All posts tagged Sig 239 holsters

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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Be careful what you decide on for a pocket holster

They are not all the same even though they are probable all under $20.   We have several people coming in here and looking at the various pocket holsters and giving us some feedback.  I personally have a stockpile of Uncle Mike’s holsters that I picked up at gun shows and and ended up retiring them for something a little bit more sturdy.  Not that Uncle Mike’s products are crap, but they aren’t the best product for the buck.   I have carried Taurus revolvers in the past with clip on inside the waist band holster but the belt clips did not hold up when you bent over.  A good gun belt like The Wilderness or an Elite Survival Systems belt namely the Cobra Belt are great options to reduce this, but why not do something more secure.

The Uncle Mike’s holsters I have that were pocket holsters had a small piece of fabric that is suppose to cause some friction when the gun is drawn, but it’s not that good.  We have leather, nylon and kydex holsters here but the Desantis holsters that we sell a lot of are the Desantis Nemesis pocket holsters.  They have more friction material covering the outside of the  holsters, but they are closer to $20.   The Elite Survival Systems pocket holsters a huge seller because they are just as good and about $50 cheaper.   The Woolrich Elite Chino pants that we sell are probable a big hit in store, because the pocket holster shoppers are always looking for concealed carry pants that work for them.

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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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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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Spring and Summer holsters, time to ditch the leather?

That is something that I had to learn the hard way after I damaged several of my Sig Sauer pistols with using leather holsters in the summer that caused the inner side of the gun to rust.   I don’t know why Sigs aren’t made with a better finish, but I have learned to switch to Glocks in hot weather just because I know the guns won’t rust.   It’s taken me awhile to get use to them, but the higher capacity and a couple ounces lighter of a gun actually makes life easier in the Summer heat.  Kydex holsters are pretty much the standard now because re holstering is also easy  under stress.

I really do like the Don Hume holsters, Galco and especially the Desantis holster line.   There are big differences in the cost of these leather holsters and the Desantis holsters are somewhat pricey but they really do look good and have a very nice finish.   One thing that I did not like about some of the IWB holsters that are leather is they do start to flop with age and re-holstering under stress is something that can be a problem.  The IWB tuck-n-go holsters are difficult to re-holster. I actually suggest taking the holsters off for safety sake.

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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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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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