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MadMax17
08-27-2011, 03:33 AM
I'm looking for a new holster for my M9. I currently have a Blackhawk SERPA holster, with a Blackhawk jacket slot that drops it down a few inches from my belt so it doesn't interfere with my body armor. (was going to attach pics, but apprently I can't, so I'm not sure how exactly so show what I'm talking about)

I'm not a fan of the SERPA (for reasons mentioned on this forum and its parent website), but LOVE the jacket slot holster drop. I can't stand leg holsters, and don't like wearing my M9 on my body armor, so belt carry is the only way, however conventional carry makes it interfere with my armor, thus the jacket slot.

So I'm lookin for a good retention holster (which aren't hard to find), however I also want something like the Blackhawk jacket slot that will drop it a few inches off of my belt. Furthermore, I would like it to be able to clip or slide on to my belt (rather than feed the belt through the loops), so it's easy to take it off when I'm in a vehicle or something like that.

So I figured I would ask you all. Any help or suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Max

Al T.
08-27-2011, 07:08 AM
I'm pretty happy with Safariland's ALS system. Maybe this will work for you:

http://www.safariland.com/DutyGear/product.aspx?pid=6305

HeadHunter
08-27-2011, 01:24 PM
I don't know if this is enough drop for you but maybe.
http://www.safariland.com/DutyGear/product.aspx?pid=6365

If you mounted a QLS on it, you'd be able to take the holster off, although not the UBL.
http://www.safariland.com/DutyGear/duty/qls.aspx

Josh Runkle
08-27-2011, 07:26 PM
I'm looking for a new holster for my M9. I currently have a Blackhawk SERPA holster, with a Blackhawk jacket slot that drops it down a few inches from my belt so it doesn't interfere with my body armor. (was going to attach pics, but apprently I can't, so I'm not sure how exactly so show what I'm talking about)

I'm not a fan of the SERPA (for reasons mentioned on this forum and its parent website), but LOVE the jacket slot holster drop. I can't stand leg holsters, and don't like wearing my M9 on my body armor, so belt carry is the only way, however conventional carry makes it interfere with my armor, thus the jacket slot.

So I'm lookin for a good retention holster (which aren't hard to find), however I also want something like the Blackhawk jacket slot that will drop it a few inches off of my belt. Furthermore, I would like it to be able to clip or slide on to my belt (rather than feed the belt through the loops), so it's easy to take it off when I'm in a vehicle or something like that.

So I figured I would ask you all. Any help or suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Max


Can I ask what you do? The reason I ask is that you mentioned body armor, and one point I would make is that if you spend 8 hours a day riding in a vehicle but are standing when you practice at the range, perhaps you should draw from a sitting position at the range, where attaching the firearm to your armor would make sense, as it can be faster to draw that way sitting, but doesn't seem as advantageous when practicing at the range in a standing or prone position.

MadMax17
08-28-2011, 01:33 AM
I'm in the Army, currently in Afghanistan. I put on and take off my body armor multiple times a day, which is why I don't want it mounted on my armor, as I still want my pistol on my belt when I don't have my armor on. I can't stand leg holsters, as they chafe my leg, as well as deny access to one of my leg pockets, so those are out.

Generally ride in armored vehicles a few times a week, and it makes it a lot easier to not get tangled up on stuff if I just take my M9 off and put it under my seat.

Thanks for the links, I'll have to check out those Safariland ones.

Josh Runkle
08-28-2011, 02:42 AM
I'm in the Army, currently in Afghanistan. I put on and take off my body armor multiple times a day, which is why I don't want it mounted on my armor, as I still want my pistol on my belt when I don't have my armor on. I can't stand leg holsters, as they chafe my leg, as well as deny access to one of my leg pockets, so those are out.

Generally ride in armored vehicles a few times a week, and it makes it a lot easier to not get tangled up on stuff if I just take my M9 off and put it under my seat.

Thanks for the links, I'll have to check out those Safariland ones.

Got it. I don't like leg holsters either, but simply because they suck for running or crawling. If you're a BA SF guy who might be rolling around with some bad guys, and you want retention for that (or if your unit requires it) it's not a terrible idea, but if you're like a supply or contracting officer (I'm going off you removing/replacing body armor) or similar:

My experience with holsters: a quality, non-retention-system holster like raven concealment or dark star gear will still keep a gun in during a dead sprint or a face dive in the dirt. I prefer non-retention-systems whenever I can. There's less that can go wrong, they don't begin with your hand in a poor grip and they are a hair faster to draw from.

Al T.
08-28-2011, 09:01 AM
I ran with two holsters in Iraq. One was on my IBA for outside and one was on my hip for inside. The hip holster was a Yaqui slide and it squashed down under my IBA with minor discomfort. The M9 was a primary weapon for me though and I was a Fobbit most of my time.

Mike Honcho
08-28-2011, 09:06 AM
I've been extremely happy with Safariland holsters, both the SLS and ALS. I prefer ALS, but since SLS is the only issued (and therefore "authorized") holster for my particular line of work, I tend to stick with it.

As far as mounting, I flop between either the 1.5" Universal Belt Loop and the single-strap leg shroud with a Drop Flex Adapter in place of the standard mounting strap. The DFA, for me, puts it in the sweet spot drop-wise (back in the day I used to do this by 550-cording the shroud to the holes in the old LC2 belt like a fucking idiot), and doesn't slip/unvelcro like the standard drop-leg mounting strap. I don't like drop-leg holsters much either, but keeping it high keeps it manageable, along with keeping leadership off my back (I can remember hopping on the drop-leg bandwagon years ago and getting hemmed up because the only authorized holster was a belt-mounted green flap holster, now anything other than a drop-leg gets you the same response, regardless of what actually works). I also find the leg strap makes up for any "off" in my drawstroke (while a perfect draw doesn't require the holster to be tied down by the leg strap, to me it adds a little insurance that the holster won't bind on a draw).

My last unit tested/was an early adopter of a lot of gear. We jumped on the MLS bandwagon fairly early, like 08 timeframe. I love this system and can't say enough good things about it. Whether you use to go back and forth between a weapon-mounted light or none, or just mount the same holster in different configurations. I tend to move mine from the DFA/shroud (or UBL) when on duty, to the paddle that comes with the ALS concealment holster while bopping around on the FOB so I don't have to wear my warbelt all the time.

TGS
08-28-2011, 09:46 AM
How far down your leg did you guys mount your thigh rigs?

I ask this because most dudes I see aren't wearing them correctly. They should only drop down enough to clear your gear, and really shouldn't ride much lower than a 1.5"-2" drop duty belt holster. If you're using both leg straps, you've probably got it a little too low.

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?1051-Plate-Carriers-for-Heavy-Duty-Use
Scroll down to post #9, DocGKR's photo. The guy wearing the thigh rig there is going to be a hell of a lot more comfortable running than where people typically wear a thigh rig, not to mention another benefit of that is the holster will stay put and not twirl around your leg, so you won't need to fish around for it if need be.

This motivator, however, is not going to like running with his rig, not to mention it's too low for an easy draw:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=thigh+rig&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1338&bih=627&tbm=isch&tbnid=Tk8f3ZzHNMT4kM:&imgrefurl=http://www.auroralites.com/roguedsi.asp&docid=at965e1SLG_QBM&w=600&h=896&ei=2VNaTviGKonbgQeimdmyDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=305&vpy=160&dur=368&hovh=127&hovw=85&tx=98&ty=149&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=85&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

Mike Honcho
08-28-2011, 10:10 AM
How far down your leg did you guys mount your thigh rigs?


On the DFA, I use the 2nd row of holes from the top.

MadMax17
08-28-2011, 11:10 PM
Got it. I don't like leg holsters either, but simply because they suck for running or crawling. If you're a BA SF guy who might be rolling around with some bad guys, and you want retention for that (or if your unit requires it) it's not a terrible idea, but if you're like a supply or contracting officer (I'm going off you removing/replacing body armor) or similar:

My experience with holsters: a quality, non-retention-system holster like raven concealment or dark star gear will still keep a gun in during a dead sprint or a face dive in the dirt. I prefer non-retention-systems whenever I can. There's less that can go wrong, they don't begin with your hand in a poor grip and they are a hair faster to draw from.

I'm a Cavalry Scout. Not generally grappling with anybody, lol, our goal is to keep them far away. We don't have any retention requirements, and in fact 98% of people here use SERPA's, so it's pretty unregulated.

I actually found a decent little retention holster by Blackhawk, just doesn't have the SERPA part. This will allow me to use all of my other Blackhawk gear and attachments, so that works out.

Thanks for the help guys! I appreciate it!

ADKilla
08-29-2011, 07:32 AM
I bought and carried my M9 in a Safariland 6395 with ALS. It dropped the pistol just below my armor without being as gaudy as a drop leg holster.