Category: holster

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accidental backpack discharge firearm flagging holster

Is a Holsered Gun Pointing at You Considered Flagging?

You would not believe the amount of comments I saw in the above Facebook group where folks were complaining about being “flagged” by a holstered gun.

You can’t flag if you’re not touching the firearm.  That firearm is holstered.  Even if it has a round chambered (it probably does), guns do not go off on their own.  Well, factoring out Sig Sauer P320s, they typically do not.

The four general firearm safety rules apply to firearms that are being used/handled by human beings.  Guns sitting in holsters (or strapped onto vehicle interiors, or sitting in safes, or sitting in a desk drawer, or sitting on top of a nightstand) will not just randomly kick off a round without some type of human interaction.

Next time you’re at the range or at home handling your firearm, pay acute attention to where the muzzle is being pointed during your handling of it.  Unless you’re in a basement and/or are living by yourself, there’s the potential to flag other folks, especially if you’re at a gun range.  Half the time when I remove my handgun from the range bag, it’s pointing in the wrong direction even before I touch it.  Do I worry about it?  No.  Why?  Because it’s not loaded and if it were, I’d just reverse the bag so that the weapon is pointed downrange even when still in the bag.  As well, if you’re holstering or unholstering a firearm, you’re almost certainly flagging yourself at some point of the process, especially if you’re carrying appendix position.  You’d think folks would be mindful of the fact that when they holster or unholster, they’re muzzling some part of their body.  Within the above FB comments, there are folks swearing that they don’t, yet it’s impossible not to.

The firearms safety rules do not apply to holstered firearms, nor do they apply to firearms that aren’t being handled/manipulated by a human being.

When was the last time you saw a report or article showing that a person was shot by a holstered firearm?  Or, a firearm that went off while sitting on a desk.  Or, a firearm that went off in a safe, on it’s own?  The chance of it happening are so low that it’s more probable that you’ll be struck by lightning.

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9mm Beretta compact decocker Grand Power holster N82 Tactical P11 PX4 Storm

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact 9mm

It arrived yesterday.
I do have a tabletop video here:

I took it and the Grand Power P11 to the range this evening.  All I can say is, wow…

Pluses for the gun:

  1. It shoots almost as well as the P11.
  2. DA trigger is better.
  3. Shot 105 round of Magtech 115-gr FMJ and Browing BPT 147-grain ammo with only one round having an issue (light strike).  It loves 147-grain.
  4. It’s sights are easier to work with than the P11’s.

Minuses for the gun:

  1. Backstraps are extremely difficult to work with…well, not the backstraps themselves but the backstrap retention mechanism.  I struggled with it when swapping backstraps.
  2. Large backstrap is slightly warped (out of the box).
  3. The red paint that’s on the extractor (acting like a loaded chamber indicator) looks to have come off.
  4. Plastic guide rod.

How does the PX4 compare to the P11?

  1. The gun is only slightly larger than the P11.
  2. The P11’s mag holds 12 rounds.  The PX4’s mag holds 15.  This isn’t a huge deal, though…the P11 is sold as a sub-compact.
  3. The takedown of the PX4 is easy.  The takedown of the P11, while not exactly orthodox, is easy enough once you’ve done it a few times.
  4. The P11 is extremely finnicky about ammo.  The PX4 doesn’t appear to be as finnicky.
  5. The P11 needs to be run wet.  I’m assuming the PX4 needs to be run wet as well…they both have rotating barrels.
  6. The P11 won’t tolerate being dirty (lots of carbon will accumulate where the barrel rotates on the frame).  I believe it is more of a competition gun that just so happens to carry well.  The PX4 doesn’t appear to be as fussy when it comes to being dirty.
  7. The PX4’s controls are not conducive to carry duty, in my opinion…both the safety/decocker levers and the slide catch levers are too big and stick out well beyond the sides of the handgun.  Luckily, there are OEM “stealth” levers that make the gun feel a tad bit slimmer (and less “snaggy”).
  8. While the PX4’s sights are better than the P11’s the P11’s sights are purposely small.  This means that while they’re more difficult to use, they’re more accurate when used properly.  Still, I wouldn’t mind getting some night sights on the PX4.
Once I get “stealth” levers for the gun, I’ll begin to start carrying it around the house.  I plan to get the N82 Tactical Professional holster to use with the PX4.
The particular gun is the F-type.  I plan to convert it to the G-type.  I will never use the safety and I’m used to decock-only guns (my P11 didn’t come with a decocker and I manually decock it…it comes with a safety but I never use it because it’s always in DA mode).
So, 105 rounds were shot through the gun tonight.  Here’s the targets (shot from 7 yards with two types of ammo in two different weights and with two different noses).
These are the first 15 shots out of the gun.  The one in the red is the first shot (DA).  This is tighter than what I’m used to shooting from a new gun.  The shots are more vertically-aligned than that I’ve shot with my other new guns.
I started from left top to right top, left bottom to right bottom, then focused on the center target.  The first two targets’ DA shots were very close to the red.  The lower left, not so much.  The lower right group was extremely tight (there are 3 holes).  the center shot was a bit wide.
All of these shots were DA mode.  I’d shoot, then decock back to DA mode, then shoot, then decock, and so on.  This is 15 rounds.  All but 3 are in the red.  Two of those are close.  One is a flyer.
The first grouping of 15 is at the red.  The second grouping is at the head.  At first, I was slowly shooting the red.  At the head, I tried some double-taps (slow double-taps).  Again, I’m vertically aligned but spread out…IMO, not bad for double-taps.  Also, note that the second group would all be in the blue if I were aiming for the body.
Similar to the target above this one, I shot two different magazines, one at the body and one at the head.  I also did double-taps.  The first shots of the magazines were DA shots and each landed center mass.  The first grouping is vertically aligned.  The second group is spread out…not sure if this was due to the ammo (was using the 147-grain BPT target ammo).
This is the P11’s target.  These were rushed (45 rounds, combination of the BPT ammo and the Magtech).  I thought I’d be able to eat out the red from the target…nope.  But that’s probably 35 shots that are very much center mass.  I was shooting relatively fast and some are double-taps.  This gun rewards the wielder when basic fundamentals are applied but punishes the wielder if those fundamentals aren’t applied.  I’ve mixed results here…while the group is tight, I wanted them tighter.  Because I rushed, the gun punished me.  Remember what I said earlier about those small sights?  It applies to my aiming and shooting at this target.

All in all, this was a fun outing.  I plan to take the gun out again tomorrow and maybe spend more than an hour with both of them this time.  I may even take the Sig Pro to muddy up the comparison (since it is also a DA/SA polymer gun that I think I may carry).

Stay tuned!

UPDATE:  I got impatient in waiting for Beretta to stock up.  I did some research and found that there’s a store in Italy that sells both the stealth slide catch and stealth safety.  The site is here.  The part is here.  I know I have the right part because I compared the part numbers between it and Beretta’s USA site…they are the same (part no. E00348).  It costs 54,92 EU and 18 EU for shipping, for a total of 72,92 EU.  It’s a few dollars less than if I ordered from Beretta USA, but as far as I know, this site has them in stock.

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Alien Gear base plates holster IWB magazine shell SP2022

SP2022 – Testing Concealed Carry

I received the Alien Gear holster shell for the SP2022.  I used the compact backing from the Sig P320 holster that I have.  The gun carries well but is quite a big bulkier than my Grand Power P11.  I’ve adjusted the cant so that it’s leaning forward, which helps a bit in hiding the longer grip.

I received the Alien Gear holster shell for the SP2022.  I used the compact backing from the Sig P320 holster that I have.  The gun carries well but is quite a big bulkier than my Grand Power P11.  I’ve adjusted the cant so that it’s leaning forward, which helps a bit in hiding the longer grip.

I’m 5′ 7″ and 175-180 lb.  I tend to carry with a shirt over my firearm, usually a T-shirt or golf shirt that is untucked.  Today, I’m straight from work (have to be tucked in, but I usually wear something over my shirt (sweater or bigger shirt or sweater).  I think it’s important to know how I carry so that you know my carry experience.  The belt is a Galco 1.5″.  The holster is an Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0.

Camera is at 3 o’clock position – holster is at 4 o’clock
Camera is at 4 o’clock position – holster is at 4 o’clock
Camera is at 5 o’clock position – holster is at 4 o’clock

Oh, and those pinky extension magazine base plates?  I ordered some flat ones but to be honest, it’s a trivial concern…trust me, it’s not going to make all that much of a difference if you’re coming from a subcompact and are opting for a handgun of the size of the SP2022.  I kid you not.  I will more than likely return those mag base plates or sell them.

By the way, I ordered those flat mag base plates from RoCo Firearms.  They are currently $12.50 each.  I’m not sure if I posted their origins, but if not…

UPDATE:  I posted a few days before that I’ve found that Ruger SR9 mag base plates will fit the SP2022 mags.  I’ve also read that Beretta M9 mag base plates will work with SP2022 mags.

I have not carried this gun outside of the house (yet).  It is more comfortable than I imagined (so far).  The magazine is empty, though, but I don’t think a loaded mag will make much of a difference…it’s not the weight that will bother me (I’ve a good holster and belt).  The bulkiness of the gun is probably all I need to get accustomed to.

I also received the Alien Gear holster shell for the Beretta I bought last night.  I’m curious on how that will carry.  In fact, I just might have an IWB bake-off between the Beretta and Sig.  It will be interesting, since they both have similar manual of arms, both are polymer guns, both are similar in width, height, and weight (the Beretta is shorter, though, I believe).

A video will come soon.

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Alien Gear compact grip assembly grip module holster P320 rail Sig Sauer slide sub-compact

Converting my P320 Compact

I ordered a sub-compact grip module for my Sig Sauer P320 Compact handgun.

I couldn’t find ANY place that had the medium sub-compact grip modules in stock, though, so I settled for the small module. The main difference between the two is that the grip is a tad smaller (in girth and thickness) on the small grip module assembly, and the medium has an accessory rail while the small does not.

 I also ordered 2 sub-compact magazines (12 round capacity). I can use the mags that came with my Compact but they’d stick out a bit and be more difficult to conceal. Sig Sauer also sells mag sleeves for the Compact mags so that they can more easily be used with the sub-compact frame, but that wouldn’t help with the length of the mags and kind of defeats the purpose of going down a size (if the grip will print easily, it’s counter-productive).

 I also will have to contact Alien Gear to see if I can swap my SP2022 holster shell for a P320 Sub-compact shell. The P320 Compact shell I have will not fit the P320 Sub-compact.

The grip module is plain black. I’d thought of getting OD green or FDE but I couldn’t find any in stock. I can always paint the grip module if I desire a different color.

I’ll be using the Compact slide on the small Sub-compact grip module. It’s been verified that this type of modification will work without issue. I don’t want to have to buy the Sub-compact slide when the Compact will work fine.

I’ve been itching to buy a new gun but this is the next best thing…can’t beat converting a gun!

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awareness backpack carry CCW concealed firearms holster situational

Everyone Wants To Think They’re the One-Stop Firearms Guy

Why is it that every gun forum has these guys that think that their methods of carrying (and their equipment) is the one and only methods?  These guys think that their answers are the absolute only way to address a situation.  They’re the one-stop guys…the guys that think that they’re asked first and the questioners have their answer and that’s the end of it.

Am I claiming I know better?  No, but a LOT of this isn’t one-shoe-fits-all, either.  And a LOT of it is common sense.  As well, there are soooo many variables with gun owners, their experience, and their equipment that it’s stupid to think that there’s only one answer.  These are the same people that will immediately call someone a sheep, but yet they’re giving these canned and wrong answers.

Where’s all this coming from?  There’s this guy on a forum that has two full-sized (or nearly so) handguns and he says they print too much with his summer shirts.  He wants to store his gun in a backpack when running and was asking for people who had experience with carrying in that manner.

The first forum responder asks if he’s talking about the legality or the practicality of carrying in a backpack.  He also shares his experience (he carries his in a dry bag when he’s boating or kayaking).  He also says that some carry methods aren’t optimal (carrying on a bike, for example) and that you have to do the best you can, and that “a little less reaction time has to be adjusted by more situational awareness.”  I agree.

Some others responded by stating to use backpacks that have CCW in mind, or even use a fanny pack or shirts that have robust built-in holstering.

One responder outright stated that using a backpack was a bad idea.  I responded to him by stating that there’s no absolute answer.  There are so many variables in assessing what’s best based on your individual needs that just because Owner A may use a certain holster doesn’t mean that holster will be acceptable for Owner B.  The original poster stated he wanted to carry his gun when he’s running with his dog.  His guns are difficult to conceal in his running gear, I assume.  One offered option was to downsize his guns (trade or sell his guns for smaller framed guns that are easier to conceal).  I also offered the option of maybe finding running gear that will better accomodate his handguns, or get some printed shirts that will hinder printing.  Telling the guy outright that carrying in a backpack was the worst answer was really awful…that’s what this responder did.  It started a debate between myself and the responder.  My argument was that you would need to give yourself more time to be situationally aware when carrying in this manner.  His argument was weird…he was like, “situational awareness has nothing to do with carrying”, which was the worst answer possible.  If you aren’t situationally aware and you’re also carrying, that’s dangerous, especially if you’re open-carrying.  He kept stating that it’s quicker to unholster a gun that’s being carried on your hip than it is to reach inside of a backpack.  He’s right, but no one was arguing that point.  Well, he was but no one else cared.  Several guys within the thread stated that you should always be situationally aware and if you are sufficiently aware, you could buy yourself time to get to the gun.  Another argument this person used was, “well, there was a guy in a van that pulled up next to this girl, he pointed a gun at her, demanded she get into the van, then he repeatedly raped her.”  He used this to argue his point of a holstered gun being better than a gun in a backpack.  I asked if she was carrying a gun and asked how that proved his point.  He never answered…just stated that I was being obtuse.

My point is, every gun owner that carries (whether concealed or not) should be performing mental risk assessments to determine how to best deal with potential problems based on the equipment they’re planning to use.  There are so many variables in assessing risk (gun, owner’s experience and training, owner’s holster, owner’s ammo, the potential defensive situation…), you can’t just say, “a bag isn’t going to cut it”. There’s no absolute answers. You deal with it the best you can. Even if you practice daily, real life situations aren’t scripted. You’ve to adjust as it happens.  Situational awareness is going to help with that.  His example of the girl being raped, for example…she could’ve done several things based on the risk involved.  She could’ve run, or yelled at the top of her lungs, or did both.  A gun wouldn’t have solved that and would’ve escalated the incident.  Running and yelling would probably have worked because those are defensive actions…potential rapists don’t typically shoot their potential victims if they yell or run.  People have been killed with holstered guns, as well.  Having a gun does not stop bad things from happening, but even if you’ve a gun, carrying in a manner that is basically looking for a confrontation with a bad guy is…bad.  If you see a bad guy coming toward you with a gun, are you going to just stand there and wait for him to get to you?  You should move, run, hide, or at least make enough distance between you and him so that you can get the gun from the backpack.  A backpacked gun is better than no gun in that situation.  One could argue that someone could steal the backpack.  Well, one could bumrush a person CCWing and take his holstered gun as well (remember the Walmart incident in Florida earlier this year?).  The gun by itself isn’t the weapon…your MIND is the weapon too.  Don’t let yourself be lulled by the fact that you’re carrying concealed.  If you’re printing and not aware of it and have the attitude that you’re safe, you’re now in a higher level of danger and you’re in a complacent state of mind, as a bad guy will more than likely see your printing gun and see you as an immediate threat.  I’m not even a LEO or have been through advanced or even basic defensive firearms courses and I know this.  What’s crazy is that it seems that everyone wants to be the internet expert on armed confrontation…they think they’re John Wick, I guess.

Is a backpack the best equipment to carry a gun?  NO!  But if it’s all you have, then you make the best of it, or get something that’s a bit better than a backpack (maybe a backpack that’s designed around CCW), or get a smaller handgun.  Work out what’s best for you and what you can cope with, risk-wise.

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2.0 Alien Gear carry Cloak Tuck concealed holster in-waistband IWB

Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 2.0 IWB Holsters

I ordered two Cloak Tuck 2.0 in-waistband holsters from Alien Gear on 3/1.  I was informed that the wait could be 4-6 weeks, but they shipped on 3/26.  I received the holsters on 3/30 (the shipment was 2-day Priority but took 3 days).

The holsters are awesome.  I got one for my Commander-sized 1911s and one for my XD Mod.2.  I also bought an extra shell for my SP2022.

The holsters come with a lifetime warranty and I can exchange all three shells for other shells, free of charge for the life of the holsters/shells.  The build quality appears to be good.  They also came with spare parts (extra screws and grommets).  They also came with detailed instructions on how to adjust cant and retention, as well as how to put it on and how to best wear it.

I’ve been wearing the XD Mod.2 holster all week, trying to get used to IWB.  The space of the pants you wear with the holsters make all the difference in the world (as well as a strong gun belt).  Most of my jeans have shrunk (no, I’m not fat and have recently lost 10 lb with much of it being off my waist), so I may need to go out and get more jeans and/or cargo pants.  My dress and work pants appear to be OK, though I can’t carry at work, so that doesn’t really matter as long as I’m on work property.

I think I’m going to trade my SP2022 shell for a Glock 19 or P320 Compact one.

I highly recommend Alien Gear.  Just be prepared for a long wait before the product ships.  It’s worth the wait, in my opinion.