Wondering what the best drop leg rig for my M&P9 might be? or any other ideas? I am also left handed.
I have a drop-leg Blackhawk Serpa and Safariland 6004 for my M&P’s and 1911’s.
When it comes down to it, I find the serpa’s retention system a little potentially) flakier and I worry about non-performance when it count’s although I have not had a problem yet.
The Safariland design seems a little more bullet-proof.
With the Safariland 6004 being so good, there’s little reason to even consider others.
A modified Safariland 6004 is the best option in my opinion. I do not think you would be disappointed if you went this route.
6004
Bob
do they make a left handed Safariland 6004? or is there anything that might be a step down from the safariland?
Yes, they make left-hand 6004s, 6280s and 63xx series holsters.
The “best rig” depends on what need you are trying to fill. Are you deployed mil, stateside uniformed L/E or decent normal human being getting some training. What is needed for one, may not be at all viable in the others.
6004
6005 the buckle is too big and makes the rig hang a little too low on the thigh.
6004 is the best drop-leg holster I have used.
The question though is if it will meet your needs.
If have to use one, the 6004 modified to sit higher and use only one leg strap is the best way to go to date.
If you look at the history of the drop-leg holster, you’ll find that the orignial design was meant to drop the holster just far enough to drop the weapon below the level of the body armor. Among other advantages, this minimized the amount the holster moved as the leg moved and helped keep it from rolling.
Somewhere along the way, the need to keep the gun as high as possible was forgotten. The odds are that if the holster has two straps to secure it to your leg, its too low. The desire to keep the gun high, has led to the modded 6004’s that are referenced above.
I’d offer that the “best” drop leg holster is made by Rusty Sherrick off of the original SAS design. His web site is www.c-rusty.com.
Thats a nice looking rig. It would bring a small tear to my eye seeing that get scuffed up.
another vote for the 6004 !!
I like.
Han-Solo cum functional cool.
If I can get a rotating bail on it, I’m in.
What John Hearne said. What type of body armor are you using. FWIW (not much probably), for most purposes you want your holster to just clear the bottom of the armor. If it sits too low it can move around on your leg and drag through the dirt, snow, or sand. If you have to move on foot for any distance most of the drop leg holsters get pretty uncomfortable after a while.
The low drop holsters such as the Safariland have their place for airborne and others that truly need a lower holster that will clear their harness.
Unless you have the actual need for a low leg type holster I suggest you borrow one and do a low crawl for 50 meters. They look pretty cool but most regular belt holsters give more protection to your handgun. Blackhawk and others make low leg holsters with protective flaps if you ever have to prone out and crawl. Good luck in your search.
I like the 6004…duh. It is the industry standard.
I took about half of the length out of it. It now rides closer to my belt than knee. For me it was a retention issue. I felt like I was putting my weapon on a table between me and the bad guy, then we could have a race for it!!!:mad:
It depends on what your surroundings are when you put it on. Mine was for work, in “the hood” or getting in and out of vehicles with other weapons or tools in my hand.
my favourite thigh holster setup is the 6305, which is basically a 6004 with the ALS retention - it allows you to leave the SLS hood open, with the handgun still retained by the ALS system.
i mounted the 6305 to a 6004-10 small leg shroud which has only one thigh strap. it rides high on the thigh while still clearing body armour:
here’s a pic of it with quick-release buckle:
speaking of SAS holsters - here’s one made by paul evers - he was one of the suppliers to the SAS and a true English gentleman. he made this left handed one for my P226. sadly, he passed away in '05.
Ditto what Doc, John H, and MM said.
I was looking through some class photos recently to post on my site and saw a guy in the background in one that was bent over all cockeyed and I could not figure out what he was doing. Then I realized that he was bending over to reach his pistol. Bending over. Huh? Then I remembered that he and one of his buddies both had what would be more properly termed knee holsters than thigh holsters because they had the damn things slung so low.
People forget the purpose of these things, which has been stated and re-stated above. This is one of the reasons I don’t wear bulky vests/chest rigs. I make sure my load carriage gear works with my holsters, not vice-versa. I haven’t been able to come up with a scenario yet (for my non-LE civilian purposes) where I’d be donning a plate carrier or other rig that was so large that it would necessitate going to a drop leg holster.
I’ve been using the 6004 for about a year and a half now at work. I really like the design and it’s very comfortable on 10-12 hour shifts. 90% of the agents I work with use these rigs. The other 10% use the SERPA thigh rig. I don’t like the SERPA design because some guys have had the button lock up with gravel after rolling on the ground when doing range quals/exercises.
Modified 6004 so it rides higher & utilizes 1 leg strap.