+1 on needing a good belt. I like the 5.11 products. I'm also a big fan of Kydex but there's no need to pay exorbitant prices for it. These guys are local to me and make a great product at a low price:
https://krounds.com/product/traditional-iwb-kydex-holster/I briefly carried in a Blackhawk Serpa until I became aware of three documented problems with it:
- the locking mechanism can jam if a piece of gravel or other debris gets into it
- the belt attachment point is weak enough that it breaks off easily
- people tend to drag their trigger finger off of the locking mechanism and onto the trigger resulting in a negligent discharge that usually hits the shooter in the thigh
As a result, it has been banned by FLETC, LAPD, the US Army, the US Air Force, Front Site Training Center, and a number of high-end trainers including Larry Vickers and Kyle DeFoor. Some folks still use it but you don't have to be one of them.
More at
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-serpa-compendium Okie John
I've read all the complaints about the Serpas but have found none of them to be the case with mine. I wear one every day. I wore the one for my Glock 22 every day for five years without a problem and it is still fine. I switched to a model 48 because I wanted a lighter gun and have worn that gun every day in a Serpa for the past six months. I have rolled around in the gravel under vehicles, run my sawmill, busted brush and carried on duty with my Serpas and never had an issue with anything jamming the locking mechanism or with the attachment points. I wear mine with the paddles. I have worn mine in some extreme cold as well without any breakage.
As to the FOT (finger on trigger) issue, all I can say is I suspect anyone who is ending up FOT coming out of the holster with a Serpa is probably FOT coming out of any holster they use. Activating the holster release on a Serpa puts one's trigger finger perfectly aligned to be indexed on the slide, where it should be until needed. I'm sure the people generating those reports have vastly more experience than me, I think. I've carried mine daily for seven years now and never had a problem.
I'm just one voice in the matter but I think a lot of the bans were over reactions. A lot of people have shot themselves coming out of other brands of holsters. Honestly if a person cannot manipulate a Serpa without injury, or any other holster for that matter, perhaps they need a less challenging activity. Maybe one with crayons.
