Thanks for the additional feedback. I’m still considering that configuration, just interested in different viewpoints so I can make a well informed decision. So far, a setup similar to yours is closest to what I was initially considering.
Quickly is relative. I don’t think it would take me that long to swap out a holster. Maybe I should’ve just said that I would be too lazy to unstring the belt through the padded portion to swap out a holster. Not hard at all, but if a system makes is easier, then I’m all for that.
I haven’t tried a drop holster yet and it’s interesting that you mentioned that you found them uncomfortable. I guess I’ll just have to try and see for myself.
Reason for wanting to swap out holsters, I will be using a Glock 17 primarily for when I run classes. I also will be getting a Glock 34 for competition, but that won’t be run from a padded belt. But I also wanted to be able to use the 34 for training as well. I know that some holsters are able to accommodate both if you are willing to live with some amount of play or your slide extending beyond the holster, but I’d rather have one for each.
I also have a HK UPS 40c that I’d like to also run on occasion. Since I got the Glock 17 about 6 months ago, that’s all I’ve been using since then and pretty much all I plan to in the near future, but I’d still like to be able to run the HK once in a while.
I thought about running the RCS holster from the duty belt, but after I consulted with Tom at RCS, I decided against going that route since he felt that I was trying to put the Phantom holster beyond it’s niche application and wasn’t recommended.
CCW is not allowed where I live, so concealment is not really an issue. Since I also want to run the holster for competition, I believe that the drop will feel more natural, placing the grip of the pistol closer to where my hand would hang naturally. Pretty much the cramped feeling that you mentioned.
Sadly there is no “easy” solution for the holster swap problem for different pistols. My suggestion is to buy cheap/used retention holster (not nylon junk, eg; safariland or something of that sort) and make sure they are swappable via mounting hardware.
I am not a fan of the fancy proprietary instant slap-in holstering hardware. Keep it simple. Three screws should not be too difficult to take out and drop another holster in.
As for the mounting of the holster on the brokos, you might try to mount it as low as possible, or find a mounting solution like the inner belt using a belt look adapter on a safariland holster which will mount on the bottom of the holster rather than the top.
Can the hood guard be removed from the 6390 and 6395?
All the options can be removed or added to any safariland of most models.
The 6378 is the same as the 6377 (no hood to remove), but comes with the Safariland 567belt loop, in addition to the paddle that’ll be attached to it in the bag. The included loop will put the beavertail of an M&P9 about even with the top of the inner belt, compared to being about even with the bottom of the it, as pictured here using the mid-drop UBL.
Add either a MLS or QLS plate, and put the matching fork on the holster, and you get two things:
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QD capability - You get as many forks as you have holsters, and you can swap holsters very quickly. I have 6378s for M&P9, M&P45 and 1911
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Standoff - The plate will put the butt of the gun about +/- 3/8" further outward from the hip. Without, the ALS release may be close enough to belt material that it gets some slight interference from it. I find the extra space helpful in ensuring that my thumb sweeps the release without scraping against anything else that I may mistake for the release.
QLS is the stronger of the two, being designed to resist gun-grabs, as may be encountered by LE and such. This is what I’m using, because I’ve managed to break the…
…MLS, designed to break away at about 60#, if I remember correctly. The way I had it explained to me was that entanglement was a more likely happenstance in the mil side, so it’s designed to pop at a certain point, not unlike certain NVG mounts. The MLS puts the holster lower, compared to the QLS, which I actually liked, but not to the point that I wanted to risk breaking another one.
I don’t casually discount simply screwing the holster to whatever mount one goes with. That’s pretty surely the most secure configuration, and not particularly difficult to swap out. The allen wrench needed is a common size.
Using a UBL – One must be mindful of one’s draw. If one pulls outboard, the UBL can lever on the belt, which can lever the muzzle end of the holster into the thigh/hip; the holster will stop there, but if you’re still pulling the butt of the gun outboard, it can bind in the holster because you’re essentially prying at the mouth of the holster with it at that point. Plus, the muzzle’s pointed at your leg, so don’t Grebnerize… Pull straight along the long axis = no sweat; ALS holsters are almost revoltingly fast.
The prying thing isn’t horribly common, and it’s easy to practice through if it does. While it can bake your noodle the first time it happens, it’s weirdly helpful because it points out something of a flaw in your draw-stroke for you IF it occurs. It can also be eliminated by using one of the Safariland leg straps; they fit inside the screw pattern, and so can be used with the UBL – though it may seem weird, since moving away from drop-legs with straps is a primary reason to go to a UBL. I don’t use a strap.
Comfort – pure “eye of the beholder” stuff. Wearing this stuff is inherently uncomfortable on some level, and anybody that says different is selling something. You’re adding weight, you’re adding bulk, you’re cinching it tight to your body, then going and performing heretofore undefined activities of varying nature for unspecified lengths of time. “Comfort” will also differ based upon whether or not one is a triathelete or the type that pulls a hammy while reaching for the TV remote from the couch to the coffee table.
It’s all relative. I’m 5’10" and 200#, with birthing hips, and can sit in the driver’s seat of my Nissan Frontier and drive it with no real trouble and no significant binding that isn’t gonna happen with ANY addition of bulk to that which my carcass has provides without assistance. Doesn’t mean that it’s not a relief to take it off…it IS.
Point being, take any assertions of comfort or lack thereof with a tablespoon of salt. Take assertions of “it’s like nothing was even there…!” with a 5# bag of salt; that cat’s probably on crack. Overt gear always feels like it’s freaking there. You won’t know what works for you until you try, and these components are fortunately cheap enough that you won’t blow out your wallet by mixing and matching.
JSantoro, that is some fantastic info right there. I appreciate it. One follow up question, what is the ride height of the QLS relative to the inner belt?
Awesome post. Pure truth on the point of comfort. I suppose that instead of just saying in my last post that “I don’t find it uncomfortable at all”, I should have added that this is relatively speaking. My bad on that. It’s definately a relief to take off at the end of the day. But as comfort goes, with gear, I have definately done alot worse. I too, can sit in the driver’s seat of my Honda Civic with relative comfort. I definately know it’s there though.
It’s nobody’s bad, it just needs to be kept in perspective, to spare somebody from chasing some idealized level of “comfort” that’s functionally unattainable with overt kit like this.
My old footie PJs were comfortable.
My 1st-line belt provides proper load distribution while keeping all of my Highway To The Danger Zone whiz-bangs where I can reach it effeciently under 90% of circumstances, is adjustable enough that I can wear it with or without snivel gear without impeding function or placement, and doesn’t create hot-spots or raise blisters.
Most of what we’re talking about now is the italicized part immediately above.
To the OP: The below is a bad shot in general, a bad angle in particular, and I use a SOC-C belt, so 1) the inner belt is covered, and 2) may not rest at the same relative level on a SOC-C as it would on a Brokos. I’ll try to remember to get a better shot, since it’s hard to specify in this one, but maybe this provides a rough visual.
JSantoro, that helps quite a bit. Again, many thanks for the help. I’m not chasing Cadillac comfortable, but was interested in everyone’s viewpoint. I think I’m going to try the 6378, with a few different mounts to see what works best for me. I really like the QLS suggestion and it looks like it would lower the pistol by 2-3" compared to my current setup with the RCS holster.
Order placed for a 6377, mid ride UBL & QLS adapters. I’m going to try out a couple of different mounting solutions & see what works best for me. Now if I could just find a 6377 in stock somewhere for running the M&P with my light attached…
JSantoro, thanks for the tip on the QLS. It looks like that will make a very versatile setup.
i have a glock 21 sf that i run with and with out a light depending on the situation. if i buy a safariland als holster with light bearing capabilities…will i run into problems when holstering the glock with out the light? i also see the safiland has holster models for a g21 and then a g21sf? aren’t those two weapon dimensionaly the same minus a small amount of materiel missing from the grip (the grip that does not interface with the holster?) wouldn’t a holster made for the g21 fit a 21sf just the same? why all the different specs for safariland holsters? and with that being said, are the light capabilities “one size fits all” as well? any one ever used a m3 or xti procyon on a safariland holster that was bought for a x300 or tlr-1? or any combo of light/holster?? safarilands website list all thees lights on a light bearing als holster (all same model). but when you go to a distributor to buy…like copland or somewhere like that, then they list all the different light/gun combos as different models. this is where my confusion comes from. i have emailed their customer service with all thees questions but the answers i have been getting are kind off non-specific blanket answers and not very helpful. maybe all this confusion warrants a phone call? and any one help with my specific safailand confusion? man, safariland is confusing