All posts tagged Paddle 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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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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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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Reason for having more than one holster

There are always preferred ways of carrying a concealed firearm or even a duty gun, but in certain environments you’re holsters may not hold up very well.  I’ve seen nylon holsters survice in situations where leather didn’t, but i have and own many very comfortable leather tactical and concealed carry holsters.  I don’t think the notion of wearing a kydex shoulder holster is appealing to me, but something like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters are more secure than a clip on nylon.

There are always trade offs with guns and the same goes for the gear that you are carrying, In this part of the country it’s impossible to expect to carry a paddle holster or Blackhawk holsters like the Serpa in the outside of your pants when it gets hot up here.   If you want concealed carry you better expect to carry IWB or pocket carry.  I’ve moved away from paddle holsters because you really feel it if you have to hit the ground hard.  There are always options.

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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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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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Paddle holsters and breakage

 

I have a few customers that have sworn by Safariland holsters and claim that they don’t break like Blackhawk holsters do, but I haven’t seen it.   Gun talk and gun accessory discussions often quickly turn into soap operas and there’s a certain point I just turn it off because I know its just daytime drama.   Bad stuff can happen, defective products make it to the market, and sometimes people just don’t tell you the truth about what happened.   Kinda like the guys that blow their guns up and claim that there wasn’t anything wrong with the ammunition and then you find out they put a double charge of Bullseye pistol powder in an M1A rifle case.    Taking responsibility for actions and learning form them will help you find the right gear not acknowledging your part of the error doesn’t help the learning curve.

I have yet to ever retire a gun holster because it broke on me, but I’ve sold or retired a few because they either held too much body sweat or the belt clips didn’t perform 100% of the time.  I’ve been using The Wilderness Instructor belts for almost 10yrs and had gun holsters fail me.   Technically they didn’t break, but they failed.   I’ve been transitioning all of my Fobus paddle holsters to the closet box and replacing them with Blackhawk holsters because I’ve been very comfortable with the design and release of medium to large frame autos.   I will be looking to replace my J-frame 38 Special this summer with a .380 pistol and will be shopping a the NRA convention in Pittsburgh for one.

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Magazine pouches, fobus vs Blackhawk

I have had a lot of experience using nylon gun holsters and I really can’t say anything bad about them except for the thumb break stile holsters.   I’m not a big fan of holsters with straps on them and I presently only prefer the Blackhawk Serpa holsters for locking and firearm retention.   My Fobus holsters have always served me well and I believe I may own one holster for every medium and large frame auto in my collection.  Fobus makes a nice paddle holster, but I have had experience with the magazine holders and I am not a big fan.

I have quite a few nylon magazine holders and they are very good and keep the magazines where I want them, I do not like to use the nylon magazine holders for CCW and after a short stint at using the Fobus holsters magazine holders, I found out that there is a limit to how many paddle style holsters I can wear comfortable.   I do not recommend the fobus paddle magazine holders because you will feel it dig into you if you have to roll around.  The Blackhawk single and double stack magazines are the best because they actually have tension and mags won’t fly out easy and they aren’t covered like a nylon magazine holder is.

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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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Galco holsters, I thought I had the wrong holster

I’ve been on a holster binge lately and I’ve been  picking up whatever I can for the revolving CCW guns that I carry.   I have been trying to modernize my rotation with a few Springfield XD variants an a Glock 19 and a Glock 26.   I went back to leather holsters after shying away from them for a few years.  I had a bad experience with an Alessi Talon holster that was holding so much sweat that it ruined a Tauras T-85 38 special.   I skipped a monthly cleaning and found out the holster actually had a gew in it and the barrel was pitted.

I think the best CCW is really the IWB but I know not all body types handle it very well, last night I got an order in the mail and decided to try out the Galco holsters that were IWB.    The Galco Tuck-N-Go holster looked like a good thing for me to test out, but I actually thought I had the wrong holster after having so much trouble getting the gun into it.   The slide was actually racking when I put the holster in so I had to stop, after doing some research online, I’m over reacting a little bit and going to see if I can break it in a little more.  I’m not too happy with the fact I can’t really re holster the gun properly because it seems to cave in on itself.   I’ll give it test in a few days.

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