All posts tagged J-Frame Holsters

Elite Survival Holsters worth checking out

Elite Survival Systems is one of a few companies we are a dealer for that I personally used their products before we actually carried them.  Just about all of their gun cases are in my personal inventory and many of their holsters.    Some people frown on leather holsters, but it all depends on what your needs are.   Nylon holsters hold up better in some climates much better than leather.  Have you ever seen a leather plate carrier? Nylon has more abilities to be modular and there recently have been some changes to the Elite Survival Holsters that are worth mentioning.

Number one, the Elite Survival Pocket Holsters have been remade with a slightly different finish, I used their previous design for several years and it held up well for only being $12.   There are some preferences that people have voiced about comparisons in pocket holsters, but we have gotten very little complaints about their designs.    The Elite Survival Holsters that we move a lot of, are the BCH or Belt Clip Holsters.   Recently, a removable belt clip strap has been added to this design and makes it a versatile, IWB, IWB with retention, or OWB, or OWB Retention holster.  The belt clips they use can be changed to make it a right handed or left handed holster.  The Elite Survival Ankle Holsters and Elite Survival Shoulder holsters have very comfortable designs and we have a 99% satisfaction rate while many other Ankle Holsters and Shoulder Holsters get returned.

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Holsters, comfort and holster and angles

fobus holstersIt was a recent discussion in our tactical store that angling a holster forward really was more about FBI guys that were sitting in their cars and didn’t want the grips to dig into their seats.   I have had some issues drawing my pistol in this angle because sometimes I’ve felt my fingers get way too close to the trigger and slip.  Roto holsters give you a little bit of flexibility and we all know how hard it is to get a holster to fit you without trying it out for awhile.   If you are in a car you may want a forward leaning angle and if you are standing most of the time a straight angle.

There have been times I carried full sized autos and if I had my Wilderness 5 stitch instructor belt on I didn’t have any issues with the weight, but with the wrong belt, it would sag.   I am a big fan of the Fobus holsters product line, and not because they are my favorite, they are the easiest and best holster to start out with.  Their paddle holsters are very inexpensive and always the first thing we sell to someone who is taking their first firearms training course.  Paddle holsters are easier to adapt to than dealing with break  in periods with far more expensive leather or customer kydex holsters.

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Inside the waistband holsters?

I remember when I finally realized that there is no such thing as a perfectly comfortable way of carrying a firearm, you just learn how to adjust to carrying it.   The people that have no complaints about how they carry a firearm probable don’t do a lot of physical work because for those of us that are physically active are going to feel the guns press up against us especially if they are medium or large frame.   It is funny to say though that the most comfortable gun I can carry is not the smallers, but its actually the thinnest, the Colt 1911.

More people I know carry firearms on belt holsters and not IWB and I have to say that that is partially because they are too fat to put a gun in the belt. The Desantis holsters that I have been using recently are the Sof-tuck holsters.   I will report back after I use them for awhile.   One of my biggest issues lately with the IWB holsters is they become flimsy and do not hold their form and re-holstering firearms can actually become dangerous if the holster does not all the gun to go in easily.   There are reasons to be able to quickly re-holster a firearm after a fight so that  you can lay low until the police arrive and not be standing there with a gun in your hands.

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Physical work and concealed carry

I still to this day do not know how I have hurt myself but there were times that I was carrying IWB and bruised my hips and couldn’t carry the gun for awhile.  I think it was possible from driving in a car for a long time and had the seat belt kind of squeeze the gun up against me a  little more.   That is still to this day the most annoying thing about driving is having to put a seat belt on and carrying a medium or large firearm on your belt.

I much rather carry on a shoulder rig, but that is not a very good CCW method in warm weather and the should harness can be a dead giveaway.   Galco holsters makes the nicest leather holsters and the Miami Vice Classic should holsters looks the best when when wearing a suit and tie.   I think  the real reason everyone is moving towards pocket carry as an option is there is really very little discomfort for every day carry.

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Glocks 17 holsters and safety

I view the Glock pistol as an unsheathed knife.  When you pull a knife or a sword you better pay attention to where your blade is because it will cut you.   I am not big fan of manual safeties on handguns because the closer you are to a bad guy the less time you’ll have.  On an AR15 it’s whole other story.   I am also not a big fan of carrying firearms around with empty chambers.   People gotta realize that when bad things happen, you don’t have all the time in the world and giving yourself one more thing to do before you can defend yourself is a bad idea.   I recently did an audit of all of the friends and family members that I know that carry firearms and the vast majority of them have never been in a really hostile situation.

I, unfortunately have too much experience in those regards and I completely understand what “stress” is in combat or hostile situations.  I never got into the whole CCW thing just for being a cowboy.   I’ve seen evil and I know the dark side of what humanity can do and it’s not just about defending our lives, it’s also about defending the innocent.    I think there are some good designs out that may be at higher safety level than Glocks, but the Blackhawk holsters that I like the most for Glock firearms is the Serpa.   The Level II tactical holsters lock the gun in place, you hear it click and you don’t have to worry about thumb breaks or guns flying out of the holster because there is nothing to retain it.

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Choosing a firearm for ccw and backup mags

It is your decision or your departments decision on which type of firearm you are going to be carrying around.   When my LEO friends have a chose of carrying something other than their standard sidearm, it amazes me on what they actually decide to carry.   Most departments around here issue Glock 17 handguns and most of my LEO friends actually carry Sig Sauer handguns off duty.   The Sig 239 is a big number one for CCW even in the civilian community.

When we are chosing which firearm to carry, there are always the what ifs that can cross our minds, those what ifs usually mean you should always consider having a spare magazine.  I’m not a big fan of telling people they should carry a backup gun because training and carrying a knife and a flashlight should be good for most.  When it comes to spare magazine Blackhawk holsters makes a very reliable magazine holder that gives a level of tension to hold a magazine in and still doesn’t compromise on the speed it takes to take it out.

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Summer heat and transitioning from one firearm to another

In this part of  the State we get all 4 seasons and some of the changes in weather can be drastic.  This year I’m transitioning over to polymer guns for summer CCW because I’ve rusted out the grip screws on so many of my Sig and Beretta firearms.   IWB is a must in the summer for my semi-autos but I have been using a Ruger LCR for pocket carry in environments were ultra concealment is called for.  I always like the looks of leather,  but now I am locked in with  using Kydex holsters for the same reasons I’m switching firearm, no rust as far as I’ve seen.

I’m still too skinny to carry with a paddle holster and I’ve had to retire all of my Blackhawk holsters because they still print if I wear a t-shirt.   Vests are too obvious in summer weather, but you can get away with it in the Spring.   I really miss carrying my Sig 226, but it’s time to play with my Glock 19, retired the Blackhawk holsters and go with an Uncle Mike’s kydex holster.   I’ll see  how well these holsters hold up because the belt clips I’ve had on previous holsters didn’t hold up very well and there were times I’ve stood up at work and was holding my gun in a holster because it just lifted right off my belt.

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Fast holsters for self defense

Not everyone is going to win the IDPA National competition this  year, nor should we expect it, but there are several thousand people that are above average and stand out.    Not everyone that carries a firearm is training 2 times a week and ready for whatever fate is going to pop out of the bushes.   I don’t teach gun slinging when I’m teaching a class, but I expect people to be safe when using a firearm, and allow them to figure out how fast they need to be.   In all of the hostile confrontations I witnessed, there was never a need for a fast draw, you either slowly pulled the gun when the BG wasn’t looking or you ran for cover and moved.   Gun slinging can mean that both individuals shoot each other.

I do believe that one thing that gets over looked when people decide to choose a holster is at what angle and location can they draw a firearm fastest.   Gun depth in a holster is a big deal because once you start concealing a firearm under a shirt, if you can’t get your hands on it easily you’re not going to get it out quick enough.   My fastest and favorite is the Don Hume holsters called the Jit holster.   These ride a little high, aren’t locked in, and my hands and many of my students agree, that it is easy to grab.   IWB can be tricky because everyone thinks its just about hiding the gun, they forget that it’s also about how to get it out.

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Revival of laser grips?

I think there really has been a change in attitude towards  using laser grips.    Now that police and military are actually being trained to use their weapons and every municipality has a better trained SWAT team than a decade ago, lasers are actually finding a place in the CCW and LEO communities.   When I first saw lasers coming onto the scene in the late 1990s many un trained LEOs got into situations where they would have normally pulled the trigger and taken the first shot, but the lasers slowed their shooting down because they were tracking the dot.

Instinctive shooting can’t be compromised, period.  When you are  in a defensive situation, you are more than likely within 9yds are less of your attacker and there is no need to even look at your sights let alone your laser dot.   Now that we have cleared that up, Crimson Trace laser grips has done a good job as a company of sending out a Free DVD that gives you some ideas on how to deploy a laser in defensive situations where it actually reduces your chances of being shot by helping  you stay under cover.

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Outside the pants holsters

The first question I would ask someone if they were asking me for a holster would be to ask them “for what” and then say “how much do you want to spend”.   I am starting to feel very uncomfortable in carrying inside the waist.  I believe it is probable the best location for CCW, but it can get uncomfortable if you are a 7 days a week carrier.    Most cops carry in a paddle or belt holster and that has a lot to do with comfort.   I’m hearing good things about Crossbread holsters, but I still haven’t held them in my hands or tried them out.   I should be getting a few in sometime next month, but in the mean time, I’ve been carrying with a Don Hume Jit holster and I am finding it very comfortable.

I haven’t had to alter the types of clothing I have worn since switching the way I carried, and I have to watch I don’t lift my arms up too high.   I can’t wait for Spring when I can wear some of my lighter weight vests because right now this winter indoor heat at stores is killing me.   I almost passed out when I was walking around doing Christmas shopping because the dry heat and lack of breath ability of the heavy winter coat I wore almost made me want to turn around and go home.   I have several Fobus holsters that work very well, but even the paddle starts to bother me.   A friend of mine took a class with his Fobus holster and said that it hurt at the end of the day after he was rolling around on the ground.   I have found that full size autos work very well with the Fobus paddle holsters, but they are not the most comfortable to wear.

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