Observations in training and gear
I was at yet another Carbine training course last week and while I was originally invited to watch the intstructor teach the class and give him feedback on his tactics and speaking skils, I was always keeping a eye open for how well his students were performing. Like many of the previous classes I sat in on, students showed up with various qualities of keep and shooting skills. To this day it kinda cracks me up to see some guy with an iron sight AK show up and shoot with guys shooting Match grade ARs, but sometimes I’m impressed with their abilities.
Like many things in this world, it’s not about the gear, it’s about the person, but there are situations where durability and design are going to give you that extra 10% in efficeincy that will give you an edge. There seems to be a shift away from thumbbreak holsters ever since the Blackhawk Holsters came out. I’ll admit first and formost, there is very little difference between using your thumb to open a holster up and using your index finger to realease a handgun, but one way may work better for you over the other. I’d recommend against using any kind of retention holster for conceal carry, but for duty holsters or training, get a holster that will hold your gun in place while you’re hanging upside down.
The are many ways of concealing a firearm, but when it comes to carrying backup mags, there are far fewer options. I know plenty of people that carry spare mags around in pockets, but I’ve seen too many times that the top round of a loaded mag will eventually pop loose or be out of place which could cause a malfunction. I’d recommend carrying spare ammo along the belt line for 85% of CCW. There are some tactical jackets that are designed for holding magazines, but I also recommend close the pockets and not leaving them open. Elastic retention will help hold a mag from side to side movement, but when it comes to up and down movement, those mags will probable hit the ground when you may be reaching for them.
Sometimes people think that a holster is only a term that applies to a firearm. The more you carry tactical gear like knives, flashlights ect. the more you’ll realize that you may want a holster that works for those, too. Another thing to think about is what kind of magazine holsters to use. I’ve seen lots of gun mags fly out of mag holders because they were not appropriate for the task. Some magazine holsters are nice for IDPA or competition shooting, but sit on a reclining chair on a hot summer day and you’ll notice your mags are on the chair and not in the mag. I’ve seen this happen to friends that were sitting in the seat next to me on the long car ride home, they lean back in the chair and the mags are falling out.
There seems to be a big transition in the Law Enforcement community to leg holsters. Its kind of funny how the old western look disappeared for a few decades but now it’s back again. If we all road around on horses we’d probable agree that carrying a sidearm on a leg holster is appropriate and its not just for the cool Han Solo look.
The argument about which gun is better than the other is like beating a dead horse to most gun enthusiasts, but when talking about gun holsters there seems to be very little argument. Whenever I speak to my friends about the topic of gun holsters, there is a clear and obvious reality that no holster is good for everything. Some holsters look nice and feel nice, but they won’t hold up to adverse weather. Nylon and plastics are options for damp environments, but there can always be drawbacks.