All posts tagged retention holsters

IDPA competition shooters, where to start? We’ll tell ya!

Blackhawk Serpa HolstersJust had another local guy that was getting into shooting IDPA and was not sure where to start from.  We have been getting a lot of customers walking in here trying to figure out what the best holster was for them to get and we always start with the Fobus gun holsters.  Paddle holsters are easy to get on and off and Fobus makes a good product for in the $25 price range.  They are very good for open carry or winter carry.  When it’s time to pick out magazine pouches, we offer nylon, open kydex mag pouches and the Blackhawk single and double stack magazine pouches.  I personally like the Blackhawk open magazine pouches because they have a little bit of tention that keeps the magazines from rattling or coming out under certain levels of shaking.   I always warn people about open magazine pouches because sometimes people do lose gear when moving.

You definitely are not going to want any type of holster with level 2 retention but there is nothing wrong with the Fobus E2 type holsters because you can adjust the tension to your tolerance levels.  The Blackhawk Serpa holsters are more popular with law enforcement and it’s not safe for them to carry guns out in the open without level 2.  Lots of Police Officers get hurt on the job just from scuffles and it gives a little more comfort knowing that in a scuffle the gun is not going to come loose.  Most of the differences between Safariland ALS and the Blackhawk Serpa is about preferences, but they are all very popular with Glock owners.

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Fobus holsters vs other paddle holsters, some thoughts from a retailer

fobus holstersI have several product lines that I have brought in for myself just because I knew I would probable end up buying several items from it for my own personal use.   One of those product lines is the Fobus  one and I can’t say it was because I was a huge fan of the entire product line, it’s just that they make an  extremely practical holster for a very low price.  I’ve been testing out a Safariland 6378 paddle holster and after a long break in, i do like it but there were some issues originally.  I have to say that as far as securing to my belt, I don’t find the Safariland holster to be more secure even though it’s a little more difficult for me to get off.  It may sound like a contradiction, but I had some issues with the gun pulling the holster off my belt when i was 90% sure the gun was secure.   It hasn’t happened since the holster was broken in, but when the gun was tight, it did happen.

The things people have told me they don’t like about the Fobus paddle holsters is they aren’t that strong, well, for most holsters, if you pull on certain parts of them, yeah, they can break and Fobus holsters aren’t exactly built like a tank.   I do think that they Fobus holsters that are the paddle design are very good for IDPA, winter carry, or even for your first 2 day training course.   Paddle holsters always seem to be more comfortable than IWB , but they aren’t always as secure.   Some of these holsters can be had with a belt loop design, but I’m not a huge fan of those.  If you know people are complaining about the lack of retention or adjustable tension, check out the Fobus E2 holsters, the bad thing about those is they aren’t making them for too many guns.

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Leather holster options, it is all about preference

Galco holstersI’m not a big fan of all of the stuff we carry, we carry over 25,000 products and there really are different levels of quality with much of it.   We have cheap aftermarket magazines that some people love buy and just use them as range mags, and others only buy factory magazines.   When it comes to choosing a good CCW or duty holster it’s really like matching shoes to an occasion.   Not all gun leather is the same and there are different features and functional differences.   I noticd that much of the Desantis leather goods have very polished looks to them and they seem to love making black leather holsters.   Don Hume holsters are hot sellers but they are not very pretty holsters to look at.

Holster stiffness and business reputations are things that we let our customers figure out.   We only stock name brand products like Galco holsters and some of their competitors.  Each of the leather makers has there pros and cons and some of them dabble into kydex holsters. The paddle holsters from each manufacturer have different cants and also different levels of gun coverage and it’s up to the user to know what they really need.  Make sure you pay attention to your holster fit guide, and if you are ever not sure if your gun is going to fit, don’t guess at it, call of the manufacturer and ask.   You don’t want to find out later that the trigger isn’t fully covered or that the holster will un naturally become loose because it was never intended to fit that one.

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Check out the ever expanding Rogue Elite Tactical Product line

fobus holstersNew this fall we will be bringing on the Aimpoint and Fobus product lines into our 1500 sqft tactical store along with several items from Tru-Spec and Warwick Mills.   We have dealt with several distributors over the last 9yrs and it’s gotten to the point that instead of waiting for stock to arrive, and have to deal with fighting over inventory from other dealers, it was time to start stocking the stuff directly.   There are always changes and improvements to product lines and not getting stuck with a dud product or making sure you have the newest version of something is very important.  Just this year alone we saw some major improvements to our holster and tazer product lines and LED Technology for flashlights has improved by about 85%.  Sometimes holster companies don’t have the accessories up to date with the batons, flashlights, magazine pouches ect that people want.

There have been situations where we have asked customers to look into getting a customer kydex holster becaues there needs were beyond what many manufacturers could make.   Many of our Law Enforcement sometimes have an issue with a holster breaking and just need a quick fix for a range day and that is often where Fobus Holsters come in.   I have a Fobus holster for every Glock firearm, Sig Sauer 228, 229 and Sig 220 that I own.   There are some retention holsters that I may look into picking up since we are a direct dealer now.   The new E2 holster has more flexability when it comes to adjusting your retention which was a common complaint about some of the earlier paddle holsters.

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Nylon, Leather and Kydex holsters from Desantis Leather?

Desantis holstersWith so many changes taking place to firearms these days, it’s hard to keep up with all of the gun designs, Desantis Holsters has options for full size, medium size autos and many of the popular .380 CCW guns. The firearm industry has grown so much in regards to concealed carry and holster  makers have had to really stay on top of the demand for .380 caliber pistols.  We are a stocking dealer for Desantis holsters and our most popular Leather gun holsters.   Desantis has a holster for you if you are carrying a small compact firearm like the Ruger LCP or if you are looking for a traditional leather shoulder holster.

The Desantis Scabbard with thumbreak is still a popular holster for Law Enforcement and Under Cover police.   The Speed Scabbard is basically the same holster without the thumbsnap retention.   Desantis inside the waist holsters are also available in Desantis holsters  in different types of material.  Desantis also has ankle holsters and Kydex holsters.   Large frame guns like the Beretta 92 might need a paddle holster and even though we highly recommend Desantis leather products, Kydex does have it’s place in the halls of concealed carry.   The military has moved from nylon holsters to the Blackhawk Serpa so it’s very much about dealing with the environment and what your firearm and preferences are.

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Duty holsters, can you deviate from Safariland?

safariland holstersThe short answer is YES but many people stick with the Safariland products because even though sinking $100 into a holster is expensive you get something that unless you break it in some wild adventure, it might last most of your 20yr career in Law Enforcement.   There are so many products listed in the Safariland catalog that many dealers of the Safariland product line don’t even list all of it.  Recently we actually had an issue with some of the technical info not being up to date and we had some incorrect holsters come in.  We didn’t  know that there was no difference between the M6 flashlight and the TLR-1S light.  Everyone and their dog is using the TLR lights now so we are stocking them for the local departments.

Blackhawk Serpa holsters are still very popular and a quick fix for anyone looking for a retention holsters but I don’t even have to ask why when a cop walks in our store on why he wants retention.   You gotta have retention and Safariland holsters like the ALS are the way to go because when you have to holster your weapon and cuff someone you don’t want them pulling your own firearm and using against you.  The Stats are there for cops being killed with their own weapons and  even for swat teams that are primarily using AR15 or M16, you need retention on your handguns to prevent them from flying out when you are moving around.

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Official Safariland Holster Dealer

It’s official, Rogue Elite is now an authorized Safariland and Bianchi dealer here in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Our Broomall showroom and the demand from local law enforcement has given us a strong and stable foothold in this area after 7yrs of drop shipping various products for years.  There are many products that our Law Enforcement Community have asked for and many of them can only be had by direct dealers and not through drop shipping distributors.   The Safariland product line is vast and the variations in firearms, light and lasers that are available to them can great complicate the holster selections.

Many tactical teams need thigh or drop leg holsters and many are using the TLR-1 or TLR-3 gun lights.  Not everyone chooses to use the same gear and many have used the Safariland holsters with the Surefire X300 flashlights.  The change in flashlights can cause many to use a different holster and at $140 per holster that really can get expensive.  There is usually a very thorough testing period before a department chooses a sidearm and flashlights take just as much time to test out.   Normally it’s Surefire or Streamlight but we have seen quite a few of the Viridian laser flashlight combos.

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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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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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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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