S_I Holster Help!

[STIGUY]

Need advice on a Limited holster for my S_I? As the post topic indicates.....have tried WSM II and Race Master. The WSM did not give me security and difficult to set up. The Race Master that I ordered [edit]...flat did not work at all! [edit]

Is there other solutions such as Guga Ribas, Triple Sec....etc. that you are using? The two MOST Important features are draw speed, ease of setup and solidness of gun security.

Some have mentioned Blade Tech DOH? With practice....how much time will be lost to draw? I went

to their website and was kind of confused specifically which one to order?

While we are going there? Looking for an

IDPA / Production for an XD Tactical. Blade Tech or Comp Tac. The Comp Tac comes as a Competition pack that seems like a pretty good deal?

THANKS in advance!

Edited November 30, 2010 by Flexmoney

[G-ManBart]

I have three Guga Ribas holsters, but bought one of the RM's to try, and it worked just fine. I sold it because I didn't see any advantage to it, and a few slight disadvantages, but nothing major. The problem with the GR is availability and price. There was a run that had issues with the tension adjustment (leading to little or no tension), but it can be corrected if you have one with that problem.

Ghost and Limcat make two good alternative, but it sounds like you might be happier with a DOH. The better you are, the less difference you'll see between a DOH and one of the more "race holster" designs. If you get really good with a DOH, at the most you might give up something like a tenth, and even that may be too high. I'm not a GM, by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't have the fastest draw around, but I can do .8 out of a DOH on a 10yd target without much trouble....no real need to worry about anything faster than that. R,

[ParaGunner]

+1 Sounds like you should go with the DOH. I've seen a .57 first shot out of a DOH with a 1911 before.

[davidwiz]

The DOH will give you the most security.

As for draw speed, at a lot of matches (espcially the bigger ones such as Areas and the Nationals), you are doing something else while drawing, i.e. the start is not standing still, drawing and shooting. You are turning then drawing, drawing then moving, etc. If you encounter these types of stages on a regular basis, draw speed becomes less of a factor.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Get a Blade Tech DOH and cut the front out to get the pistol out of the holster faster. They are more secure than any of the race holsters. I find if I cant the holster forward like my race holsters it is very fast for me. I have had faster draws because of the more secure holster alot of times. The one disadvantage with the DOH is that it does not show off your pretty new pistol as well as a race holster Thanks, Eric

[Seth]

I've tried most of them and prefer the DOH. CRSpeed (twice) Limcat (my favorite), Gugas, Ghost... I've not tried the DAA, but I'm not going to.

The DOH is fast, protects the gun, and allows me to do what need to do on range without worry (ie... adjusting poppers)

[G-ManBart]

Hello: Get a Blade Tech DOH and cut the front out to get the pistol out of the holster faster. They are more secure than any of the race holsters.

BT offers a version with the front already cut down...I think it's the Black Ice maybe?

No, the DOH is absolutely not more secure than some of the race holsters. If you hit the gun just right, it can come out of a DOH. If you hit the gun when it's in a locked Ribas or Racemaster (and probably Ghost, Limcat or 013), it's not coming out until the trigger guard breaks.

What the DOH is, is easier to be pretty secure...no thought, just pop the gun in, and it's probably going to stay put....probably, being the important word.

I use a DOH for Production, so it's not like I dislike it, but the lack of any locking feature keeps it from being 100% secure. R,

[Seth]

Bart,

I added a big ass knob on the side of mine to lock it down. Its not a HARD lock like the bikini's, but you'd have to hit it fairly hard and just right for it to come out. It ain't perfect and the right screw up WILL result in a dropped gun, it'd have to be a big screw up.

What I like is that the frame and slide are protected, the draw is minimally effected, and the gun is secure from popping out from something pushing up against the muzzle (chair, thigh, whatever).

For the record, I NEVER dropped a gun with ANY of them. I just prefer the DOH.

[STIGUY]

For clarification I sm to order the Black Ice DOH with Adjustable SR Loop and NOT Teklok?

[Sarge]

For clarification I sm to order the Black Ice DOH with Adjustable SR Loop and NOT Teklok?

I prefer the loops. On a dedicated rig there is no need to pop things on and off.

[Sarge]

The one disadvantage with the DOH is that it does not show off your pretty new pistol as well as a race holster Thanks, Eric

While this is true I would be inclined to not use the DOH on my new gun because of holster wear. I am simply amazed at how much finish I have worn off my G34 in just one season.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Sarge

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I have some adjustment knobs on my DOH that I got from 3-Gun Gear. I can lock the pistol in there pretty good. Better than the Gugas I had I have a Racemaster now and an old Ghost with the pin. Those holsters are very secure as well. If you are thinking of any 3-gun stuff the DOH with the tension knobs is the way to go. As far as finish wear goes just clean the inside of the holster after each use and use a plastic cleaner/protector and it is much easier on the finish of the pistol. I like the old stingray mount on the DOH but the new Tec-Lok is alot nicer now. Thanks, Eric

[G-ManBart]

Hello: I have some adjustment knobs on my DOH that I got from 3-Gun Gear. I can lock the pistol in there pretty good. Better than the Gugas I had

Even the GR's that had the tension issue were more secure when locked than a DOH...not even remotely in the same ballpark. Sure, with the adjustment knobs on the DOH it's squeezing more, but it's still not "locked" where something is physically hooked on to the gun.

Even unlocked, I'm not seeing a lack of retention with the GR:

Edited November 18, 2010 by G-ManBart

[Seth]

Don't make me make a cheesy video, Bart. Don't MAKE me do it! Lol.

[G-ManBart]

Don't make me make a cheesy video, Bart. Don't MAKE me do it! Lol.

I'd suspect that a DOH would be able to do the same thing if it was cranked down tight, but I'll bet a paycheck that they won't do that the way most folks have them on their belt at a match. Hey, I have a couple of DOHs that I like, and use, and was the first person to suggest the OP gets one, so it's not like I have something against them. I simply dislike inaccurate statements that say they're more "secure" than a race holster, when I know they're not....that's all.

When I watch most folks re-holster with a DOH, the gun drops right in, with very little resistance....which tells me there's very little resistance holding the gun in. Just because they can crank in more tension, doesn't mean they are actually doing that, and very few people have added larger adjustment knobs like Eric was talking about.

Come on everybody, go get your rig with a DOH, don't change anything, put your gun in it, and then turn the rig upside down over something hard, like concrete....maybe shake it a bit, and see how it works out

[Seth]

For those that are wondering... go to your local hardware store and pick up a 8-32 threaded knob and crank her up!

[Aircooled6racer]

G-Man: Ask some of the 3-gunners if they would use a Gugas,Ghost Racemaster etc. while they are rolling around on the ground? I think most will say they use a DOH or belt holster because they are more secure and also protect their pistol. The Gugas I had would not lock very well and when I thought it was locked I found the pistol on the ground---OUCH. That is why I went with the Ghost with the pin and now the Racemaster. They both lock very well when the lock is on. Can they be improved--you bet. You seem to have had great luck with your Gugas so it works for you. I have seen 3 other ones that the owners are looking for another holster. I have also seen a DOH holster on the ground when the screws fell out so all of the holsters need a little checking now and then. I guess the best advice would be pick one and use it and if it works for you then great Thanks, Eric

[EkuJustice]

Went with the DOH because basically I can have the same draw for limited, Production and SS(without a DOH attachment). It also keeps the gun protected more for 3 gun where you are moving(sometimes quite a lot) with the gun in the holster. From what I have seen, very few stages are won or lost on the draw time. Most stages at least around here are not stand and fire.

[G-ManBart]

The Gugas I had would not lock very well and when I thought it was locked I found the pistol on the ground---OUCH.

That's an adjustment issue with the blocks the grip sits on rather than a fault of the design, but it's an easy thing to adjust. The positive of that is that it allows the same holster to be used with a variety of 1911, 2011, Caspaian, and probably Para frames without buying different sets of inserts for each gun.

The issues with lack of tension are from a run of holsters where somebody wasn't doing QC on how the suppliers were finishing the locking levers. I let GR know about the problem, and also came up with an easy fix that seems to take care of the problem nicely. I got one of the problem holsters, and fixed it, then I got another one, from a later run, and it didn't have the problem (neither did my much older model). It seems they've taken care of it.

3 gun shooters need to protect the gun from hitting stuff, so it makes sense to use a holster that covers more of the gun....different set of conditions entirely. If you could combine that, with an actual lock, like a GR, or RM, it would be a much better mousetrap.

Like I said, I've got several DOHs that I like quite a bit, and have owned GR, RM, Ghost, 012, and 013 holsters. The least secure was the 012, by far. Second least secure is the DOH....no lock, so the gun can come out when you don't want it to, even if it's not too likely (but I've seen it happen)...no real way around that, but cranking down the tension certainly helps. R,

[G-ManBart]

The two MOST Important features are draw speed, ease of setup and solidness of gun security.

Just noticed this...wouldn't that be three features?

The least important aspect of draw times is the holster being used (excepting things like thumb breaks)

[Flexmoney]

Note:

All the customer service/vendor posts were edited out of this thread. Please don't post customer service issues here on the main forum. We don't want this forum being used for such. We don't want to back and forth.

Kyle F.

Forum Administrator

[orangeman711]

Went from a Helweg to a Safariland to CRSpeed to Guga Ribas;I've found a home. Love the GR,locks securely and draws smoothly. Good luck with whatever you choose.