Law Enforcement Technology

FEB 2014

Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/254119

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 26 of 43

27 www.officer.com February 2014 Law Enforcement Technology F I R E A R M S TA C T I C S and distinct motion, and therefore the draw was significantly impeded as the retention of the holster went up. That is, it used to be the higher the security, the slower the draw. A holster has different levels of gun retention. Although there is no consistent standard across the board, each level gen- erally means a device that one must over- come to draw the gun. These are listed as Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, often desig- nated in Roman numerals. Safariland is generally known for originating this con- cept after their purchase of the Rogers Holster Company. New designs like Gould & Goodrich's Triple Retention Duty Holster or the BLACKHAWK! Duty LV3 Serpa Holster epitomize new designs in hol- sters. Each of these models have three retention areas that an assaultive suspect would have to challenge, one at a time. The person wearing the holster, however, can disengage the handgun during his or her natural draw stroke, even though the manipulations are distinct. The G&G; product, in fact, was fast enough for a three-gun match entry. 3. Nothing in the design of anything we tested here should displace sound tactics and defensive train- ing. Let me make this clear—the holster is just one tool of many. The handgun is just the tool in an officer's hand when the carbine or shotgun is out of reach. It is a level of force that must be applied appropriately. If the holster does not secure the handgun when another task is employed, it is useless. Yes, there are useless and far- fetched holster products out there, we did not (and we will not) test any. 4. The KISS rule applies. If the holster product requires the officer to learn an additional motion or skill that does not agree with sound tactics, pass. That is, if it isn't natural, it will loose a gunfight. 5. If the holster interferes with the safe operation of the handgun in any way, including the magazine release, safety features or master grip when drawing, it is the wrong holster. Use common sense. Most new holster products do not require break-in, unless the manufacturer specifically says this in their literature. If the product draws with a hitch, do not put it on duty. Only a fool would attempt to modify a duty holster or put the wrong or modified gun into a duty holster. There is no "second best" here. Buy the best piece of equipment one can buy for one's training, ability and policy, and save money on trivial stuff like coffee mugs. 6. Finally, the minimum number of times one should draw from a hol- ster going on duty is 500 . I recom- mend several hundred times more, adding several hundred more draws over time. In my own experience, I worked with my duty holster like this for several weeks, until I could draw on autopilot. I was not aware of this until a suspect on a traffic stop had secreted a 9mm between his thighs in a moment of indecision. As he turned his head to see where I was, he bumped his nose on the muzzle of my Glock. This is what I mean by autopi- lot. I was using a Safariland 2005, by the way. Testing Gould & Goodrich K-Force Duty hol- sters are made of a hard-molded polymer laminate. This hard shell laminate can be made into any finish, including gloss and matte. The laminate was pretty rigid, con- sidering the thinness of the material. The holster is lined with a suede-like mate- rial, which made the holster very quiet, a quality that is not lost on testing officers with hundreds of subject and traffic stops under their belts. The sight channel is oversized in this model and the holster body barely touched the gun. Rather, it We tested all of our holsters from the seated position. The SERPA Level 2 retention holster did pretty well here. It is known for its smooth draw and slick insides. I worked with my duty holster...until I could draw on autopilot. I was not aware of this until a suspect on a traffc stop had secreted a 9mm between his thighs in a moment of indecision. As he turned his head to see where I was, he bumped his nose on the muzzle of my Glock. This is what I mean by autopilot. LET_26-30_FirearmsTactics0214.indd 27 1/24/14 12:31 PM

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Law Enforcement Technology - FEB 2014