How often do you inspect your equipment?

[Smoke]

I had a chance to do some training with the church security team I'm a part of last night.

Part of the training involved equipment and what to look for in a holster and when it might be time to replace your holster and such.

Anyway, while we were working on presentation from concealment I noted that the retention strap on my holster kept getting in the way of my reholstering and at one point even got into the trigger guard.

The instructor and I examined the holster and both agreed that it might be time to retire it.

This isn't really isn't something I've ever seen covered in any training I've ever had but how often do you sit down and really look at your equipment and really take the time to ensure that it's serviceable and doesn't need to be replaced?

 

[Old cop]

An excellent point and something we should all be doing, myself included (I'm guilty). Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[chief38]

I inspect my equipment almost each day as it gets donned. One of the reasons I like the Kramer Belt Scabbard is that it has no snaps, straps, screws, velcro etc to wear out. It is made from very stiff Horsehide and after 9 years is just about as stiff and retentive as it was when I purchased it. I also like the Horsehide Belt he sells as well because being only an 1 1/4" wide it has remained stiff all this tome as well. Don't want to sound like a commercial for Kramer as I have NOTHING to do with him - don't even know him, but his Horsehide stuff is the best, IMHO.

Even if I do not fire my EDC weapon, I do inspect it weekly as well as the ammo in it. Every other week or so I also blow off (with an air compressor) the dust from the barrel, cylinder charge holes and outside.
Sometimes being OCD pays off!

 

[hangnoose]

GOOD POINT

I, like others having learned the hard way, give everything the once over before putting it on, or before use. a tiny leaf stuck to the sight pin on my bow cost me a nice buck. a bad holster choice almost cost me a lost gun, it came off the belt crawling under a fence. a belt knife sheath that unsnapped & dropped the knife that got wedged into the platform of a treestand, blade up, almost gutted me. the little things can cause big troubles. you can't check barrel bores too much imo. I take retention VERY seriously now. I no longer trust snaps. they get loose and un-snap with a little help from vines or rubbing against something. having a gun, knife, holster fall out on the floor in public can be embarrassing. I sew a couple of stitches into snaps that don't need to be un-snapped.

 

[Rangerpat]

I give all my gear thorough inspection every time I use it.
Like Chief 38, I'm a fan of the Kramer horsehide Speed Scabbard and the KISS principal, keep it simple... less things to go wrong.

 

[BaaBaa]

Not as often as I should. I clean my gun after every firing and check the holster then but I should probably be more critical of holster fit and wear.

Thanks for the reminder

 

[keith44spl]

Each and every time I buckle my gunbelt.

External retention, i.e hammer straps are ok,
if it doesn't interfere with the safe use of the sidearm.
A strap that can inter the trigger guard while re-holstering is dangerous.

I prefer an internal tension devise or the form fitted method of retaining the firearm.

Hope this and the recommendations of those above help....

Also, I am glad to hear your church has a security team, a wise decision.

.

 

[A10]

Like others I check mine before donning. And here is a second vote for Kramers stuff, I picked mine up at their shop in Tacoma because it gave me the opportunity to check out several models. I went with their paddle that is equipped with the belt strap.

 

[Smoke]

Slightly off topic but since I am getting another holster.

I hear you all saying Kramer is good, is it worth 30+ dollars more than Galco?

 

[RevTracy]

As many have mentioned, I check out my gear every day. I clean my weapon after every trip to the range, and field strip and clean it once a month whether I shoot or not. I also rotate my carry mag and back-up mag once a month.

I'm glad to hear your church has a security team...I'm hoping to assemble a team at my church. I do have a couple of guys who CC with my blessing (pardon the pun), but I'd like to have an organized team.

Stay safe, everyone!

 

[snubbyfan]

On my holsters, I prefer molded retention. If a client requests a retention strap, I make it a short thick thumbbreak to help to prevent a problem with the strap getting caught in the trigger.

 

[Rangerpat]

Slightly off topic but since I am getting another holster.

I hear you all saying Kramer is good, is it worth 30+ dollars more than Galco?

Galco are excellent but I don't mind spending the extra money
to get the HORSEHIDE leather, it holds up very well in a high humidity environment. I use the Kramer holsters when I'm out in the woods of Florida, which is quite a bit of time. I have one for my J-frame and another for a N-frame revolver, the Speed Scabbard conceals very well, I also use Kramer horsehide ammo carriers.

 

[chief38]

Slightly off topic but since I am getting another holster.

I hear you all saying Kramer is good, is it worth 30+ dollars more than Galco?

Absolutely!

 

[Fastbolt]

Slightly off topic but since I am getting another holster.

I hear you all saying Kramer is good, is it worth 30+ dollars more than Galco?

I may be alone in my opinion, but I tend to look at Galco as being more or less like buying an off-the-rack suit that's worn without being tailored.

I'd rather buy a Hume, Kramer, Rosen or Sparks nowadays. A DeSantis, if need be, if those aren't available.

Oops, I forgot to address the original question.

I inspect my holsters & mag carriers each and every time I wear them, and then again each and every time I use them for qual, training or practice at the range. Kind of like with the guns.

 

[Smoke]

I may be alone in my opinion, but I tend to look at Galco as being more or less like buying an off-the-rack suit that's worn without being tailored.

Can you elaborate? every Galco I've ever bought was labeled as being for the specific gun I bought it for

 

[Fastbolt]

Can you elaborate? every Galco I've ever bought was labeled as being for the specific gun I bought it for

So's a 42Reg sport coat. Doesn't mean it's necessarily going to fit as well as a 42 that's been tailored.

I look at the Galco's ... and De Santis, comes to that, and I've owned both ... as being along the lines of the older Bianchi & Safariland leather rigs. Good enough for gov work. Good quality off-the-shelf standard holsters that would fit the needs of most users.

There comes a time, though, when you can compare leather holsters and see which were hand-cut & boned and which were machine-cut & boned.

I'm not saying "handmade" can't produce a less-than-stellar holster, as I've certainly seen enough of those.

I'm just saying that if we're only talking about the difference of $20-$40, and I'm planning on keeping the holster for the rest of my life, and using it, under any & all conditions, sometimes the slightly more expensive rig, given some attention by hand, may be the better bargain in the long run.

Now, handing out to some young cop for use as a detective or off-duty? Sure, save the money and buy whatever level of the better cookie-cutter rigs you want fit into the budget. Why spend good money on something that some of the users are sooner or later going to be tossing underneath car seats, or into damp or dirty car trunks, etc.

There's something to be said for the type and quality of leather when it comes to resisting stretching, deformation and even the daily wear & tear occurring in normal use, too.

But hey, when I was a teenager I got a lot of good use out of a lot of recap tires, too.

Don't mistake my comments for implying that they're a "bad" holster, because they aren't. I just wouldn't spend my own money on them anymore. Lots of other choices.

 

[WR Moore]

Hear, hear.

A quality holster/gun belt will last years, making the initial pain less over time. As noted by a few, trying to figure out where your piece may have fallen out, is both more trouble and potentially much more expensive.

I've read comments by a couple of internationally known holster makers who noted that horsehide really isn't better than properly chosen cow hide. Dunno, many of my more recent purchases have been Safariland laminates. If I was still trying to hide a lot of gear under a suit, I'd probably still be buying works of art by folks like Ken Null.

More on lost guns: I note a depressing tendency amoungst the youngsters to not properly tension the friction retention screw on duty holsters, depending on the safety strap/hood and gravity to keep the sidearm where it belongs.

Finally, your sidearm also deserves the occasional lookover to remove dust bunnies, crud and get a wipedown to prevent loss of function if not finish.

 

[Rastoff]

I agree that while Galco makes a decent holster for the money, there is much better out there.

Personally, I like the custom holsters by R Grizzle: R Grizzle Leather - Home
This guy is the real deal. Don't just look at the site, give him a call. He'll not only answer the phone, but he knows his stuff when it comes to holsters. Yes, you'll probably spend $100 and wait two months for one of his holsters, but it's worth it. I have three, two for me and one for my wife.

I've been wearing the one for my 1911 almost every day for about two years now. It's just like it was when new. I consider this a savings over having to replace a $60-$70 holster every couple of years.

I almost forgot: I look at my equipment every day. I inspect my equipment once every other week or so. There is a difference.

 

[Smoke]

UPDATE

After giving it some thought I am saving up for the Kramer holster. I had a chance to inspect one during a training session the other day and have decided to go with it

 

[Maze 686]

Everyday and I practice drawing with cover garments.

I use Mernickle and Black Hill holsters without a thumb strap and a Don Hume 1 3/4 inch belt.

I do have a Galco IWB holster for my Glocks that works well too. At all cost I avoid flimsy holsters.