Larry Vickers shuns the Serpa..

[VUPDblue]

Agreed, leather holsters & common sources of moisture like perspiration or precipitation generally equals a lot more care & attention required to keep the weapon from spotting up w/rust.



Agreed, I've cracked a couple kydex holsters (not my Serpa, at least not yet) myself, had I been wearing one of my leather holsters they'd probably had just gotten a couple of "character" scrapes/scratches on them.

I haven't found the perfect holster yet, I've got a huge drawer full of them from trying to find the perfect one though.

My experienced breakage wasn't cosmetic. The firearm wouldn't come free of the holster after the drill. The holster had to be "persuaded" to free the firearm.

 

[j706]

My experienced breakage wasn't cosmetic. The firearm wouldn't come free of the holster after the drill. The holster had to be "persuaded" to free the firearm.

I bet the locking pawl locked onto the trigger guard and would not release. Did you have to destroy the holster to get it free?

 

[Gamez235]

They are not banning them because they don't like them, don't get them for free, and/or cause they have their own brand. Just the manipulation of the Serpa multiples the chance of bad things happening as opposed to other brands and type of holsters. I am almost certain that they are not doing this because it can, may, or might happen but instead it has happened and to further reduce the risk of it happening again, they choose to not advocate or allow of use them by students.

 

[Stainer]

I operated with one in Iraq for 13 months and never had a ND or any other problems with it. Everyone has their preferences. I can see how they have potential for operator errors, and if I was putting on a course, I wouldn't let people use them to prevent mishaps when I might be held liable or risk getting shot. Train with one holster and operate with the same one. The guy in the video admitted he had multiple different holsters and I'm sure for multiple different weapons platforms. I have since moved away from Serpas as our department uses/issues Safariland, but I still have no issues with Serpas.

 

[VUPDblue]

I bet the locking pawl locked onto the trigger guard and would not release. Did you have to destroy the holster to get it free?

Yes, the holster had to be destroyed.

 

[PeaShooter]

Yes, the holster had to be destroyed.

Did you have to shoot it, like they do a horse with a broken leg???

 

[Fargo]

I've carried an M&P 45c in one now for a while and it has done everything I asked of it. Is it the perfect holster? No, far from it. There are quite a few things I find lacking about the design. It is a servicable holster that functions fine when properly used? IME yes.

I know a lot of people probably assume I'm in love with them from the other thread when nothing could be farther from the truth. My issue in the other thread is that I think it does harm to personal responsibility and is a bit of a cop out to blame an inanimate object for an injury when that object was by definition being misused and mishandled.

Best,

Joe

 

[MilitaryArms]

I know a lot of people probably assume I'm in love with them from the other thread when nothing could be farther from the truth. My issue in the other thread is that I think it does harm to personal responsibility and is a bit of a cop out to blame an inanimate object for an injury when that object was by definition being misused and mishandled.

Best,

Joe

My problem with your position is that you ignore the fact we've all said it's the result of both improper handling/training/experience and a defective design. The two together makes for a dangerous situation that can easily be avoided.

Your position also ignores the fact the majority of the gun buying public never attends proper training. Most will buy something like the SERPA, put it on, and start carrying it immediately. Let's not mention that many of the incidents involving the SERPA on training ranges have been at the hands of people with even more training than Mr. Grebner.

I think there's ample evidence the SERPA is a flawed design. The number of respected training institutions and instructors that have spoken out against their use for safety reasons is staggering. Can you name another holster with such a bad reputation within the professional training community? I can't think of one.

 

[adam]

I personally enjoyed my Serpa that I carried overseas. WITH ENOUGH TRAINING it was second nature and no problem to operate one without even thinking. Every draw the trigger finger was above the trigger guard and ready if needed. I don't use one now simply because I can't find a lefty Serpa for a CZ-75 SP-01.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I have never used or owned one so I can not comment. Professional instructor or not, they are always going to have preferences. Also, a lot of them are sponsored, which means money in their pocket. Not taking away from his credentials, that's part of the business. You think the Gunny does not get big kick backs from Glock and SOG? I say buy what works for you!

 

[MilitaryArms]

I have never used or owned one so I can not comment. Professional instructor or not, they are always going to have preferences. Also, a lot of them are sponsored, which means money in their pocket. Not taking away from his credentials, that's part of the business. You think the Gunny does not get big kick backs from Glock and SOG? I say buy what works for you!

I'm not sure where this notion comes from that they're saying the SERPA is dangerous and banning it from their classes because of marketing/advertising money. If that were true, they would ban everything except one holster, the one they have a financial interest in. That's not what's happening. They're saying bring anything BUT a SERPA to class. They're doing this because of the large number of AD's that have happened with the holsters, which I think their comments make pretty clear.

The Gunny sponsors Glock and talks them up. He doesn't tell you every other handgun on the market is dangerous. Huge difference and this example really has nothing to do with what's going on with the SERPA in training institutions across the nation.

 

[lovemachine]

Ok so everyone has said that Serpa isn't the perfect holster.

What would you call the perfect holster?

OR

If there was a perfect holster, what would make it the perfect holster?

 

[VUPDblue]

Ok so everyone has said that Serpa isn't the perfect holster.

What would you call the perfect holster?

OR

If there was a perfect holster, what would make it the perfect holster?

This isn't about what is the perfect holster. This is about a particular holster with a flawed and potentially dangerous design.

 

[esrice]

What would you call the perfect holster?

No such thing.

 

[lovemachine]

This isn't about what is the perfect holster. This is about a particular holster with a flawed and potentially dangerous design.

I understand that. But more than one person said the Serpa wasn't perfect, so I was hoping they would elaborate what WOULD be the perfect holster then.

 

[VUPDblue]

I understand that. But more than one person said the Serpa wasn't perfect, so I was hoping they would elaborate what WOULD be the perfect holster then.

I feel like that is akin to asking "what is the perfect gun?" The answer is going to be dependent on application. For me, the perfect CCW holster is a kydex/leather hybrid with no retention. For an application that requires active retention, I think the ALS from Safariland is hard to beat, but that's just MHO and again, it's appropriate for a specific application.

 

[esrice]

so I was hoping they would elaborate what WOULD be the perfect holster then.

Ask your wife "what is the perfect pair of shoes?" My guess is that she will immediately ask "for what activity?" Same with holsters.

(yes I just compared holsters to womens' shoes )

 

[cedartop]

I understand that. But more than one person said the Serpa wasn't perfect, so I was hoping they would elaborate what WOULD be the perfect holster then.

I think that is a reasonable question, but it covers some pretty wide territory. Perfect for what? Since I am not in uniform anymore, I don't need a holster with a retention device. Due to this, I don't look at retention holsters that often, unless it is to make sure they are safe for the students to use in my class and carry on the street if that is what they use it for. IMHO and that of those far more esteemed than I, the Serpa fails on both counts. Even taking the unsafe drawing component out of it, the locked up mechanism problem would take it out of the running anyway. So if you are saying what would be the perfect retention holster, well, I am sure we will get plenty of thoughts on the matter.

 

[lovemachine]

Then wouldn't saying the Serpa isnt perfect is the wrong way to describe it?

Based on what VUPD and esrice said, I would think describing that holster, "isn't perfect", is incorrect. You could say the samething about my MTAC. But I doubt anyone has had any malfunctions, or NDs with it.

And I know that VUPD trains all the time, so he knows what he's doing. And yet his Serpa malfunctioned.

I'd think that saying the Serpa is a **** poor design would be the best way to describe it.

 

[45fan]

Ask your wife "what is the perfect pair of shoes?" My guess is that she will immediately ask "for what activity?" Same with holsters.

(yes I just compared holsters to womens' shoes )

Its all good, I think my wife looks at all of my holsters the same as I look at her shoes. I have several for my favorite pistols, leather, crossbreed, kydex, IWB, OWB, Shoulder, all different designs for different situations.

I for one am happy with my SERPA holster. With the 1911, and my glock, as long as my finger is straight, it can not touch the trigger, my fingers are long enough to hit the front of the trigger guard. I have to make a contentious movement to get my finger to the trigger. ( and we all know that doesnt happen until we are ready to shoot)