1. Ive hid my Kimber FULL SIZE 1911 in a paddle holster under a t shirt .. hard to tell what they thinkin other than “ lookit me “ or “I tuck my shirt behind it so I cans do a speed draw….” I dont know….

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2. “” And yeah, choice of holster. I know.”””

   ????????

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   1. The Blackhawk SERPA holster, which I believe this is based on the release button location, has a bad reputation in some circles.

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3. Open carrying a gun is an aggressive posture to take. It should be reserved for those times that you need to open carry. You will know when.

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   1. Eh. I’d say, personal choice; but if you’re going to do it, do it with class and cleanly. Not … whatever this is.

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   2. @Lynn: I disagree on both points.

      OCing while behaving is not “aggressive” and I’m fairly certain that I won’t know when to transition.

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      1. Agreed, Rick. It’s not the open display that’s aggressive, it’s the overall posture and behavior. Be easy going, smile, hold doors, and people see you much differently. YMMV, of course, depending on whether you live.

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         1. sigh … “where” you live

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            1. @tkdkerry: I do acknowledge that the, um, atmosphere here in central NH is quite different that back in MA. Sorry.

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4. I have owned a few holsters of that type… At times, the part that is supposed to be inside your pants (outside in the pic) chafes some, so I can see wearing it over the pants and under the belt like shown when it would be uncomfortable not to do so. As far as all the ABSOLUTE FRIGGING IDIOCY SOME PEOPLE REACT WITH ABOUT OPEN CARRY, FUCK YOU, ELMERS ONE AND ALL…..

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   1. If you ask nicely, maybe one of the Elmers can teach you how to turn off that Caps Lock thingie

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5. I wonder if there are different Serpa holsters. In mine, whenever I draw, my trigger finger inevitably ends up resting alongside the barrel above the trigger guard in the correct position. It has never ended up inside the trigger guard.

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   1. Likewise; mine are for a 1911 and a Beretta Px4, and I like both the release mechanism and the fit to the gun.

      Perhaps we never learned bad habits with other guns and holsters first? Or perhaps it tends to wind up “misplacing” the finger more with other brands.

      I’ve also heard about the Serpa causing real problems if the mechanism gets stuck, in terms of not being able to get the gun out of the holster. But I’ve not had that happen yet either.

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6. I am paraphrasing Clint Smith here: The carrying of a gun should be comforting but not necessarily comfortable.

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7. Well, according to AlienGear, the only thing that could be wrong about that photo, is the shirt inside the weapon. Paddle holsters are made to be worn hooked on the belt, but can be put the paddle inside the pants if desired.
   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gaqABX4SkV4&utm_source=KL+-+All+Contacts+Minus+Suppressed&utm_medium=campaign-email&utm_campaign=Newsletter&_kx=Xg1UQ29cFc15c-D3CclH1CClPfHNftmvk9rQq8cITkE%3D.SwcNiP

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8. Definitely making himself into a “shoot me first” situation.

   The Serpa has at least several problems.
   Any holster (not just the Serpa) that has you use your trigger finger to release the retention mechanism is universally regarded as a bad idea. It’s too easy/likely that the trigger finger will continue to act during the drawstroke and will cause an ND.
   Another problem with at least the Serpa is that dirt and whatever crud can and does get into the retention mechanism. I’ve seen it at IDPA matches when this happens and when the buzzer sounds and the shooter tries in vain to draw his gun from the holster. Sometimes so badly that the holster can’t be unjammed and it requires a dremel or the like to cut the holster off of the gun. Would you like that to happen when someone’s attacking you?

   The final thing with Serpas, although other paddle holsters also have this problem, is that the paddle mount isn’t robust enough to withstand a disarm attempt by your attacker. Meaning if someone stuffs your draw or is trying to yank your gun out of it’s holster and you’re trying to stop them from it, there’s a pretty good chance the paddle will rip right off of the holster. That doesn’t improve your chances of retaining your gun.

   I have a Serpa I bought back before I knew better. Now I know better and the Serpa is used as an example of “don’t buy this” even though gun stores still sell them. Get yourself something like a Safariland ALS for the same $, it’s not a cheap gear problem it’s just a poor design problem.

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   1. @T: and @lynn: Can you cite any examples of open carriers being shot forst?

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      1. I’ve read of a number of examples of someone either open carrying, or someone who’s gun was spotted, being pre-emptively attacked. Off the top of my head I remember one that’s been used to illustrate the point, a guy in a convenience store in Philadelphia or somewhere being attacked from behind while standing in line, if the bad guy didn’t get his gun away from him it was really close and a desperate fight to hang on to it. I”ll see if I can locate the link and will post it. The link was a YouTube video of the security camera footage.

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         1. @T: I saw the Philly one. IIRC, he had a thigh-mounted holster and the grab was pretty quick.

            There was another one where some guy was “showing off” his new pistol at some ridiculous hour out on the street and someone snatched it and ran.

            There was a shooting at a Walmart a couple of years ago, where a citizen drew on an armed assailant, not realizing that the woman behind him was part of the “team”. She shot him in the head.

            I don’t count these as an OC being shot first, though.

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9. > Definitely making himself into a “shoot me first” situation.

   My thought exactly.

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10. This holster seems to have the release mechanism in line with the dust cover and not with the trigger (like ANY OTHER BRAND not using a thumb release).

    I know it’s cool to diss this kind of holster but ultimately it’s stupid because if you pull the trigger after releasing the locking mechanism you have no control over your trigger finger and would have pulled the trigger even if your holster had no locking mechanism. It’s not the holsters fault.

    The kind of dirt that can jam your locking mechanism can jam the gun in any Kydex holster, be it with or without a manual safety. If you want a guaranteed draw even after crawling through coarse mud, you use leather or fabric holsters but not hard shell ones.

    If someone yanks with enough force to break the paddle he will have enough force to break any seam that fastens the belt loop on traditional holster. Only solid leather or Kydex loops are immune to that.

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11. Try as I might, I have not found an example of “shoot the open carrier first”. My thought is that a thug prefers gun free zones, not places that they know everyone there could be armed and have proof of that, because “look, I’ve seen several open carriers in here”. Can I legally OC? Yes. Do I? Not recently, but did years ago, without a single problem. Even when I carried a rifle in a saddle holster strapped to the front fork. Generally, the other drivers on the rode made damn sure I didn’t feel crowded. ;-))

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12. Y’all wanna remember the only rule for comments? Thanks.

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    1. @Miguel.GFZ: All comments are always loaded? 8>)

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13. Comfort and lack of education OR comfort trumping education. I’d see this a lot from people buy their first gun and using the paddle holster that came with it or the cheapest one they could find.

    Could also be someone with very sensitive skin who doesn’t handle abrasion or sweat well and isn’t willing to buy a holster with a shield or wear a blocking garment.

    They appear to be somewhat horizontally blessed and as someone who struggles on that road myself I understand the thought but I’d much rather use the equipment as it was intended and buy a few sizes up, it gives me an excuse, and the room needed to properly in waistband carry or outside waistband with paddle or holster wedge.

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14. I should probably poke around social media and see if anyone noticed and freaked out over the guy carrying in the supermarket last night. He was close to the more upscale neighborhoods where the Biden signs were common. I don’t think anyone would care in my area

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15. I don’t have a problem with his choice of holster.

    My guess is he has the paddle outside his pants because his pants are too tight and it’s uncomfortable with the paddle inside. Heck you can see his panty lines.

    I’m not much of a fashion critic, but since we’re going there, that’s what I’d be focusing on…dude, gets some pants that fit; no one wants to see the outline of your BVDs under there.

    BTW: I like Serpa holsters for open carry. They stick out too far from the body for concealed, but for open, I like the extra retention security of the lock. I think the fear that pressing the button puts your finger on the trigger as the gun clears the holster is way overblown. I’ve not experienced that in the least with my 1911.

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