All posts tagged Blackhawk Serpa Holsters

Blackhawk Serpa holsters for the 1911?

I admit that I do like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters and it is mostly in comparison to the thumb snap holsters that use to hold so much of the holster market.  Most Police in this neck of the woods use Safariland locking holsters or some other Safariland holster.    The biggest pet peeve of mine with the traditional thumbreak holster is snapping it back on when hoslter.  I’ve had them wear out on me and end up not being worth relying on and ended up just cutting them off.   I’ve had guns fall out of holsters so I do know there is a time and a place to lock them in.

When it comes to 1911 handguns, I am not a big fan of retention holsters.   As a matter of fact, there is enough of a debate about putting manual safeties on firearms that having a manual firearm safety on a gun and Blackhawk Serpa Holsters for a firearm is 2 more things you need to do other than pull the trigger on a sidearm.   The 1911 is a great firearm, but one more mechanical device to disengage?   Some guns are meant for certain things, and I would not recommend that for anyone who is CCW a 1911.

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Blackawk Serpa vs CCW gun holsters

I love all of my handguns for various reasons and I guess that’s because I’ve learned to appreciate each aspect of them and the genius of the designs.   Once you achieve a certain level of experience you become to know that so much of guns and gear is about the job at hand and personal preference.   When arguments break out in our showroom its not about leather vs. kydex, but it’s about the levels of retention, Safariland holsters and Blackhawk seem to go together, but many like one over the other.  Much internet traffic has been generated about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa and how the guns can get jammed up in the  holsters and not release.

The Blackhawk CQC holsters are a marketed as concealment holsters too but many will find a holster like this hard to conceal except in the winter months, Blackhawk holsters like the Serpa in many peoples opinion, especially the Military is a fine duty holster.   There will always be a need for IWB gun holsters and Don Hume holsters and Galco holsters are still our biggest concealed carry gun  holsters.   IWB is probable the most practical although pocket carry is becoming very popular.   Pocket carry is still very much a white collar CCW and not really the best option for self defense.   Practice and situational awareness come before modes of CCW, but IWB will always be a more reliable way of carrying a firearm.

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Blackhawk vs Fobus holsters

At first I thought it was an absurd comparison, but we’ve had a lot of people walk into our shop and ask us which one was better.   I’ve always viewed Fobus holsters as competition or training type holsters but not really a duty holster.   I won’t say they are fragile, but there is something about them that just makes me thing they are kind of an introductory holster.   For about $20 you can get a paddle holster for just about any medium or large frame semi-auto and that is probable the number one reason people get them.   Most CCW holders don’t carry large size frame autos so Fobus gun holsters don’t really get used  for ccw as often.

I personally don’t think locking systems are a good idea for CCW, but for duty work, military work and open carry, they are probable the best holster you can have.    Blackhawk holsters are a great open carry holster because with open carry you have no obstruction to getting to your holster so finding the release button should be a non issue.  If you are carrying with a vest or under a shirt or sweatshirt clearing the firearm from a garment can be tricky enough, but trying to find a release button and the possibility of snags already in play, you are increasing your chances of not retrieving the firearm.

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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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More praise for the Blackhawk Serpa Holster

I recently got a customer phone call about the Blackawk level II leg holster.   This is our number one selling leg holster and there’s a reason why.   For many of the guys running competition shooting, this holster gives you free upper body movement with a carbine without having too much gear on your chest to snag a rifle sling.  Many of the rifle slings that you really should use on an M4 Carbine should be quick detach.   It’s nice to be able to secure a firearm to you, but bad things can happen when you can’t get your gear off.   Ask an EMT or medical technician about getting seat belts off of injured people and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

There is a quick detach mechanism you can install on your holster, but it’s a little hard to explain it without doing a video explanation.   One good thing about the Blackhawk holsters that I use is that I can swap anyone of them out on my drop down rig depending on which sidearm I want to use.  The one thing I have noticed about this type of leg holster is the flexible yet hard back keeps your gun in place when you are moving.  Some of the nylon versions of these holsters will wobble when  you walk and that might be a problem if your gun is not in place when you reach for it.

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Matching the holster to the job at hand

There is always something somewhat fun for guys to get a hold of tactical gear for firearms and putting accessories on firearms.  It’s pretty easy to figure out who was playing with Legos as a kid  when I think about my friends and business associates that have firearms.  Some of the configurations are very well thought out and there are many ways to get the same job done. There are many times though when people have entirely too much on a firearm than the experienced Operator will know that that means extra weight.

When it comes to gun holsters, and for Police or Military application, you have to think about why you are using something and how it is going to perform, as a matter of fact, you have to know or else  you’ll end up in a bad situation.  Blackhawk holsters are by far the top selling gun holster, but some of the guys use them don’t like the leg holsters because of clearance issues they have when they have to go through hallways or doorways.  Snagging on clothing and holsters happens and sheered off flashlights does happen.

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