I'm ditching the SERPA holster

[B Cart]

Don't forget to do a review on the Safariland. I have one ordered to try out. Not gonna give up the Serpas though.

I think that’s a great idea, and I will try and keep an updated review going on the new Safariland holster. I definitely want to put it through it’s paces before I completely trust my life to it.
To test it further, I took my safariland out shooting for about 4 hours on Saturday, west of Utah lake. We set up multiple silhouette targets and did a lot of drills. We even did a couple shooting drills laying down in the dirt (lying on our backs, as well as prone with the long guns). I don’t think much dirt got directly into the holster, but it did end up dusty. Through all of the drawing and shooting drills, the holster worked great, with zero malfunctions of any kind.
I must say that I am much more used to the retention release on the SERPA than the Safariland. The Safariland holster uses a thumb release, and it definitely takes some getting used to after using the SERPA for years. Other than that, the holster seems extremely durable and the retention release seems really solid and functions very well. So far, I have been very impressed with the Safariland.

As for the SERPA, I don’t think I’ll ever consider it a bad holster. I think if I were to still use one, I would be much more vigilant about keeping it clean. From what I’ve seen now though, for the same price, the Safariland seems like it’s better quality and has less potential for malfunction. For those of you who have ordered a Safariland, I’m curious to hear how you like it. Keep us posted.

[Cheyenne20]

I have the ALS level III holster, and i love it! It is the only holster I would consider using for LEO duties. However, I don't use it for cc or oc, because it is larger and more bulky than the serpa. I still use the serpa for off duty carry, and love it too. Also, +1 for holster maintenance...

Sent from my EVO 3D, using Tapatalk...

[Snurd]

Posted a review of the holster here:
viewtopic.php?t=12968

[MarshallDodge]

You have to be careful with any retention holster. Provo PD had a problem with the Safariland holsters

That being said, the Safariland is a much nicer holster all around than the Serpa. I accidentally stumbled upon the Safariland ALS when Police supply had them on sale for $19 and at the time I needed a holster for my M&P. Win=Win

mqondo, welcome to the dark side.

[YoZUpZ]

Yes... thread necro... but in addition to the issues that the Provo PD had with the ALS, I would like to add:

There have been reports of the Safariland ALS release mechanism not working in high temperatures (holster and gun being left in hot vehicles, then trying to unholster firearm).

There have also been reports of firearms becoming stuck in the holster when wet (suede strip on inside of holster swelling, and not allowing the firearm to be drawn).

Both of these situations have been reported by various police departments.

Now back to my search for a holster that is both quick and reliable for use in the sandbox...

[Snowman]

Leather with snap retention works fine when hot or wet.

[gunsrg8t]

I have a Safariland als for my M&Pc and also really like the thumb release. There are also accessories for molle attachment and fixed surface or drop leg attachments as well as the mentioned belt and paddle.

Safariland doesn't make holsters for every model of every popular pistol. A disappointment or would have more of them.

[B Cart]

ISafariland doesn't make holsters for every model of every popular pistol. A disappointment or would have more of them.

I agree. I now carry a Walther PPQ and unfortunately there isn't an ALS made for them yet

[dewittdj]

Here is a thought or two. This is not to bash you or anyone else in any way.
This just hit me as I was reading this thread. How often do we clean our firearms? I usually clean mine after every use unless I know I will be going to the range in the next couple days. Even when I don't shoot it for a while I will blow the lint off.
How often do we clean our holsters? I don't remember ever cleaning one of my Serpas.
I think with the mechanism that a Serpa holster has should probably be cleaned once in a while to keep it working properly. Especially if someone is training in a dusty environment.
We take great care of our firearms that have moving parts, why not take care of the holsters that have moving parts?
I think I'll be more diligent in keeping mine clean, but I don't think I'd ever get rid of one. That is, unless I sold the gun it was made for.

+1 I'm a neat freak and probably over clean everything. I own more than a dozen Serpas for various handguns and have never had a failure. I clean and tune them regularly. I have one that I have used in competitions and another that I wear almost constantly that have never failed. They are nearly identical to the style we used in the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghan Wars. In my opinion they are battle proven and urban proven.

I, personally, am not a fan of the SafariLand holsters, but then I like Ford trucks over Chevy, so what do I know???

[Korben88]

Wow Safariland's website is a nightmare to navigate. I can't seem to find a single holster to fit my Springfield XDm (3.8' bbl .40s&w)

finally found the "fit chart" that doesn't even list that gun as an option....

[Hawk87]

Wow Safariland's website is a nightmare to navigate. I can't seem to find a single holster to fit my Springfield XDm (3.8' bbl .40s&w)

finally found the "fit chart" that doesn't even list that gun as an option....

Don't they fit the same holsters as the standard XD's?

[Korben88]

Wow Safariland's website is a nightmare to navigate. I can't seem to find a single holster to fit my Springfield XDm (3.8' bbl .40s&w)

finally found the "fit chart" that doesn't even list that gun as an option....

Don't they fit the same holsters as the standard XD's?

I'm not sure but I don't think so. Every other holster I've ordered had a separate part number for the XDm