CCW "Security Holsters"

D

Desert01

New member
Breaking out from a point I have made in a couple of Less-Lethal Threads.

Does anyone us a security holster of any type for daily CCW carry? With even thumb snap holsters fading away in the quest for speed is anyone using some of the newer security holsters? Lot looking for a duty grade security holster but say the Blackhawk Serpia and others.

I personaly don't mainly becasue my carry guns do not have one availible. I do have a Serpia for my 1911, It, however, is on a work rig. I don't CCW my 1911.
 
I'm not quite sure how you'd carry a hard holster like that as CCW, myself. They look more like duty holsters or "mall ninja" to me.

I have a comfortable leather IWB with a snap. If the snap is hard to unsnap with your thumb, you need another holster, IMO.
 
I often carry a GLOCK 26, and have carried a Beretta 92D Centurion and a SIG 229 in SERPA paddle holsters under a photo vest. They work great for me and have a little extra security built in. My partner recently purchased a S&W M&P 9mm compact for off duty carry and he too went with the SERPA . He prefers the belt loop version.
 
nothing but good things to say about the blackhawk serpa cqc.

they are not as "concealable" as an IWB, but for retention AND ease of draw they are tops.

i originally got one for OC but for CCW they work pretty well with a vest over them.
 
Can't ee a reason to use that for CCW. If it is truly concealed, no need to retain. I use Sparks VM2s and Comp Tac CTACs...
 
Comp-Tac C.T.A.C

I love it for CC'ing, it's adjustable and comfortable. With my 5'10" 180lb and bony hips it's pretty comfortable. The leather tabs that connect the holster to the "C" belt clips seem to make it flexible. Retention, for CC'ing what is considered the proper level? This holster has a tension screw and they are molded to fit your gun. This is my third IWB holster, started cheap and ended up with this one.
 
Being an old phart :p I grew up with thumb break holsters and don't find them all that much slower than the tension holsters.

I looked at the SERPA holster and the only advantage I can see is in reholstering one-handed is faster. I do not think the draw will be any faster than a thumb-break holster.

For IWB carry, unless you use stairs a lot or do a lot of physical gyrations, a well moulded holster with a tension screw should work fine. For OWB holster I prefer a thumb break holster since the gun is more exposed and there exists the potential to snag it through clothing on something.

While some folks feel "concealed means concealed" there are times when the extra security of a strap or retention device is desireable. I don't think 99% of us need a high-security holster like modern LEO holsters have. If you think you do, you're living in a much meaner area than most of us.
 
Paul Gomez has written some very comprehensive and thorough discussions of the Blackhawk Serpa retention holster.

Initial concerns: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=164512

Resolution/How-to's: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=273176

Regarding other designs, my experience and observation has been that most people, carrying concealed, do not truly need a retention holster. No real reason for it with the gun concealed. But if you decide to go with a retention holster anyway, practice your draws a lot. I've seen a lot of guys with retention holsters who simply could not run the gun/holster with any degree of speed or confidence. Nothing more embarrassing than totally missing your draw on the range, and I suppose that same problem could be just a tiny bit fatal in real life, if speed were important.

Whether you go with a retention holster or not, you do need a holster which does not allow the gun to simply fall out. You can test this with an unloaded firearm in the holster. Hold the holstered gun upside-down a few inches over a soft surface such as a bed or a couch, and shake gently. If the gun remains in the holster, you're good to go. If it doesn't, consider getting a new holster with better molding to the gun.

pax
 
Pax,

With any holster, my "test" is not to simply "shake gently" but to hold the gun & holster upside down and use my opposite arm to stop the downward motion abruptly. This simulates a hard fall I took on a rain-slicked painted curb and abruptly stopping my fall by slamming into the fender of a Honda. Fortunately the tension screw was enough to prevent a loose gun, but I did discover it had jumped up in the holster slightly.

Nothing more embarrassing than totally missing your draw on the range,
Click to expand...
Unless it's having your gun clatter across the dance floor in front of your date... :D
 
I have been training with the SERPA holster for quite some time. I normally wear my bladetech IWB, but at times I have been known to wear the SERPA. I personally like the SERPA but it does take A LOT of practice. As I am sure that you have probably read in a posting somewhere on the internet, people tend to try and push the release mechanism with the tip of their finger. I have NEVER done this and had the problem of not being able to get my gun out as a result of finger tipping the release button.

I have drawn my gun thousands of times and as long as I don’t “think” about it, everything is fine. But when I screw up is when I don’t do what I should be doing which is keeping my finger in the proper index position. I am not going to try and necessarily persuade anyone to buy a SERPA, but I would not discourage anyone from doing so either. I have a couple of friends who asked me about it and I told them to get one and try it over the other choices they were presenting me with.

In short, if you are not going to spend the time to train with the SERPA, then simply DO NOT BUY IT!!!
 
Our small department has gone to the serpa holsters, superceding the Safariland 518 paddle holster. We like them, by and large.

I had not thought about the release mechanism jamming. One of our deputies was recently in a wrestling match with a suspect, and they ended up on the ground. I can see a real problem here when foriegn material, such as rocks, pebbles, or a lot of perhaps coarse dirt should get into the holster's interior.

We conduct fire scen examinations, and are always around a lot of filth and debris. This stuff is insidious and winds up everywhere. This is a wake up call for me, and I'll pass along this info for consideration to all of our invesatigators. Maybe a good idea for us to used compressed air to blow the soot out of our rigs after a bad day at the office (fire scene).

This is much more secure than the original Fobus holster. NO retention/anti-grab there.


We've had NO trouble with the transition from the paddlewith the thumb strap, though. Release with your finger , insert trigger finger when ready to shoot. How hard is that? If you cant operate this holster, you have NO business around a loaded firearm.
 
I use a Blackhawk with my Sig. Last weekend I took an extensive training class with it and the holster worked perfectly with a smooth draw every time. The release is very intuitive and natural. The instructor had one, so did a lady with her Airweight Smith.
 
Security holsters

Bianchi makes a holster called the carry-loc and a paddle version called the paddle-loc.
Strong makes a version of their pancake holsters with the "piecekeeper" -a type of security holster.
In addition Gun Tests magazine did an article on security holsters for both CCW and Uniform carry.
 
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