Alien Gear Duty Holster

[DpdG]

How well do the new Blackhawk and Alien Gear light bearing duty holsters protect access to the trigger?


The Safariland 6360 has way too much room, allowing access to the trigger of a holstered gun. My understanding is the 7TS series improves on this issue.

The 7TS may be moderately better, but not drastically so. The width of the x300/TLR-1 basically dictate the width of the holster mouth. I know SafariLand has holsters for the TLR-7 which are much more closely fitted, and I suspect width and holster fit is why Streamlight developed the TLR-9.

I sincerely hope both the Alien Gear and Blackhawk offerings are technological and qualitative peers to SafariLand, as the sales/customer support/delivery of SafariLand is really really terrible. I swear Tommy Campbell is the only guy in the company who can find his way out of a wet paper bag (he’s outstanding by the way).

[KevH]

I swear Tommy Campbell is the only guy in the company who can find his way out of a wet paper bag (he’s outstanding by the way).

100%

Now that Bill Rogers is retired from HolsterOps/Safariland I feel like customer service and innovation has taken a nose dive.

It is literally taking months to get what should be easily found common designs.

I'll be hanging onto my older holsters.

[AMC]

I found all of the folks at the Safariland booth to be super helpful, but Tommy Campbell stands out as a prince. Took the time to demonstrate disassembly of the new VUBL and QUBL to me. Super nice dude.

[SoCalDep]

I have not had the same experience with Tommy, but given the statements here, I’ll temper my statements. I’ve had very good experiences with some of their other representatives.

Safariland has been and is an industry leader. Were it not for them my department wouldn’t have a pistol optic program. That said, when I talk to an manufacturer I don’t want to be told what I should want for my job. I want to tell the manufacturer what I need and they should consider that in terms of their business model and the market.

I get a bit pissed when our department is ordering thousands of holsters for WML and DG switch equipped pistols for a damn good reason and I’m being told the DG switch is stupid in front of my supervisors - plus some other great damaging statements - I can only assume based on information from articles rather than experience.

[HopetonBrown]

I get a bit pissed when our department is ordering thousands of holsters for WML and DG switch equipped pistols for a damn good reason and I’m being told the DG switch is stupid in front of my supervisors

Chuck Pressburg saying if he hadn't removed his DG switch he'd be dead gave me pause.

[SoCalDep]

Chuck Pressburg saying if he hadn't removed his DG switch he'd be dead gave me pause.

Seeing as how I can cite lots of people who shot unintended people in the dark including two incidents within a week around Christmas 2015 including a mother who had to watch her daughter die in front of her I’d love to know the details of the statement you reference.

If you can see it you can solve it.

Someone who isn’t me said that.

DG switches need training. Less training than use of on-light toggle switches under stress. I only say this after training several thousand law enforcement officers from several dozen agencies over almost a decade. Anecdotes don’t impress me. Lots of information over many years including feedback from numerous actual shootings and gunfights (they are different) and watching the people who actually work patrol and how they learn and perform has done much to form my perspective.

Not trying to be contrary... but this subject is immensely important to me... if I’m wrong I want someone to change my mind.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Chuck Pressburg saying if he hadn't removed his DG switch he'd be dead gave me pause.

I've heard Chuck discuss that event a few times and I won't argue with his experience, thoughts, views. However, he had a different job than I did. And he is different physically. eta: There was another equipment issue that contributed to him being in that position too.

Of the three service pistols I have carried with X series lights since '06 - 1911, G17/19, & M&Ps - the only one where my trigger finger would contact the rocker is the 1911. Even then, I'm limited (very limited) to the intermittent on feature. I cannot activate the X series lights' constant on feature with that finger and then manipulate the trigger. Granted, I can flip the rocker to constant on with my support hand. There are multiple situations in street police work that would necessitate one hand only pistol work in low light environs - without NVGs - that the Mil may be able to work differently.

Concur with SoCalDep on the DG switch and Safariland. I have several older 6280s that have a molded channel for the switch. Now, I have to work a couple of processes to the holster in order for it to accept a DG switch. Fwiw, Raven Concealment builds their Perun for those switches.

Haven't met Campbell that I recall but I had a short conversation with Rodgers this SHOT. In addition to discussing holster orientation, we had a good discussion of the CUBL. That mod is "an answer" but a Canadian copper has what looks to be a much better one. I'll get a post up in a day or so.

eta: @SoCalDep I find nothing in your comments to disagree with from a street cop training & operational perspective.

.

[Jason M]

Not sure if this has circulated here but it seems that Alien Gear has not always been a staunch supporter of police?

From the Bearingarms.com webpage

Alien Gear Bashes Police for Shooting Armed Suspect ACTIVELY SHOOTING AT POLICE
Posted at 2:07 pm on July 27, 2017 by Jenn Jacques

"Um, they said WHAT NOW!?

Judging by their latest social media post, it’s safe to say Alien Gear Holsters just went full… well, you know.

The holster company took to their Facebook page this morning to sound off on the officer-involved shooting of Antoquan Watson, criticizing their use of force..."

https://bearingarms.com/jenn-j/2017/...armed-suspect/

[AMC]

I have not had the same experience with Tommy, but given the statements here, I’ll temper my statements. I’ve had very good experiences with some of their other representatives.

Safariland has been and is an industry leader. Were it not for them my department wouldn’t have a pistol optic program. That said, when I talk to an manufacturer I don’t want to be told what I should want for my job. I want to tell the manufacturer what I need and they should consider that in terms of their business model and the market.

I get a bit pissed when our department is ordering thousands of holsters for WML and DG switch equipped pistols for a damn good reason and I’m being told the DG switch is stupid in front of my supervisors - plus some other great damaging statements - I can only assume based on information from articles rather than experience.

Yeah, that's totally unacceptable. That would totally piss me off. Disappointed if that was Tommy.

Safariland's stubbornness on the DG Switch is beyond annoying....its stupid business. We took a long hard look at this issue, too, and I read all about SoCalDeps departments thought process and research that went into this stuff. We're a "one holster" department, and that holster is the ALS. But Safariland won't make it to accommodate the DG switch.....so toggles it is for us. Switching everyone to a new holster, or approving one, when we switch to a new gun is a possibility, since we're gonna issue a weaponlight along with it. But that's gonna complicate things, and I just don't understand why they don't want to take our money.

[John Hearne]

For uniform patrol guys responding to a sudden threat the DG switch makes a great fail safe to ensure the right person gets shot. The user gets light dumped during the entire presentation and this small snippet is enough to make sure someone really needs shot.