All posts tagged Glock Holsters

Observing who uses the best stuff

There are so many things in this industry that are well made, but all have their good and bad points.   Some things are all about preference and not really better than the other.  For instance, there is a certain point that a discussion about 9mm firearms being better than one another is and dumb conversation because as long as the gun is reliable  for the first 5 rounds, in the real world the hits are all that counts and most shootings for even law enforcement are in the single digits.  The Sig 228 is a good firearm but will need more lubrication to run properly than a Glock.   If you are going on long deployment the Glock is an obvious lower maintenance firearm.

One thing we do see though is military personal mostly Special Ops that stop in our shop all buy the Safariland holsters.   I personally have no problem with the drop rig Blackhawk holsters but the Safariland holsters are the ones that the pros use and that is something to pay attention to.   I’ve always liked my Beretta 92 pistols and even though they are still being used in the military as a primary sidearm the guys that have the option to carry something else, do.

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Training with new gear and being consistent

There is no debate about firearms safety, you either follow the rules or you will have an accident.   The problem with fireams training is everyone has an off day, not everyone wakes up in the morning and is at 100% mentally there.  Everyone trips or falls at some point, every slips on the ice they didn’t see and not everyone can think straight until they’ve had their cup of joe. I’ve seen more accidents with Glocks than any other sidearm, but I would say that Glocks are the most reliable firearm I’ve seen at training courses.

One thing that I have seen happen with gun owners, is they juggle firearms around too much.  It really is not a good idea to switch up your holsters and firearms too often because mental lapses can occur.  This seems to be the problem people are having with the Blackhawk Serpa holsters that are getting on the news.  If you don’t use this holster all the time, you may have a problem keeping your hand in the same spot and you’re more prone to curling your finger and causing an ND.  I very much like the retention design and the strength of the holsters, but I would not let a novice shooter start out with  one.

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Gun holtsters for the M9 firearm

Every time we get an order for a Beretta 92 holster we pretty much know it’s a Military customer.   Since we deal with so many soldiers deployed over seas and have been an established business for 7yrs people are finding out about us.   There are some new finishes for the Blackhawk Serpa holsters but most people still stick with the Black versions.  One reason I believe the Beretta 92FS has survived all of these  years is that it for the most part is easy to  use for left handed shooters.   I don’t know what the percentage of left handed shooters are in the Country but it’s a fairly high number to market to.

We’ve been getting more and more traffic at our retail location and a shocking number of our customers are left handed.   We were not sure which gun holsters we should be bringing in, but we did order many of the left handed Blackhawk Serpa holsters for the more popular firearms.  Having ambidextrous magazin releases and charging bolts is very important because a left handed individual is really forced to re-learn mechanical movements that his body doesn’t want to learn.  With defensive shooting training, it is important to practice things that you find uncomfortable but starting out with gear that isn’t up to your primary hand movements just royally sucks.

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More news from the training world

Yet another firearms instructor that I have a good relationship with has banned the use of the Blackhawk Serpa from his course.   I will make myself very clear before anyone things I am going to go off on a tangent and say that the Blackhawk Serpa Sucks and is a piece of shit and should not be ever made.   So here me straight, some firearms accessories and gear need more training to use properly and many novice gun owners and ill-trained Law Enforcement are more  likely to have an accident with them than with other gear.  When it comes to firearms, yes, I have known of more negligent discharges with Glocks than with any double action firearm, am I going to bash Glocks? No, I will not.

I do not have combat experience with a gun holster but I have had extensive experience in dealing with the bad elements of society and understand what stress is.  There has been much to say about the designs of retention holsters under stress and the Safariland holsters are the best holster according to what we have seen and heard.   Blade Tech seems to also have a good reputation but in all honesty i’ve never head one in my hands so I couldn’t say.  The 5.11 thumbdrive holsters are another retention holster that has very limited testing experience so I guess we have to resort to the tried and true.

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Something new and interesting from Desantis

We had a special order for a product that we don’t normally carry called the Desantis Rail Ryder.   When we get requests for products that we don’t stock we usually evaluated the product first, ask the customer why they want it and usually ask them to give us a review after that have used it for awhile.  When we first saw the images for the Desantis Rail Ryder we didn’t understand what it was all about but after playing around with it for a few minutes we got it.   This is a HD holster that you can quickly put on if you had to go around your house.

One reason I have often suggested IWB holsters that are made out of kydex is because you have to be realistic, if you are ever in a gun fight, you will want to be able to reholster the gun with ease and possible under stress and leather holsters tend to collapse or fold in on themselves.   This is a very unique product from Desantis holsters that is very practical.   There is no real way to holster a firearm without having a holster on already if you had to get up in the middle of the night.   You could quickly move about your house and if need be the gun is already to be attached to a belt.

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A good holster that protects and retains a firearms

There has been so much bad mouthing of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, but there seems to be some sense getting to people’s heads that its now becoming an accepted reality.   There is always a certain amount of training one most achieve before they carry a firearm. There are plenty of things that one can avoid if they are taught to avoid them and it’s something that always is the result of ND.   I have seen too many people pushed off to firing ranges that had very little training before they started doing defense shooting and dumb things like trigger control meant making an ass out of themselves by touching off a round while holstering.  The one statistic I will have to state is that with everyone of those it was with a Glock.

The differences between having a few extra pounds of trigger pull on a firearm can also reduce this, but if one  has trigger control it’s a none issue.  I have been using Blackhawk Serpa holsters for years now and they are still one of my favorites.  Yes they can fail if they roll in the dirt or snow but all firearms can fail for the same reason.  I have recently been using the Safariland holsters that many LEO have recommended and I understand the differences.  The reality for those that are carrying a firearm is this, if you want firearm retention with a holster, the Blackhawk Serpa holster is still  one of the best  holsters to protect and retain a firearm.

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What do you want with a pocket holster?

This is one of those issues that I have lots of first hand experience with but you would think that it’s a simple way of carrying a firearm.   I still run into  people that don’t use holsters but in the age of Glocks and firearms with no safeties, I do not think it’s a good idea to have a firearm in tow that does not have it’s trigger covered.   If you wouldn’t carry a knife that is un sheathed why would you carry a fiream without a holster?   I have tried to carry firearms in my pants pockets several times in the past but I have had several failed attempts.   Both times I was carrying j-frame revolvers and either the gun didn’t sit deep enough or I had snagging that was unacceptable.

I’ve used Uncle Mike’s pocket holsters in the past and they were OK, but I’ve taken fabric scissors to them and had to make adjustments to avoid the snagging issue.   One of my favorite new Desantis holsters is the Desantis Nemesis, they are more money than the Uncle  Mikes pocket holsters but they do a better job of slipping free when you pull your firearm.    Pocket carry is something you really have try out with your clothing and your method of carry.  I’ve seen guns fall  out of pockets when people go to picnics and that is bad.

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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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Don Hume Jit holster vs the Desantis Speed Scabbard

I have been  using the Don Hume Jit holsters for a very long time and I have several of them for my primary weapons.  For this type of holster, you may run into some flop issues with medium to large frame guns.   The bigger the gun the more likely you will want to have a larger full coverage holster.   IWB can be a uncomfortable carry method but it truely is the most appropriate.    Using locking devices or paddle holsters can cause snagging, make it harder to conceal.   The nice thing about Don Hume holsters is they are very reasonable priced and for $20 or so you can get a very good holster.

I compared these two holsters with a Sig 228 and a Glock 19,  most of this is preference, but it seems that when I used the Desantis holsters for the Sig 228 did not flop around as much as the Don Hume Jit.   There is about an 8 ounce difference between these firearms even though the sizes were close to the same size.   This definitely gives Glock and edge on the weight, but much of this is about how well you handle and shoot a firearm because it’s not about looks its about proficiency.    The Desantis Speed Scabbard is more money but I think it’s a nicer looking holster too.

 

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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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