General Categories > Information Arsenal
"I bought a gun, what holster should I get?"
JTH:
--- Quote from: DenmanShooter on July 04, 2015, 05:33:17 PM ---Also jth - your original post was not about competition, it was about gaining experience and practice at the range.
I would defer to your extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to competitive ventures, but really, for range and practice you don't need all that fancy gear.
You don't need mag holsters. You don't even need passive retention.
Just someplace to stick it.
--- End quote ---
We obviously think very differently about fundamental firearms skills. I consider having a competent (and safe) draw and reload as important fundamental skills.
How do you practice a reload without a mag pouch? I mean, true, some people carry their extra magazine in a pocket, but I normally assume that means they've never actually tried to reload under pressure or they expect to reload after something is over.
I don't consider a standard $25 kydex holster and a $20 double mag pouch as "fancy gear"---the ones I listed specifically weren't fancy gear.
A mag pouch so the magazines are there in the same spot every time for reload practice. A holster that covers the entire trigger guard, and keeps the gun in the same spot (and same orientation) every time.
That's not fancy, that's basic.
If, in your holster, the gun can move around, not only is the gun not secure, but it also means that practicing an effective draw is going to be harder. A little while ago I had a student in class (Handgun Techniques class--fundamentals of draw, reload, grip, stance, trigger press, etc) who had a Bulldog-type holster. (Basic nylon, gun just dropped in.)
Since the gun wasn't actually secured in the holster (by molding or passive retention, which IS basic, not fancy) but instead just dropped in, and because the holster was universal in type (which means "it doesn't really fit anything") sometimes the gun would hang out the back and sometimes it would fall farther in--in other words, you couldn't get a consistent grip on the gun at all and who knows where it would be at any given time. So when the student was trying to draw, she never knew where the gun might be, she always had to be extra careful getting a grip on the gun, and sometimes when the gun had fallen deeply into the holster she had to fix her grip when she finally got the gun out of the holster.
That makes for bad range practice. Having a holster molded specifically to the gun, with enough passive retention (pretty much every decent holster comes with adjustable passive retention these days, even the $25 ones) so that the gun is safely held---that's not fancy, that's necessary.
We might be having a difference in the meaning of "range practice." When I think of "basic range practice" I think of working on stance, grip, trigger control, sight picture/alignment, draws, reloads, transitions, and increasing my ability to be accurate at speed on those things.
Some people just go to the range to practice accuracy, and shooting groups. Nothing wrong with that--but that's not what I'm talking about. To me, "fundamental handgun techniques" include both getting the gun out safety and replenishing its ammo safely in addition to being accurate with it.
To do that, you need a decent holster and a decent mag pouch.
(What decent holsters don't have passive retention?)
JTH:
--- Quote from: feralcatkillr on July 04, 2015, 05:24:57 PM ---Are there a lot of accidental discharges because a molded plastic holster didn't cover the back 1/4" of the guard? I thought the main thing would be that it covered the trigger itself.
--- End quote ---
Having seen someone get a tree branch stuck in front of their trigger while they were walking through brush, and have it start to cock the hammer of a snub-nose revolver in a holster like that makes me see no reason to spend money on it.
Completely freak occurrence---but if the trigger guard is accessible, then it is accessible. If there is an opening as you are walking around, there is a chance that something can get into that opening. Whether that something is behind the trigger so I can't pull it when I want to, or in front it the trigger so it pulls it when I don't want it to---either way, I don't want any possibility of anything making it's way into the trigger guard.
I have absolutely no data on how often discharges happen under those circumstances. :)
--- Quote --- Looking at the pictures you posted, the worst "offender" is the LCP one (although that's a Kel-Tec P-3AT in there.)
--- End quote ---
Yeah, the Fobus website has a bunch of holsters for sale, but the pictures they put up don't always match the type of gun listed. :(
--- Quote ---My LCP fits the same way, but you'd be really, really hard pressed to get anything somehow down in there and hooked over the trigger. I'd have to work at it for a while to to get a loop of paracord in there and hooked around the trigger. If I wore the LCP Fobus holster, and a pullover with a paracord tie at the bottom, I reckon I'd have to wear that combo every day for a few hundred years before the cord ever got itself somehow worked down in there.
--- End quote ---
Opinions may vary, mostly certainly. But if any part of the trigger guard isn't covered, then something can get in there. If something can get in there, then there is a potential for an accident.
Given the large number of perfectly economical holsters available out there that do completely cover the trigger guard, I see no reason to buy one that doesn't, given that I know issues can occur. Are the chances high? No---but why take any? (This is pretty much my same reasoning for telling people that if they want a retention holster, get a Safariland ALS and don't get a SERPA.)
--- Quote ---I'd think that an LCP or Smith 642 in a pocket holster and tight jeans pockets would be at much higher risk to somehow have something accidentally get in front of the trigger, then pressing on it when you sit down. And everyone tells me that risk is infinitesimally small and nothing to worry about.
--- End quote ---
Huh. I have a couple of pocket holsters that I use for class demos (I don't carry with them, because I look like an idiot with a tumor when I use one) and every single one of them covers the trigger guard completely. (Matter of fact, they cover more than regular holsters do.) Not only does it seem unlikely to me that anything could get in them (other than lint over time) sitting down or something similar would push the holster in tighter around the guard, making it even less likely to have any issues.
In other words, sure, if something is in the trigger guard while you are holstering, then added pressure or a change in pressure somewhere may cause an issue--but that is true for any holster. (Matter of fact, if that kind of problem occurs, it becomes noticeable much earlier with a holster than fully covers the trigger guard.)
But once the gun is in the holster and the holstered gun is in a pocket, I'm not seeing how something could work its way into the trigger guard.
Maybe I'm thinking about something different...
This, for example, is what I'm talking about:
I'll note that this second picture is the same type of holster, but I wouldn't use them if they looked like this:
To me, those guns in the second picture obviously don't fit the holsters shown, particular the Ruger semi-auto. And in THOSE cases, I can see there being a potential safety issue.
I took a look around and I couldn't seem to find an LCP-fitting-version in any of the "first holster" suggestions I could think of. There just doesn't seem to be any cheap OWB holsters for an LCP outside of a Fobus. I have no idea what I'd suggest to someone who just bought an LCP as their first centerfire handgun and wanted to do some basic range practice on draws with it. Looking around, there are a couple of leather belt slides that seem okay, for not too much more...ah. Found one!
$40, so not great, but not $75, either.
http://www.foxxholsters.com/collections/owb/products/foxx-outside-the-waistband-holster?variant=1215253241
(That's a BIG leather backer for an OWB kydex holster, though.... :( )
Brief competition comment: In USPSA, Steel Challenge, and Multigun competitions, the holster is required to cover the trigger guard, or it is not a legal holster for use in a match. Not merely the trigger, but the trigger guard.
Kendahl:
I just bought a Blade-Tech Revolution holster for my Gold Cup. It's the one jthhapkido just added to his list of recommended holsters.
I picked it over the others because of the carry choices it provides. All the necessary parts are included so that it can be a paddle holster or a belt holster. The holster part is attached to the paddle or belt loop by screws and there are extra holes to adjust cant in both directions. Belt widths from 1-1/4 to 2-1/4 inches can be accommodated.
Kydex thickness for the holster is 1/8 inch. The paddle is slightly thicker at 5/32 inch. I suspect the holster could be torn off the paddle but it seems strong enough for normal use.
In the paddle configuration, it is very stable with an inexpensive, but fairly stiff, 1-1/2 inch belt. Straight drop actually gives me a few degrees of forward cant which is perfect for carry at 3 o'clock. To carry it on a belt, I think I would need a wider, proper gun belt.
Retention is only level one. It's fine for a range holster and, maybe, concealed carry but I wouldn't use it for open carry. For that, I would want level two even in a rural area where there is negligible risk of someone's snatching my gun. There are two screws to adjust tension. So far, I haven't found a reason to fiddle with them.
One detail that might bother jthhapkido is that the holster doesn't quite cover the entire trigger guard. Depending on how you measure it, there is about 1/8 inch gap. That's nowhere as much as some of the other holsters shown in this thread. I don't think it's a problem with a cocked and locked 1911 but it may be marginal if all you have is a trigger safety.
The vendor, associated with Amazon, was WebyShops. They had a few in stock while other vendors showed lead times of up to a month. Price was $30 plus $5 shipping. I placed my order on a Thursday and USPS delivered it the next Monday.
Overall, I'm satisfied with the Revolution. It's comfortable to wear as well as satisfactory for practice and low key matches at my gun club.
tstuart34:
I don't think the revolution is Kydex but some type of injection molding. Regardless your right the mount is normally going to be the weakest link in any holster but normally you can almost pick a person up before they break. This is why kydex makers are moving to injection molded mounts becuase they are stronger! I would be interested to see a picture of the trigger guard if you get a chance.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page
Go to full version