That was in Andy's class wasn't it Frank?
That was in Andy's class wasn't it Frank?
The two main problems with the SERPA are:
1. That the locking mechanism for them is subject to being jammed by grit or crud. Often when you make this statement people howl like a scalded dog in protest because they've never seen it with their extensive SERPA experience. The video above should be ample evidence of just how much time and effort they've put into vetting that piece of equipment.
2. It encourages the shooter to place their trigger finger in roughly the area of the trigger and press in. When people attempt to go too fast this results in their trigger finger entering the trigger guard prematurely, and with a light enough trigger pull or under stress (whether that's the stress of a gunfight or a competition) the shooter may not even realize that they are pulling the trigger until they discharge the firearm unintentionally.
Now I'll freely admit that I'm by no means the world's leading expert on firearms and related equipment and that I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but:
The SERPA strikes me as supremely bad engineering. Like a lot of the stuff on the market these days it is not designed with use under stress or less than ideal conditions in mind. It doesn't do a good job of accounting for human error.
In my not-so-humble opinion, they are a tragedy waiting to happen and I wouldn't let anyone I cared about use one.
Flame suit on.
Yes, it was in Andy's class.Originally Posted by SouthNarc
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Frank B
*************
"You are not paid for what you do, you are paid for what you may have to do, and when that time comes, you will be highly underpaid."
2. It encourages the shooter to place their trigger finger in roughly the area of the trigger and press in. When people attempt to go too fast this results in their trigger finger entering the trigger guard prematurely, and with a light enough trigger pull or under stress (whether that's the stress of a gunfight or a competition) the shooter may not even realize that they are pulling the trigger until they discharge the firearm unintentionally.
This sums it up, pretty well!
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Frank B
*************
"You are not paid for what you do, you are paid for what you may have to do, and when that time comes, you will be highly underpaid."
Skippin the introduction on the video and starting at 2:05 on the counter, you'll save yourself a little time watching the video.
I didn't finish it the first time through, I'd seen enough. I don't believe the tester was very aggressive with following the hoslter up, demonstrating a serious safety issue for a carry stand point.
I don't use Serpa's, so I've never had one fail; however, I have seen many problems with them in training. Good thread here: http://lightfighter.net/eve/forums/a...8620833663/p/1.
In the intro he states that he's carried in "SERPA holsters for many years", so I doubt he's considered it a safety issue.
--
Formerly hombre gris
I am no longer LEO, never .MIL. I am .DAD and my attitude will reflect that.
Cogito ergo armatus sum -- I think, therefore I am armed
I don't know of any popular non-snap style retention system that doesn't have some potential to lock up. If it has moving parts and debris keeps the parts from moving then you can have problems. My guess is that the Serpa is more susceptible to problems as the mechanism is on the outside of the holster.
I seem to remember a warning about the Safariland ALS system shortly after it was released. Apparently an agency was doing ground drills on a gravel surface. A small rock managed to make its way into the holster and prevent the release of the pistol.
I had a trainee relate to me that while doing similar drills in Utah, the SLS hood on his Safariland holster jammed due to a small rock in the mechanism.
I have heard an unsourced rumor about the SERPA that it was originally designed for 1911s and Beretta 92 series guns, both of which have mechanical safeties. This is nothing more than a SHOT SHOW rumor, so if anyone knows for certain otherwise I'd welcome that input. I will say though that the rumor kind of makes sense - a button near the trigger guard doesn't seem like nearly as bad an idea when the gun you're drawing needs to have a mechanical safety taken off or a 12lb trigger pressed first.
This is from November 2005. Please don't shop this link outside of P-F.com
http://vimeo.com/21234116
password is: blackhawksherpa
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