Holsters for Law Enforcement

[Doomonyou]

Any opinions on "Speed Draw" holsters for law enforcment undercover work? Are they safe enough? I'm talking about the holsters w/out a retention strap.

[seb5]

Speed draw? A lot of our Narcs have been using Fobus and Uncle Mikes paddles. Our plainclothes guys are issued Galco paddles and like them. The ones that are "gun guys" seem to gravitate towards the IWB for narc work. I see mostly cheapos but the informed usually spends the $$ for something along the lines of the Milt Sparks SS II.

[Chindo18Z]

Doomonyou: I once had the disconcerting experience of watching both my magazine and weapon separately eject across the pavement while wrestling a perp in a parking lot. Not a pretty sight. Weapon was a .380 PPK/S IWB with no retention strap or tension adjustment. Fortunately, I had backup present and he didn't.

Ask yourself this: "What is my likelihood of going to the mat versus engaging in a quickdraw gunbattle?"

I am a big believer in using the best retention device available for a given manner of carry (including IWB). Especially at close quarters with possible multiple assailants.

YMMV

[yorec]

"What is my likelihood of going to the mat versus engaging in a quickdraw gunbattle?"

Answer for me: Have permanent gravel implants from the "mat," but have never fired my weapon in anger...

Agree with IWB with retention - I prefer thumbreak.

[Dwight55]

Going to the mat is really not an option when you're 60, . . . got a minor heart condition, . . . at least one bad knee & hip.

Most of the time, yes, . . . my 1911 has some kind of retention strap, but a couple of the rigs I use don't, . . . and I'm just not going to worry about it too much.

Don't really figure on being the winner of any "mat" exercises in the near future, . . . but I do figure on being the winner if it becomes a shootout.

In answer to the question, . . . IMHO, . . . there are some good IWB rigs out there that are safe enough for CCW carry. That is especially for a non LEO. LE work can tend to get a bit "personal" and it would be up to the LEO to make that call, . . . but for general CCW, . . . I have no problem with a good IWB rig or even some of the paddle rigs.

May God bless,
Dwight

[John Ringo]

I carry my P220 in a Bianchi leather duty holster with the locking trigger clasp so it can't be pulled out easily. It's a great holster, but cost $100.

[AUG]

A quality CCW rig has just as much retention as a thumb break. As for paddle holsters, I have yet to see one that is as "secure" as a typical belt holster. They are also way harder to conceal than other holsters i.e. IWB or standard OWB.

Every plainclothes cop I ever worked with that was "in the know" used either a quality IWB or OWB holster without the thumb break. Then again these guys were few and far between. The majority would use what ever the dept. gave them or whatever was cheapest at the cop shop. I once saw a detective with one of the safariland double retention concealment holsters take 3 or 4 minutes to get the gun out of the holster at the range. He got the holster for Christmas and carried it for months without ever attempting to remove the gun from the holster. Good thing he didn't need his gun in that time frame.

[Erick Gelhaus]

When I worked narcotics I wore - almost exclusively - a Kramer vertical scabbard, except for a very brief trial of a holster with a thumb break. Granted this was for day-in & day-out wear, concealed under a cover shirt of some kind. It was not for doing any type of enforcement - arrest or searches.

I was and am extremely happy with the Kramer holsters.

As a side note, per our Lt, we also carried a spare mag, our star, and one set of cuffs - unless we were actually doing the undercover thing. It paid off more than once.

With the right choice of cover shirts and holsters / pouches, this was easy to hide / conceal.

Erick

[fed168]

Alot of us use the Fobus holsters. I use it for plain clothes only, where concealment is the issue. Other than that, it's a 6004 Safariland rig.

[seb5]

I did'nt think I was that far off the mark. Cops like thing simple and I rarely see ANY thumb break type holsters used in this part of the country for plain clothes. I've got lots of high dollar holsters and use my Fobus more than anything else when not in uniform. Plastic for plastic.

[liliysdad]

I honeslty cannot believe anyone uses the Fobus when there are so many better choices out there in the same price range that arent riveted together. Even the Uncle Mikes is ten times the Holster the Fobus is. I have a Fobus, and used it on time off duty, and was disgusted witht he poor quality. I promptly put it back in the bag, and broke my Galco Fletch back out.

I love the plastic/Kydex holsters, just not the Fobus. As said, Uncle Mikes makes a nice one, as does BladeTech, Galco, and Bianchi, all for arod or under 20 dollars. As soon as Blackhawk expands their CQC line, I am going to try one of those with the Serpa system. I hate Level 3 duty holster, but cant fathom not having sometyhing more secure thana Fobus off duty.

[seb5]

I've also got Uncle Mikes. Several guys used them and were losing screws from them. they went back to the cheapo Fobus. They work well.

[liliysdad]

Ive never lost the screws from one, but a little bit of blue lock tite goes a long way. I Lock Tite the screws in any holster I use, whether is an el chapo UM or my Safariland 6285 duty holster.

I honestly detest the Fobus holsters, they are flat jink compared to whats available for the same money.

[seb5]

I agree about loc-tite, I use it. But we're talking about cops, not gun people. As far as Fobus being junk. They retain well, are fairly concealable, and cheap. If you don't like them.......well that's why we spend our own money if we want something other than issue. I am the biggest gear queer you would ever meet. Both in the depatment and the military reserves. I'm the guy with the $400.00 kifaru ruck and Danner boots. The guy who sent off his heavy raid vest and had it modded to my specs and spent my own money. Sometimes though I find something I like that's not expensive. As well as the Fobus I also have a Galco miami classic, Milt Sparks SSII, and El Paso pancake. IMHO the fobus works. Of course YMMV.

Have a merry christmas.

[fed168]

The other probem is that not too many folks make concealment holsters for various duty guns. Other than going the custom route, I yet to see holsters for SW autos or other odd balls.

[liliysdad]

I have ssen a variety of decent holsters for the Smith autos. Glaco makes the Fletch for that gun. Don Hume makes several, etc...Not to mention the "close enough" holsters that may not be for a certain gun, but work great. Case in point;..I was rummaging through my dealers old holster box, and found an unmarked Galco Fletch. Looked brand new, fir my 220 perfectly. Got home, looked on the Galco website, and the holster is for a Glock 20/21. Fits the 220 like it was made for it, and it cost me 15 dollars.

[AUG]

I honeslty cannot believe anyone uses the Fobus when there are so many better choices out there

Niether can I. IMO fobus is only used because it is cheap. Sorry to the fobus lovers but would you pay $75 for the holster? Didn't think so.
Just call it what it is. It is a cheap holster that may be a good buy but not a quality carry rig.

The other probem is that not too many folks make concealment holsters for various duty guns. Other than going the custom route, I yet to see holsters for SW autos or other odd balls.

Name one holster maker that does not make concealment holsters for the various duty guns used around the US and I will name ten that make them.

S&W autos are hardly odd balls. They are used in many depts. across the country and were probably the most common semi automatic in duty holsters untill about 1991.

As for going the "custom route" I don't quite follow.

[SNoB]

I love my fobus holsters.......but just to take to the range. If im gonna be wearing a holster all day for a ccw, I wanna spend the money and make sure its a good holster, thats comfortable. The fobus rigs I have are great for what I use them for. Im not gonna go out and spend 100 dollars on a custom leather holster for my p22 when I can just spend 20 at a gun show for a fobus. I also like having fobus holsters when im out shooting with other people, if they wanna shoot one of my guns, I can just take the holster off easily, and pass it to them, so they dont have to fumble with my expensive gun while not shooting it.

[seb5]

I did call it cheap, repeatedely. :D

[AUG]

Cheap is sometimes a good thing :D

[Steve499]

In my experience, concealed carry with a fast draw is a pretty hard thing to achieve. The truly fast holsters I have used are reinforced to stand away from the belt to allow thumb room for the draw, were thumb-break with a trigger guard clasp or some variation like that. Good holster but sticks out a mile.The truly concealable holsters are slow any way you slice them. I wore a fobus, as did everyone else in my division. I thought it was about as fast as one could get and still have acceptable concealment. In my assignment (executive security), retention during a scuffle wasn't a factor since we weren't going to be cuffing and stuffing the bad guy but cutting and running with our protectee. I would never choose a holster without some form of reliable retainer if my job was going to involve arrests, especially out of uniform. You are almost GUARANTEED to be in a 'rasslin' match when you announce to Bubba that he aint going anywhere except jail. You are so much more likely to need the pistol secure in a ground fight than you are to need it fast in a gun fight.

[abelew]

If you like fobus, more power to you. I got a cqc with the serpa, and its a decent enough holster, but it dont conceal for crap. It even prints under my heavy leather coat. It would be a good rig for open civilian clothes carry, or open carry at a range, etc, but it isn't what I would use for concealed carry. I have a galco concelable that I love, comfortable, conceals a bigger gun lots better. Personally I would like to get a shoulder rig (galco, etc) as I don't like having my gun on my belt (my hips are kinda wide, so my guns print more there)