Blackhawk Serpa CQC holster

[C4IGrant]

I used one during the beggining of my "serious" shooting , when I first started to get into training, competeing, and finding out what I didnt know.

I wrote this once I had a clue, it was mostly aimed at another forum I frequent where Open Carry is a big deal and the Serpa is like the ****in OC uniform for douche bags who thinks it will retain there gun and they there fore "dont need no stinking training"



Ive scince been in more classes, and follow up Retention and Disarm classes with students having these...... and its only reinforced my opinion that this is bad kit for all but a limited application (not mine).

LOL, this wouldn't be a certain PA forum would it.

It is amazing how training classes will quickly open ones eyes to mistakes made in gear and guns. If I was king for a day, I would require that everyone show up with some quality made Kydex holster and mag pouch (all mounted to an instructors style belt) and that is it! Then, after several training classes and lots of practice time, the shooter could buy other "kit" if they so chose.




C4

[C4IGrant]

I must have been living with my head in the sand for the past year or so, because I never realized that these holsters had these types of issues. I'd always heard the tales and horror stories of people getting debris in the locking mechanism, but I always brushed it off as a few random cases that the internet blew out of proportion.


And I guess I just assumed that my agency wouldn't allow it to be a standard issued holster if it had these issues...I never did any research on the matter myself.

I switched to SERPA Level 3 about a year ago and haven't had any problems with it. My draw speed increased and I felt more comfortable with its retention-Ha! The Safariland holster's bail would seem to find its way open (especially if I was reaching over into the passenger seat to grab something while I was wearing my vest).

But, I've never had anyone try to rip the SERPA off. Seems like thats the exact wrong time I'd want my holster to fail me. So, I just dug my Safariland out of a box in my closet. It's going back on the duty belt tonight and I'll be hitting the range with it tomorrow morning to practice my draw with it again.

Thanks for the heads up.


edit: as far as the AD/ND thing...thats 100% user error imo. If you are drawing it correctly, then you should never have an ND.

Smart man!

I personally do not believe that one can draw from the SERPA correctly all the time (because of its poor design). So ND's are bound to happen eventually.


C4

[ra2bach]

McDonalds is everywhere and cheap, that doesn't mean that it is a good place to eat.

C4

ohhhhh, now you've done it!

[ST911]

And I guess I just assumed that my agency wouldn't allow it to be a standard issued holster if it had these issues...I never did any research on the matter myself. .

Most agencies base their purchasing decisions on combinations of

• price
• marketing
• how many samples they are given prior to a purchase
• what their "gun guy" recommends, regardless of his credibility
• what a neighbor/partner agency is using, regardless of the basis of their decision
• what can be invoiced/shipped within a specified time

Don't believe otherwise. There are exceptions, but the above in various combinations is the norm. It is not always the fault of the agency, as realities of budget, time, and civilian oversight are significant. Many will often find themselves in a position of "mediocre, or nothing".

This is why consumers should not read too much into a certain piece of gear being used by LE or the military. Both buy crap by the pallet load.

[Shawn.L]

LOL, this wouldn't be a certain PA forum would it.

It is amazing how training classes will quickly open ones eyes to mistakes made in gear and guns. If I was king for a day, I would require that everyone show up with some quality made Kydex holster and mag pouch (all mounted to an instructors style belt) and that is it! Then, after several training classes and lots of practice time, the shooter could buy other "kit" if they so chose.




C4

How did you guess ?

Funny (or tragic) was one of the folks who took issue with that post, and the follow up responses, was a guy who just said flat out that I didnt know what I was talking about because......... wait for it........ its a good one...... really showed me........... Because hes a fat guy, and when he fell out of his car this one time and caught the serpa on the seat belt it didnt break !

[xcibes]

I think I should hang around this forum more often...two great threads that have taught me a lot today.

The search for a new holster for my Glock 19 begins now.....

Thank you Grant!

[ChristisKing]

I, along with many others I worked with used SERPA holsters...nary a problem. Gave me 3 years service in Iraq with no NDs. Thinking operator error over design.

Not over seas like this guy but I've been running them at competitions since they first came out. Maybe stupid people shouldn't use them but I love mine.

[sgtjosh]

Dachs,

Im not a big fan of the 6280 series holsters with only the rotating hood. They do always find their way open, and when the hood is rotated down it is basically a gun bucket with zero retention. Get into a struggle on the street and bad things can happen.

I have since switched to the 6300 series ALS holsters which offers an active retention device that is very intuitive to release with your shooting thumb. They also offer it with the rotating hood as an option as well, but I prefer the open top 6325 without the hood.

I highly recommend that you take a look at the 6300 series ALS holsters from Safariland.

There is a lot to be said for properly setting the retention screw on the holster. The SLS should not be solely relied on to keep the weapon in the holster. Some yay-hoo firearms instructors at my agencies academy were sending trainees to the field having removed the retention screw on their holsters which were SLS only (no ALS.)

[C4IGrant]

Because hes a fat guy, and when he fell out of his car this one time and caught the serpa on the seat belt it didnt break !

That's quality there.

C4

[C4IGrant]

I think I should hang around this forum more often...two great threads that have taught me a lot today.

The search for a new holster for my Glock 19 begins now.....

Thank you Grant!

Cool. Someone that gets it!

C4