Ive been trying to buy a good tactical leg holster for my HK USP 45. Ive seen a few by blackhawk and spector but im not sure which actually is the most comfortable while providing good support and is made from quality material... what does everyone else use? throw a pic up if you got it.

i guess no one owns leg holsters

Patience young Skywalker...

I would start with the Safariland 6004.
King daddy of them all.

Otherwise, I would look at the Eagle Industries...very well put together.

Did you want a level III or level IV holster?

As bjwar10 said try the Safariland 6004.

I carry my authorized Glock in one with a sure-fire x200.

They have a new line of upgraded security holsters available, The Raptor.  Unfortunately these holsters do not allow you to carry a light mounted.  Just depends on what you want.  I would suggest using a security holster if your USP 45 is not your primary weapon.

http://www.safariland.com/products.asp?id=141

Quoted: i guess no one owns leg holsters

Or maybe people have better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than hang around online waiting to answer questions...

Or maybe they disucss holsters over in the handguns section or in the tactical gear forum in the 'Armory' section...

As has already been stated, the Safariland 6004 is widely considered to be the best out there.  

looking at your post count that looks like exactly what you do lol

Safariland 6004

works great for my 1911gm.  Out of the way for transition drills with ar15 on 3 point sling.  Very quick draw, intuitive retention mechanism.

Here. This will help.



Tactical Holsters: Myth vs. Reality
Mike Aultman

It has been my experience that new SWAT “pups” will want to get issued or acquire on their own the following three items as soon as they make the cut on a SWAT Team; black BDUs, a MP5, and a “Tac Rig” or tactical holster. Each of these items has a very high-perceived C.D.I. factor (Chicks Dig It) and you can always spot a new operator as the one at the range whose holster is down close to his knee.

Since the BDUs are a given, and most teams are rethinking 9mm long guns and going to .223/5.56, we will go straight to the meat of this article. Tactical holsters are almost a given on any of the alphabet teams that are in use in today’s society like SWAT, SRT, SORT etc. But why are they actually used? Is it a version of “the guys before me used them so I will too”? Where did they really come from? A lot of people think that the “Old West” gunfighters wore guns low to speed up their draw. Most likely they found it easier to draw while on horseback.

Tactical holsters are worn so that we can reach our secondary weapon systems. Period. With a commonly outfitted operator, entry armor will come down to the waistline. The bulk of commonly issued armor prohibits the proper draw of the secondary worn on the waist should the need arise. The majority of the time we need our pistols, we need it right now. The proper height to wear a holster is dictated by the build of the operator. They need to be low enough to clear our armor, that’s it. If you stand with your hands hanging at your side the inside wrist should cover the grip of the pistol. Most of the time guys/gals will start out with their holster too low. I think this caused by way too much Hollywood in their diet. This prohibits a correct draw and will generally increase movement of the holster on the leg.

There are two main groups of these tactical holsters. I will break them down into “Green” and “Blue” Green holsters will be defined as those that are primarily used by military units and Blue as those used by Police. Blue holsters include those made by Uncle Mike’s, Blade-tech. and Safariland. I personally use and recommend the Safariland 6004 series of holster. I think this is the pinnacle of current holster design for tactical teams for several reasons. First, they are extremely fast when drawing. Second, they are equally as fast to re-holster, which is an often-overlooked quality. Finally, they have an identical sister duty holster in the 6280 and an Officer doesn’t have to learn two type of retention systems AND remember which one they are using under stress. I think that each of these items is equally important. Why learn and master two separate techniques?
When you have a long gun malfunction and need to transition to my pistol things are not going well. You need your handgun RIGHT NOW. You must also be able to re-holster and re-secure that holster without taking your eyes off the target. The 6004 can be re-secured simply by flipping the hood back into place. On another note, I have seen operators wearing this holster in training with the hood in a “forward” position. This eliminates the security device, and conditions the Officer to draw the gun without disengaging it first and under stress that means the gun will stay locked in the holster. It should be against training and operational policy to leave the weapon unsecured.

Any holster we use in a tactical environment needs to have the ability to be reholstered with one hand. This will preclude the use of most nylon of soft holsters on the market. However, the same offset design that allows us to draw and reholster rapidly from this holster will be a hindrance in wooded and confined spaces. Vegetation can and will find it’s way between the holster body and the leg shroud and because it sticks out slightly more and you may find yourself hitting corners and doorways with it during CQB.

That brings us to Green holsters. Green holsters are made by a variety of manufactures. I recommend those made by Eagle and SOE and Blackhawk. These holsters are made to wear close to the leg. This reduces the chances of vegetation and other things to get caught and tangled in the holster as you move or crawl through wooded or overgrown areas. Some of these have Kydex inserts, which gives a level of retention and makes it easier to reholster. Practice will be needed on the operators part to insure that he can resecure the thumb snap without looking down at the holster it self..

To summarize, pick a holster like you would other equipment for your team. Make sure that all your equipment works in your area of operations. If you rarely go into the woods or water you cannot go wrong with the 6004 by Safariland. It never ceases to amaze me that officers will spend 600 dollars on a pistol but want to spend less than 50.00 on a holster. Would you use ACME insurance on your Corvette? If you spend a majority of your time in a rural setting, one of the other designs will work much better for you. Fit the holster height to your body size. Use all retention devices all the time. Train, work, and wear like you will fight

Mike Aultman
Dir of Training
ALS Technologies
870-445-8746
www.AlsTechnologies.com

Quoted: looking at your post count that looks like exactly what you do lol

since im not out crawling around in the jungle on my hands and knees i think the holster best suited for me is the safariland 6004. thanks for the recomendation. if i own an HK USP 45 fullsize and compact can i buy the holster to fit the fullsize and have the compact still fit in it?

Quoted: since im not out crawling around in the jungle on my hands and knees i think the holster best suited for me is the safariland 6004. thanks for the recomendation. if i own an HK USP 45 fullsize and compact can i buy the holster to fit the fullsize and have the compact still fit in it?

looking at your post count that looks like exactly what you do lol

Since you want to act like a prick, answer yourself.

Thanks JTrusty i appreciate the advice. I forgot that humor wasnt aloud on these forums. Im sorry if i offended anyone especially you Shivan. i can see why you might not have liked the comment so i take it back.
Peace, Love, and Ammunition hug.gif

Quoted: Thanks JTrusty i appreciate the advice. I forgot that humor wasnt aloud on these forums. Im sorry if i offended anyone especially you Shivan. i can see why you might not have liked the comment so i take it back. Peace, Love, and Ammunition

Don't ask for advice, then piss in the "advice pool".

It's a pretty simple concept.

I've seen a couple holsters that were more robust than a 6004, but they didn't seem to offer anything more in the way of function.

A 6004 is my primary holster for "tac-ing up".

Quoted: looking at your post count that looks like exactly what you do lol

post count comes easy when you've been here for more than a month  

anyways thanks for the advice everyone who was happy to help and thanks to the rest of ya for reminded me that not everyone has a sense of humor.

Please don't get this informative thread locked, ok?

Where would one buy a 6004 online?  Best price, service, etc?  What type of belt would work best with it?

Thanks

thats a really good question.. well you can start at www.safariland.com and go from there. a google search might work. im not sure about the belt though.

I got mine at Copquest, I think it ran about $115 + s\h.  You can try Diamondback Tactical I have heard that they have good service and prices look good.....

Quoted: Please don't get this informative thread locked, ok? Where would one buy a 6004 online?  Best price, service, etc?  What type of belt would work best with it? Thanks

I also used Copquest for two of them.  I used Lightfighter for another one.

You need something that is very rigid in the way of belts.  I use this:

I like the Specter holster personaly. The 6004 is great and if they made one for my gun I'd get one. I wear my spector holster in the woods while hunting so having it as close to my body as possible is important to keep as much crap as possible from getting caught in it. What your going to use it for the most should dictate what you get. Forget about whats the hot shit and get what is best suited to what your use for the holster/pistol will be.

Quoted: Not a bad looking belt Shivan. Who makes that? I use this one: www.countycomm.com/belt1.jpg Very rigid, and doubles as an emergency repelling belt if needed. www.countycomm.com/belt4.jpg County Comm has them in OD and Black for $25.00

The one I pictured and the one I use is a Blackhawk.

I also have the Wilderness Instructors Belt which is similar to the one you posted.

Very rigid also, but not sure it would hold up under multiple days of tac holster pulling on it.  It might, just not sure.

Quoted: The 6004 is great and if they made one for my gun I'd get one.

You must have an odd pistol....what is it?

Forget about whats the hot shit and get what is best suited to what your use for the holster/pistol will be.

Pretty sound advice.  The 6004 is best suited for me when I use a drop leg.  Otherwise I use a Sidearmor holster or a DeSantis open top leather holster.

Quoted: Quoted: The 6004 is great and if they made one for my gun I'd get one. You must have an odd pistol....what is it? Forget about whats the hot shit and get what is best suited to what your use for the holster/pistol will be. Pretty sound advice.  The 6004 is best suited for me when I use a drop leg.  Otherwise I use a Sidearmor holster or a DeSantis open top leather holster.

Baby Eagle.

I played around with a 6004 and HK tactical and didn't like it all that much it stuck out to far for me as far as moving in the woods. For at the range or in mostly open areas I think it's great.

I use one from blackhawk. Its good

My son is a medic in the Nat'l Guard (91W) & it looks like he'll be leaving for the land of sand by the end of the month (after being told in June that he was going!!).  He ordered a 6004 from Diamondback, faxed a copy of his i.d same day, & 2 days later it showed up.  Great folks to deal with & gave him (or rather me since I bought it for him, what are dads for?) a great  price.

Medics tend to carry a boat load of stuff on their backs & the thigh rig is an ideal set-up to get to the m9 if needed  (most I know prefer it to a holster on their lbv any day).

I Love all my holsters, including my 1911 with mounted X200A Tactical Holster from Blade-Tech!

Tack

The safariland holster is definitely the best drop holster on the market.  However, they are built to fit a specific model of handgun with either a light attached or without a light attached.  

If you want a holster that you can use for a variety of handguns both with and without lights, the blackhawk and eagle holsters that are made for pistols with lights are pretty much the only option.  Naturally, since it is a one size fits all holster, it doesn't fit any one model of handgun very well.  However, it will fit good enough to retain the handgun and keep it from falling out.