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Have you ever wondered why a holster is so important? I can remember watching Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) in the Lethal Weapon series put his 9mm Beretta 92F into the waistband of his pants. He normally put it in one of two places; either the front, right behind the belt buckle, or in the small of his back. The viewer was treated to the cool LAPD officer, who was so proficient with a pistol, that he could treat it with little regard for safety.
Of course, that’s Hollywood for you.
There comes a time in every shooters “career” where they must ask, “Is this equipment really necessary?” For concealed carry, or carrying to the deer lease, holsters are a vitally important piece of gear for your firearm. There are three major reasons why. First, it secures your handgun to your person. Second, it protects your weapon from you! And third, it protects your handgun from unwanted fingers.
Let’s unravel these holster benefits. What do we mean when we say “secures your handgun to your person?” Pretty simple. In the Lethal Weapon example, with a weapon stuck in his pants, anytime Riggs chases a bad guy or begins to roll around during a fight that gun is going to be dislodged in about 30 seconds! Whether it slips down inside his pants, or falls out onto the ground, its position is no longer ideal and may be nearly impossible to grab.
You could test this in your own home if you were so inclined. Using a Barrel Tech training barrel, or, better yet, a Rings MFG Firearms Simulator. Walk around the house like you normally do and see how long your sidearm stays in place. If you are thinking of using your firearm for this experiment, take every safety precaution you can think of…and you may re-read “Gun Safety: A Moral Decision” on our web site. It is possible you could synch your belt down tight enough to keep your handgun in place, but can you draw it? Is it actually comfortable after several hours? Can you actually breathe?! One of the greatest benefits of the holster is to keep that weapon in its place so you can reach it when you need it.
The holster has the benefit of protecting your weapons finish and functionality. Picture if you will your favorite .38 Special. You really love that gun because it’s reliable, easy to shoot, and is enough gun to keep around the house in case of a home invasion. You keep a handful of loose ammunition in the top drawer of your nightstand, along with that revolver. Consider this, every time you open and close that drawer everything in that drawer slides around. The loose ammunition, pocket change, books and magazines, not to mention the actual pistol sliding on the bottom of the drawer. Every time something bangs into that weapon, or visa versa, you begin to mare the finish. What’s the big deal? I suppose nothing if you don’t mind having a gun that looks like a car on cinder blocks. Lest you overlook one other important item, the holster is going to keep “stuff” from getting into the barrel and other mechanics of the gun. Remember how you liked the reliability? If you fail to take care of your firearm, reliability is one of the first things to go! A holster is an inexpensive investment to protect the workings of your gun.
This does lead to an issue worth mentioning, though slightly off topic. If you as a firearms owner keep your gun in the top dresser drawer, you need to be extremely careful and vigilant in protecting that gun from unauthorized use. In this state, and many others, a firearm that is accessible to a minor is a serious legal matter if that minor hurts themselves or someone else with the weapon. Texas law says that the owner of the firearm is responsible for injuries incurred by a minor due to the insecure storage of a firearm
A person commits an offense if a child under 17 gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm and the person with criminal negligence failed to secure it or left it in a place to which the person knew or should have known the child would gain access.
Texas Penal Code Title 10 Ch. 46 §13
This warning segways nicely into the “unwanted fingers” benefit. Many holsters have an interlocking device built right into them. For example, the Blackhawk SERPA Duty series has two different locking models. In the Level 2 model, the holster locks onto the trigger guard, while the Level 3 model adds a “clamp” around the butt of the pistol. The Level 2 security feature is also included in the Blackhawk CQB series. The Fobus holsters have a tension screw that squeezes the trigger guard to keep the weapon in place. Theirs is also a nice feature as the gun must be pulled straight out otherwise the gun is locked in place without significant force being applied. The point here is that the gun is reasonably secured inside the holster. Whichever holster you are choosing one thing to make certain of is that the holster completely covers the trigger. You certainly don’t want a foriegn object wedging itself between the holster and the trigger. That could set off a loud bang and a very bad day!
The holster’s primary role is for security. It secures the weapon from damage caused by dirt and debris. It secures the weapon in its proper place. It secures the weapon from others. Of course, a holster also keeps your hands free to do other things than hold your gun all day—let’s not forget the obvious.