012 Safariland and STI Tactical

[cking]

How do you get a STI with thick front of trigger guard to lock into the Safariland catch. Works fine on metal frames with the thin front strap on trigger guard, but not on STI???

I don't want to buy another holster. Would like common holster for all my 1911's.

Just in case anybody out there with a used left rig that fits an STI????

Thanks in Advance

[chuckbradley]

How do you get a STI with thick front of trigger guard to lock into the Safariland catch. Works fine on metal frames with the thin front strap on trigger guard, but not on STI???

I don't want to buy another holster. Would like common holster for all my 1911's.

Just in case anybody out there with a used left rig that fits an STI????

Thanks in Advance

Take the spacer out that sits under the trigger block.

[cking]

Nope, the space below the locking tabs is too thin to allow front of trigger to click in. Unless I sand it down. It will only latch on my steel frames.

Anybody else have this problem. Should I call Safariland.

[Sestock]

As Chuck said, take out the spacer. The 012 has a spacer in the locking mechanism to allow normal 1911 stlye trigger guards to lock. Take it out for square trigger guards like on the STI/SVI's . It will work.

If you don't have the book for the holster e-mail Safariland at support@holsters.com and they will send you one.

Edited October 30, 2007 by Sestock

[chuckbradley]

There is a screw on the back/under side of the holster body. Take the screw out, remove spacer, replace screw. Its now ready for STI trigger guards. Replace the spacer for steel trigger guards.

[cking]

Ok here's what I found out after fiddling with it. This if for a STI tactical 5". Slide was too wide to fit the nose cone. Had to relieve it in on sides then nose dropped in OK. Then I took the trigger catch out of the frame to inspect how it locks on the steel frame. Then put it back in the frame and found that the AL frame was hitting on the side STI. So I took some off the radius which covers the trigger. This let the STI go far enough forward to latch. Now with just some adjustment of the plastic nose screw it will work with all my 5 inch 1911's. Becuae I undercut the trigger guard the shim stayed in.

[chuckbradley]

Ok here's what I found out after fiddling with it. This if for a STI tactical 5". Slide was too wide to fit the nose cone. Had to relieve it in on sides then nose dropped in OK. Then I took the trigger catch out of the frame to inspect how it locks on the steel frame. Then put it back in the frame and found that the AL frame was hitting on the side STI. So I took some off the radius which covers the trigger. This let the STI go far enough forward to latch. Now with just some adjustment of the plastic nose screw it will work with all my 5 inch 1911's. Becuae I undercut the trigger guard the shim stayed in.

How old was the holster? I seem to recall a problem with LDC guns in the 012 but thought that had been changed. Arredondo also makes a plug for the 012 that does away with the shroud on the 012.

To keep the shim you would have to thin the complete trigger guard all the way front to back. Be sure its locking in good. I still think the shim should come out because it isnt common to thin the complete bottom edge of a trigger guard.

[Joe4d]

I am having the same problem on a recently purchased 012. What shim are we talking about. I removed the underside screw and the side screw and removed the block It still wont go on the STI squared trigger. Is the shim in question a seperate peice that sits between the trigger lock and the metal frame or is inside the trigger block. I dont see any other peices to remove that would allow for clearance of the trigger guard.

[b.s._nm]

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that didn't know how this holster worked!! I kept wanting the trigger gaurd to go under the bottom of the latch petals. Forget that. Take out the shim thats between the trigger block and the aluminum frame, Joe. That allows the bottom of the trigger gaurd to set deep enough for the top of the petals to engauge it when you push the trigger gaurd down through them. This keeps the trigger gaurd from coming through them in a foward direction only.

The rest for an upward motion is done strictly by friction on the side of the trigger gaurd and is adjusted with the tension screw on the side. It only took me a new trigger block from safariland and hours of frustration to figure out how it's supposed to work and I still can't say I like it that much.

Bob

[nm3gnr]

I have two 012 holsters. One for limited STI Edge and one for open SVI. Took the spacer out that Chuck is talking about, made some minor low end adjustments of the screw and muzzle cup and they work great.

If you are having too much trouble, I would contact Safriland.

[Joe4d]

BS nm,

If that is how it is supposed to work I say it's pretty crappy. I dont think it is though as My Para and single stack lock in with a click. Ive used a 010 which has a similar lock for quite awhile so I am familiar with how they are suppossed to work I just dont see that many people ising them with STI's unless they are doing something different.

[b.s._nm]

BS nm,

If that is how it is supposed to work I say it's pretty crappy. I dont think it is though as My Para and single stack lock in with a click. Ive used a 010 which has a similar lock for quite awhile so I am familiar with how they are suppossed to work I just dont see that many people ising them with STI's unless they are doing something different.

Joe,

I thought it was pretty crappy too. I purchased a used 012 from this forum and thought maybee something was funny with it. My expectation was that the trigger gaurd would go under the latch petals. Unless I really cranked down on the tension screw there was nothing keeping the pistol from coming up through. After numerous phone calls to Safariland and a new trigger module and some measuring of the gap under petals and front of trigger gaurd on 1911's it became clear that they were not going under the petals either. Take the trigger module out of the holster frame and slide your 1911 into it and you can see that the front of the trigger gaurd does not go under petals. If you look at the profile of the bottom of the petals you'll see that if the front of the trigger gaurd did go under them, youd never get it back out. Sguared edges and no ramp to push petals back out. My 1911's seem to snap in to but its all tension screw. I would not run with my pistol in this holster!!

Bob

[Joe4d]

Thank's. I guess I was wondering if I was doing something wrong as this is a very popular holster but there isnt anything else to do. I checked my single stack and you are correct. I just dont feel like the 012 has the same level security with a STI as my old 010 does with the Para and SS. It is probably imaginary but I guess I will stick with my Blade tech DOH like HSMITH told me to to begin with.

Edited May 14, 2008 by Joe4d

[XRe]

You guys are missing how the locking block works. The front of the trigger guard doesn't go behind anything - those "petals" you see are tabs that push out the retention mechanism, which comes around the back side of the front of the trigger guard. Even without extra tension on the tension screw, it actually holds the gun pretty solidly (though I can understand where you'd get the impression it doesn't). I ran around for years w/ a 009 (same locking block), including RO'ing shooters, etc - never dropped a gun out of the holster. The only holster I've had that problem with is the Ghost, if its unlocked (still haven't dropped one while RO'ing or anything, but have dropped one when the gun wasn't in the holster solid). Crank down the tension, and you've got something that's actually more solid than a locked CR Speed holster, but not quite as solid as a locked Ghost - and you can still draw out of it.

The shim sits between the locking block and the aluminum (or kydex, in the case of older models) body of the holster. It adds height to the thinner trigger guard guns in about the same height as an S_I trigger guard. This puts the locking mechanism in the right spot, assuming that none of the rest of the holster is interfering w/ your gun. Chuck described how to remove it - you have to take the locking block out, and the shim comes right off/out.

All that said - you really can't expect a race holster to be a kydex DOH. They're different animals entirely...

[kgunz11]

Ok here's what I found out after fiddling with it. This if for a STI tactical 5". Slide was too wide to fit the nose cone. Had to relieve it in on sides then nose dropped in OK. Then I took the trigger catch out of the frame to inspect how it locks on the steel frame. Then put it back in the frame and found that the AL frame was hitting on the side STI. So I took some off the radius which covers the trigger. This let the STI go far enough forward to latch. Now with just some adjustment of the plastic nose screw it will work with all my 5 inch 1911's. Becuae I undercut the trigger guard the shim stayed in.

A little FYI, the Tactical 5.0 is not any different than the Edge 5.0 outside of the fact that the dustcover on the Tactical is cut into a light rail. ANY holster that will fit an Edge will fit the Tactical.