All posts tagged Glock 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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Blackhawk Drop Leg holsters easier to deploy

Blackhawk Serpa HolstersBlackhawk serpa holstersThe Blackhawk Serpa holsters became our most popular level II holster due to its easy use and reliability.   There are plenty of reasons to not use thumb breaks and locking mechanisms on holsters, but for those carrying openly or using a sidearm as a secondary weapon, having a easy to release locking holster is comforting.  For hard use and physical work, holster, gear and magazines can come loose.   The Blackhawk magazine holders for double stack and single stack magazines is probable the best made magazine for concealed carry because there are no flaps or covers over them, but they still retain the gun magazine with tension.   The design of the Blackhawk holsters works right with your basic firearm safety procedures and will easily be released by the trigger finger while it is in the safe position away from the trigger when be retrieved.  The Blackhawk tactical leg holsters are also big sellers for those carrying full size autos like the Beretta 92 or Glock 17.

Angles make a big difference in the easy in which you can deploy your firearm.  If you look at some of the Desantis leather holsters there are numerous belt holsters that have different angles, the Blackhawk Serpa holsters that are drop leg holsters are at a lower angle and in my personal opinion less likely to have an operator slide their finger off the holster release button that on the waist.  There are always body types and situations where this can cause an issue but for me I like the drop leg holsters more than the belt.  There are some attachment devices that you can use to make your Serpa holster a molle compatible device and we are stocking more and more of these adaptives.

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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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Leather, Kydex, Suede and more gun holster options for Duty Holsters

safariland holstersWe get phone calls from customers  that ask very broad questions and sometimes it’s apparent that people just want to know we’re open and when they can stop buy.   The whole point of having a showroom  here in the town that we have one, was because there are a great many things that people don’t want to buy online.  There are all kinds of parts and accessories that also Police and Security agencies lose or wear out.   Identify badges, leather wallets, key chains, handgun keys and the list goes on.   A few days ago we had mace pouches that we had to fit to various pepper sprays because the fit had to be perfect and not just hold it, it had to hold it correctly so it would be easily secured and deployed.

Handgun and flashlight holders are all different in style and fit.   We’ gone through a long list of accessories and flipped through the Safariland holsters and accessories book that we got when we became a dealer.    The differences between a holster that worked for you and a holster that was kinda working are slight and some safety issues can come about if you don’t go by product codes or get technical support.   Even the differences between a streamlight Strion, Stinger ect can be vest because the bezel or lenses have different dimensions.  Sometimes it’s nice to just be able to go in and ask questions from someoone that knows what they are doing.

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Duty holsters, can you deviate from Safariland?

safariland holstersThe short answer is YES but many people stick with the Safariland products because even though sinking $100 into a holster is expensive you get something that unless you break it in some wild adventure, it might last most of your 20yr career in Law Enforcement.   There are so many products listed in the Safariland catalog that many dealers of the Safariland product line don’t even list all of it.  Recently we actually had an issue with some of the technical info not being up to date and we had some incorrect holsters come in.  We didn’t  know that there was no difference between the M6 flashlight and the TLR-1S light.  Everyone and their dog is using the TLR lights now so we are stocking them for the local departments.

Blackhawk Serpa holsters are still very popular and a quick fix for anyone looking for a retention holsters but I don’t even have to ask why when a cop walks in our store on why he wants retention.   You gotta have retention and Safariland holsters like the ALS are the way to go because when you have to holster your weapon and cuff someone you don’t want them pulling your own firearm and using against you.  The Stats are there for cops being killed with their own weapons and  even for swat teams that are primarily using AR15 or M16, you need retention on your handguns to prevent them from flying out when you are moving around.

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Don Hume holsters several years of customer reviews

Don Hume HolstersIn recent years we’ve had an enormous number of local, custom  Kydex holster makers ask us to carry their stuff but that is something we don’t want to delve into at the moment.  If you have the skills to make Kydex holsters you can make a lot money, but mass producing a holster from your home without quality control issues coming up, is something that our experience in the tactical industry would warn us about.   I personally prefer kydex holsters for inside the waist carry options, but I’m not opposed to leather holsters that are paddle, belt look or shoulder rigs.

I have several years of using Desantis leather goods and am very fond of them, but some of the products have their positive and negative appeals.  Recently, Don Hume holsters have been a huge seller and for several years we have customers raving about how sturdy the holsters are in comparison to other brands.  Even if a holster looks really good, you can notice edges of the holster bending or that the gun has zero retention and the guns become loose.  All accessories, whether they are made of kydex, nylon or leather will wear out.   Some holsters don’t really matter for smaller firearms, but when you get to full size and even medium size firearms, holster retention and durability really matter.

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Leather look and Professional appearance at work

desantis holstersKydex holsters are very good for their intended purposes but you really can’t walk away from leather holsters.   Not only do leather holsters especially the Desantis holsters that we sell look so nice, but the product line is so big that just about any type of holster, IWB holsters, Paddle holsters and even the Desantis Scorpion holster which is Kydex and not something you would have thought a Leather holster company made.  We have seen many leather holsters in our lifetime but even if you think you can get a good once for less money, you won’t have the durability and proven quality that Desantis Products has.

Much of our Law Enforcement product line has expanded our leather goods and Desantis is number one on our list.  I have a ton of holsters in my closet but the ones I use the most when I’m going  out at night are the ones that look the best and the Desantis holsters that we sell are the best looking holsters with style and durability.   We’ve had several leather holsters in our store from Galco leather to Don Hume and although each product line has it’s good points and their weaknesses, the current majority of our Law Enforcement and Detectives our using the thumb break speed scabbards instead of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters just based on the professionalism and look of the holster.

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When do you need a retention holster?

There are so many guns out there and holsters that it is very common for people to waste money buying things that they don’t need and then it sits in a gun safe or a box in the closet.   Training is more important than firearm selection and many of my friends got in the habit of thinking that if they needed a self defense firearm they should buy something expensive.  There is nothing wrong with carrying a j-frame revolver and all the craze about .380’s in recent years is really just marketing.   Ballistics of a .380 are very low and this is  not a very powerful round although there has been some improvement lately.

When it comes to holsters, you don’t need to spend $100 on a holster for it to give you some stealth advantage over your enemies.   We sell a lot of Blackhawk Serpa holsters to law enforcement but I shy away from pushing these for CCW.   There have been many times that I have had customer walk into my store and have a firearm with a light  on it and none of the holsters that they originally came in looking for worked for them.   There have been many times that they picked up an Elite Survival Systems holster because there was more adaptability with their designs for lights and lasers.

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Official Safariland Holster Dealer

It’s official, Rogue Elite is now an authorized Safariland and Bianchi dealer here in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Our Broomall showroom and the demand from local law enforcement has given us a strong and stable foothold in this area after 7yrs of drop shipping various products for years.  There are many products that our Law Enforcement Community have asked for and many of them can only be had by direct dealers and not through drop shipping distributors.   The Safariland product line is vast and the variations in firearms, light and lasers that are available to them can great complicate the holster selections.

Many tactical teams need thigh or drop leg holsters and many are using the TLR-1 or TLR-3 gun lights.  Not everyone chooses to use the same gear and many have used the Safariland holsters with the Surefire X300 flashlights.  The change in flashlights can cause many to use a different holster and at $140 per holster that really can get expensive.  There is usually a very thorough testing period before a department chooses a sidearm and flashlights take just as much time to test out.   Normally it’s Surefire or Streamlight but we have seen quite a few of the Viridian laser flashlight combos.

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You get what you pay for with holsters, but sometimes you can pay too much!

I have several very nice leather holsters from brands like Galco and Desantis and they really, really, really look nice.   Most of them get used on rare occasions but there was a time that I thought I need to spend money like  that for a good holster.  When you spend a $1000 on a firearm sometimes it’s hard to complain about spending $75 on a holster rather than wonder if you are a cheap skate for spending only $25 on one.   One of our most popular holsters right now are the Don Hume holsters and although they are not as nice as the Desantis, they are very well priced.

When it comes to carrying open carry or in the winter, I personally prefer to carry large frame autos.   One of my favorite holsters for the winter are the Fobus holsters namely the newer E2 models.  These have a level of retention that you can adjust unlike the original fobus paddle holster design and this will give you some tolerance for safety and security.   If you want something a little bit more secure then probable the level 2 retention holsters are for  you, but these tend to be over played for concealed carry.  I’m not a big fan of locking up firearms unless i’m on duty.

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