Blackhawk, Serpa Close Quarters Conceal, Gun Holster

This is the 5th or 6th time I've purchased one of these holsters. They are so flexible. I've always ordered the holster that includes the paddle mount as well as the belt loops. I haven't found the paddle mount to be comfortable enough, but I may want that option at some time. Being able to quickly slide the "paddle" behind the waistband and belt and as easily removing it is definitely a great feature. The belt loop mount is also pretty fast to slide on the belt and doesn't put the hard plastic right against your "hip bone". Both mounts allow some flexibility in the how high the holster rides and the opportunity to significantly adjust the cant of the holster. Reversing the cant also allows the holster to be carried in a cross draw position.The retention feature means someone can't draw my pistol without me having something to say about that. The retention release lever is directly in line with the trigger finger, so as the release lever is depressed and the gun lifted the trigger finger naturally falls on the frame just above the trigger guard. There is a cut out on the leading edge of the holster which allows a slightly quicker draw if necessary. This holster and mount is made of very sturdy plastic material and is well designed and well made. It holds the gun close to the waist for concealment. I've purchased several Blackhawk products and found them to be reliable and durable. I will buy another of these holsters when I need one. Update: I've purchased another of these holsters for a new gun, a Springfield Armory Xdm 3.8 Compact in 9mm. First let me say that initially Amazon sent me the wrong sized holster. I immediately made arrangements to return the holster and ordered another in the correct size. The exchange couldn't have been easier. Amazon paid for the return and promptly credited my account for what I paid. As a Prime member the correct holster arrived two days later. When shopping for this holster I found Blackhawk does not list a holster for my gun, so I called Blackhawk and asked if they had a holster that fit the Xdm 3.8 Compact. I was told to order the size 07 and that it would be a little long but is the correct fit for my gun. I found that to be true. I wasn't too happy with the length of the holster, so using my band saw I cut 7/16" off and dressed the cut edges with fine sand paper. I rinsed the dust and sand from the entire holster and dried it before using it. The fit is perfect and I couldn't be happier.

The Beretta 92FS/M9 fits like a glove. I just need to practice drawing with it. Positive retention. When drawing the pistol with a firm high grip the finger sits on the release button. When the pistol is drawn from the holster the finger is off the trigger restingabove it on the frame of the pistol. Gives Positive retention but still a quick draw when needed. Not the prettiest but is similar to what I had when in the service.

I bought a holster for my Tisas 1911 A1, fits absolutely perfectly. The retention is amazing. Love the button location. Allows me to access the trigger very quickly when drawing. It’s so snug on my belt I’m afraid it’s going to fray my belt. I mean that in a good way. I have a HK 1.5” belt and it’s snug. No slop. I feel very confident wearing this.

I love this Holster! And its because its passive retention system is so ingenius. If you know anything about proper gun handling/safety you know not to draw or point a gun with ur index finger on the trigger. When doing a proper draw your fingers line up perfectly for a fluid easy press of the trigger guard release button and quickdraw. Practice the movement t though for the most natural and QuickDraw. I hated the holster my company gave me and wanted to give it back right away. When I asked my fellow security officers what holster they preferred to replace theirs with they all recommended I look at a Blackhawk! Serpa holster. This one came with an optional pancake holster attachment which I admit I didn't take the time to figure out how to use As far as I can make out its purpose is to add a few inches of space further from your hip to have a farther out holster in case you're more comfortable having it out from ur side a bit more or you don't want the holster/firearm to be accidentally mistaken for concealed. I have a concealed carry weapons permit so I don't care, plus I feel more comfortable without that extra space. This makes for a holster that you can easily display by tucking ur shirt inside of the holster for open carry but is small enough to pull your shirt over for concealed. However just a shirt will still leave an obvious impression of a concealed gun. For concealed go with a hoofie or other sweater or better yet, an actual coat. This belt will fit comfortably on my regular 1 1/2" dress belt or can be adjusted to fit up to a 3 1/2" thicker duty belt if need be. I use it on my every day jeans belt for concealed carry and on my 2 1/2" duty belt for work and it fits fine one both. All the other officers in my company seem to have switched out their holsters for a serpa. I ended up getting the matte black finish but if I could do it again I'd go with the carbon fiver finish. Looks much cooler to me when I see it on my co-worker's belt. I like that most people who see a holster like this don't understand the passive retention system this holster has. It has no overlapping securing loop. It looks to the average onlooker like nothing has it secured and you could snatch it right from the holster but you don't have to worry about that with this holster. Your firearm snaps into the holster with an audible 'click'. Unless you're pressing the release button while doing it for a quiet holstering. The holster latches onto the trigger guard and will not break if someone tries to snatch hard and quick at the weapon. And once they've do e messed that up, Boy are you gonna let em have it. All in all this one is good on and off the job. Great, sturdy, quality holster.

EDIT (rated up another 2 stars): I have been using this holster and I have to say that my first impressions were WRONG. This is a well-made product but it requires some "break-in" in order to match the handgun you are using. The adjustments you need to make are an annoyance, but in the end it actually ended up being my favorite of the holsters I've purchased. I will state that the two belt hooks are nice, but a pain to get it off your hip, however, this is an intentional design; it makes it snug and secure. The BIGGEST annoyance is even after getting those two hooks off (which requires some leverage and finagling. honestly just take off your belt) there is a third hook in the very bottom than ALWAYS snags the inline seam on the waist of my jeans. I have since amended my thoughts on the following: First off, this product is made for Colt 1911s and clones, but I have an actual Colt 1911 A1 and it is so very tight even when the retention mechanism was removed. This impedes drawing in a safe and reliable manner. [Once you get just the right tighten-ness and practice a few times, its a smooth draw.] The packaging was minimal and came with no instructions. Took me 30 minutes of fiddling to figure out how to assemble the damn thing. I had to adjust it enough times I lost count in order for it to sit on my hip appropriately. This was an exercise in futility as it feels uncomfortable no matter how I tried it. [Still not pleased with lack of instructions, and can be slightly uncomfortable when sitting, but conceals the firearm very nicely and feel comfy when walking.] The plastic feels cheap and scratches easily. In fact, so easily that after holstering and drawing my weapon enough times to get the hang of it, it wore away the inner lining where my firearm rode the binding points. My weapon clearly did not fit. [This is intentional and you need to do it to get the frame to fit your gun. It WILL wear away the bluing on your steel, so be forewarned.] The belt piece is also clumsily designed and doesn't rest well with the other side of the holster where it connects. I will praise them in the fact that they give you two pieces to decide which fits better on your belt, and that there are enough extra holes to adjust this for even bigger men like myself. [I managed to find a usable configuration, and I'm actually happy that it came with two different pieces. I think I might have assembled it wrong, but once again...terrible instructions.]

I enjoy this holster every time I put it on fits good feels good and releases smooth thank you for this product

Firstly, this is a STELLAR product. It is an excellent holster for the serious shooter, as well as casual use. It is probably the best purchase I have made for my pistol. It comes with two accessories: a belt attachment and a paddle attachment. The belt is pre-installed, while the paddle is in the box. Although the belt attachment works fine, I much prefer the paddle because it produces a much tighter fit around my battle belt. Plus, by moving around a few screws, you can adjust the holster orientation (where the holster is angled on the paddle) from about 4 'oclock to 8 'oclock. This is very crucial to people who prefer different orientations to their draw. The Serpa is leaps and bounds above other holsters, especially in regards to retention. Instead of having a having to break in a stiff drawstroke for ever holster you buy, you have a great plug in play option with the Serpa, because the retention consists around a button and a small locking mechanism around the trigger guard. This also means any modifications to the grip or back 1/8th of slide does not effect the holster. The retention mechanism also makes it extremely easy to use, all you have to do is press the button, pull, and your ready to go. This accrues to a very fast draw, and it does not require hours on hours of drawing a stiff holster to make it barely usable. The only problem I can see with this holster is the extraordinarily rare chance of a negligent discharge, as with what infamously happened to Tex Grebner. As he was at his private range doing drills with his 1911, he was practicing drawing his pistol and engaging a target point blank. He was using a Serpa holster, identical to this product. Instead of using the proper technique to draw using a Serpa ( Keeping your index finger straight, and using the side of the index to press the button and pulling the weapon out), under stress he curled his finger into the button and pressed it like a computer key, and naturally when he pulled it out that pressure released. That resulted in his index finger landing on the trigger, and a hollow point soaring through his right thigh. But that isn't really the holster's fault. That can happen with any holster, only the Serpa is slightly more prone to it. (By the way, Tex was fine, healed quickly. :) ) Call me a Serpa fanboy, but I think this is a viable option for any shooter, and is an amazing option. Thanks for spending an hour and a half to read my two-cents, and please have a blessed day.

OK let me start by saying I'm far from an expert in handguns or holsters. But I know quality when I see it or touch it. I was using an open top Fobus paddle Holster for my pistol. I have a Taurus 24/7 OSS Tactical pistol in 9mm. The Fobus holster was fine for my initial use & until I learned more about holsters. But a few problems with the Fobus nagged at me. I didn't understand why they bothered until I handled this Blackhawk holster & saw & felt the difference. First there was no retention to the holster. It was all too easy to just reach over & pull my pistol out just standing in front of me. I didn't know this when I bought it as I said earlier I was no real expert in these matters. Secondly it was demonstrated to me just how easy it was to twist out the paddle that held the holster & my gun to hip. Both of these scenarios, demonstrated to me by a state DOT officer, really opened my eyes to the need for a retention holster that at least offered level 2 adjustment (whatever that meant). After careful study & going on the same officer's recommendations I found Blackhawk. Now of course after finding the holster that fit my pistol I immediately went to Amazon to see if I could order it from here. Good news when I saw it was available at a better value than the other online retailers & it was eligible for Prime Shipping as well. A win-win situation all around. I ordered on a Saturday evening & received the package the following Monday. After at first just getting accustomed to the holster & learning how it worked I found it to be exceptionally tight & hard to remove my pistol. But once I learned how to effectively adjust the retention & practiced my draw technique (both are must do as soon as you get a holster like this), I was able to draw & re-holster my pistol without much trouble at all. I tried the included belt paddle on the holster but never got too comfortable with it's placement on my waistline. So I stuck with the belt attachment & it works great. I also like that the pistol rides a little up & off my hip in the holster making it easy to grab the handle of the gun in an almost natural reach to my side motion. The weight of the pistol is also greatly reduced in this holster. It isn't the lightest pistol I've ever used or had in a holster either weighing in at almost 40oz with a loaded magazine (which is how I carry my pistol chambered, cocked, & locked, otherwise what's the point?) so I appreciate the fact that this holster reduces the pull down effect on my jeans. I find the construction of this holster to be superior to the Fobus holster it is replacing for daily carry use (I'll still use the Fobus at the Range during practice). The material it is made of is a soft touch polymer & completely shields the barrel of the pistol which is also a good thing. Another nice side effect is the thin body construction of the holster. This holster allows me to actually wear it with the pistol inside while driving & using a seatbelt in my car. That I couldn't do with the Fobus holster for reasons I don't know why as they seem almost the same size. I find almost no faults with this holster at all in terms of it's construction & packaging or the included instructions. I also learned this holster is made in the USA (Montana) which I'm all for as well. This is my first Blackhawk holster but it will not be my last. Highly recommended for duty, recreational or personal defense. Blackhawk got the endorsement of a law enforcement officer to me so that was enough to convince me of the quality. I'm glad I listened!