An alternative to a Serpa holster

[Roman]

Well, I did say "make it look like", not "it looks like" -- I think it's a nice touch. I have a Raven for my G19 and it's light years better than the other holsters I've used for OWB, so if the X-C compares favorably to the Raven, then I know where to look for a M&P holster that won't take forever to come in.

I consider it a lateral move to a Raven. Not better, not worse. I think Raven does the "paddle" (X-Concealment M Holster) slightly better, but it costs a lot more and has a huge lead time so it better be better I own both a Phantom and C Holster, and find myself using the C holster more due to how it carries.

I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn't going to look like a leather holster if you order one and be disappointed. It's obviously kydex with some fake stitching for looks.

 

[atmay]

I consider it a lateral move to a Raven. Not better, not worse. I think Raven does the "paddle" (X-Concealment M Holster) slightly better, but it costs a lot more and has a huge lead time so it better be better I own both a Phantom and C Holster, and find myself using the C holster more due to how it carries.

I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn't going to look like a leather holster if you order one and be disappointed. It's obviously kydex with some fake stitching for looks.

FWIW, "paddle" isn't the correct term. This is a paddle holster:

 

[Hanwei]

I think the title of the thread is a bit misleading. People choose/use Serpa holsters because they want active retention. The gun won't come out of the holster unless something is deactivated/pressed, etc. X-Concealment doesn't use active retention. Saying that the X-Concealment stuff is a good alternative to a Serpa is like saying the Glock is a good alternative to a Beretta for someone who's looking for a gun with an external safety. No makey no sense. Apples to Oranges.

X-Concealment stuff looks like a good option for Kydex holsters in general though. However, they use 0.093" Kydex for the outside sheet and 0.06" Kydex for the inside sheet on their C series holsters. They don't say what they use for their M series holsters. Unfortunately, the use of 0.06" Kydex makes the holster line a no-go for me.

I've used Raven holsters since they started out years ago (when their wait was less than 28 days). All of their earlier holsters (pre-2009 I think) were made with ~0.06" Kydex and they all (the ones that I had) cracked over time (The G26 holster cracked at 6 months... the G19 holster cracked at 9 months) under normal daily CCW.

The cracks developed at the high stress/flex points... pancake wings, edges of the holster that were in front of the ejection port, etc. I informed Raven and they told me this was a known issue (not with Raven holsters, per se, but in general, that 0.06" was just too thin and wasn't durable enough) and that they already changed over to using only ~0.08" or thicker Kydex. Because of their unconditional lifetime warranty, they sent me replacement holsters free of charge within 2 weeks.

My ~0.08" thick Raven holsters are holding up great after years of daily CCW. And I think their unconditional lifetime warranty is something that sets them apart from the rest of the shops trying to compete. I don't see anything about a warranty on the X-Concealment website.

I spend $75-80 on a Raven holster and wait a bit... and get free replacement holsters for the rest of my gun-carrying life to replace the inevitable worn/broken holster. With most other shops you'll have to keep forking out the $45-65 for a new holster every time your holster breaks.

Anyway... food for thought.

 

[drgrant]

People choose/use Serpa holsters because that's all the gun store has on sale.

Fixed it for you. (or at least that's why I think most people buy them. ) Hell these days if I wanted to buy even another POS like an Uncle Mikes, or a Fobus, I would have to go hunting for them. Every gun shop bigger than a closet in MA and NH is filled with Serpas now... the price breaks on the things must be incredible on the dealer end. It is by far the most popular "gun shop holster" that has shown up in the past 2-3 years. Even stores with poor inventory practices have plenty of serpas.

-Mike

 

[Hanwei]

I hear ya. A lot of people buy Serpas because that's what's on the shelf. I just feel like an alternative to the Serpa should be something that also offers active retention to keep it in the same category of holsters. I think Matt's title should have been "Here's an alternative to shitty holsters" That would have made more sense.

 

[Roman]

FWIW, "paddle" isn't the correct term. This is a paddle holster:

Agreed, I should have called it "Pancake", which sounds far more delicious than it should.

 

[Roman]

I think the title of the thread is a bit misleading. People choose/use Serpa holsters because they want active retention. The gun won't come out of the holster unless something is deactivated/pressed, etc. X-Concealment doesn't use active retention. Saying that the X-Concealment stuff is a good alternative to a Serpa is like saying the Glock is a good alternative to a Beretta for someone who's looking for a gun with an external safety. No makey no sense. Apples to Oranges.

X-Concealment stuff looks like a good option for Kydex holsters in general though. However, they use 0.093" Kydex for the outside sheet and 0.06" Kydex for the inside sheet on their C series holsters. They don't say what they use for their M series holsters. Unfortunately, the use of 0.06" Kydex makes the holster line a no-go for me.

I've used Raven holsters since they started out years ago (when their wait was less than 28 days). All of their earlier holsters (pre-2009 I think) were made with ~0.06" Kydex and they all (the ones that I had) cracked over time (The G26 holster cracked at 6 months... the G19 holster cracked at 9 months) under normal daily CCW.

The cracks developed at the high stress/flex points... pancake wings, edges of the holster that were in front of the ejection port, etc. I informed Raven and they told me this was a known issue (not with Raven holsters, per se, but in general, that 0.06" was just too thin and wasn't durable enough) and that they already changed over to using only ~0.08" or thicker Kydex. Because of their unconditional lifetime warranty, they sent me replacement holsters free of charge within 2 weeks.

My ~0.08" thick Raven holsters are holding up great after years of daily CCW. And I think their unconditional lifetime warranty is something that sets them apart from the rest of the shops trying to compete. I don't see anything about a warranty on the X-Concealment website.

I spend $75-80 on a Raven holster and wait a bit... but don't have to spend another dime for the rest of my gun-carrying life to replace the inevitable worn/broken holster. With most other shops you'll have to keep forking out the $45-65 for a new holster every time your holster breaks.

Anyway... food for thought.

Also depends on what we consider active retention. With the X-Concealment C Holster you can modify the retention. I've gone for a three mile run (Back trails, on our farm) with my Glock 19 in the X Concealment without an issue. It has a great deal of positive retention without the need for a button that can be jammed up.

I think a Blackhawk is fine if you just plan on using it at the range. I would never trust my life to a holster that can fail with the introduction of a pebble in the right place

 

[Hanwei]

Also depends on what we consider active retention. With the X-Concealment C Holster you can modify the retention. I've gone for a three mile run (Back trails, on our farm) with my Glock 19 in the X Concealment without an issue. It has a great deal of positive retention without the need for a button that can be jammed up.

I think a Blackhawk is fine if you just plan on using it at the range. I would never trust my life to a holster that can fail with the introduction of a pebble in the right place

Notice I never said that the Serpa retention design was superior to anything. That's not what I was saying. I'm simply saying one should compare active retention holsters to active retention holsters. Passive retention holsters to passive retention holsters.

And I disagree that it depends on what we "consider' to be active retention. Active is active. Passive is passive. X-Concealment is passive. Active vs passive doesn't refer to it's ability to retain the firearm. By saying X-Concealment is passive retention I'm not claiming that it does a poorer job of retaining the firearm. Both types do that just fine. Active retention simply means the person needs to deactivate something before they can draw the firearm.

I agree with you that passive retention holsters are just fine. All of my holsters (non duty) are passive retention. It's more than you need for CCW.

 

[jar]

Notice I never said that the Serpa retention design was superior to anything. That's not what I was saying. I'm simply saying one should compare active retention holsters to active retention holsters. Passive retention holsters to passive retention holsters.

Yup. I'm not a duty holster guy, but the people who are that I respect as serious shooters all seem to say that Safariland ALS is the best/only game in town. For concealed carry, I don't think active retention is a good idea. Concealed carry isn't vulnerable to a snatch and grab like an open carry holster would be. For someone to even know that you have a gun, you've already got other problems, namely you're in an entangled confrontation.

 

[Smash05]

Nothing beats leather!

 

[PineTar]

Yup. I'm not a duty holster guy, but the people who are that I respect as serious shooters all seem to say that Safariland ALS is the best/only game in town.

+1. The Safariland ALS is a solid holster.