Worn Holster Causes ND - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

KirStang · 03-21-2011, 04:23 PM

Worn Leather Holster Causes ND/AD...

Quote:

“What the hell was that?!?” she said. It took me a half a second to realize that my gun had just gone off…on my hip…in its holster. My wife and I had just finished breakfast at our favorite café and got into the car.

Me being the passenger, I rotated my torso to the left to fasten my seatbelt like I always do. When I straightened again, my Glock 19 discharged, blowing a 9mm hole through my pants, underwear, the leather seat and bottom of the car’s door frame.

The bullet nicked my hip, but the wound is nothing a bandage couldn’t cover. So what went wrong? Guns never go “Bang” all by themselves.

[Credits: ITS Tactical

Full Post SAFETY WARNING! Worn Leather Holsters Can Cause Accidental Discharges!]

Just a heads up. A lot of people say "Don't worry, just use a quality holster...." but exigencies can happen. Luckily no one was seriously injured.

Stay safe.

remy1492 · 03-21-2011, 07:04 PM

wow, I can see how that'd happen.

I usually just slide it in my waistband next to my nuts and call it a day

Plan9 · 03-21-2011, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remy1492

I usually just slide it in my waistband next to my nuts and call it a day

Don't be a moron. If you seriously do this you need to completely reevaluate your responsibilities as a gun owner.

...

Galco loves the cock. They produce overpriced mediocre leather holsters. If I was spending that much, I'd go custom.

...

This is also why many holsters feature a "sweat guard" so you can slide the gun down instead of cramming through top edge lips.

This is also why I tend to prefer the rigid Kydex over collapsing leather. If my Kydex IWB somehow breaks, I might hear / feel it.

Walt · 03-22-2011, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plan9

Don't be a moron. If you seriously do this you need to completely reevaluate your responsibilities as a gun owner.

I think he was being sarcastic.

----

This certainly offers an interesting counter-point to all the folks (usually cops and mall security) claiming that SERPA holsters cause ND's.

I don't own leather holsters. How does something like the OP's picture happen? Could it be caused if you had a new holster and were caught in the rain? Or does it take a good bit of time and neglect to do something like that?

KirStang · 03-22-2011, 05:00 AM

I'd imagine it's due to regular use:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Original Anon Article Poster

The trusty, comfortable, leather holster I had been using for a year and two weeks had done what a baseball glove does after lots of use; It got soft

I find people who claim that SERPAs cause NDs generally just like to parrot what they've read online. The SERPA draw entails your finger touching the bottom of the slide when you've cleared the holster (i.e. at the bottom right corner of the ejection port).

OTOH: There have been some consistent reports that the SERPA locking mechanism can get jammed with debris/snow/dirt/rocks/sand and fail, causing your sidearm to become locked in the holster.

YouTube - Review Part II: Blackhawk SERPA Holster Lock Test

I'm sure Plan9's gonna smack me over the head for posting that.

Anyway, I'm looking at Blade-Tech/Safariland/GCode holsters for my P30S going forward.

Walt · 03-22-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KirStang

I find people who claim that SERPAs cause NDs generally just like to parrot what they've read online. The SERPA draw entails your finger touching the bottom of the slide when you've cleared the holster (i.e. at the bottom right corner of the ejection port).

Agreed. Apparently the issue is that people end up sticking their finger in the trigger guard and pulling the trigger...and that is somehow the fault of the holster. I would be willing to bet that some cop somewhere accidentally shot a hole in a piece of very expensive department property and concocted the whole "death-trap holster" story to cover his ass.

Semi-related:
A kid ND'd in to his boot at the last match Slims and I went to. He blamed it on his SERPA...in that he had his finger in the trigger guard when he was holstering his pistol, finger met holster and got pushed back in to the trigger.

Zeraph · 03-22-2011, 09:14 AM

A lot of people don't seem to realize that you need to take care of leather. No matter what its being used for. That worn look is not good unless its a fashion statement only.

Plan9 · 03-22-2011, 10:01 AM

Pop Quiz, genius: What happens when you treat leather over and over again?

It gets soft.

Zeraph · 03-22-2011, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plan9

Pop Quiz, genius: What happens when you treat leather over and over again?

It gets soft.

Yes, and then you need to get a new one. duh. I am well aware of how leather works. Most armor in the SCA is leather.

Leather has a shelf-life, usually between 1-2 years of use. Depends on how roughly you use it.

Jinn · 03-22-2011, 10:48 AM

Interesting video about the SERPA lock jamming.. granted I don't routinely toss a handgun in a pile of snow, but definitely interesting nonetheless.

03-22-2011, 10:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Pop Quiz, genius: What happens when you treat leather over and over again? It gets soft. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

03-22-2011, 10:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	Interesting video about the SERPA lock jamming.. granted I don't routinely toss a handgun in a pile of snow, but definitely interesting nonetheless. __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

03-21-2011, 07:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
remy1492 Crazy Location: CA TX LU	wow, I can see how that'd happen. I usually just slide it in my waistband next to my nuts and call it a day

03-22-2011, 09:14 AM	#7 (permalink)
Zeraph Banned Location: The Cosmos	A lot of people don't seem to realize that you need to take care of leather. No matter what its being used for. That worn look is not good unless its a fashion statement only.