Stick with the ALS. You don’t need to throw in a loose weapon if you have to fight empty hands, etc. At least the Safariland ALS holster has some retention.Originally Posted by Tensaw
Stick with the ALS. You don’t need to throw in a loose weapon if you have to fight empty hands, etc. At least the Safariland ALS holster has some retention.
Yeah, I’m probably the only one who would go AIWB. My current assignment does not entail regular, close contact with the crooks. That said, based on the feedback here, I am probably going to champion the GLS as noted.
Kind of interesting... I am the one who completely drove the ALS train due to weapon retention concerns. Surveying the landscape, other folks outside our agency doing some very serious work do not seem to share that concern if their gear is any indication - so I started second-guessing that thought process. I appreciate all the input to bring me back to reality.
I am an ALS fan because you have to do something other than grip the gun to release the retention. If I had any chance of dealing with any criminals I'd keep the ALS simply because you can not predict when shit will go south. A local office of probation & parole is directly next to my building. I cannot tell you how many times they have called for assistance because of fights IN THE OFFICE.
AIWB and other holsters that have no/less retention than what you currently carry is a crap shoot. I can remember when Fobus holsters were "in" and then they were followed by Serpa's. Even recently I have seen these two holsters being used in LE...and I cringe every time I see them. AIWB in LE is for people who are in deep cover...that's it.
ETA: Over the past week I have looked at the Pennsylvania State Police video where one of the officers back-up gun came out. That happens more than we like think it does. I can distinctly remember 3 separate occasions where someone's back-up gun came from a holster during a fight...I was involved in two of those fights and watched another happen (no it wasn't my gun!). It is an unnerving feeling to see a loose gun flying across the floor. Two of those incidents involved sub-standard holsters...one was some kind of nylon POS and the other was a Galco ankle glove with only screw retention. (Why the hell would you carry an ankle holster in LE without some kind of positive retention???) The third was a Galco ankle glove that just came undone but the gun stayed in the holster.
If you have to sacrifice comfort and aesthetics for safety then so be it. Just my $.02.
Last edited by KeeFus; 08-13-2018 at 07:28 AM.
"Plain clothes" is a broad category.
I just got moved to the suit and tie brigade a couple months ago. When I was a detective in the past, and now in an admin role, I wear the same thing...a Bruce Nelson-style vertical (no-cant) leather holster with a thumbreak worn between 2:30 and 3 o'clock (currently a Rusty Sherrick SIS). I also wore the same thing when I've worn jeans and a hoodie in the past.
If you're doing the polo and 5.11 look (basically a softer uniform since you're screamin you're a cop) I would stick with the ALS or something similar. You need more retention.
AIWB? No way. If you allow it for one person than you have to allow every moron to carry it that way. Bad idea.
Last edited by KevH; 08-13-2018 at 11:13 PM.
What is your duty weapon now?
A Gen 3 Glock 17.
I've gone back and forth between it and my customized Colt for years.
I always carry one spare mag at the 9 o'clock. The Colt would give me 15 rounds on my belt (I prefer 47's). My Glock gives me 35 rounds in a lighter package.
I figure I owe this thread an update for future reference so here it is. I got my hands on a Safariland 537 GLS and got qualified with it. It rides closer/higher/better than the ALS, which I like. It does *not* snug up to the body like an old school leather pancake rig, but it does ride comfortably enough, and conceals well enough, for doing what I do: plainclothes work. Disengaging the retention lever during the draw is pretty easy, and intuitive, so that's good. I will say that when re-holstering you have adjust your grip a little to get the middle finger out of the way, otherwise you end up jamming your finger into the top of the release lever. Not a huge deal, more like a minor nuisance.
With regard to retention, I am a little underwhelmed. It is undoubtedly more secure than an open-top holster - from a purely mechanical perspective. The thing that gives me pause is that, if it turned into a fight for the pistol, it seems that almost any grip a crook might get on the pistol while still in the holster is going to interact with, and defeat, the release lever. So at that point, we would be back to using muscle and leverage to keep the gun in the bucket. Said another way, the gun is very unlikely to come out of the holster due to a high level of physical activity (such as a fight), but the protection it offers from a gun grab is minimal - compared to the ALS.
So it is not a perfect holster, but, for me, it offers some acceptable trade-offs. The biggest benefit it offers me at present is the ability to be more discreetly armed, more often, so I am calling that a win.
PS. Getting the boss to sign off on this holster was pretty painless due to the active retention. (Interestingly, the first thing the boss referenced when I brought out the 537 was the Bianchi Autolock. They were involved in the discovery of a design flaw in that system many years ago, and it left the same mistrust of these open-top rigs with a lock with them as it did me.) Another guy came right behind me trying to get the Perun approved and I don't think that worked out for him.
PPS. I would probably choose the Perun over the 537 for concealed carry. The Perun, I think, conceals better and might be a little more friendly to use. The 537 might edge out the Perun for something like kicking around in the woods unconcealed under the theory that you might be less likely to lose the pistol if you took a fall or something along those lines.
This is a bit of a tangent, but - can you show us a pic the custom Kydex plates you guys did? I’m always looking for ways of snugging up 637x ALS rigs on my belt.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
HD - We had these plates made before Safariland made these available. If I were doing this today, I would use the Safariland mounting plate. Cheaper, "factory" and moar easy button.
That kydex plate does curve to the hip and not only snugs the holster in to the body, but also spreads the load across a broader section of the belt than the plate that the holster comes with. Safariland's design ethos frustrates me to no end. They put *a lot* of thought into the design of the holster bodies - and then just bolt everything to various mounting plates that someone ginned up after lunch.
One other thing re: the ALS (which I like very much). I took the dreaded dremel with a sanding drum/felt bob with rouge and *very* gently, took off a little material from the holster body situated in front of the thumb release, thus making the thumb release sit a little more proud. It is a very subtle mod, but it slicked up my drawstroke quite a bit. If someone were to do this, I would tell them it is important to only take material from *in front* of the thumb release and be sure to leave holster body material that rides inside that slot cut into the release.
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