All posts tagged Beretta Holsters

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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New guns vs the old guns

We got a lot of weird questions about firearms and clothing and some things just aren’t worth our time pursuing.   There are new products  coming out every couple months and there are always new guns after SHOT Show or the NRA Convention that we basically have no interest in buying up holsters or gear with.   We normally wait for our customer to give us feedback on products and if there is enough interest in them, then we’ll bring in holsters, tactical lights or keep standard capacity magazines around.   Tactical lights are becoming a major headache for some manufacturers because there are fit differences between each tactical light.

Lately there seems to be a trend from local police departments to go back to Glocks just because some of the products have become so complicated it’s just not worth the hassle being the first to pick up a new handgun.   One thing that seems to be true is everyone goes back to Safariland holsters for their Sigs and Glock pistols.  Today a local police department asked us to look into getting them holsters for the Sig 220 handguns that are issued to them.  It was odd to hear that that gun is still in service locally, but it is.   There are polymer Sig pistols and even if they have an advantage, in the market place, there just aren’t as many options for them.

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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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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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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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All that bullshit about gear causing accidents

I am a firearms instructor but do not teach more than a dozen students a year, but it still amazes me to this day that the same problems I saw on firing lines 20yrs ago still go on today.   The reason this happens is there are always new people walking up to the firing line and not everyone has the same starting point.  I admit that when I first started carrying a 1911 over 2 decades ago that cocked and locked hammer frightened me and at the time I felt like the gun was so close to going off that it was almost like carrying a bomb.   After that I remember looking at Glocks and then thinking “those things don’t have safeties” and then I finally came to the conclusion that ever one of those guns is ready to go off if you pull the trigger.

I have friends that have told me that they have seen 1911s shoot with the safeties were engaged and now that I think about it, I’d cry bull shit and say that it was more likely that somebody blamed the gun and not the shooter.   Blackhawk Serpa holsters are getting a bad rap these days even though the USMC just adopted the Serpa its primary holster.   Yes, certain types of guns or accessories can be cumbersome if there has been very little training.  This is something a firearms instructor needs to teach and another reason why it is very important that gun owners find the proper environments to instill these skills.

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Reason for having more than one holster

There are always preferred ways of carrying a concealed firearm or even a duty gun, but in certain environments you’re holsters may not hold up very well.  I’ve seen nylon holsters survice in situations where leather didn’t, but i have and own many very comfortable leather tactical and concealed carry holsters.  I don’t think the notion of wearing a kydex shoulder holster is appealing to me, but something like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters are more secure than a clip on nylon.

There are always trade offs with guns and the same goes for the gear that you are carrying, In this part of the country it’s impossible to expect to carry a paddle holster or Blackhawk holsters like the Serpa in the outside of your pants when it gets hot up here.   If you want concealed carry you better expect to carry IWB or pocket carry.  I’ve moved away from paddle holsters because you really feel it if you have to hit the ground hard.  There are always options.

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Buying used guns that have hardly been used

I recently jumped into the world of Glock ownership.   It is a used Glock 19 which is a Generation 2.   I got it fora about $400 out the door and even though it has a little bit of holster wear.   The barrel looks like it has less than 500rds through it.   It’s funny how many times I’ve picked up a new firearm from a gun shop that had a few dents or dings on it but the internal parts were hardly worn.   I’m sure 90% of the lever action and bolt action firearms you see in the used section have the same history, but you should always inspect the internal workings before purchasing.   I’ve seen excessive wear on firearms due to lack of cleaning and lubrication and although the guns haven’t jammed, they had less than 1000rds through them and look really beat up.

There are great deals on used Sig Sauer pistols, Glock firearms and Beretta 92FS types.   These guns were standard issue for most of our LEOs in the last two decades and many are switching over to other types of autos.   Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have put out there own handguns that have taken a bite out of the Glock stronghold, but I won’t pick a winner  yet.   I prefer to have atleast a paddle holster for each handgun I own and gun holsters for concealed carry if I am expecting to carry it at some point.   The only handguns I don’t have holsters for are a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MKII pistol.   These are primarily plinking guns and not going to be carried.

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Full size auto holsters

Fobus HolstersThe Beretta 92FS is one of the longest serving sidearms in the United States Military for a reason.   As much as a love the 1911, I have to agree that an average shooter will be more proficient with the M9 than with the M1911.   Carrying the Beretta 92FS in an IWB holster is possible but I doubt it would be very comfortable for 24/7, but try putting one in a Fobus paddle holster and wear a good gun belt like The Wilderness instructor belts and you won’t notice the weight.  I would highly recommend picking up atleast 1 double mag holder for your sidearm.   These are great Winter carry guns and carry  holsters, but will require a longer cut coat or jacket for concealment.

 

 

Choosing a firearm for carry is just like choosing which car to buy or which shoes to put on in the morning.  The places we go each day may make us think about using a different method of carry and possible a more powerful firearm.   Any gun is better than no gun, but I think it is intelligent to consider carry a full size auto to some environments for extra insurance.   One of my favorite holsters is also one of the least expensive.   Fobus holsters got it right when they designed there first paddle holsters and there have been a  lot of companies trying there own versions of what Fobus has had out for years.

 

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Save a buck and get the job done

Gun HolstersUncle Mikes holsters have been around for a long time and I know some people have it in for them because they aren’t very expensive and many of them are made out of Nylon.    After being in the gun industry for so many years, I’m starting to be amazed at the number of people I have respect for that are walking around with 38 Specials and 32ACP pocket guns and believe me, they aren’t underpowered.    The experts don’t always carry the most expensive holsters and gear, sometimes they just use when is neccessary and don’t waste money.

The move away from leather holsters is about as common as the move away from steel guns to polymer.   Both are time tested products that work in certain conditions, but there are many advantages Kydex and Polymer have over the stuff your Daddy carried.    I’ve got lots of nice leather holsters that look nice, but I don’t like the idea of using them in environments that get muddy or places I know I’ll be sweating.   Uncle Mikes gun holsters are a very inexpensive investment, but it’s an inexpensive investment in something that gets the job done

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