Drop leg holsters

J

jjr

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
I bought the drop leg rig for my Blackhawk Serpa holster, and I notice when it's mounted and my pistol is holstered that it's aimed right at my ankle. I've tried tightening the top strap, and loosening the bottom one, but the best I can do is get it to aim at my foot instead...

Is this normal with drop leg holsters, and should I be concerned? Common sense tells me I don't want a loaded pistol aimed at any part of my body...
 
I don't specifically have a ton of experience with drop legs as I don't wear armour and have nothing to clear...but I can tell you that an awful lot of holsters result in a gun pointing at you to one degree or another.

Any offset duty type holster is going to point the gun at your knee, for example. Most IWB holsters will point the gun either at your ass, or, while walking, your leg.

It's just part of carrying a gun. Personally I have rarely seen draw strokes that don't result in the shooter flagging part of his lower body. It's generally minor and difficult to spot and hopefully they know what they're doing enough to not have their finger on the trigger yet...but drawing from many holsters without some degree of flagging is virtually impossible.

Try AIWB carry sometime...that'll give you a nice comfy feeling.
 
Cool, thanks, was just curious.

I just have the drop leg holster (can also mount it to belt loops or paddle) because I got a plate carrier to carry mags and whatnot since I'd like to get into CQB comps, etc.
 
Your fear is a good reason not to use a Serpa.

If used properly it works just fine, but having to put pressure with your trigger finger to release the gun from the holster, can put your finger in the wrong position.

[YOUTUBE]zYvAxLX6OzE[/YOUTUBE]
 
He also did that with a 1911 which I'm assuming he carried cocked and locked. All my pistols are DA/SA so I always holster them decocked. Would take quite a bit of force to pull the trigger in DA. I have 2 Serpa's which I really dig.
 
Interesting - I can see where shooting a Glock out of a thumb drive and going to a 1911 out of a Serpa could cause that. Convinces me even more that tension is the only retention device you really need, although I have a Level 2 duty holster which works just fine without buttons and switches.
 
Well if it makes you feel any better I mounted a HSGI holster to my chest rig, it points directly at my nuts, it's a little concerning! :eek:
 
Last edited:
tritium said:
How low is it on your leg? The lower you wear it, the more likely it is to flag you and the more likely it is to flop around.
Click to expand...

I'm a shorter dude so I have it adjusted as high as it will go. It sits perfectly for my arm length though and I can draw from it pretty quickly for a newbie.

Gunslinger said:
Well if it makes you feel any better I mounted a HSGI holster to my chest rig, it point directly at my nuts, it's a little concerning! :eek:
Click to expand...

Well I'd rather lose an ankle than a nut, so I think I'm good :p
 
enefgee said:
Interesting - I can see where shooting a Glock out of a thumb drive and going to a 1911 out of a Serpa could cause that. Convinces me even more that tension is the only retention device you really need, although I have a Level 2 duty holster which works just fine without buttons and switches.
Click to expand...

Although the SERPA is far from a quality design, it is only half the problem. Stupid people who can't control their motor functions are the problem. Attempting to draw and/or fire before your sights are on target is the other. The solution is simple. Until you see sights on target, keep your f*cking finger off the trigger.

As for the thumb drive holster, its not the worst idea, but its not necessary for the CCW user or the competitor. The SERPA is plain sh*t.

TDC
 
I don't get how the trigger finger can get on the trigger when drawing from the Serpa though. Whenever I draw, my finger is well above the trigger along the frame. I don't need to curl my finger, or apply hardly any pressure to the release. I just drag my finger along the mechanism and the pistol comes free. I see lots of people on CGN who hate them, but I dig mine, it doesn't really slow me down, and whenever I actually run into guys at my range who shoot IPSC they say they love the Serpa.

I haven't started shooting any competitions or anything yet, so I have no idea how I'd actually perform under stress, but I'd like to think that it won't be a problem. If your finger is going anywhere near the trigger with the Serpa, I imagine you would have that problem with any other holster. Maybe it's because I have stubby little baby hands.
 
The typical Serpa trigger finger issue crops up when people are put under sudden stress and blow the draw...IE start to pull on the gun before the retaining tab is fully depressed.

While this does not generally cause issues when moving at a casual pace, people who are trying very hard to get their guns on target ASAP tend to unconsciously push harder and harder on the tab. The way your body does this is by curling the finger in.

So when nothing is going wrong, it's pretty easy to keep that finger straight along the frame.

If things go wrong when you're moving fast and you can't or don't take the time to slow down, and people are not perfect so sometimes, even if you have time, you don't take it, you are suddenly putting yourself in a dangerous spot.

And on top of that, of course, the materials are cheap. I can think of an instructor who has broken a lot of Serpas simply by grabbing the handle of a student's gun and giving it a sharp pull.

Bottom line...mediocre holster with definite safety issues. Best to avoid.
 
The position of the lock mechanism is the primary issue when combined with limited skill and/or a rush to draw. For the sport shooter, there's no need for a level 2 retention holster.

TDC
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom