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Give me the pros and cons on Safariland holsters..

DreQo

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I've been going back and forth with Serpa CQCand Safariland (SL) for quite some time now. I have plenty of pro's and con's for the Serpa, but I'm a little lacking on con's for the SL. Let me know what you guys think, and I would definitely like to hear from guys who carry SLs. This is what I have so far (in no specific order):

-CQC and SL (w/ ALS)both have a secure locking mechanism with a natural draw

-CQC and SL both have the option to buy platforms w/o the holster (belt, paddle, etc)

-CQC and SL have adjustable cant

-CQC looks cooler than the SL (my personal opinion)

-CQC has a slimmer cut than SL

-CQC comes with belt and paddle standard, SL comes with only one

-SL ALS retention is less susceptible to dirt, sand, etc. compared to the CQC

-SL ALS retention is less accessibleduring a gun grab compared to the CQC

-I've heard bad news about the CQC, haven't heard any about the SL

-SL covers more of the weapon compared to the CQC

Thats about what I have so far. As you can see, I'm slightly leaning towards the SL at this point. Another good point for the SL is the option of the SLS hood.

6378.jpg


This is the SL holster with ALS. It has level 2 retention.

6368.jpg


This is the SL with both ALS and the SLS hood. Now that protective piece over the top is removable. My theory with this is that I could carry with the SLS hood forward, relying ONLY on the ALS level 2 retention. If I wanted more protection while running or in a crowded area, I could flip the SLS hood up and now have level 3 retention.

What do you guys think??
 

Mjolnir

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Do you want my opnion :p:p:p

What exactly are you looking for in the holster?
 

DreQo

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I am looking for a primary open carry holster. I am not overlyconcerned with the ability to conceal, as I have other holsters that do this quite well. I am looking for at least lvl 2 retention, but do not want a traditional thumb strap. I want a fast, natural draw. I want something that looks equally appropriate in casual or dress attire. I wouldprefer a holster with an adjustable cant to allow for 3 o clock, 4 o clock, or cross-draw positions, but this is not necessary. I would prefer a holster that is not bulky like a full duty holster, as I will simply be carrying it with normal plain clothes. Oh, and I would prefer a holster that I can use in multiple configurations (belt, thigh, shoulder rig, etc.) w/o having to buy separate holsters. I would especially like the option to change from belt to paddle, but would probably stick with the paddle more often than not.

Right now my two carry holsters are a galco leather belt holster with no strap, and an Uncle Mike's side-bet belt holster with a thumb break. The thumb break is slow and uncomfortable to draw. The leather holster is fast (as there is no retention to release) however the lack of retention makes me uncomfortable at times, and is generally considered unsafe. It does, however,suffice for carrying around my property, friends' property, and in uncrowded public areas.

My main draw to the CQC is that it looks good and I like the retention system. I also like the SL's ALS retention system, but it just doesn't look as cool to me, and also appears to be bulkier. One last thing I didn't mention is that there isn't a CQC available for my gun at this time, and there's only a chance that there will be one available in January of '08. SL has one specifically for my gun currently.

So yeah, Mjolnir, tell me what you think. (I know you don't like the CQC, which is fine, I would like to hear your opinion.)
 

Mjolnir

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Sad to say I don't know of any one or even a couple holsters that will meet you wish list & only the serpa comes close to what all you want one holster to do from what little I know about it.

Some thumb break holsters are POS and some are really good, remember in the holster world you get what you pay for & cheap is never the way to go with an expensive handgun. I have a Galco pancake holster W/thumbreak for my 1911 and it's extremly fast to draw from, but the holster mouth colapses & it's a pain to re holster.

I'm not going to preach to ya about training, you ain't no dummy & know how important training is. All my holsters I use for OC do not have any retention devices on em (except for the 6004) and I feel safe with em. I also practice weapon retention drills and when OCing am in condition yellow and am always aware of anybody near my strong side and my weapon.

However, here again any time I don't feel safe with an exposed weapon it's not exposed as my personal line of thought is that a concealed weapon gives me an advantage over the goblins & I'll take any advantage I can.

What kind of belt are you going to use & how wide/strong is it? As you know the belt is an extremly important part of the system and if possible I'd recommend ya get a wilderness 5 stitch the same width as the holsters belt slots.

Are you willing to look at drop leg holsters, or would they be out of place?

You really don't have many choices when it comes to a Level II or better retention holster outside of LEO duty rigs.

I'm a huge fan of Safariland holsters but there are a few other makers out there than also have some really good concealment/duty gear but they are more for the big duty belts and that's not what you are looking for.

Personally I'd look at SL's 6304 drop holster if they make it for your pistol & if not or it does not fit you needs & desires than I'd look at SL's line of concealment holsters. I'd personally stay away from the paddle holsters & go with a SL 6821 as it's a semi hi ride and I like hi ride or semi hi for belt holsters or posibly the 6381.

My reasoning behind the paddle is that it can move out of position easier and can be pulled away/off of you if things go right for the bad guy & wrong for you. With the belt slots and a quality belt like the wilderness 5 stitch it's impossible for the holster to be pulled off you without major damage to you and/or the belt/holster & by then it's the least of your worries.

For a shoulder holster nobody makes a better one than Lou Alessi's Bodyguard W/the pull thrugh snaps, it's simply the very best shoulder holster on the market today.
 

DreQo

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Wow, that's a heck of a lot of info! :) As far as training is concerned, I am very aware of the importance of such. My belt is a galco matrix belt. It's strong as crap and doesn't stretch at all. I also understand the importance of a good belt. I went through the crappy belt issue.

Anyway as far as the 6304 thigh rig you suggested, thats the same holster that I was talking about for my belt. The woman at SL said that I can call in and order just the thigh rig platform and switch my belt holster to it. This is something I would consider in the long run.

I understand your view on paddle holsters. So far all I have is belt holsters. My problem is that here in NC I have to go through the crap of disarming myself on a regular basis..like every time I go out to eat dang near..so I would prefer a paddle holster so I can wrestle it on and off a little easier. Again, though, I'll get a belt platform AS WELL so I can switch to it if I need the extra security.

Anyway I think I'm leaning towards the safariland holster right now. I don't know whether I want to get the one with JUST the ALS, or if I want to get the one with the SLS on top of it. Or maybe I should just get a leather pancake with a thumb break haha.
 

DreQo

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Well I ended up ordering a safariland 6377 ALS belt holster and threw a leg shroud platform in there as well, so I can move the holster to my leg if I so choose. The holster and leg shroud together cost a whopping $55.26, so I can't complain.

This decision came after I got an e-mail from blackhawk that confirmed that while they would be making a CQC for the P99, it wouldn't work with the SW99. So that problem was solved. I decided to stick with JUST the ALS since the holster is slimmer and I don't forsee needing the extra protection of the SLS.

The leg shroud will be here on halloween, but unfortunately I gotta wait 20 days for the holster to ship (none in stock). I guess it's a good sign when they have to order more up, though lol.
 

AZRaptor

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Lots of good information here. I just picked up a Glock 21SF and was debating between CQC and SL. I'm leaning towards the 6365 as I want a low ride style holster for open carry. It has the ALS and SLS. I wondered if this might be more retention than I needed, but after reading the OP's idea of using the ALS regularly and only engaging the SLS for when around more crowded close quarter situations I think it will be a good fit. Now I just need to find one locally.
 

DreQo

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If you can, get a friend in the military to buy it for you. Their govt/military discounts are ridiculous! (i.e. over 50% off) Also, take the time to call in and find out the prices for the individual parts that you're going to be ordering. Since I wanted a belt platform AND a thigh platform, I had ordered the holster with one platform on it and then an extra platform. It turned out that buying a belt holster with a thigh platform extra was cheaper than buying a thigh holster with a belt platform extra. I'm not sure how that works, but whatever! It saved me money :D.

EDIT: One more thing about the military discount. They require a copy of your military/govt ID OR a document with your department's letterhead, and the package itself has to be shipped to a govt/military address.

This is in contrast to surefire who, when asked about a military discount, said "oh you're military? ok, I just added the discount", lol.
 

Mjolnir

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DreQo wrote:
and the package itself has to be shipped to a govt/military address.
What if ya live off post??

Do ya have a contact phone number???
 

DreQo

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Mjolnir wrote:
DreQo wrote:
and the package itself has to be shipped to a govt/military address.
What if ya live off post??

Do ya have a contact phone number???

I ran into this problem. I'm in the reserves currently so I don't have an address on base, BUT my street address is literally 200 yds from the base. Even when I was so close, they said nope, it HAD to be a government address. I ended up having to have it shipped to my g/f's office (she works on base, obviously). If she wasn't able to receive it, I was gonna have a buddy of mine thats active on base get it.

Who's contact number are you looking for?
 

Mjolnir

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DreQo wrote:
Who's contact number are you looking for?
Did not know if they had a specfic .mil dealer number/person who only deals with .mil or if any of the customer service people were able to do this kind of deal.

Ever check into the Glock homeland defense deal ya can get? A G-19 with 3 hi cap mags is only $398 & using Sig's .mil program I got a P229R w/3 hi cap mags for $609.
 

DreQo

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I just always used the phone number on the safariland.com website. There is an option for normal sales/customer service OR government...I normally just went to the regular sales one. Their sales reps sound (and act) like ditzy cali girls, but they're surprisingly knowledgeable about their products and they seem to know what they're doing.

I haven't looked into the Glock stuff...I'm not exactly anti-glock...I just don't find them comfortable in my hand, and I don't like the glock action or whatever you call it lol.
 

Mjolnir

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DreQo wrote:
I haven't looked into the Glock stuff...I'm not exactly anti-glock...I just don't find them comfortable in my hand, and I don't like the glock action or whatever you call it lol.
Whhile I'm not a fan of Glock, ya can't beat that price & it's always nice to have a beater 9mm ya could care less about :p:p:p
 

DreQo

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Mjolnir wrote:
DreQo wrote:
I haven't looked into the Glock stuff...I'm not exactly anti-glock...I just don't find them comfortable in my hand, and I don't like the glock action or whatever you call it lol.
Whhile I'm not a fan of Glock, ya can't beat that price & it's always nice to have a beater 9mm ya could care less about :p:p:p
Yeah, I'd keep it in an IWB holster with saran wrap on the grip so I can plant it on the body w/o my finger prints...:celebrate
 

AZRaptor

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I picked up a 6360 locally but it rode higher than I wanted. They had the 1.5" drop base for $20 and I coulda bought that to make the 6360 into a 6365 but I really didn't like the ALS/SLS combo. I'm looking at the SERPA Level II Duty holster. I know the potential issues with the SERPA locking mechanism, but don't really forsee it being an issue. The only drawback to them is they are designed for duty belts and attach with the screw down belt loop, not the easiest for civvy carry.
 

radwood

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I just ordered a Safariland 6280 with the sentry guard and a UBL belt loop that can be adjusted for cant and belt size. I'll have it in couple days and I can give you some more anecdotal evidence to base your decision on, if you want.
 

DreQo

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radwood wrote:
I just ordered a Safariland 6280 with the sentry guard and a UBL belt loop that can be adjusted for cant and belt size. I'll have it in couple days and I can give you some more anecdotal evidence to base your decision on, if you want.

I appreciate the offer. I've actually already ordered a safariland holster :). I ended up getting the ALS belt holster (don't remember the number off the top of my head). I'm kinda upset, though, that yours will be there in a couple of days lol. I ordered mine like two weeks ago, and it wont be here until the 15th. It was out of stock so they had to order directly from the factory. I guess I can't complain, though, since that probably means they're popular and selling well lol.

Please do post your experiences here when you get your holster, and I'll post mine as well. Hopefully I'll be able to borrow a gun with a serpa holster from someone so I can directly compare the two.
 
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