Been using the Blackhawk Serpa since I began riding a desk, like the holster for desk duty. I’m aware of the potential issues with it, not changing unless something similar in ride height and carry comes along. That said…
The answer BH has come up with for the M&P45 series is substandard and results in poor handling. They make you use the same model for the Glock 20/21 which ends with the M&P having an unnaturally high rest point when in the holster. The gun simply rides too high in the holster.
I’ve compared my 40 compact to my two 45’s and they seem to have the same frame width and trigger guard width. The only difference the holster will see is the slightly larger slide width at the top of the 45’s. They are only wider at the top of the slide, the portion of the slide where the rails go are the same (a 40 slide will go on a 45 frame, etc).
Looking at the Serpa platform it appears most do not have a taper at the slide area and the holster indexes at the front of the trigger guard.
BH appears to make a model for the Glock 27 series, and of course the 19. Anyone have a Glock Serpa holster and a M&P pistol to check fit? How about a 45 in a 9/40 Serpa rig?
You already squashed this, and this is not a slam to Serpa holsters…
Go out on a limb and try a Safariland 6378. For desk duty/plain clothes where concealment is not an issue, this is the best holster I have ever used for plain clothes. The ALS is secure, safe and very fast.
I hesitate to mention this, as it isn’t what you were looking for, but here it goes - I have an IWB from Blade Tech for the M&P 9/40. All I had to do to get the 45 to fit was to untension it a bit and saw off the end of the holster were the mold was too short for the 45 slide. It really isn’t that vastly different in terms of dimensions.
If it were me, and I wanted to hillbilly engineer it, I would put the 45 slide in the holster and hit it with a propane torch just enough to soften it, then ice or cold water dunk it.
I’m nobody, so take my words with a grain. I used to love the Serpas. They are quick from the draw and “work”, though I’m not one to be fooled by marketing or hype. I have since seen plenty of good reasons against them, and from some FOF stuff with friends (not serious class stuff but just friends playing around), I am no longer a fan of the serpa. I have to say, with the limited few times I had a chance to play around with some of the Safariland SLS holsters, I am impressed to say the least. They seem to be one of the most well thought out, simple, effective, and solid retention designs, without being too complicated or cumbersome. Try an SLS holster out Biased_Observer, I think you’ll like it.
I have ordered the SLS rig but it’s made for the 4.5 gun, will see how it works, fix might be a heat gun and recontouring the barrel end of the holster.
In the meantime I have discovered that the M&P45 compact (and all the other 45 models for that matter), WILL fit into a a M&P9/40 Sigma Serpa holster and it rides lower on the belt than the one supposedly made for the M&P45/Glock 21/20. Anything longer than the 4 inch barrel will stick out the bottom though with this particular holster.
Not to hijack the thread and move away from the M&P45, but with the 6378, will a GLOCK19 securely fit in the holster made for the 17? All my other holsters work that way, but I really want this holster and want to make sure.
Yes. Actually I recommend buying the G19/23 size. The G17 fits perfectly in it. I have a pic of a G17 in the holster posted above. When I have more time, I’ll try to find and post the pic.
EDIT:
I lied. The photo is of a Gen 3 G22, not my 17. However, I routinely carry my beloved Gen 2 G17 in it. You can see the barrel slightly protrudes from the bottom.
Can’t find that info on the safariland webpage, they only show holsters for the long slide. I’ve always seen this problem with safariland though, does not surprise me.
Told CS about it and how the “sales” side of the webpage does not detail which M&P the holster fits, they didn’t seem to get it. At any rate, they said they’d swap it out with the one I need (6377-919) and gave me an RMA.
Holster looks like it’ll be great, a lot more compact than I’d previously thought.
Who did you order your 6377 from? I’m not having much luck finding one. I found your post a little too late. A person at an unnamed optics store told me “all the M&P should fit” and I ended up with the wrong thing. They are not too interested in ordering the correct one for me.
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