BobFord from Bearcoat and what cops REALLY use as holsters

[orangeninja]

I was at a meeting sometime this week in which well over 50 law enforcement agencies had representatives.

Well I also just got finished reading a thread over at pistolsmith.com in which a guy named BobFord of notorious Bearcoat fame said the following:

---"Instructors at Thunder Ranch and Gunsite don't have that problem. Few people do more presentations than they do.

Kydex IS the hardest holster on any finish......great for games...I don't know a serious professional who carries a gun for a living that carrys a Kydex. Real holsters are still custom made and LEATHER "---

and this is what struck my funny bone. While at the meeting with these various agencies I gander around at some of the hardware (I'm a shooter too ya know) and mostly pay attention to the types of weapons etc. But I can tell you that almost without fail, the MAJORITY of the holsters present are some type of Kydex or Fobus type of material.

I've also NEVER seen an FBI guy with leather (they're not serious profesionals you know ), kydex without fail and the fact that he said "custom leather" bwahahahaaaa......

A.) Most cops ain't shooters and carry issued weapons.

B.) Who the hell can afford a "custom leather" job for daily wear....if 24/7 holster stands up to a full year of abuse that some of them see, thats a quality holster folks.....most just get floppy.

Sorry, not wanting to get into a pissing match...I just had to get it off my chest.

BTW...I carry leather holsters, Don Hume stuff mostly....but trust me, I am the exception....except for some locals.

 

[NMshooter]

The only law enforcement officers I have ever seen with 300-400$ worth of Safariland black basketweave stuff round the waist were the ones who had no other choice.

And that stuff gets folded, spindeled, and mutilated so easily.

Good deal for Safariland, though.

 

[DigMe]

Oh ok...I guess it's not that he doesn't care what his customers are saying then...it's just that he's blind and deaf to what they're saying. At least that's what I'd come away with after that statement.

brad cook

 

[Shootcraps]

I do "presentations" with my Kydex holster every day. When I put my gun in it in the morning and when I take it out at night. The finish on my Springfield V10 is fine. The holster has a few scratches.

I wouldn't trust a word that comes out of BobFord's mouth.

 

[Arc-Lite]

now this is truely a question, looking at the kydex, it looked like they would scratch up a side arm.... they don't ? I do not own one....

 

[orangeninja]

It really depends...mostly on the gun itself. For instance, I've seen leather wear on blued guns and guns like the springfield XD, kydex will too. Also I've seen glocks show no wear at all with either leather or kydex. It all depends.

 

[Arc-Lite]

thanks Alduro....I will take a look at one tomorrow.

 

[bpisler]

All holsters will cause wear to some degree on any pistol.I use mostly kydex and fobus holsters and by keeping them clean i've reduced the amount of wear to my pistols.

 

[DigMe]

I've never seen a plastic or kydex holster actually scratch a gun. The gun would have to have some kind of really poor quality finish for that to happen. The Springfield XDs are not particularly known for their great finishes but I carry one daily in a Comp-Tac kydex holster and I haven't had any scratches on mine.
My uncle carried a Sig 220 on duty for many many years in a leather holster and it had practically none of the black finish left on the front part of the gun that goes in and out of the holster. They all wear with use.

brad cook

 

[CAS700850]

I always love when someone says "no real professional would do X" because it never fails that I can find an exaple to the contrary. The chief firearms instructor at a local PD I work with is truly an excellent shot, very knowledgable on firearms, and is someone I would not hesitate to call a professional. He's using a kydex rig for his Glock 23, which is his plain-clothes/off-duty weapon of choice. He said he chose it because it was inexpensive and will last as long as he wants to use it. These are actual concerns when money is an object.

BTW, I use Kydex on my Glock, and I have notice one wear spot on the finish. It may be the way I draw, more than the holster material.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

I’ve owned exactly one Kydex holster, which landed in the trash three days later, after it scratched up my Walther P99c, they are junk.

Any cop who would carry any weapon in such a flimsy low quality holster while on duty is just asking to have their gun lost during a scuffle or worse yet taken from them and used against them. The holster may work fine for some who only CCW or for the range but not for duty.

I’ve seen cops around here who carry their Glocks in them going to court, school or when off-duty out of uniform in their marked unit, going to and from the PD or while have the car serviced.

But it’s against policy to use a non-retention holster while on duty.

 

[jsalcedo]

I had a comp-tec holster for my 1911 for a while and was pissed when it took
the majority of the finish off the gun. The the kydex belt clip snapped in half
one day and I decided to go with Bianchi from then on.

 

[DigMe]

I’ve owned exactly one Kydex holster, which landed in the trash three days later, after it scratched up my Walther P99c, they are junk.

Can you really fairly say "they are junk" about all kydex holsters based on your one single experience?

What brand and model was it? Or at least what brand?

brad cook

 

[R.H. Lee]

This Bob Ford guy sounds like a blowhard.

 

[CAS700850]

Weasel, you say they are junk. Do you mean all kydex, or the one's you have tried. I have a Kydex holster from Blade-Tech that is well made. the officer I mentioned in the previous post also uses a Blade Teck, with a thumb break.

What type of kydex rig did you try?

 

[Ankeny]

I have destroyed the finish on a couple of blued guns (and worn hard chrome pretty hard) with kydex holsters from Blade Tech and from Ky-Tac. I suppose the problem is the dusty conditions and fine grit becoming embedded in the holster.

I am switching to leather from Milt Sparks for every day carry both IWB and OWB (just cause it's cool stuff), but I am sticking with the kydex for range work and competition.

 

[MrMurphy]

A wipedown of the inside of teh holster to remove the crap would have prevented most of the finish loss.

I've carried daily for four years in nothing but Kydex, with thousands of presentations, and my Glock has no apparent wear I can detect. I'm not the only one.


Most of the cops I know carry synthetic or Kydex rigs, usually some variant of the Safariland 6004/ SLS system.

 

[Shaughn Leayme]

I switched over to a Kydex IWB holster, because my non dehorned forward cocking serration equipped 1911 ate my leather IWB holster after a year of use and while the holster was more than suitable, the kydex model cost the same and was very similiar in design and concept to the leather holster and if my 1911 wants to eat this one, it should take at least 5 years as well as being impervious to sweat.

Wear, scratches, damage to finish are to me part and parcel of practice, presentation and carrying a firearm and I won't discard a holster that does everything else right, just because it caused some finish wear or scratches.

Holsters of all types need tender loving care, same as any firearm, but I doubt that many give little time to it, or if they do, they wipe down the outside and that's the extent of it.

I consider refinishing a pistol in the same manner as replacing springs, magazines and parts, just part of doing business, so to speak.

 

[Deavis]

"I suppose the problem is the dusty conditions and fine grit becoming embedded in the holster.

It may seem silly, but if you wipe your gun down each evening or even once a week to protect the finish, why wouldn't you wipe out the holster too? Weasel is right, I don't carry a duty weapon, but my HK shows no finish wear after 2-1/2 years of carry in a non-leather holster carry and practice.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

The one I had was a Fobus paddle style holster, last night I looked at the Uncle Mikes Kydex and a brand called Houston which was lined with some type of cheap fabric.

All are more or less the same, made of very flimsy plastic they are held together by what amounts to pop rivets both the holster itself and where the holster and paddle meet, that’s quality!

The Galco COP Series “seems†to be made “betterâ€, but I use that word loosely as they too are still just plastic.

Sorry but I’ll prefer good ole leather or a nylon at the lowest.

 

[RON in PA]

Fobus holsters are plastic, but not kydex. Guns that are carried get wear marks and/or scratches.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

Fobus holsters are plastic, but not kydex.

Oh so this is like one of those Extraterrestrial Glock type-materials, which are plastic, but it really isn’t, which is stronger than steel, but really isn’t?

(Nylon-6) Polyamide-6, made from recycled PVC pipe.

Kydex PMMA/PVC manufactured by Kleerdex Company is mostly PVC they call it a “thermoplastic alloyâ€

Thermoplastic is defined as… material that will repeatedly soften when heated and harden when cooled.

Alloy is defined as… a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten;

Sounds like a catchy trade name but in the end it’s still plastic.

Just like a Glock this stuff is made from recycled PVC pipe, so your holster is just like your Glock, at one point in its existence it was someone’s sewer lines.

I still trust leather over recycled GI Joe figures

 

[SapperLeader]

I prefer leather but don’t hate kydex at all. Ill use it when I’m out in the woods or when I don’t want to get a leather holster dirty.

My favorite holster is actually a hybrid, the tucker answer, leather backed, kydex holster that gives you the comfort of leather and the ease of kydex. Currently have one for my xd and plan on ordering a second for my hi power before summertime.

Most of the police I know use safariland duty holsters on duty, a lot use cheapy fobus holsters off duty, and the rest have decent leather for off duty. Still a pretty big blanket statement to say all professionals use type A or Type B.

 

[DMF]

Federalist Weasel (and other kydex bashers),

1- kydex is not ordinary plastic, no one should consider a plain plastic holster for carry.

2- Fobus is a cheap brand of poor quality and poor construction very vulnerable to a gun take away during a struggle. Judging kydex holsters by Fobus would be like judging all leather holsters, by some cheap $20 brand.

3- Unlike Fobus there are many VERY well made kydex holsters, but they are in the $45 - $80 range. Provide excellent retention, and consistent presentations. Check out brands like Blade-Tech and Comp-Tac.

4- I've carried in a Kydex holster every day for 2 years. Why? BETTER retention than the leather gear available, better for IWB and one hand reholstering, and LESS wear on my guns. There is exactly one wear point on my Sigs and that is around the trigger guard where the kydex holds the gun. No where else will you see wear points, despite the fact that both my current duty gun and personal sig have each been in and out of that holster over 1000 times. (Lots of dry fire practice, and live fire practice)

However, at my last agency my duty weapon previously was issued to an agent who carried in leather for about three years. There was significant wear on all the edges of the slide, frame and controls, where it rubbed against the leather constantly.

5- the key to maintaining the finish on a carry gun is keeping the gun and holster clean, whether it's leather or kydex.

 

[Monkeyleg]

I hate to get between the leather lovers and the Kydex crowd, but I received this email the other day:

"I have a Springfiel Armory 1911-A1 with the nigh sights & work for a
Police Department. I have had the hardest time finding a company that makes a hoslter for this gun. No one makes a holster. I need a basketweave left hand with a jacketslot holster for my gun. I had someone make me one for me to get by until I can buy one. Why doesn't anyone make holsters for this gun? I thought this gun was a popular brand (Colt & Springfield). Can someone please help me?"

Does anyone know where this guy can get such a holster?