Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

[Tiercel]

So Im looking at splashing out and getting a nice holster, rather than a crappy old fabric one fits all.

So whats the difference between a Fobus/Blackhawk/Serpa holster? Which am bestest? Also ideally I want one that can take a laser/M3 taclight.

The pistols I have that Im looking to get holsters for are a G18c, FN-5.7 and a Sig P226.

Ideally I want one belt mounted, I dont do drop legs and not sure about having one mounted on my molle vest but thats not a be all and end all requirement.

Advise me!

[Boo-Sabum Ben]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

Blackhawk Serpas wont take lights and accessories, but they are the best holsters for them all.

Id go for a Safariland. The Fobus EMC I had for my Hi capa was a pain in the arse. Didnt get on with it at all

[demoncase]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

It's down to preference-

Blackhawk SERPAs and Safariland have a latch that you need to push to release the pistol.

Fobus are passive retention, needing you to pull the pistol sharply from the holster.

Personally, I prefer the Fobus range- I've used 10 different models for a variety of pistols- and never lost a pistol and never missed a draw from them....I personally find them more instintive than the SERPA type ones.

[Jackypoos]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

You can get a Light bearing SERPA for the Glock, only works with Blackhawks Xiphos light. There is an ACM copy of the light and holster, but it is unlikely you can squeeze an 18c in it :3

[heroshark]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

blade-tech are also worth a look basically a less expesive safariland. Also got a falco recently for my revolver which is very nice. They make fitted leather holsters (check the bay). I personally would not go fobus they don't cover/protect the pistol enough for my liking as I like to scrabble about alot, but thats just me. Same goes for some serpas.

[ImNotTheMafia]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

The Serpa is a holster made by Blackhawk of N. America. They are really very good, but you need a different one for each pistol and they are fairly expensive. The way they work is by locking on to the trigger once your wepon is in (), this means that you have to depress the release button when drawing the weapon. I find my finger naturally hits the release when drawing - but this won't be the same for everyone in the big ol' world of airsoft.

They also have a retention screw, but it doesn't keep your weapon holstered; it simply adjusts the amount of strength needed to pull your weapon out once released (again: ).

As said before you can get Serpas for pistols with lights but they are only designed to fit that specific flashlight. I have no experience with the flashlight mentioned.

To solve the price issue I stated above you could buy a clone. They are made of less sturdy materials than the Blackhawk but they are still quite tough. Someone I know who has been airsofting for a fair while has a clone (for a 226) that is still going strong.

As for the mounting options: the Serpa comes with both a belt mount and a paddle mount. This allows you to attach it to belts up to 55mm (IIRC) and onto any other trousers you have without belt loops - all at belt height! :D

There is also a STRIKE plate, which is a funny shaped bit of plastic full of holes. It attaches onto MOLLE vests and the holster can be screwed onto it at various exciting angles for all of your cool-looking pistol loadouts.

I unfortunately have no experience with Fobus or Safariland holsters - so I cannot state which one am bestest. But what I have written above was enough to make me choose a Serpa over anything else.

I hope this helps, but I have probably missed something at some point. Feel free to ask any other questions.

[Caveira]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

I use a belt mounted Fobus for my 229. Even though I've got a lanyard on it to be extra safe, I've never once had it come out of the holster by mistake in the 4 years I've been using it, despite loads of crawling around.

The passive retention is strong enough to keep it secure, but quicker than a Serpa as there's no button to spend a fraction of a second pressing before you draw.

Downside, though, is that while they may be out there, I've never seen one ready to take a torch-fitted pistol.

[heroshark]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

Downside, though, is that while they may be out there, I've never seen one ready to take a torch-fitted pistol.

There are ones but they have a snap rather than retention to hold the gun

[Caveira]

Re: Fobus? Blackhawk? Serpa? What?

There are ones but they have a snap rather than retention to hold the gun

OK cheers.

Well, in my mind at least, that would make them no better than a cheap holster off the bay. The passive retention is the thing I like about them most.