All posts tagged Tactical Holsters

tactical gear and accessory ordering online

I’ve been doing a lot of product evaluations and we’ve been scouting the tactical apparel and accessories industry since the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh.   We pretty much brought in new gun holsters and apparel for the CCW holder and we’ve already been well immersed into what most military contractors use.   Some of the new Smith Elite Optics have a really popular turbo fan goggle that have been flying out the door and we’ve already been taking orders to blow out the next shipment.   A great many new customers have been dropping in and calling us on the phone asking who are we because they’ve never heard of us before but we have been showing up in gun magazines and conventions for the last several months.

Most of our new customers are finding us on the internet through search engines and many times it’s because they found us after bad experiences with a few other companies.   It’s somewhat shocking that some of the highest ranked businesses on Google and Yahoo are companies that have an F rating with the better business borough.   Gun holsters are hard to find in many gun shops and now that there are so many new guns like the Ruger LCP,  Galco holsters, Blackhawk holsters and many more have to keep up with what is being put out.  You gotta be real careful who you do business with and that’s one reason we’ve thrown up a facebook page so that our customers knew who we were and that we respond to our customers questions and needs.

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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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J-frames should never be underated

I recently did a ballistics test between a j-frame 38 Special and a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4″ barrel.   I thought that I would get better ballistics out of the obviously longer barrel, but I was wrong.   It’s amazing what a chronograph will do to your belief in gun energy.   I’ve seen ballistics out of M4 Carbines that nobody would believe.   I’ve read lots of stuff online about how weak the M4 Carbine is and that 2800fps was what they normally shot at.  Well, I was clocking in ballistics that were 400 fps above that.   I’m aware of the amount of stress and wear you can put on a firearm if you shoot it that much, but let’s just walk about capabilities within a certain threshold.

There are so many .380 pistols showing  up out there that people are more content with small pocket pistols like never before.   I finally got to shoot a Ruger LCP .380 a few weeks ago, but wasn’t blown away.  I know why people like them, but a j-frame in a pocket or even in Galco holsters, like a paddle  holster are just fine for me.   The Rohrbaugh guns are the race cars of small compact semi-autos, but the j-frame will always have it’s grip in that mode of CCW.   Considering that all of these .380 pistols are usually 6 or 7 shots, going with a 5 shot and a speed loader isn’t much to loose sleep over.

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Unconventional thought in defensive situations

I think most people expect to read about firearms, knives and pepper spray when it comes to using weapons in a defensive situations, but we can’t for get to think  about ways of using our body in situations to get away, or restrain an individual.   I’ve shown many people how to take a firearm away from someone, but that is only for people that have the confidence to do so.  I remember a few years ago there were was a lot of buzz about how easy it was to take apart a Beretta 92FS pistol and disarm someone who wielded it.   Well, it is easy to do that, but it’s even easier to drop a magazine on a Glock and pull the trigger on it and then it’s basically disarmed as well.

Verbal defense is probable the most important training that a shooter can employ.  I’ve taught people how to build confidence that they will know how to shout down an attack or trick a home invader to retreat, just by yelling “I have a gun”.  Knowing how to use every sharp edge of your firearm and your Blackhawk holsters even the magazine holders as blunt objects should give you things to think about when in a crisis situation.   Lots of firearms and tactical gear and accessories can be used for jabbing or bashing.

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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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Looking for feedback on shoulder holsters

I’ve always liked carrying a full size auto in a shoulder holster and sometimes it’s the most comfortable way to carry one.  I’ve done enough carrying on a leg holster to know that this is not a car friendly way of carrying.  There are times that I got seat belts snagged and the gun slammed against steering wheels and doors and it’s just not that friendly.   Out in the open on the field a leg holster is great, but people forget that you need extra clearance when moving through hallways and around things when you are carrying in this manor.  I had a fellow Cop friend that told me that he had a buddy tear a Blackhawk holster right off the mount by running after a bad guy and doesn’t use that style of holster anymore.   For driving in a car, ankle holsters can be very practical, but walking or running with them is not.

I have been trying to find vertical horizontal holsters, but they seem to not be available as much.  I ordered a Bulldog shoulder holster and even though the picture said it was a vertical the box said Horizontal and then I found out that Bulldog doesn’t make the vertical kind anymore.  I spoke to someone at Elite Survival systems and they told there was a lawsuit against several other companies about this type of shoulder holster.  Blackhawk holsters are one of my favorite even though I do not use them exclusively.   There is a Blackhawk Serpa holster that has a find locking system, but still don’t like this way of carrying.   If anyone can tell me where I can find a good vertical shoulder rig, I’m all ears.

 

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Thin guns for CCW might cut it

I’ve been trying to carry Glocks for the last year and had to buy a ton of new holsters because my thin build didn’t really hide them very well.   Glocks are thicker than most of my Sigs and carrying them in any other manor than IWB has been almost impossible if I want concealment.   I still love carrying them in Blackhawk Serpa holsters but these holsters are not CCW friendly in my humble opinion.  There are so many variables in trying to conceal a firearm and some modes are just not practical.   I’ve seen ankle holsters for Sig 229 and large Glock guns and I just find it unreasonable to carry that much weight on your ankle, not to mention how secure the thing is.

One favorite way to carry on an outside the waist holsters is with a 1911.  The 1911 is a much thinner frame and  even though the Government model is long, it is easy to tuck in and conceal.  You may have some issues with the cocked hammer snagging but that is something that can be dealt with.  Galco holsters made the Combat master which is a belt attached holster.  This holster is going to fit right up against you and not protrude.  If you add that with the thin framed 1911, you will have another OWB holster that can be concealed.  It does work with summer carry if you wear a large cut and dark t-shirt.

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Blackhawk holsters for CCW

I think the Blackhawk Serpa holster is an outstanding design for a duty holster, but it’s not a very good design for CCW.   I remember all of the bashing that use to go on about Glocks vs 1911 handguns for CCW and the arguments  usually came down to people being against manual safeties.   I think there is something to be said for not having a manual safety on a CCW gun and there is a difference between that and having one on a hunting rifle, but it does not make sense to argue that a 1911 is bad for CCW and then tote your Glock 19 around in a Level 2 holster.    You have to weigh and balance the advantages and disadvantages of a firearm and how you would want to deploy it.

 

The Blackhawk Serpa works well as a duty holster and under a vest or a jacket it can work, but I never liked the idea of having to clean a layer of clothing, find the gun release and draw the firearm.   I stopped carry a 1911 after having too many times of missing the thumb safety.   The more you layer your clothing, the more of a risk you are going to run into a problem.  Blackhawk holsters do come in an IWB design that are of a nylon design and better suited for CCW.   I have found there are some advantages of a simple nylon holster for a Kydex or leather.

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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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