All posts in Fobus gun holsters

Beware of being the first to buy, holsters, recalls and headaches! Fobus Holsters Production on Glock 43

Fobus HolstersThe new rage right now is everyone is calling looking for gun holsters for the Glock 43 and they aren’t happy to hear that there’s not much out there “yet”!  We actually called up Fobus Inc. to find out production dates for the Glock 43 holsters and they told us they are 2 months out.   With the way the gun industry is now, there’s a variant of just about everything and it’s a  bandwagon I’ve personally failed to jump on.   I’m pretty happy with My Government Model 1911s and Glock 19’s and J-frame revolvers and never jumped on the .380 craze that has gone on for the last several years.  Ballistics are improving which is why so many have been considering smaller semi-autos, but Glock knew that not everyone was going to be happy with a Single Stack .380 gun and that’s why the Glock 43 was released.

I think the .380 has improved so much that I don’t think it falls in the category of “under-powered” like it use to, but that great gun show purchase you got might not be your carry gun if you didn’t research what holsters you could get for it.  There are always custom kydex companies but expect wait times.   Buyer beware of first generation firearms.  We’ve been watching the release of the Sig 320 now for over a year and a local Police Department is our primary source of feedback and it seems to be doing well, but there still aren’t a lot of options for off duty carry.  We pick up the phone and call manufacturers like Fobus Holsters to get production dates so we can relay that to our customers, but think about modes of carry before you find out you can’t.

 

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We can give you gun holster options, and point you in the right direction

Gun HolstersWe can’t accommodate everyone in this industry because the tactical world is much like the restaurant business.  What do you want for dinner?  Are you for Italian Food, Seafood, going away camping?   There are a lot of advantages with Kydex holsters but we’ve seen so many of them break, that leather still seems to have an edge for longevity, even the cost of various types of leather holsters can vary in quality and features.  I’m still old school with shoulder  holsters, especially when I’m toting a large frame revolver or semi-auto handgun.   The Galco Miami Classics are still very popular with detectives but there are plenty of people buying smaller “off duty” handguns and recently many of our Law Enforcement are looking for Diamondback .380 holsters and Glock 42 holsters.  It always takes awhile for the holster market to catch up to the sales of new firearms but if it’s a good firearm, someone is going to make a holster for it.

If you are looking for leather  holsters, we often point people towards Desantis Holsters, Galco Holsters and Don Hume holsters.   Each of these holsters has different qualities and styles and the vary from expensive to inexpensive depending on the one you want.    If you are looking for inside the waistband gun holsters there nylon holsters like the Elite Survival Systems belt clip holsters which are very universal and fit a lot of firearms and are also ambidextrous.   The Desantis Insider is pretty popular because they are a little over $20 but leather sometimes has its drawbacks in very hot weather.   The new rave seems to be tuckable holsters and Galco Holsters has a pretty big selling rate for the Smith & Wesson bodyguard, check out all of the products we sell and if you don’t see what you are looking for feel free to ask.

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You’ll need more than 1 gun and 1 holster for CCW

gun holstersMuch of the Concealed Carry world is about personal choice and our diverse product line of Don Hume gun holsters should fulfill most of our customer needs.  If you are not looking for a locking holster and want something fast and easy to and comfortable to wear, try the Don  Hume Jit holsters for your Glock 19, Sig 239 or whichever semi-auto or revolver you need.  The Jit holster sits securely on your belt and sits at a very comfortable level for easy retrieval.  Pocket holsters are  must to avoid problems with firearms rotating and the pocket holsters will place your holster in a secure upright position and help keep lint and other nasty things a pocket can hold away from your handgun.

If you’re looking for a durable, clip on holsters it’s hard to beat Don Hume holsters. Don Hume holsters in soft pocket clip on, waistband clip on with thumb break, front pocket ambidextrous, Ankle safe and much much more. Don Hume holsters are made for your concealed carry gun or duty holster needs and are made for your revolver or semi-auto. IWB is hands down the most concealed carry friendly method and the IWB clip on gun holsters are very reliable if a good gun belt is used. Pocket carry is becoming more and more the norm these days with more reliable compact semi-auto guns. The pocket protectors are a must for anyone trying to keep lint off a firearm which can affect the reliability and performance.

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Fobus and Glock issues

Fobus holstersWe recently got some negative feedback about a Fobus holster we sold to a customer and then went back to Fobus’ customer service to find out what the issue was.   Apparently there are some fit issues with the different Generations of Glock guns and Fobus holsters so now we have to be more cautious about selling them to customers that walk in and buy them for Glocks.   The gun will fit into the holster but the amount of force you need to do to “click” it into the holster and then draw it out is excessive.   If you put a hair dryer to the holster and edge something in it you can soften the holster up to get it to fit properly but that’s a headache for a first time Fobus holster customer.  In 2013 we’ll probable bring in more of the Fobus E2 holsters because there is more adjustments you can do with the tension.

Fobus holsters are the first paddle holsters we suggest to customer if they ask for a paddle holster because after that, you normally have to move up to the $40 dollar range and usually that means a sale for the Safariland holsters.   I do like Fobus holsters myself and they are great for winter carry and I normally carry a larger frame gun in the Winter and this is a much more comfortable way to carry instead of IWB.  The Sig 226 in .357 Sig is my preferred gun for winter because the more penetration through clothing is something that many of my Law Enforcement customers suggest because of all of the statistics on what happens when bullets go through clothing.

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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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Summer and Winter carry and when do paddle holsters work?

fobus holstersThere are some really big differences between each type of paddle holster and not all kydex qualities are the same.   I’m not a big fan of kydex holsters that don’t have metal clips.  I tested out a few styles and most of them failed.   Even with a good gun belt some holsters will eventually wiggle off the guy when you are crouched in certain positions.  I had a Sig 239 pop off a belt when I was bending over and that caused serious concern.  All of the Law Enforcement officers in our store have caused for concern about having guns that don’t have sturdy holsters securing them and for Police, getting  killed by your own gun is something that statistics show does happen.  There is a level 2 holster from Fobus that is a thumb drive design.

The Fobus DB series of holsters is a thumb drive holster that also can be locked and this prevents anyone from just being able to hit the release button and then pull the gun out.  In a recent discussion with Fobus holsters about expanding our product line, we got feedback from corrections officers and prisoner transports.  They informed us that it’s not that uncommon for bad guys to already have handcuff keys or to know how to pick handcuff locks and many of those same people are going to know how to release a Safariland retention holster or a Blackhawk Level 2  holster.   Level 3 is a life saving holster design and one that gives lots of confidence.

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What to train with and how much money do you want to drop on a holster?

gun holstersI have a large number of guys that are detectives or just got hired for a job, and sometimes even first time concealed carry holders that don’t have the slightest idea of what they want.   People come in here and ask me “do you have anything for a Glock 26” and point to the holsters I have thinking I’m going to point them to a holster.   I then bombard them with “inside the waist” or “outside the waist” “do you want a leather or kydex?” “Righted or left handed?”   It not until i start talking about which hand holster they want do they give me any sense of knowing what to say.  I don’t think you can compare holster shopping to anything else because it’s not like shopping for tactical pants or gloves.   With crime like home invasions and a slow economy people that have money think more about protecting their homes and assets.

I  think Kydex probable outsells leather now but with so many people putting lights on their guns it made shopping even harder.   Our quick fix or go to problem solvers are the Elite Survival Systems holsters but gun holsters like Fobus are the starting point for the majority of our new gun or concealed carry permit holder.  They are very easy to put on and work well with most belts.  I do highly recommend people get a good gun belt like a Desantis leather belt, Blackhawk pistol belt or a Wilderness belt.   They are much easier to use than putting on a belt through or snap on holster.   Getting into retention holsters is another level but sometimes people have to have the right starting point and only an experienced shooter will be the source for good  info.

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Quick fixes for first time gun owners?

fobus holstersWe get new people in our store every day and many of them come in looking for gun holsters right after they walked out of a gun shop.   There aren’t very many gun shops that carry all of the holsters and gear that people are demanding.  Many gun shops don’t want to touch clothing or certain accessories because the amount of stuff that you need to know to get a gun put together properly is a lot.  There are so many things you can do to a firearm and it’s best to get an experts advice before making any major changes.  When it comes to concealment options for firearms, think about what you want to do, and then ask questions from someone has been doing it longer than  you.

Recently there has been an uptick in the number of people that are looking get firearms and I guess it’s not all politics, it’s more to do with the economy and people with a bit of foresight.    We are a stocking deal for the Fobus holsters which are for just about all of the major manufacturers.  Glocks work very well with the Fobus paddle holsters and the E2 version is a good improvement over the prevous molded design since there is an ability to adjust the tention as you see fit.  Temperature changes can also affect how your holster handles the gun so think about that before taking a screw driver to the holster.

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