All posts tagged Sig 229 holsters

The balance between design and size

In the firearm community there are some very well known facts, but they don’t always get the spotlight that they should.  One of them is about the reliability of shorter versions of the 1911 style firearms.   Sometimes the more you deviate from a reliable design, the more you deviate from reliability.   I see an awful lot of people go for smaller, compact or sub compact versions of a firearm and the limp wristing and an ammunition tolerances seem to decline.  The lighter the slide, the more likely the gun is not going to handle the same volume of fire, may need more gun lubrication and most likely will be more prone to limp wristing.   One of these examples I have seen time and time again are with 1911s and the Springfield XD models.  The standard size firearms are extremely reliable, but the other shorter versions are not.

When it comes to gun  holsters, I recently found that although I like certain gun holsters, it doesn’t mean I like them for every gun I own.   Most recently I was ordering a restock on the Don Hume gun holsters and I ordered several of the Don Hume Jit holsters for every gun that they made them for.   I have never used one for a Glock 19, but I thought I’d give it a try.    A j-frame, or Sig 239 work really well in these holsters because they are smaller and thinner than a Glock 19, but the Glock 19 that I tested them out on felt kind of flimsy.    I was looking at this  holster as a CCW option, but it really did not hold up against my body like the other firearms did.

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J-frames should never be underated

I recently did a ballistics test between a j-frame 38 Special and a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4″ barrel.   I thought that I would get better ballistics out of the obviously longer barrel, but I was wrong.   It’s amazing what a chronograph will do to your belief in gun energy.   I’ve seen ballistics out of M4 Carbines that nobody would believe.   I’ve read lots of stuff online about how weak the M4 Carbine is and that 2800fps was what they normally shot at.  Well, I was clocking in ballistics that were 400 fps above that.   I’m aware of the amount of stress and wear you can put on a firearm if you shoot it that much, but let’s just walk about capabilities within a certain threshold.

There are so many .380 pistols showing  up out there that people are more content with small pocket pistols like never before.   I finally got to shoot a Ruger LCP .380 a few weeks ago, but wasn’t blown away.  I know why people like them, but a j-frame in a pocket or even in Galco holsters, like a paddle  holster are just fine for me.   The Rohrbaugh guns are the race cars of small compact semi-autos, but the j-frame will always have it’s grip in that mode of CCW.   Considering that all of these .380 pistols are usually 6 or 7 shots, going with a 5 shot and a speed loader isn’t much to loose sleep over.

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I may make another attempt at replacing my IWB holsters

I switched to carrying a Glock 26 this Summer because I got tired of rusting out all of my other firearms.   This year I have gotten use to my new CCW gun and it hasn’t really bothered me at all.   It was a little thicker than my previous firearms, but it gets the job done and my Galco Tuck-n-go holster seems to be working.  The only real problem I have with the holster is that it does not hold up when I go to re-holster the weapon.

I have been looking at Crossbread holsters for some time now, but it’s one of those things where I’m afraid of ordering something online that I have not held in my hands, and then you gotta worry about return policies and shipping costs.  Galco holsters has something fairly new, I don’t know how new because I just learned of them, but the new Kingtuk holsters look like a Crossbread knock off.  Well, I’ll give this a try and see how comfortable they are.

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Looking for feedback on shoulder holsters

I’ve always liked carrying a full size auto in a shoulder holster and sometimes it’s the most comfortable way to carry one.  I’ve done enough carrying on a leg holster to know that this is not a car friendly way of carrying.  There are times that I got seat belts snagged and the gun slammed against steering wheels and doors and it’s just not that friendly.   Out in the open on the field a leg holster is great, but people forget that you need extra clearance when moving through hallways and around things when you are carrying in this manor.  I had a fellow Cop friend that told me that he had a buddy tear a Blackhawk holster right off the mount by running after a bad guy and doesn’t use that style of holster anymore.   For driving in a car, ankle holsters can be very practical, but walking or running with them is not.

I have been trying to find vertical horizontal holsters, but they seem to not be available as much.  I ordered a Bulldog shoulder holster and even though the picture said it was a vertical the box said Horizontal and then I found out that Bulldog doesn’t make the vertical kind anymore.  I spoke to someone at Elite Survival systems and they told there was a lawsuit against several other companies about this type of shoulder holster.  Blackhawk holsters are one of my favorite even though I do not use them exclusively.   There is a Blackhawk Serpa holster that has a find locking system, but still don’t like this way of carrying.   If anyone can tell me where I can find a good vertical shoulder rig, I’m all ears.

 

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Thin guns for CCW might cut it

I’ve been trying to carry Glocks for the last year and had to buy a ton of new holsters because my thin build didn’t really hide them very well.   Glocks are thicker than most of my Sigs and carrying them in any other manor than IWB has been almost impossible if I want concealment.   I still love carrying them in Blackhawk Serpa holsters but these holsters are not CCW friendly in my humble opinion.  There are so many variables in trying to conceal a firearm and some modes are just not practical.   I’ve seen ankle holsters for Sig 229 and large Glock guns and I just find it unreasonable to carry that much weight on your ankle, not to mention how secure the thing is.

One favorite way to carry on an outside the waist holsters is with a 1911.  The 1911 is a much thinner frame and  even though the Government model is long, it is easy to tuck in and conceal.  You may have some issues with the cocked hammer snagging but that is something that can be dealt with.  Galco holsters made the Combat master which is a belt attached holster.  This holster is going to fit right up against you and not protrude.  If you add that with the thin framed 1911, you will have another OWB holster that can be concealed.  It does work with summer carry if you wear a large cut and dark t-shirt.

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Concealement holsters and durability

I have recently been getting harsh on some gun holster manufacturers about the clip on IWB style holsters.  I got a dud from Galco recently and I was greatly disappointed.   I picked up a Galco Triton holster because i am trying to get away from using leather holsters in the Summer time and moving towards Glock and Springfield XD firearms for primary carry.   The problem is the clip on belt design.   Why do people not put some thought  into these.   I have had holsters fail me even though I had a good Wilderness Instructor belt on.   There are movements and things that can happen that can dislodge the holster.  That is not something that should ever occur.   People that are not that physically active may not notice it, but it can happen.

The Galco tuck-n-go is a nice holster but leather holds sweat and I don’t want to ruin guns or damage them nor do I want to have to clean them every week.  My Sig Sauer collection shows the rust on the grip screws and it’s not the fault of Galco holsters, it’s just something that can happen if you carry often.   Glock firearms don’t rust anywhere near what my Sigs do and it’s time for me to move on to doing something else.   I am trying to avoid having to get a custom firearm holster done, but I am not happy with the IWB Kydex holsters I have tried out so far.  I will continue my search for a non-leather holster and let you know how it goes.

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The Beretta 92FS still going strong

I remember when the 9mm gun started showing up in  Military service and the stories about them cracking and not being reliable were all over the place.   Now that I’m about three decades older,  I think I have heard the same exact stories from other people about different types of guns.   The real situation with firearms is there are almost always alterations or improvements that take place after the first run comes out.   Just think about the Glock Perfection promotions you see everyone where.  Glock supposedly got it perfect, but now we are seeing the 4th Generation with back straps.   I’m not bashing Glocks because I am a Glock owner and I’ve seen them out run most handguns and they are an elite firearm.   In all honesty most firearms really are just different types of candy.   Sometimes it’s just preference.

The Beretta 92FS is an extremely reliable firearm, it also is a full size auto that needs a good holster.    Our top 2 selling holsters from Blackhawk are the gun holsters made for those carrying the Beretta 92FS in the military also known as the M9 and the Glock 17 and followed closely by the Glock 19.   Blackhawk holsters are outstanding duty holsters and secondary firearm holsters.   Our top level tactical customers prefer the Blackhawk finger release design over tradition thumb break holsters and we have yet to have someone come back to us about quality control issues.    The Beretta 92FS is the stronger version of the original Beretta 92F gun holsters.

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Sometimes it’s not about the holster, it’s how big the gun is

I’ve been more aggressive in attempting to try out various types of firearms for concealed carry and i’ve found more than a few holsters that I will be adding to my rotation.   I think it’s a good idea to have more than one type of holster for each gun  you have because there are situations where you can get yourself into where one method of carrying will not work very well.   I have been growning tired of carrying guns IWB because I’ve hurt  myself one too many times and sometimes it takes weeks for the discomfort from a bruise to go away.   Rolling around on the ground with a paddle holster can be a revealing experience and you will quickly find out where all of the sharp ends on your firearms are.   It’s all necessary to know what different positions feel like so you hope your body will understand discomfort under stress and you can concentrate on getting hits on target.

I find ankle carry to be very close to dressing  up for Halloween.   It’s not really practical but it’s fun to do every once in awhile.  I find ankle carry to be a good backup method for someone that does a lot of driving.   Pocket carry is nice when you don’t have to carry a lot in your pockets, but I still always prefer to carry with a Don Hume Jit holster because I really can’t feel the gun on me unless I grab it with my hands.   I’ve been working my way towards smaller and smaller firearms and the Galco holsters that I am using now are all the Speed paddle holsters for a j-frame.  This gun is so light already that the paddle holster barely bothers me.   I’ve found the heavier the gun the less I’m going to want a paddle holster, and this is my least uncomfortable paddle carry holster.

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Things that go nicely with a 1911

I can feel it, but I’m not afraid to admit it, I’m starting to desire carrying my rack queens again.   I started out with the old 45acp gun, but switched to a 38 Special and stuck with Sigs for over a decade.   I’m a Sig Sauer guy, but I’ve been wanting to carrying Glocks and try to adjust to them for a few months now.   I believe I am comfortable with the Glock firearms I am carrying, but I’m still not won over to them.   I’ve seen that Glocks are far more reliable than many of the Semi-autos I own under some conditions, but most of those would be either neglect or extreme circumstances.   I am not looking to get in gun fights that last for 1000rds with a handgun and I certainly don’t clean my guns every decade to see how reliable they will be.    My Glocks are going to be put to the test this year at a few training classes where I have had Sigs fail, but I’m still of the notion that I’d rather have an M4 pistol driven carbine than get too much into a bitch fest over handgun reliability.

My 1911s are always number one in my heart.   I like the idea of having 8rds of 45acp because I don’t think handguns should be expect for big gun fights.  I’m a strong supporter of having every cop keep an M4 Carbine in the trunk instead of expecting them to carry 100rds or more of 9mm ammo.   Galco holsters are outstanding companions to the 1911 because they look so darn good together.   The Galco holsters I have used are the Combat Master and the Galco concealable gun holsters.   They are belt through holster that are securely mounted on  your belt, you will have to get use to the grip angle which is another debate, but it’s another one of those things that is all about preference and adaptation.   The reasons for every accessory and holster being designed for a certain mode of deployment.

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Galco stow-n-go holsters, good for something

I am testing out a lot of holsters for a Glock 19 to see if I can find the right one to use this summer.   I went with the Stow-n-go holster because it looked like it is very CCW friendly, and it certainly is.   I have only had this Glock 19 for a few months, and I’m still getting use to this Glock thing, but I’m not blown away by the design of this holster.   I did have about a week break  in period with the holster because being leather, it had to be broken in.   This holster was really tight, but now that it’s been used several times at the range, there really isn’t any noticeable tension when pulling it out.   This is very soft an fairly comfortable even though my Sig 239 was a thinner firearm.   I am getting twice the fire power from this 9mm Glock 19.

The only real problem I have with this firearm and it’s a pretty big one, is that when it’s actually being used on the firing  line, I am having a lot of trouble getting the gun in the holster.   Not that it’s hard to get in, it’s really hard to get back in.  And being that I am using a Glock, I’m not going to fool around with it.   If it doesn’t drop into the holster, I’m not going to push it in.   Galco holsters are very nice and well made, but this one even though I am using it, isn’t one of my favorites and I’m going to continue to look other places for something soft but not as flimsy.   The soft leather makes the holster cave in when there isn’t a gun in it and I don’t like that.   I have to take the holster off and put the firearm in it and then attach it to my belt.

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