For the competitions where you are required to draw from a holster, would a Blackhawk Serpa holster be a good or should I be looking for one without the retention button?
Thanks,
Fly
We've had plenty of people use them, and they work just fine, as long as the person using it doesn't try to go faster than their skill level. (Meaning, if you hammer your forefinger into the release and draw as fast as you can, there have been instances in other states where people popped one off into the ground. Or their leg.)
No matter how they are marketed, SERPA holsters aren't for quick draws. If you use a SERPA while carrying, then yes, you should probably use it for competition. It will slow you down, but it'll be useful practice under stress, and it'll tell you pretty quick if it is something that is going to hang up on you.
Minor personal comment: I don't use level II retention holsters for any sort of daily carry unless I'm open-carrying. (Which is rare for me.) Most holsters have perfectly good passive retention systems that'll keep the gun in even when doing rolls on the ground. (I say that from personal experience.
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And while I don't have anything against SERPA holsters myself (I own several) there are a number of pistol instructors now who do not allow them in their classes, as some people
aren't careful enough on the draw with them. (And while I own some SERPA holsters, I must also admit that the Safariland ALS belt holsters are much better, in my opinion. Not only faster, but easier, more intuitive, and yes, safer to use.)
As koz said, the Blackhawk CQC (the non-SERPA version) is a great holster---works for carry (in winter, at least), plus works perfectly well for competition. Adjustable passive retention keeps the gun secure. Since it is generally around $30, tends to be fairly popular.
Looking back over your post, it occurred to me that I was answering from the point of view of USPSA competitions. If you are planning on participating in a Steel Challenge match---that holster will slow you down significantly, and you will be drawing 25 times per match. It
will make a difference. In USPSA, while it will make a difference, for most local matches the draw doesn't define winners and losers.
In a Steel Challenge match, though, an extra half-second per draw can make a significant difference---an automatic extra 10 seconds in your total (out of a 100-second total match time) will move you several places in the rankings.
