Rob Pincus

SERPA Holster Review

Rob Pincus
Duration:   7  mins

Description

The SERPA holster has gotten more attention than any other holster design in recent memory. The idea behind the SERPA is that it is an intuitive retention device. Rob Pincus examines the main issue with the SERPA: is it dangerous to have a retention release device that is actuated by the trigger finger? Rob demonstrates different possibilities involving right and wrong ways to present a firearm from a SERPA. The bottom line is that retention is a training issue, not a gear issue.

Share tips, start a discussion or ask other students a question. If you have a question for the instructor, please click here.

Make a comment:
characters remaining

7 Responses to “SERPA Holster Review”

  1. SAM

    I use the level 3 leg holster when I do security work and it works just fine. I never snag using the trigger finger on the trigger whilst withdrawing untill I actually became aware that it could led to an accidental discharge. In fact, the fact that the level three holser also have the top button release, leads to naturally unholstering the gun with the muzzle down untill the pistol is completely unholstered. I was very fortunate to purchase my kit (brand new!) for only $40!

  2. Jaque Bauer

    It's refreshing to see an expert firearm trainer apply sound logic to the "SERPA" negligent discharge phenomena. I have been wearing one for 5 years safely. I chose the SERPA level 2 over other holster types for its retention feature and small size. I contend that if you can't keep your finger straight when depressing the retention latch and drawing the weapon you have difficulty keeping your finger straight when handling weapons period. I feel it's a training issue requiring ones muscle memory of the hand and finger. As for foreign material jamming the retention latch, it's a non problem for most of us who don't crawl thru dirt and snow for a living. I found a link that describes the history behind the SERPA. http://gunwiki.net/Gunwiki/RefSerpa

  3. Eric

    Two observations: Serpas can jam up in environments where sand, dirt, snow or other fine debris can get in the holster. I've seen it more than once. Locks the gun in the holster - not good. Also, why use a holster that can cause a ND if the user does it wrong? It's happened enough, or we wouldn't be having this discussion.

  4. Mike

    I've seen a lot of training classes and ranges that ban the Serpa holster, but never really understood what the problem with it is. Thank you for describing what all the fuss is about! You describe it clearly and completely and give us the information to make up our own mind about whether to get one or not.

  5. David

    Rob, are you planning to do a safety video addressing self defense & handgun use issues in regards to the growing problem concerning the 'Knock-out' game young street punks are now playing in the major cities? It is moving into the suburbs & smaller towns. A number of people have been killed. The Knock-out game is where they walk up and suddenly sucker punch men, women & children of all ages... trying to knock them out with only one punch. Just for fun. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/22/knockout-game-arrests/3676649/

  6. David

    I live in Oklahoma where Open Carry is legal. I open carry a Glock 23 .40 cal every day in a BlackHawk Serpa II holster, secured to my belt with the optional belt loop attachment. It is very easy to switch between the paddle and the belt loop attachments by removing 3 screws. Just remember, if you switch between your paddle & the belt loop attachment very often then use a little mild to medium thread lock so that your screws don't loosen-up with holster use and general holster movement / stresses during the day. Or else check them for tightness at least every week or two. The holsters come from the company with a small amount of thread lock already applied to the screw's threads that will wear-off with repeated removal. I decided to buy 2 holsters, 1 with a paddle attachment and 1 with the belt loop so I wouldn't have to be changing back & forth. I had once found that my screws had loosened over time without my notice, so now all my screws are held in with medium thread lock. The Holster's cant is adjustable to several angles... with both the paddle and the belt loops. which can compensate for most anyone's preferred draw angle. I'm not long & lean in my torso / trunk area like Rob. I have a 'stocky' build with a traditional beer belly. I am short in my trunk length from the shoulders to my waistband. Thus the cut out in the front of the holster compensates extremely well for a person built like me with a shorter up & out draw stroke. I use the straight up and out draw like Rob. In all the time I've used the Serpa II holster and practiced countless draws at various speeds, I've never once had my finger accidentally 'slip' onto the trigger,. My finger goes onto the trigger when I intend for it to do so. And even with the 5 pound trigger pull of a factory Glock...I feel safe open carrying in crowds with a Serpa II holster. I'm certainly not worried about someone [like a dumb teenager or a drunk] behind me in a checkout line suddenly grabbing for my handgun and being able to get it out the holster before I can react. The release is recessed and very difficult to manipulate from behind or from in front-- even if using both hands.

  7. Steve Harris

    Good Serpa review and I agree.

Here comes another important tip from the Personal defense network. I want to talk about this Serpa holster for a minute. We're not going to do any live fire here. The gun is actually empty. There's no magazine in the firearm.

Of course, the chamber is clear. You're going to put it in the battery and put it into the holster. Now, this particular holster has gotten more attention than any other holster design in recent memory. A lot of people talk about it in classes. A lot of people are talking about it, of course, on the internet.

And even in some of the gun magazines that are in some of the gun shows. And I've talked about it before and I'm actually a fan of the Serpa holster. I first saw the design at the shot show. I don't even remember how many years ago. It was probably about 2004 maybe.

And it was an early prototype. Maybe it was 2003, maybe 2005. But it was when it was first coming out when it was first designed. The idea was that it was an intuitive retention device. It was a device that we were all teaching people, everyone in the industry was teaching people to keep their finger aligned along the actual holster outside of the trigger guard.

So that when the gun came up out of the holster, the finger was aligned on the frame and would be nowhere near the trigger. Well, if that's where we're teaching people to put their finger, it's natural and intuitive to put a retention release device in that exact same place. So that when you lay your finger in the natural spot, it's released and you can pull the gun up. If your finger isn't in that spot and someone tries to pull the gun, of course it's kept in the holster. And I've always said that retention is a training issue.

It's not a gear issue. Yes, the retention device helps to keep the gun in the holster, but we can't rely on the retention device. Cause this particular holster here right now is set up as a paddle design. So even if the gun stays in the holster, someone could relatively easily get this entire gun and holster off of my belt and at least take it away from me even if they couldn't immediately get it out of the holster to be used against me. So the issue here really isn't whether or not this is bomb-proof and foolproof, no retention device is .

The issue here is whether or not it's dangerous to have a retention release device that is actuated by the trigger finger. And what I'll submit to you is that if you do it wrong, this could be dangerous. If you intentionally push in on that button with a great amount of force as if you needed to do something differently than you're already doing when you draw your gun, then yes, you could increase the amount of pressure that you're pushing in with the trigger finger from what you would normally do. And then as you push in, actually create a tension that the finger hits the frame, slides off and it comes in and hits the trigger and fires around. That could happen if you do it wrong, don't do it wrong.

Simply lay your finger against the side of the holster just like you would with any other design. That will deactivate the retention device. And then, the next thing you need to make sure you're doing , is pulling the gun straight up out of the holster. And this is where I do think there's a design flaw here. This speed cut, this cutout on the front of the holster is the design flaw if there is one with the holster.

What happens here is, it allows people in theory, to rock the gun backwards and maybe gain of tiny fraction of a second in the speed with which the muzzle gets pointed forward. In practice, I don't see very many people actually taking advantage of it. When we look at slow motion of video, when we look at still pictures that are taken during the presentation very rarely do we actually see the muzzle coming through this cutout. We actually see the gun coming up before the rotation starts. And honestly, I think that's what should happen.

I think that we should be bringing the gun up high and orienting this way. Of course, we know that if we're always training to do this, we could actually be doing ourselves a disservice as we sweep the gun forward but really need the gun to be pointed out here to our right. So that if we come up and orient this way towards a threat we're being much more efficient than if we come out this way and then swing around towards a threat to our side. So always coming up and then always orienting the muzzle directly towards the threat, getting the gun up high so that we can push it all the way out extended into our shooting position is a better presentation, anyway. So the danger comes in when people do exactly the opposite of what that cutout is designed to allow and they rock the gun forward during presentation.

Of course, if I rock the gun forward during presentation what you can see happens, is the top of the slide comes forward through that gap. As my finger tracks up straight through the groove I end up aligned with the trigger. And in several instances of people shooting themselves when they're using a Serpa holster, I've seen the bullet go through the holster. In other words, I've held the holsters in my hand on two occasions and seen a lot of photos of other accidents and other negligence really where people have rocked the gun forward and managed to then angle the gun backwards and down. Well, that's an indication that they did something wrong.

What they did was they rocked the gun forward as they were drawing. And that's what allowed the tracking of the finger to come in and hit the trigger. This is wrong on the user's end. This cutout does allow it to happen. But we still need to be training properly and come straight up.

Now, there are other designs of the Serpa holsters. The higher level retention holsters, some of the ones that go on drop legs and other things that don't have this cutout. And I prefer that design. I prefer it to not have that cutout. When the gun rocks forward, people end up tracking their fingers straight out of that groove and they could hit the trigger.

Now we still shouldn't be putting that much pressure. All the things I said before about simply laying your finger up against the holster and allowing that button to be deactivated, not pushing it like it's a separate step, like it's an extra button still exists. But it's that rocking forward that by the way is usually incredibly inefficient. If I were going to be firing at a threat to my rear, then rocking forward might start to make sense. But I still say it's better to come up and orient this way and then drive out.

If we're going forward, which of course most of the time we're going to be, there's no benefit to rocking the top of the gun forward which actually points the muzzle backwards, and then having to bring the muzzle all the way back to the front as we extend and orient the muzzle. So the Serpa holster is not inherently dangerous. It's not inherently flawed. It's not a problem. But it's not bomb-proof, no retention holster is.

I think it's a good, intuitive retention device. I think it's a good efficient holster. But I think you have to, just like with any other device in this arena, have to train to use it properly and practice to use it properly in order to be able to use it safely. So consider this holster for range work. Consider this holster if you wear an outside the waistband holster and you want to be exposed, if you want to have it concealed, whatever you want to do.

I think this is a good option. I don't think it's inherently dangerous. Just make sure you use properly. Be sure to check out the Personal defense network for more important tips just like that one.

Get exclusive premium content! Sign up for a membership now!