All posts tagged Glock 17 holsters

Concealement holsters and durability

I have recently been getting harsh on some gun holster manufacturers about the clip on IWB style holsters.  I got a dud from Galco recently and I was greatly disappointed.   I picked up a Galco Triton holster because i am trying to get away from using leather holsters in the Summer time and moving towards Glock and Springfield XD firearms for primary carry.   The problem is the clip on belt design.   Why do people not put some thought  into these.   I have had holsters fail me even though I had a good Wilderness Instructor belt on.   There are movements and things that can happen that can dislodge the holster.  That is not something that should ever occur.   People that are not that physically active may not notice it, but it can happen.

The Galco tuck-n-go is a nice holster but leather holds sweat and I don’t want to ruin guns or damage them nor do I want to have to clean them every week.  My Sig Sauer collection shows the rust on the grip screws and it’s not the fault of Galco holsters, it’s just something that can happen if you carry often.   Glock firearms don’t rust anywhere near what my Sigs do and it’s time for me to move on to doing something else.   I am trying to avoid having to get a custom firearm holster done, but I am not happy with the IWB Kydex holsters I have tried out so far.  I will continue my search for a non-leather holster and let you know how it goes.

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The Beretta 92FS still going strong

I remember when the 9mm gun started showing up in  Military service and the stories about them cracking and not being reliable were all over the place.   Now that I’m about three decades older,  I think I have heard the same exact stories from other people about different types of guns.   The real situation with firearms is there are almost always alterations or improvements that take place after the first run comes out.   Just think about the Glock Perfection promotions you see everyone where.  Glock supposedly got it perfect, but now we are seeing the 4th Generation with back straps.   I’m not bashing Glocks because I am a Glock owner and I’ve seen them out run most handguns and they are an elite firearm.   In all honesty most firearms really are just different types of candy.   Sometimes it’s just preference.

The Beretta 92FS is an extremely reliable firearm, it also is a full size auto that needs a good holster.    Our top 2 selling holsters from Blackhawk are the gun holsters made for those carrying the Beretta 92FS in the military also known as the M9 and the Glock 17 and followed closely by the Glock 19.   Blackhawk holsters are outstanding duty holsters and secondary firearm holsters.   Our top level tactical customers prefer the Blackhawk finger release design over tradition thumb break holsters and we have yet to have someone come back to us about quality control issues.    The Beretta 92FS is the stronger version of the original Beretta 92F gun holsters.

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Sometimes it’s not about the holster, it’s how big the gun is

I’ve been more aggressive in attempting to try out various types of firearms for concealed carry and i’ve found more than a few holsters that I will be adding to my rotation.   I think it’s a good idea to have more than one type of holster for each gun  you have because there are situations where you can get yourself into where one method of carrying will not work very well.   I have been growning tired of carrying guns IWB because I’ve hurt  myself one too many times and sometimes it takes weeks for the discomfort from a bruise to go away.   Rolling around on the ground with a paddle holster can be a revealing experience and you will quickly find out where all of the sharp ends on your firearms are.   It’s all necessary to know what different positions feel like so you hope your body will understand discomfort under stress and you can concentrate on getting hits on target.

I find ankle carry to be very close to dressing  up for Halloween.   It’s not really practical but it’s fun to do every once in awhile.  I find ankle carry to be a good backup method for someone that does a lot of driving.   Pocket carry is nice when you don’t have to carry a lot in your pockets, but I still always prefer to carry with a Don Hume Jit holster because I really can’t feel the gun on me unless I grab it with my hands.   I’ve been working my way towards smaller and smaller firearms and the Galco holsters that I am using now are all the Speed paddle holsters for a j-frame.  This gun is so light already that the paddle holster barely bothers me.   I’ve found the heavier the gun the less I’m going to want a paddle holster, and this is my least uncomfortable paddle carry holster.

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Blackhawk guns for CCW and Duty

I am replacing many of my Fobus gun holsters for the Blackhawk Serpa CQC holsters.   The CQC holsters can be attached to the belt or they can be made into a paddle holster, so you are actually getting 2 for one.   I have had circumstances where I needed to change the way I carried a gun and there are times that certain firearms really begin to wear on you and paddle holsters and IWB can get uncomfortable. Much of it depends on what type of physical work I am doing, but once you get a bruise in that area, it’s not going to heal if you are constantly carrying it in that manor.  A few years ago i hurt myself while bending over and couldn’t CCW with an IWB holster, but didn’t have many options to try out, I picked up a Blackhawk Serpa holster and tried that, but even though it was advertised as Concealed Carry, it really protruded out to far for me to wear under a shirt, and it really only could have been used if I wore a vest.  I guess I’m too thin to do that in the summer around here.

I have through pocket carry into the mix because I have had one too many times that I was extremely uncomfortable with the way I was carrying and couldn’t enjoy the places I was going.  Ankle carry has been tried, but it still feels funny to have something on one leg and not the other.  Blackhawk holsters are very good for duty work and Winter carry, but carrying a small Kahr PM9 or a Walther PPK is enough Semi-auto for me, but I have tried a Smith & Wesson lightweight 637 and have been very happy.  Throw a knife, flashlight and mace into the mix and you’ve got plenty of self-defense to go around.  No need to try and get too frisky with larger firearms and end up being made in a bad situation.

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Things that go nicely with a 1911

I can feel it, but I’m not afraid to admit it, I’m starting to desire carrying my rack queens again.   I started out with the old 45acp gun, but switched to a 38 Special and stuck with Sigs for over a decade.   I’m a Sig Sauer guy, but I’ve been wanting to carrying Glocks and try to adjust to them for a few months now.   I believe I am comfortable with the Glock firearms I am carrying, but I’m still not won over to them.   I’ve seen that Glocks are far more reliable than many of the Semi-autos I own under some conditions, but most of those would be either neglect or extreme circumstances.   I am not looking to get in gun fights that last for 1000rds with a handgun and I certainly don’t clean my guns every decade to see how reliable they will be.    My Glocks are going to be put to the test this year at a few training classes where I have had Sigs fail, but I’m still of the notion that I’d rather have an M4 pistol driven carbine than get too much into a bitch fest over handgun reliability.

My 1911s are always number one in my heart.   I like the idea of having 8rds of 45acp because I don’t think handguns should be expect for big gun fights.  I’m a strong supporter of having every cop keep an M4 Carbine in the trunk instead of expecting them to carry 100rds or more of 9mm ammo.   Galco holsters are outstanding companions to the 1911 because they look so darn good together.   The Galco holsters I have used are the Combat Master and the Galco concealable gun holsters.   They are belt through holster that are securely mounted on  your belt, you will have to get use to the grip angle which is another debate, but it’s another one of those things that is all about preference and adaptation.   The reasons for every accessory and holster being designed for a certain mode of deployment.

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Galco stow-n-go holsters, good for something

I am testing out a lot of holsters for a Glock 19 to see if I can find the right one to use this summer.   I went with the Stow-n-go holster because it looked like it is very CCW friendly, and it certainly is.   I have only had this Glock 19 for a few months, and I’m still getting use to this Glock thing, but I’m not blown away by the design of this holster.   I did have about a week break  in period with the holster because being leather, it had to be broken in.   This holster was really tight, but now that it’s been used several times at the range, there really isn’t any noticeable tension when pulling it out.   This is very soft an fairly comfortable even though my Sig 239 was a thinner firearm.   I am getting twice the fire power from this 9mm Glock 19.

The only real problem I have with this firearm and it’s a pretty big one, is that when it’s actually being used on the firing  line, I am having a lot of trouble getting the gun in the holster.   Not that it’s hard to get in, it’s really hard to get back in.  And being that I am using a Glock, I’m not going to fool around with it.   If it doesn’t drop into the holster, I’m not going to push it in.   Galco holsters are very nice and well made, but this one even though I am using it, isn’t one of my favorites and I’m going to continue to look other places for something soft but not as flimsy.   The soft leather makes the holster cave in when there isn’t a gun in it and I don’t like that.   I have to take the holster off and put the firearm in it and then attach it to my belt.

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Don Hume Jit holsters, fast and friendly

don hume holstersI’ve been in a holster and tactical clothing buying binge and I’ve learned a  lot in the last year.   Holsters all look the same after awhile and i really don’t feel the desire to buy too many more for most of the guns I own, but there are a few I picked up just to try out and see what was out there.   The best holster that I have found looked like it was no real advantage over any of the paddle or OWB holsters I already own, but the Don Hume Jit holster is turning out to be my favorite.   I was never one to sit down and eat a big breakfast before going to work, I get out of bed grab something to eat and get moving.   The idea of having to loop belts through holsters along with getting dressed every morning seemed like more of a chore for me and I avoided them.   I liked paddle or clip on holsters because i was done in a second.

The Jit holsters real advantage to me is that the holster isn’t any bigger than it’s needed to be and helps reduce the amount of printing you might have with a larger holster.   Some people may not like the fact that the whole gun is not protected by the holster, but you should notice this gun does feel like it comes out of the holster fast.    I have noticed that the gun does look like it’s a bit dry when carrying this way due to it being exposed to clothing so you may want to wipe your gun down more often,  Don Hume holsters are very reliable when it comes to getting a holster that fits and I have never had to return one that didn’t function properly.    My favorite CCW now is a Glock 19 in the Jit holster for 3/4 of the year.

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CCW vs Cop holsters

There is a reason that Cops want locking holster, statistics show that many police get shot by their own guns, and I’m sure there are unknown statistics on the number of times Cops have had guns fall out of holsters.   I recently read a review by an LAPD Officer that sheered an entire gun and holster off of his side while the paddle and belt kept part of it in place.   Anything that can happen will happen and probable already did happen.   I remember when Youtube first got popular there were several people bashing Fobus holsters on how easy it was to rip the guns off of people by tearing the holster.   Truth is, it can happen, but it doesn’t happen that often.   When it comes to CCW, most of the time you won’t be dealing with snagging firearms unless you go to retrieve them and they get caught on a shirt or a jacket.

Level I holsters are for, in my humble opinion, all about speed.    A nice IWB holster for concealed carry should keep the trigger protected and be as comfortable and easy to retrieve as the operator desires.  When it comes to level II Serpa holsters, I think this is a smart thing to consider for anyone in an open carry situation.   Yes the bad guy may know how to release  Blackhawk holsters, but your average bad guy probable doesn’t know how to clear a malfunction or do speed loads either.   If you are that concerned about the gun being taken from you, then don’t open carry.   I believe that the Serpa holster is the best way to carry a secondary firearm also.   The Blackhawk Level III holster is best left for law enforcement and people that are in high risk situations.

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Glocks and the Blackhawk Serpa holsters

I remember all of those arguments about the 1911 being a bad CCW back in the 1990’s and the early part of the last decade.  There was a big move towards large capacity firearms and Glock firearms pretty much became kind of that world for awhile.  I also remember seeing more and more stories on the news about shoot out involving 50-100rds of exchanged fire and nobody got hit.  In the inner city, there were more innocent people killed in fire fights than the people that were actually shooting at each other.  The Military dropped the M16A1 and went to the M16A2 because they realized that the full auto option really just meant wasting ammo and not more insurance.

There is something to be said for knowing your firearms.   I have along with several of my counterparts witnessed experienced shooters use a 45acp 1911 and engage 100yd targets and another friend learned to shoot from a guy shooting a Glock 40 at a 200yd target and did better with it than most people would have done with a 30/30 lever action.  Blackhawk holsters have a retention device that will help retain your firearm and keep it from falling out or being taking from you.  Every gun has it’s good an bad points and there is no difference between the 1911 thumb safety and the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.  Train to use what you have an know why you are carrying it.

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Sig 230 for CCW

There seems to be a wave of .380 CCW and after watching this trend for almost 2yrs, I have to say that it does seem to be a fad.   I am aware of a Police shooting where a Philadelphia Police Officer was killed by a bad guy with a .380 pistol and I later found out that she was hit in the head.   I hate having to be so gruesome in talking about shootings like this, but carrying a firearm means you are carrying a tool that may kill someone in self defense and we all know we don’t want to use the cheapest tools in the tool box if we are worried about keeping something of value in good condition.

The Sig 230 handguns have been around for a long time and from my experience the only down side to them is the lack of a normal magazine release.   All .380 handguns should be viewed as minimal, I wouldn’t carry one as a primary weapon or use it for home defense.  I have Don Hume holsters for my Sig 230 for inside the waistband.   The clip on belt holster is very reliable and the gun is already thin enough that carrying IWB is a non-issue.   .380 ballistics are something  you need to look into and train your mind to implement your weapon accordingly.

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