A lot of the gun bloggers are arguing about cheap holsters, SayUncle has a recap so far, but here is my take on it:
- If you need two hands to reopen an re-insert the gun into the holster it is a safety issue. It leads to people sweeping the hand that is trying to keep the holster open, and in some cases shoot their support hand.
- If your holster isn’t fitted for the particular gun (i.e. “Fits most medium size autos”) it isn’t going to do the job of holding the gun securely. If your gun is longer than your holster (improperly fitted) the front sight can hang up on the bottom edge of the holster on the draw.
- Retention snaps wear out and fail. If you are counting on the retention snap to hold the gun in the holster you will be disappointed eventually.
- If your holster attaches to the belt with a spring clip, in many cases it is easier to draw the gun and holster off of the belt than it is to draw the gun. Additionally the clip allows the holster to slide around on the belt.
- A holster made out of Cordura or other fabric can fray with repeated use, and can get caught on any of the guns numerous protrusions (sights, safeties, slide stop, magazine release button, etc.)
- Cheap holsters do not hold up in retention or combatives training. As soon as the wrestling match starts the gun is no longer where you put it.
Cheap holsters are a false economy, since they don’t hold up to real use. My daily carry holster probably cost me $100 about ten years ago it is still going strong, despite countless combatives and retention classes, shooting classes, range sessions, and dry fire drills. I can’t imagine how many $20 holsters I would have burned through in the same period, but I know it would be more than five.
Holsters are not a luxury item. If the holster is part of your personal “survival equipment” then it is not the place to try and save money. Nobody said that firearms was going to be inexpensive. Substitute some dry fire practice for live fire practice, take the savings and buy a sturdy holster and belt.
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