Thinking Man's Corner

Article by: William G.

There are some features that we just expect, and some that are not as commonly in demand. One thing that is non-negotiable is the area that limits access to the trigger. That may seem like it is common sense, but it apparently isn’t a second thought for a lot of holster manufacturers. Neither are a lot of things that should have been changed a long time ago. 

Back in the 2000ish time frame, Glock had had its Gen3 out for a few years, and the light rail on it was all the rage. It started to become a requirement of duty guns. The predominant light was the plastic M3 with a 65 lumen incandescent bulb. Safariland had the 6280, which was the hot ticket at the time. Chief James Green and I were discussing it one day, and brought up the fact that the huge gap between the holster and the gun would easily allow access by anyone that wanted to stick a finger in there. We then promptly dismissed that as a probable action in a gun grab scenario. A few weeks later, a criminal grabbed an officer’s gun in the holster, and boom (literally).

The problem was is that the Chief and I were looking at it from a perspective of how we were trained. We would not wedge our finger in between a gun and a holster, because if we were stupid enough to do that, we assumed that the officer would be as trained as us, and would promptly break our finger, wrist, and elbow; and probably dislocate our shoulder, and crush our ribs……. We were too stupid to assume that a criminal would be so well trained that he would be as stupid as we were. 

What were we going to do though? The weapon mounted light made shooting so much easier, and clearing structures with armed felons a lot safer for the officer. The problem, however, lies in the fact that those situations aren’t as frequent as gun grabs, or regular, routine patrol life. A light on the gun is very important for a uniformed peace officer, but at what cost? Apparently, worth a lot, apparently…. For a light that is wider than the frame of the gun, a larger holster mouth opening is required, or was for several decades. Light manufacturer’s made more narrow lights. Holster manufacturer’s paid lip service to narrowing the gap. The thing is, these companies are in business to make money. If the market doesn’t demand it, they won’t build it. The market screamed for brighter lights, but with at least an hour runtime, and in a smaller package. The technology hasn’t been there to accommodate both requirements until recently.

A few years ago, Craig Douglas (aka SouthNarc) of ShivWorks began to get pretty verbal about asking why holsters still had a gap. I have known Craig for around 20 years, and he is a very good instructor, with a very specialized skill set, but more importantly, a very critical and inquisitive outlook. I would like to think that the platform he has caused a shift in the duty holster industry. 

The Alien Gear V3 Rapid Force, and the Safariland VAULT have been out for a few years now, and they close off that gap better than anything else on the market up until now. Safariland has recently introduced the BALLAST, and that is the step in which we should all demand. Keeping things out of the holster is a real concern. I have reports dating back over the last 20 years of all sorts of things getting into duty holsters. Keys, radio antennas, draw strings, pens, handcuff keys, twigs, pens, fingers, and weirder things – if it the gap is big enough to take it, it will get in between the holster and the gun. No gun model is safe from this phenomenon, unless it has a manual safety. Even then, the safety has to stay on until you physically take it off. I cannot tell you how many times I have found the safety from a 1911 or Smith & Wesson 3rd gen auto in the off position when I had put it in the on position prior to holstering. 

Some holsters interfere with the safety. Some holsters can activate the light. Some holsters can actuate the trigger. There are plenty of problems that can occur, and we never think to check them. Start checking the way your gun, light, optic, and holster interact together. Not your problem? It isn’t until it is. Expect the manufacturer to have worked those issues out? Doesn’t matter if they should or not, no one is coming to your rescue. How about when a holster maker uses a blue gun to mold their holster? Go grab an inert, molded training gun of a model of a real gun that has an external extractor. What is not like the real gun? If a round is in the chamber of a real gun, that extractor is most likely jutted out slightly. The problem occurs when you try to holster, it has a problem going in because there is a new variable that wasn’t accounted for. Same with drawing, you literally hit a snag. That could never happen? Ok, well it did; and more than once, and with several major manufacturers. Know how much it costs to make a new mold? You would think these things would be checked prior to production, but we companies are run by humans, and humans make mistakes. 

When the Surefire X200 first came out, I was using one on a Kimber in a 6280, and quickly found two issues with the combination. First is the suede that Safariland lined their holsters with. When it rained, or was really humid, the holster had a  tendency to bind on the gun; making the draw slow or fouled. Second was, in the mid-ride configuration, the holster would bind on the light during the draw, causing the holster to lift away from the body at the bottom. The factory rep answer: “it’s a problem with YOUR draw. You should draw the gun straight out.” I cannot make this garbage up. Obviously that person had never been in a gunfight, or even had to draw their gun under the slightest thing resembling a real world situation. Later on, I used a Glock 17 with X200 and a DG switch in a 6360. The holster would trash the bottom of the DG switch within a few hundred draws. Safariland blamed Surefire, yet it was the fault of the holster not being molded correctly. I had to modify the holster to work with the DG switch. Several years after that, Safariland quietly added a DG switch compatible holster to their lineup………. 

Safariland usually makes pretty good holsters, but they are nowhere near perfect, and they can have widely varying quality control. It is important to check each holster you get with the gun you carry, under a variety of situations before you bet your life on it. 

Mid and low ride holsters have can sometimes cause binding of the draw depending on body type, and where you wear your belt. If the holster binds, and it is not a bad interface with the gun, a single leg strap at the bottom of the holster, or a higher ride height will usually fix the problem. Holster that ride mid or low can also sometimes create pressure points on the hips, and can benefit from a padded backer. Safariland recognized this problem, at least, and offers a padded holster backer for some of their products. 

Make sure to use a dry lube on the springs or metal components of the retention devices. Clean the inside of the holster and retention devices at least once a month. Check the other metal hardware for rust, and the plastic for cracks or stress fractures. It should go without saying, but use the gun and light the holster is stamped for. In other words, do NOT use a G19 w/ TLR7 in a holster designed for a G17 and X300; or it may not work as advertised. 

Holsters need replacement just like guns and magazines. They take a lot of abuse, and need maintenance too. Even when you buy quality, check it out prior to using it on duty, maintain it, and place your bets. In God I trust, everyone else gets run through NCIC.