In my honest and personal opinion, based on over a decade of experience with all kinds of holster systems, nothing beats a Safariland Duty holster.
Over the years, I have accumulated more holsters that I’ve lost count. That includes holsters for every type of carrying option.
For Duty holsters, I have always have either been issued or bought my own Duty holster made by the Safariland Group.
Safariland never stops with innovating their product lines and from running their holsters over the years, they only get lighter, stronger and provide a faster draw.
If you own a Glock, you’ll never have any problems finding accessories and holsters for your pistol. If you’re like me and tend to be a bit of an HK or Sig snob, you start to see that there aren’t as many options when you’re looking for accessories available. That’s the price you pay for preferring a different brand. Those that run Weapon Mounted Lights with something other than a Glock will find even less holster options.
Last year, I decided to switch duty weapons at work and I got myself a Heckler and Koch VP9 along with a Surefire X300U. At that time, Safariland had holster options available for the VP9 but not with the X300U. My VP9 was on hold until I had a Duty Holster to carry it in. I contacted Safariland Customer care and a few weeks later I was able to order it through the Tactical Pro Shop.
I’ve run my VP9+X300U holster over a year now and it’s still holding up the same as it was new. If you have my setup, here’s the information:
Model: 6365
Sku: 1183815
Part: 6365-5932-131
I’ll break that down for you; My holster is a level 3 retention holster, meaning it has the ALS (Auto Locking System) and the SLS (Self Locking System) together to give you the most secure level of retention. 6365 represents the low-ride belt loop attachment. It has the STX Black/Tactical finish and is for a Right Handed Shooter.
My holster before was a level 2 with just a SLS hood. Having both, the level 3 is a much faster draw than the level 2. Believe it or not, my current holster is more secure and smoother of a draw than my previous holster.
Another new feature, which I like a lot, is that the holster will hold and secure your pistol with or without the weapon light. This is made possible with a barrel plug at the bottom. My previous level 2 holster will not secure the pistol without the weapon light attached.
The retention systems in place are intuitive and natural to deactivate the locks. With that, you still need to practice your draw many times over to build that muscle memory. Anytime I change any part of my kit, I usually at the minimum practice my draw hundreds, if not thousands of times.
My Duty Holster setup was made into a modular custom rig. I utilized the QLS system along with a 6004 drop leg shroud. I removed the top leg strap and moved the entire shroud up as high as possible to increase stability and assist with weapon retention from a gun grab.
Over the last few months, I purchased a Sig Sauer P320C FDE. Like my VP9, I run an X300U on my P320C. I wanted my holster to be in FDE to match my P320C and my kit. Safariland made my holster customized to my specifications. I unofficially call it the Fifty Shades of FDE Edition holster. Here is the information on my custom holster:
Model: 6365
Sku: 1191091
Part #: 6365-7502-551
It is the exact same holster as my VP9+X300U. Except it’s for my P320C+X300U and has an FDE finish.
I have the QLS system on all of my holsters therefore I can run any weapon system I choose very easily and quickly.
There are numerous custom holster makers out there that make high quality custom holsters that are usually kydex for concealed carry. Some of them are already making duty holsters, some with Safariland SLS level 2 hoods.
Although they may be great holsters, a level 2 is the highest level of retention you can get from those makers. The ALS system is something that only Safariland has available, giving you either a level 1 retention by itself or level 3 when combined with the SLS hood. Safariland has it down to a science and they will do their best to come up with a holster solution for you if they don’t already have one available.
To find a holster solution, click at the link below and use their holster finder:
http://www.safariland.com/holster-finder?step=guntype
Or call their Customer Care:
1-800-347-1200