OP is too busy sneering at everyone that doesn't agree with him because he must be a real commando.

Well

Serpas do suck

They also happen to make people Glock leg themselves.

But they sucked before that started happening too.

No one is bitching about retention holsters that don't place the trigger finger on line with the trigger and don't lock the fuck up from pebbles or sand.  The Safariland GLS and ALS are outstanding and well spoken of.  Furthermore, they're not that expensive, particularly when you factor in the quality compared to the cost and quality of a Derpa.

If I were open carrying these days or otherwise in need of a holster with added retention, I'd definitely go Safariland.  Basically they took the Serpa concept and just did it about 87 times better.

I put all things Blackhawk one tick below Tapco.

OP is 1911.

Yup.


With any holster, for that matter.

The GLS has a high ride, close to the body model that works great with an untucked shirt.  I just bought this one two weeks ago.  Let me know if you have any questions about it, I like it a lot.

Have seen 2 serpas become completely disabled, locking the handgun in place after the locking mechanism became jammed by debris during an advanced handgun class that involved ground fighting. They can keep that shit.

Slap the magazine to ensure it's seated.
Pull the charging handle to the rear.
Observe the chamber for obstructions.
Release the charging handle (if/once chamber is clear)
Tap the forward assist.
Shoot.

Modified, sure, but SPORTS is primarily for the AR-style platform.

See the threat
Pull on the gun and it it doesn't come out
Oh fuck there's a fucking
Rock jamming the mechanism of your Serpa holster
Tug like crazy at the gun while finger fucking the button
Seek cover and hope the bad guy doesn't come kill you.

They why is it taught to reengage the safety on an AR when your not using it?

I mean why have a safety at all if all you have to do is not pull the trigger?

Odd how so many people are saying the same thing about Derpas.

Have had that happen with a handful of BRAND NEW serpa holsters in our store over the years.





 

Safety precautions and warnings are not in place for the smartest of the group  

Never had a problem with Serpa holsters but I use Bladetech because they are built much better.  I still have a couple of Serpas and use them on occasion.  

The critique of a Serpa because of inferior materials is valid.  Saying they cause one to booger hook their gun is bullshit.  They are the same people who booger hook their gun with any holster and just can't seem to unfuck themselves enough to overcome that impulse.  Gun comes out, finger booger hooks instantly like they have some kind of palsy and their finger can move in no other direction.  If you index your finger as you draw like you are supposed to, the pistol will unholster easily from a Serpa and your finger will be indexed on the frame above the trigger guard.  But it is easier for some to blame inanimate objects than it is to train, so booger hook away.  

I was a firearms instructor for a good portion of my 25 year LE career and had to listen to all kinds of excuses blaming equipment instead of recognizing user error.  When I hear someone say Serpas are bad because they are built shitty, I will nod in agreement.  When they say a Serpa holster will cause you to shoot your dick while appendix carrying, I think idiot with not much firearms experience.  Guns don't go off unless the trigger is pulled.  Where is your damned finger at?

Serpa is junk. Stop being a cheapskate and spend a little on a decent holster.

I was going to point this out, but this video does it for me. I have several Serpas in my holster bin and the trigger finger always ends up flat on the side on every gun. I draw out of other holsters with my finger flat on the side in the same manner. Those who are curling their finger inwards to push the button don't know how to draw a gun properly.

OP tucked tail?

Those who tout Serpas as junk go too far.  Yes, you can break them or jam them.  You can do that with any mechanical holster.  I've had a Safariland lock up on me, more than once, with different causes.  Once was because a branch got caught between the rotating hood and the pistol.  Easy fix, but it takes time and a break in the OODA loop to fix.  The rest of the time, it was because dirt got into the cheap hinge (riveted shut so you can't clean it out), wore through the nickel on the spring steel of the hood release mechanism, and not only made it gritty as heck, but allowed the spring to rust inside that riveted-shut hinge.  It still opened reliably... but it took effort and a break in the OODA loop to draw.  And Safariland is touted as the "Serpa fix" holster more often than not.
Yes, you can shoot yourself in the leg while drawing from a Serpa.  You can do the same with pretty much any other belt holster as well.  The main difference is the Serpa will show you immediately, via bloody trench on your thigh, if you have good trigger finger discipline on your draw.  It's not tolerant of mistakes, much like a Glock.

Conversely, those who defend the Serpa as a wonderful holster go too far.  It's another hard plastic gun burka for your belt, no more, no less.  Like any hard plastic, you can break it.  Like any mechanical holster, springs can break.  Like any holster with moving parts, debris can get in and block those moving parts.  Like any holster that requires manipulation, if you fail to practice that manipulation to the point of exhaustion, you can get "Serpa Jerk' on your draw, because you failed to disengage the mechanism.  And as pointed out, it's incredibly intolerant of poor trigger finger discipline on the draw; have your booger hook curved at all on the button, and you can wind up with knee surgery and interesting scars.  

It is not a good concealed-carry holster.  It is not a good casual-carry holster.  It is not a holster for a person who will not carry it - and PRACTICE with it - every day.  It is not a holster for someone who blithely disregards the shortcomings, nor is it the holster for someone looking for a "magic bullet" type of carry option.  I feel fairly confident in my assumption that most of the accidents that have occurred with the Serpa are related to at least one of the above, and more likely two or more.

What the Serpa IS, however, is a compromise and a duty holster (or open carry holster).  It is perfect at nothing, excels at nothing, but it DOES work quite well when one is aware of the limitations and liabilities, and practices accordingly.  It's an attempt to balance durability, ease of draw, and retention/security.  It does none of those best, but it is acceptable in all of them, and I have not found a holster that beats it out in this compromise.

A Ford Explorer Sport Trac is not the best family car, nor will it haul as well as a full-size 1-ton pickup truck, nor will it be as capable off-road as a tuned and customized Wrangler.  But it CAN do all of those things.  Such is the Serpa.  Compromise.

And yes, I do use a Serpa for open carry here in New Mexico, and have for about seven years.  It replaced the Safariland that constantly gummed up in the hinge and was prone to collecting brush under the hood.  I have never had to replace springs, never broken the plastic, never had anything jam it up, and never shot my leg.  The holster itself is beat to hell and back, but it's still solid, and I will continue to use it unless or until a better compromise shows up.

Second post here because several people have addressed poor build quality and/or materials used in a Serpa.  I won't presume to gainsay them on those, save to note that I have not managed to break mine or jam it up.  But then, mine is seven years old at least; it may or may not be representative of what's coming out of the factory now.

Wouldn't you?

Nope. Junk.

Worthless shit.

A decent holster is $40 or 50. Why in the living fuck would you intentionally choose to use something made purely from the asshole hairs of rejected clowns?

X2
If your stupid enough to have a ND with a certain type of holster then your stupid enough to have the same ND with any firearm.

But yeah Serpa is junk I agree.

Interesting choice of words, and actually an apt description for my opinion of Safariland's rotating bale/hood system, and its inability to be cleaned.

So, don't use either?

'MURICA

Put it on and out an unloaded gun in it.

Have your buddy grab the butt of your pistol, pull outward and rotate downward.

Ask him politely to please give you your pistols back.

I've cleaned mine several times.



I roll around in the dirt with it too.

Tell me about your experience leading to your opinion please.

I think the problem arises when they are used in conjunction with each other. I used a Serpa in a training class with a glock. Drawing under stress required substantial force to release the lock. It was different than at home practice. After my first draw, I realized that this could indeed be a problem. My trigger finger could keep pressing up the holster it does not take much force to disengage the trigger safety and have an ND. Serpa with 1911 frame thumb safety no problem.

YMMV

SPORTS always works

Serpas are just crap, though. Get a real holster.

Fucking rost

For those that feel they aren't getting anywhere around the trigger when they draw from a serpa, have you taken your cameraphone, videotaped your draw from up close, and inspected your draw?

I saw a couple of videos with people like this, and the results were... interesting.

Fucking this! I have several handguns (autos and revolvers) without safeties and none have ever gone bang without me squeezing the trigger. It all comes down to training.

Pretty much this.  The holster design lends itself to NDs, whereas the Glock will not fire if you don't pull the trigger, so no, it's NOT the same thing.

maybe, just maybe, glocks have a higher ND count b/c they are the most owned handguns in the states??

just a thought... but you can keep blaming the gun for the NDs...

No, it's called work...I was at it.

I have expensive holsters, and cheap ones... glocks, and non-glocks. Posts taking about actual evidence of functional issues have been good. Clowns flailing wildly / blindly throwing out guesses about non-relevant issues...not so much. Takes all kinds I suppose though. For those types, I'm glad I could troll. I hadn't seen the criticism of locking mechanisms on serpas, all I had heard from the www commandos is that they cause NDs. It seems that the consensus is drifting in the other direction on that point. Good call on the pebbles of doom though, that's not good.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Bullfuckingshit.

Show me some evidence.

This.   My finger is straight on the release, not booger hooked.   And when drawn is indexed on the slide.

Nope.

I'm a civi medic for a 2000+ officer agency. Serpas have been in use since 2009. Around 1500 patrol officers go through annual quals((250-300 rounds per officer) every year doing 70 - 100 firing presentation daily.

Unbelievably the national pandemic Serpa induced blood bath has avoided us.  Zero NDs.

i'm sure more NDs occur with Glocks than any other gun b/c it's the most popular handgun, but that doesn't mean glocks themselves are more prone to NDs

and there's also this... serpa holster and a glock leg... with no glock...

I used them for ranch holsters for a good bit out of convenience, but they have all broken or gotten torn up over the years and I've slowly replaced everything with Safariland.



I see it as just normal progression, something came out that was better for around the same prices. Someday I'll replace my throw around Safarilands with something else better for around the same money when it comes time to replace them. So it goes in the gun world.



If you still have one and it works for you, use it up, but I wouldn't throw good money at one.

I am a "Glock guy" and I use a Serpa on duty for my 21sf. I have unholstered countless times and my finger has never been where I didn't intend it to be. Serpa has a natural draw for me and my finger aligns with the frame above the trigger every time. I love them and will keep using them. I used to have a Safariland but having to use my thumb always made me have to readjust my grip when drawing.

Do they? I haven't seen any data on that.

https://www.frontsight.com/SafetyReports.asp?Action=ShowSingle&ID=5

Seems to show Glocks under-represented, at least at that training site.

The safety issues with both are overblown, operator error.

The reason police had problems initially with the Glocks is because of poor safety habits from the past.  The LE here went from old S&W with safeties to Glocks and had multiple ND incidents.  They were used to having safeties so pulling a trigger on a loaded gun wasn't a big deal cause it wouldn't fire.  Also disassembling a loaded gun without checking if it's unloaded wasn't a big issue either.  Here come the Glocks where they needed trigger discipline and check to ensure the gun was unloaded.

Same with the Serpas.  If you can't be trusted to operate a Serpa holster safely, then you shouldn't be trusted to use any holster.

My experience as well.

It's the cool thing to hate the Serpa, no sense arguing with the cool kids.

First holster was a serpa.  For just OC'ing around the house it did fine.  Sucked a fat one for CCW.

And mud and sand and dirt. This is what makes Serpas crap.

i counted four Glocks and significantly more 1911s and XDs... which have more safety features...