Looking for a good holster for OC

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The holster I currently use doesn't really suit my purposes. It's a bit more bulky than it should be, and as far as the concept of rentention goes it provides nothing but a small velcro strap.

The gun is an early 90s model (manual says 1990) Ruger P85MKII 9mm that belonged to my dad, when he passed away my mom gave it to me because she can't own a gun (prior felony conviction) and me being the oldest and most responsible of her kids she thought I should have it.

I would absolutely *love* a SERPA but I don't know if there is one that would fit this gun. My manual says "The action of the Ruger P85MKII pistol is of the U.S. M1911 type..." but it says nothing about the size/shape characteristics that I'd have to use to compare it to the guns I've seen SERPA holsters available for. If anyone has any experience with this gun or similar sized Ruger P85 models, would it be possible for me to get a SERPA designed for a 1911 and use it for this gun? If not, what would you recommend?

Here are my basic requirements for a new holster...
1. Must be OWB and attach to my belt, this is for open carry and I don't like the idea of paddle holsters (especially after I've seen how easy some of them are to break). I also don't like IWB because they're uncomfortable and there may be some question of whether the gun is actually "open" or "concealed" if it's partially tucked into my waistband.
2. Not too bulky, but that may be asking a lot considering the gun.
3. I'd prefer some form of retention holster, I love the SERPA holsters because they provide for retention and they're easy to use, I always draw my gun from its holster with the exact motion that the SERPA requires (trigger finger parallel to the barrel and slide) anyway just for safety reasons.

No doubt some people might suggest getting a newer/smaller/more lightweight gun, and I wouldn't mind having a Glock, but I really don't have the budget for a new gun right now and I love the Ruger.. the weight of the gun, the way it shoots, the way it feels in my hand or holstered on my hip.. everything about it just "works" for me. Then there's the fact that it was the first gun I ever actually fired, so I'm kind of attached to it.. lol

Thanks in advance for any help I might be able to get here..

While I'm at it, I have a question about ammunition too, not sure if this is the best place to ask. I normally use regular Remington 115gr jacketed hollow point, or equivalent FMJ rounds if I'm at a firing range that wants me to use FMJ.. but my neighbor gave me a box of Federal Premium 124gr Hydra-Shok rounds. He said they were too powerful for his cheap 9mm, but should work great in mine. I've never heard of them before and haven't tried using them yet, they just look like hollow points with a little metal pin down the center. Are these good rounds to use (in general, or for my gun in particular)? I know the price tag on the box says they were $17.50 for a box of 20 at my local gun store, so I definitely won't be using them for target practice too often, but I get the feeling they'd make great personal defense rounds.

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Hydrashocks are great PD rounds, and should work in your weapon. The only way to find out is to try them and see for yourself if they work for you. The fact that the ones you currently have were free is a good incentive to run them through and see how they work out.

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The Serpas are not made for any Rugers. I wanted one for my P944 but I did get one for my Beretta 92FS.

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On the subject of holsters for open carry, allow me to suggest something not normally considered.

Appearance.

No doubt about it, a holster has to carry the weapon safely and securely. Not only that, but one expects a holster to last a good long time - at least as long as a pair of shoes, for instance.

But consider everyone will be seeing it. Everyone.

I suggest we do not want to present the appearance of someone cheap and careless. Or a low-intelligence, barely literate person. At the same time, the holster should not look like something out of a TV western or Sci-Fi movie, where the wearer seems to be looking for a chance to draw down.

I would exclude most nylon or 'fabric' holsters. Some are well made, but they always look 'bargain basement' to me. I would also avoid the 'wannabe SWAT' hard plastic holsters. The good ones serve well, but project an aggressive image. People are going to be a trifle uneasy in the early stages; wearing a gun at all is 'aggressive' to most of the common folk. At the same time, one wants to present a professional and confident image.

Were I to carry openly (both state and my agency forbid it) I would choose a leather holster, in a color to match my other clothing. Yes, it should either blend in or complement the rest of one's clothing. Otherwise it 'sticks out' and looks like you're flashing it. In some cases, a nice bit of either basket weave or decorative carving might soften the image. A safety strap does much to ease the mind of various agency managers - even if the holster doesn't need one - so I would have a strap to prevent panic over 'it might fall and go off!'.

Most of the big name holstermakers have such a product. I make most all my own holsters anymore, so I quit keeping track, but a short web search should show a plethora of companies just itching to provide you a decent holster.

In closing, there will be many of the common folks who are uneasy or near panic when they see a sidearm. However, by presenting a calm, professional and competent image, that unease or panic can be mollified. None of us who own and carry firearms need to cause any more discontent than is required. The attitude of "Screw 'em if they don't like it!" is not going to help the cause.

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Cross draw holsters are hard to find. Left handed cross draw are even harder to find. The Serpa can be used in a variety ways and positions including cross draw. That is why I ordered one to try.

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I was thinking the same thing about the ammo since the box I got was free, just haven't had a chance to get to a firing range since I got them. There's not really a "firing range" around here, but my neighbor owns a pretty big patch of desert where it's legal and safe to shoot, so maybe that's an option.

I was considering a leather holster, but the gun's manual has issues with that, the "care and cleaning" section says "Do not keep the pistol stored in a leather holster or case. Leather attracts moisture, even though the holster or case may appear to be perfectly dry." Of course I know there's a huge difference between carrying the gun in a leather holster for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and actually "storing" it in the same holster, but that warning was enough to make me want to consider other options. I do realize appearances are important, and that kind of depends on where you are too. Around here I could probably wear as many guns and holsters (regardless of appearance) as I can fit on my belt and nobody would even look at me funny because almost everyone carries guns around here, but I know when I move back to the city that will be a different story entirely.

Perhaps there's a hard plastic holster that doesn't look so "wannabe SWAT" that might be appropriate?

It's a shame I can't get the SERPA for my Ruger, I have a friend who has one for his Glock and they're really nice.

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Simplyrugged.com. I have 4 holsters from this guy and they all kick ass. Mine don't have a retention strap but one can be added on. These are all custom made and well priced. Here are what two of mine look like.

http://caopencarry.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-tools.html

Seek and ye shall find.

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Thanks pullnshoot, I'll definitely look into that, the holsters pictured on your blog post look very nice.. btw I just bookmarked your blog's main page so I can spend more time checking it out later, looks pretty interesting. Sorry to hear about the "mall incident".

Still not 100% sure about using leather, but maybe I'm reading too much into my manual's warning not to "store" the pistol in a leather holster or case.

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stevenh512 wrote:

Thanks pullnshoot, I'll definitely look into that, the holsters pictured on your blog post look very nice.. btw I just bookmarked your blog's main page so I can spend more time checking it out later, looks pretty interesting. Sorry to hear about the "mall incident".

Still not 100% sure about using leather, but maybe I'm reading too much into my manual's warning not to "store" the pistol in a leather holster or case.

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As long as you aren't doing long-term storage on blued guns you should be just fine I think. Stainless steel might get a hue from the leather but I am not certain...

Plastic is fantastic, but the pleasure lies in leather (Just made that up, hehe)

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I just carry in front IWB:





This method allows me to protect the gun from grabs. I can see what's going on. If the gun is strong side behind the hip, then retention is definitely needed to prevent a gun snatch.

I generally use a different belt (a Galco synthetic) that allows me to center the buckle properly. The setup above is for concealed carry.

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I'll openly bash SERPA cause the holsters are junk and most people only use one with low retention.

I'm not sure if the P85MKII is the same size as the P85, however I'll list a good holster below.

note to cREbralFIX... no.. a retention holster will help prevent a gun grab.

Why do people assume gun grabs are always going to be straight grabs?

anyway...
Below is a level III retention holster, safariland makes the best holsters you can buy. There are probably other holsters which Safariland makes which is molded for the Ruger P85 series, you'll just have to browse for them.
http://www.copsplus.com/prodnum1072.php
( Safariland 070 Holster - SSIII Mid-Ride Level III )

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pullnshoot25 wrote:

stevenh512 wrote:

Thanks pullnshoot, I'll definitely look into that, the holsters pictured on your blog post look very nice.. btw I just bookmarked your blog's main page so I can spend more time checking it out later, looks pretty interesting. Sorry to hear about the "mall incident".

Still not 100% sure about using leather, but maybe I'm reading too much into my manual's warning not to "store" the pistol in a leather holster or case.

Click to expand...

As long as you aren't doing long-term storage on blued guns you should be just fine I think. Stainless steel might get a hue from the leather but I am not certain...

Plastic is fantastic, but the pleasure lies in leather (Just made that up, hehe)

Click to expand...

I've been carrying a stainless J-Frame in a Galco gun-leather (100% horse hide) holster for over 3 years. It really only leaves the holster to be fired or to be cleaned. It hasn't developed any wear, rust, or change in the finish in the years I've been carrying it. I did get the slightest hint that rust might be starting on one corner of the rear sight blade, which is not stainless, but I've kept an eye on it, and haven't had any problems with it.

I think the point of not storing in leather is because leather traps moisture and if it is wet it can cause the finish to rust. Stainless steel can indeed rust, it's just very tough to get it to happen. A blued steel gun absolutely will rust if you keep it in leather, especially if it's an IWB leather holster on hot days. Even if you clean and oil it often, it will still develop rust if you don't keep it dry. Stainless is far less likely to have that problem.


I just take my guns out of their holsters when I get home and I wipe them down to get rid of any moisture or lint that might be on them. I normally wipe them dry and oil them (internals too) once a week just to be sure.

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I disagree.

Training will stop a gun grab. A retention holster is just another tool to assist the user.

Back on topic: I've been using a DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard for one of my Glocks. I like it, but the snap is useless against a gun grabber. It's more for keeping the gun in the holster during daily activities.

http://www.desantisholster.com:80/s...action=prepare_detail&itm_id=4205&itm_index=0

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cREbralFIX wrote:

I disagree.

Training will stop a gun grab. A retention holster is just another tool to assist the user.

Click to expand...

All it takes is someone going around a blind spot and your gun is GONE. Also, I should note constant situational awareness over a long period of time is damaging to you. Ask any psychiatrist about situational awareness/alertness of ones surroundings in regards to disorders. They will also tell you how many, including police officers, suffer from symptoms which war vets exhibit.

You need to start thinking about proper retention and your personal health.

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cREbralFIX wrote:

I disagree.

Training will stop a gun grab. A retention holster is just another tool to assist the user.

Back on topic: I've been using a DeSantis Thumb Break Scabbard for one of my Glocks. I like it, but the snap is useless against a gun grabber. It's more for keeping the gun in the holster during daily activities.

http://www.desantisholster.com:80/storefrontB2CWEB/itemdetail.do?action=prepare_detail&itm_id=4205&itm_index=0

Click to expand...

I agree with both of you, to some extent.

A retention holster is a deterrent to a gun-grab. It's just like locking your car door or your front door: these don't stop break-ins but they sure deter them.

Likewise, proper situational awareness and training are a deterent to gun-grabs. They're a more proactive deterent, but they still are only a deterent. All of the awareness in the world isn't going to stop a very sneaky person from ambushing you if he's intent on stealing your gun.

Why not combine both excellent SA with a good retention holster? You'd be a fool to argue against that combination. Perhaps what you're trying to say is that we should not rely solely on our SERPA just like we don't rely solely on our firearm's safety lever to keep us from shooting the wrong target?

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This why cheap kydex holsters are junk. They can be broken off with teh gun still in them before you can even react.

In opposition to the open complaint against teh serpa, My friend and I tested the gun grab possibilities on this holster with a rubber dummy gun and believe me, Even when they dont see it comoing, the retention gave him more than enough time to use basic CQB to take me down. And I knew how to use his levelII push button retention, most people wont know.

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Exactly...

I'm actually upgrading to a level III holster which is a safariland. The level II holster I have, also safariland, uses the push button down latch on the top. I was quite surprised... none of the officers which have harassed me in the past have known how to extract my firearm out of my holster, even unlawfully. When you must give a police officers instructions on how to use a holster, it gets sad...

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insane.kangaroo wrote:

cREbralFIX wrote:

I disagree.

Training will stop a gun grab. A retention holster is just another tool to assist the user.

Click to expand...

All it takes is someone going around a blind spot and your gun is GONE.

Click to expand...

Which is why I keep the gun in front.


As for the situational awareness problem...any citations on that? I'm interested in reading up on that.

***

Why are people still using SERPAs? They're crap. I figured this out in a gun class when we shot from the ground. A pebble worked its way into the locking mechanism and I couldn't remove my LOADED gun from it

:what:

Did they close up the mechanism? Last time I looked, there still was an open path into it.

***

If I were going to get a dedicated OC holster, I'd definitely look at Safariland products. I really like how the shooter can mix and match features.

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Not sure if they make one for your gun, but this is a Galco Silhouette High Ride with my XD Service.