Grant just enlightened me that the BH SERPA is banned by many LE agencies and considered unsafe by many!:eek:
While I have not had any problems with mine, I would like to know what y’all consider to be the best replacement holster and why.
Have at it and, as always, thanks!
Sparky
For what? Duty?
For CCW/personal carry I like the Raven Concealment Holster systems. I had to suffer with a Serpa thing while I waited for my Phantom from Raven to get made.
Sorry…the application is competition; mainly 3-Gun.
I want something that encloses the slide/ejection port or just below it (using a G22).
Thanks,
Sparky
Safariland ALS or Comp Tac.
I run a raven concealment systems light compatable phantom for every day ccw, classes I instruct and take and in ACTS matches here in Michigan.
Fast draws, easy reholstering and cofortable all day wear. Very durable but if it does break they have a lifetime unconditional guarentee.
Check em out:
Potential Serpa holster problems?
Any holster that requires your TRIGGER finger to push inward to activate the release is an AD waiting to happen.
The release button on the holster can get clogged with debris. Maybe this is not an issue for you. For LEO, MIL and anyone serious about self defense, this is huge. Imagine being involved in a scuffle on the ground and rolling on your weapon side, pressing small rocks into spaces between the button. The situation escalates to a deadly force situation…the only problem…your gun is now stuck in that damned bubba Serpa…the button will not depress. Huge problem.
There are many better options out there. I recommend the Safailand ALS 6377 for your needs.
ETA Link from 2008; my first ALS. I swear by them now. https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=185936
my thoughts on the Serpa:
http://www.firearmstrainingandtactics.com/forums/showthread.php?81-An-Honest-SERPA-review&p=481
for carry I like kydex, I run a custom www.atomicdogholsters.com stingray for OWB and a Comp-tac kxdex/leather minotaur for IWB
for competition I like a sidearmor. The draw is similar, but I have a nice speed cut, I can turn the retention way down, and completly adjustable cant.
I vote for the Comp-Tac holsters.
I like my Safariland holsters, I also have used Sidearmor holsters for years without issue.
I am just now trying a Raven Concelament holster, but they fit and carry well, just no long term things I can mention; yet.
For OWB Comp Tac Paddle and Raven Phantom.
For 3-gun competition I use Comp-tac (standard belt holster) and Blade-tech (tek-lok w/ Drop-offset) for competition. More often than not, I’m using the DOH.
For a Small-framed Glock, your options are pretty much endless between those two manufacturers.
For EDC, I use Comp-tac and Raven.
IMO, perceived problems with the SERPA stem from training. I’ve had the SERPA since they came out…I’ve used them on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan…using a belt-mount and a vest-mount (vest mount is used during mounted and dismounted operations; belt-mount mostly used in garrison; also have a drop-leg mount, but was inconvenient)
You really need to try to put your finger on the trigger when drawing. if you don’t already have trigger-finger discipline, then you might have a problem. I have never found my finger on the trigger when drawing unless I put it there.
I wouldn’t change anything (yet) based on what you read on the internet about what someone else heard about a holster. if it works for you…it works for you. If a PD disallows their officers to use…good for them; if it works for you…use it.
I have every respect for Grant…but disagree with his opinion.
Raven, hands down…
I have several, comfortable, solid rig.
As do I. I have been running the Speed Belt for 2 years for IDPA and have been very pleased.
I just found these. I haven’t ordered yet, I thought one might be worth a try for some of the pistols that I don’t shoot regulalry.
When the Serpa “problems” started surfacing I took a hard look at them and compared the described scenarios to reality. Some were everyday scenarios and others were a stretch. At any rate, it looked like right away many trainers jumped on the anti Serpa bandwagon based upon other reviews, I’ve read a few that actually had problems and others, like above, insist the trigger finger issue will cause ND’s. So far, the trigger finger issue seems to be BS hyperbole, I’ve seen many agencies using the holster for plainclothes duty and zero problems. Maybe someone will provide some data on ND’s with the Serpa here…
The Safariland is probably equally susceptible to foreign material clogging up the works but few state that is a weak point.
I have both and recommend either, the Serpa rides higher but farther from the body, the Safariland rides lower and closer, at least for me.
My agency issues the Serpa and the only issue we have had is with the paddle attachments breaking from repeated flexing, nothing with the belt loop attachment. I’ve had small rocks and dirt in the release lever but nothing that prevented drawing, just required a little extra finger pressure. I’ve had similar problems with other holsters that were harder the clear.
I do still see them on military employees in occasional photos and other civilian agencies, my guess is the problems are overstated.
No, in the military, the wearers are hampered by a combo of 1) not having the info regarding SERPA’s innumerable failures to draw due to debris interference and 2) being stuck with no better option due to what their -4 shop is willing to get and local SOPs. It’s a command failure and issue of institutional inertia, not a nod to the efficacy of the hardware. This is the same with many of the other agencies you bring up: they can only wear what they’re told they can wear, which was bought by somebody in charge with no more active product knowledge than what he/she’s gleaned from whatever catalog is sitting next to their crapper.
If you’re diddy-bopping along in environments that have no more present particulate matter than a city street, you’re probably okay (plainclothes duty). Competition, you’re life isn’t depending on your holster, only your score.
Issues with Safariland 6004/6377 and similar can be conclusively explained by matters of outright breakage or getting dragged through environments that would gank up any holster (like mud-slogging along the banks of the Euphrates), not the design of the holster itself.
Thanks for the recommendations y’all! While I am not crawling around in the forest where debris acn get into the lock, I am going to stick with mine for now. It ran fine today. I will save serious testing for an upcoming time where I can make comparisons fairly and give appropriate consideration to all the choices listed; obviously when more time and $$ allows! Thanks fo all the opinions!
Sparky
Safariland ALS.
I like the way the release forces you to assume a correct grip.
…and the $18.50 per holster with free shipping sale OMBExpress had a while back made it an easy choice. I got three and feel like I stole them for that price.
I think I am going to mount my Serpa under the seat in my Jeep.
I have never been particularly enamored with the Serpa either for many of the reason previously cited by others. My agency however requires at least a Level II retention system…
I ran across this system…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJfNb0PVbXU
…the 5.11 Thumb Drive. It has some intriguing possiblities unfortunately only available for the most common Glock models at this point. Has anyone had any expierience w/ one yet?