All posts tagged M9 Holsters

Locking holsters it is about preference

We have been selling far more Blackhawk holsters than ever before but several Law Enforcement Agencies that we deal with have bad mouthed them and have told us that they have banned them from training classes.   There are flaws in the Blackhawk system and it is true that a dirty locking system will cause the gun to get stuck and it will be difficult to retrieve, but the funny thing about the videos that are floating around YouTube are that if you did the same thing to an M16, the gun would jam up also.

Many of our Special Forces and Law Enforcement still prefer the Safariland holsters although they do seem a little bulkier than other holsters.  There really are duty holsters and for the most part Safariland Holsters are best for that job.  People that bash locking holsters need to take new students to a range and have them use thumb break holsters and you’ll see in about 5 minutes that Safariland and Blackhawk designs are superior.   Not only is it about being able to get your firearm out quickly, it’s also about locking the gun in place so it doesn’t fly out when you have to run or are in an altercation.

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Nylon holsters from Blackhawk

Nylon holsters are always a good starting point for people to understand what it’s like to carry a firearm.   I have several of the older Uncle Mike’s gun holsters that I picked up at gun shows and they are all holding up.   The only reason I don’t use them is because I don’t find them to lock onto my gun belts as well as they should, so I’ve moved on.   To this day that is still one of the major reason I pass or fail a gun holster.   The gun angle or how deep it sits is a personal preference, but clip on belt holsters better be secure or they get an F.

I’ve picked up several of the Kydex holsters from Galco and was not very happy with them for the same reason I did not like some of the Uncle Mike’s clip on holsters.  The Blackhawk holsters like the Hip holster are pretty much the same.  If it works for you then use it, but they aren’t going to be the most secure.   Some of the Elite Survival holsters are better thought out and made in the USA so give them a shout.

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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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Some talk about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters

I just got done reading several news articles, gun blogs and yapping on facebook about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   Many of them were fact and experience driven but I still see a lot of over reacting.  There are several videos floating around of the holsters being jammed up from dirt or snow and guns being locked into place inside the holster and the release button not working.   Well, try doing that same thing with your AR15 and you’ll probable end up with a jammed firearm.    I think the argument is definitely there and there may be a slight modification to the gun release button, but I think the Blackhawk Serpa holster is a good holster.

Your cell phone and firearm can jam or even explode if  you don’t treat them right and anyone knows that getting dirt down your barrel and obstructing a bullet means a doomed barrel.   Every mechanical device whether  Blackhawk Serpa holsters or a Galco leather holster can malfunction.   Even Fobus holsters were the recipients of some pretty harsh internet durability and reliability video.   This argument can go all the way back to wood rifle stocks vs plastic ones.   I would expect that the military may ask for a slightly improved version of the holster, but I wouldn’t worry about the ones you have on  you right now.

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Beretta 92 still going strong after all of these years

I jumped on the Beretta 92FS bandwagon in the later 1990’s because it seemed to be one of the most reasonable priced 9mm I could find.   This is a full size gun and  not really good for IWB, but it is the easiest handgun to take down and clean.   There was a movie where a fight broke out and a good guy took apart an M9 handgun in a gun fight, but the reality is that if anyone can get their hands on your gun they can hit a mag release or push the slide back and jam it up just as easy.  Sometimes knowing  how something works means knowing  how to break it, too.

The Beretta 92 does have a lot of play in the trigger and it’s kind of hard to claim it’s a great IDPA guy, but it is extremely well balanced and reliable.   It is also so common that finding good deals on used magazines and parts is easy.   Blackhawk holsters sells a great military style leg holster that will securely lock your firearm in place and the M9/Beretta 92FS is one of our top selling Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   This only goes to show that with all of the faults the guy may have, it’s still one of the best and people trust it with their lives.

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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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Why should you consider a locking holster?

I’m sure that many of you that have taken CCW classes probable know that the faster you get your gun out the more likely you are to get the first hits in.   In some people’s minds putting safeties on firearms and putting guns in locking holsters will slow you down.   That is somewhat true for some firearms and some holsters, but the better the design on the firearm the less likely that is and for some gun  holsters, there is absolutely zero slow down.    I’m not a big fan of thumb break holsters because I’ve had bad experiences with them not snapping properly and I could never tell if they were tight or now.

One thing I have found that in any type of physical turmoil, guns and gear will fly off of you.   I’ve seen it one too many time at Carbine training classes where secondary weapons and magazines go flying.   The Blackhawk Serpa holsters are my favorite because the holster locking system actually can help a novice shooter get use to keeping their finger straight and off the trigger when drawing the firearm because that is where your trigger finger is when the gun is released from the holster.

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