Blackhawk Serpa holsters

View · by **AR-15collector** on Mon May 06, 2013 12:31 pm

Anyone use one with a glock 17? Pros/ cons?

View · by **WelcomeD** on Mon May 06, 2013 1:00 pm

I know a lot of people who have a serpa for G17 and others. The answer to your question is difficult to answer if we don't know what you will be using it for?
Daily carry or competition?

For carry. Pros: affordable. Cons: bulky piece

For comp. Pros: affordable entry level holster with adjustments. Cons doesn't have the ability to adjust the retention. It is either click in place or remove the detent and have it just hanging in there.

Just my 0.02

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View · by **AR-15collector** on Mon May 06, 2013 2:08 pm

It will be a daily carry holster

View · by **Mn01r6** on Mon May 06, 2013 2:38 pm

Pros: active retention means you may be less likely to have your firearm taken from you in a struggle, cheap, plastic, durable. Paddle attachment is a lot better than the belt attachment IMHO.

Cons: have been rumored to require drilling to release your gun if dirt gets in the release mechanism in the right spot, but I think they have since been redesigned as I can't see that possibility on mine. Also some people hate them and say they will make you ND when drawing because your trigger finger is reguired to release the gun and keeping the same pressure through your draw could lead to you pulling the trigger. I use a straightened, flat finger to unlock with my draws and I don't find this to be an issue...but allegedly several ND's have occurred and they are banned from places like the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Make an informed decision - NDs happen and it is easy to blame the equipment instead of the shooter. The shooter below blames himself, not the holster. I still shoot competition with one, but I will probably move to something else that does not have mechanical retention when I graduate to full gamer rig, but that is a different job than a daily carry holster.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/0 ... rom-fletc/

WARNING: Foul language and contains guy shooting himself in the leg

View · by **LumberZach** on Tue May 07, 2013 9:54 am

I like mine, but I am saving my pennies for a raven concealment holster. Plus you can't use the serpa with a light. As mentioned above, because of the chance of ND you need to do some extra training with it to make sure you know what you are doing. Also, unless you are open carrying it will probably be a little difficult to conceal.

View · by **AR-15collector** on Tue May 07, 2013 10:17 am

I'll be open carrying, or having a coat over it, I plan on getting a Sig P238 for true concealment during the summer

View · by **Mn01r6** on Tue May 07, 2013 10:26 am

AR-15collector wrote:I'll be open carrying, or having a coat over it, I plan on getting a Sig P238 for true concealment during the summer

You may want to check out the other holster "Tex" was using that day - the 5.11 Thumb Drive.

View · by **LumberZach** on Tue May 07, 2013 3:08 pm

Also, to clarify "Tex" 's accident he was using a 1911 in a serpa earlier in the day and switched to a glock in a thumb drive. When he was quick drawing he thought it was a serpa and pushed in with his finger and tried to switch off the 1911 safety at the same time but got hung up and pushed his finger in more. It wasn't just that he was using a serpa. More it was the combination of the two different guns in two different holsters.

View · by **Mn01r6** on Tue May 07, 2013 4:00 pm

I think you have it backwards. As he explains in the video i embedded above, he was using a thumb drive with his glock, switched to a serpa with his 1911, hit the safety off on the 1911 trying to hit the non-existent thumb drive, and then used a horrible technique to depress the serpa retention button, leading to a .45 caliber round in his leg.

View · by **AR-15collector** on Tue May 07, 2013 4:01 pm

I think I will be buying the 5.11 thumb drive from Streichers this weekend.

Thanks for the help guys

View · by **LumberZach** on Tue May 07, 2013 4:04 pm

Oh yes, my bad my bad. Either way, I am just trying to say that 1) that was not a good idea to mix training with the two in the same day and 2) it wasn't just that he was using a serpa that he shot himself.

View · by **mnmike59** on Tue May 07, 2013 8:10 pm

AR-15collector wrote:I think I will be buying the 5.11 thumb drive from Streichers this weekend.

Thanks for the help guys

This^
If you don't mind printingcatching it on everything you pass by. doesn't hold it tight to your body.

View · by **AR-15collector** on Tue May 07, 2013 9:03 pm

Well if I had my way Id just get my Sig 238 and just use a pocket holster. But trying to save for a wedding has put my toy buying on hold. I guess I'll have to try a few out and see what works.

View · by **PHATSPEED7x** on Sat May 11, 2013 9:49 pm

I have one for my S&W M&P pistols. Fits both my 9mm, and 22LR pistol. It's not my first holster for carry. I prefer one of my custom kydex holsters I have for my M&P...

View · by **UnaStamus** on Mon Jun 17, 2013 10:09 pm

I am a known hater of Serpas, so I will try to be impartial here.
I have seen every problem that Serpas are reported to have. Years ago I used to carry a Serpa for duty, and had the locking mechanism lock open on me twice. I've seen them get locked shut.
Serpa's have a retention mechanism that prevents the index finger actuation lever from operating if the gun is pulled before the button/lever is pressed, so this causes people to curl their finger and press in harder, and when the gun pops out, the finger winds up in the trigger guard. I've seen this several times. I have yet to see a ND from it, but I've seen the fingers end up in the trigger guard.
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) run by DHS has banned the Level 2 Serpas, and they're still doing a study on the Level 3 with a ban likely sometime later this year. Several firearms instructors like Larry Vickers, Pat Rogers, Kyle Defoor and several others have banned them from their courses. Too many issues with reliability and too much propensity for ND's. Front Sight Academy has had several students ND with Serpas, so they instituted a ban last year or the year before.
Serpas also use very cheap plastic, particularly at the mounting point where the belt slide or paddle (whichever you prefer to use) is screwed to the body of the pistol. In a use of force presentation a while back, I saw several holsters physically ripped off of people. The Serpa and the Fobus are two that I remember as being pretty easy to break away.

The positive side to the Serpa is that Blackchicken! has done a decent job at making it modular and adaptable to various platforms. It is also a decent holster for retention in terms of actually holding onto the pistol. It won't go anywhere if you go running and jumping around.

I would highly recommend that you invest in a quality custom kydex holster, be it from a local maker, or from a big name like Raven Concealment. There is a big difference in comfort, and they hold the gun much closer to the body. They are also generally pretty good quality. A custom kydex holster will have enough retention to keep the gun from going anywhere without a lot of directly upward power, so they work very well.
If you're going to open-carry, you should not be relying solely on a retention feature to protect your gun. It's very easy to defeat the retention features of any holster if you are familiar with the holster. Your best retention feature is always your strong arm constantly being over or next to the gun.

If you haven't gotten it yet, the 5.11 Thumbdrive by BladeTech is a decent holster. It's a good all-around general-use holster, and it's a bit higher quality than the Serpa.