Duty Holsters

Before I begin let give credit to twitter user Gregory M. (@NotGregoryM) because he sought out my knowledge on this subject.

Seeing how I've already done an article on finding pistols, maybe I should give an overview on what holsters one should use to carry that pistol.  I will only cover be covering duty holsters which are worn on a belt and carried in an overt manner such as military and law enforcement.  I won't cover conceal carry options simply because I can't hide my favoritism towards the inside the waistband options offered by G-Code.  With that said, all of this is only my opinion.  Whether or not you choose to acquire any of these options is your choice only.  In regards to this very specific issue, I prefer to present you some options and allow you to make your own decisions.  Except when it comes to nylon.  You use a nylon holster you're asking for problems.  All options presented will be make from kydex and for a duty holster that's the way to go.

The first option I present to you also happens to be my personal favorite (note I said personal favorite not the best out there,  That's your choice to make.) duty holsters.  Those would be the option presented by Safariland.  If you are observant, you will notice that most holsters used by military and law enforcement happen to be made by Safariland.  They offer plenty of options in regards to styles of retention and whether or not your pistol has a flashlight mounted to it.  Their locking systems provide a excellent retention into the ejection port of the pistol to provide a smooth and consistent draw and re-holstering.  They also provide an additional quick change system that allows you to either swap out different pistols on your kit or swap your holster to different loadouts.  As for flaws, if you order directly from Safariland you are looking at long lead times as holsters are made to order as to your personal specifications like finish, color and draw hand.  Another flaw is more obvious.  Safariland holster are some of the most expensive on the market.  Depending on set up, you could be spending upwards of $250.  If you're fortunate enough to have a more common pistol, you might get lucky and find what your are looking for on eBay at a much reduced price.  If you are looking for a holster for your pistol, this is the first company I am sending you to.

Another acceptable option comes from a company know as G-Code.  They are another company that has many of their products used by law enforcement and the military.  These holster primarily use the tension of the kydex to ensure the retention of the pistol.  However, like other companies they offer options with a cowl for additional retention.  These cowls use a push button thumb drive system to shoot the cowl forward and allow you to draw the pistol.  They also have a quick attachment system to allow to swap out the holster.  A system they I personally (again subjective) find to be superior to they system provided by Safariland.  They even have adapters available for the holsters of other companies to be attached to their mounting systems.  My dislike in the system comes from its primary retention point being the tension created by the holster.  You can adjust the tension but, you have to find that sweet spot between having a smooth draw and keeping the pistol in the holster.  This require the user to be completely consistent on their draw strength in order clear the pistol from the holster.  With the systems with the cowl, you can use the thumb drive as a leverage point.  If you have the light bearing option though, no matter what you do there is just too much tension to ever get smooth draw without and adequate anchor point for your holster.  Needing to be consistent and your draw strength and motions isn't necessarily a bad thing.  However, if anything in you or your kit isn't perfectly set, you will have problems in your draw.  In a world where slow is smooth and smooth is fast, if the smooth part is out of whack you might be having a bad time.  Another flaw is that unless you have a commonly used or modern pistol, they won't carry a holster for you.  This means if you want to use their pistol, you have to be more generic and up to date in regards to your choice of pistols.

One of the other options available to shooters come from a company called Blade-Tech.  They are similar in many ways to G-Code in that they utilized a thumb drive system and offer proprietary mounting systems.  However they do offer more options than G-Code in regards to the pistols they make holsters for.  My dislike for them actually come to the style of thumb drive for the cowl holsters.  To activate the thumb drive instead of pushing down like a button, you actually have to push at tab inward towards your body in order to activate the cowl.  I always found it to be a pain in the ass and made for very inconsistent draws.  In regards to price they are right in between those of G-Code and Safariland.  However, I find both of them to provide superior products to Blade-Tech.

Definitely a bargain bin company, Blackhawk in attempting to improve their reputation with the Omnivore holster.  This also has a thumb drive system that locks into the accessory rail of the the pistol (kinda) or the tactical light if you have chosen that option.  The draw of this pistol however, is that it is designed as a 1 size fits most holster enabling multiple different makes of pistol being able to use the same holster.  If your pistol has a light, this is achieved by locking onto the light itself instead of the pistol.  If you don't have a light, the pistol requires and additional component that mounts to your accessory rail and that locks into the pistol for retention.  With that comes the flaw of the pistol.  You should have to mount anything onto your pistol in order to mount it into your holster.  With such a system they attempt to make a jack of all trades and as the rest of the saying goes, master of none.  Also this pistol like it's predecessor, has a fatal flaw.  In order to holster most makes of pistols, the opening needs to be much larger than necessary.  In some cases, you can even reach into the holster and actually manipulate the trigger while the pistol is in the holster.  In my opinion, this makes the pistol incredibly unsafe for any use beyond carried on the range.  This is not a pistol for duty use.

No!!! Just fucking no!  The Blackhawk Serpa is a holster that should not be used period.  The locking mechanism is in the trigger guard and activation on the draw increases you chances for a negligent discharge.  Nobody in their right mind would ever recommend anyone use this pistol.  Most competent instructors and range owners won't even allow them to be used anymore because their history of being dangerous.  The only people I ever see use these holster nowadays are idiotic 3%ers and the JuSt As Gud crowd (granted they are often one in the same but fuck it whatever).  If you value your legs and balls (or ovaries, we're equal opportunity haters here) DO NOT USE THIS HOLSTER!

There you have it everyone.  Just a few suggestions on holsters.  If you don't believe me or think I'm full of shit that's okay.  I don't claim to be an expert, just a guy whom some people think knows his shit.  I won't go into how you should wear your holster because most of that is just a matter of preference and is more of a try it out and see what works.  That's what I think you should do with as much gear as possible.  If you buy something and you end up not liking it you can always sell it to somebody.  Hence Safariland holsters being on eBay.  Just find something that works for you.  Except when it comes to Blackhawk.  Stay away from that shit.  If you use it you deserve to shoot yourself in the leg you fucking moron.