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