever heard of there being a run on gun holsters.   Leather gun holsters tend to look really nice and have a very different appeal.  Many of them are extremely comfortable to wear especially the Kingtuk holsters.

We are a stocking Desantis gun holster dealer and they have many products that are similar to the Crossbreed and Galco holsters.  Our product lines tend to match up with whatever Galco holsters are the most popular.  From inside the waist holsters, tuckable gun holsters, shoulder holsters and ankle holsters. There are some really good reviews you can google or even watch on Youtube if you want to see product comparisons, recently we discovered that Galco holsters have a very unique appeal because you can tell the difference in style between Desantis holsters, Don Hume and Galco.

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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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