This is a review for the Galco Concealable Holster for the Springfield XD. I purchased this holster a little over a year ago and have carried it for over 400 hours.

Overview:

The Galco Concealable Belt Holster is Galco’s pancake holster and is designed to be worn behind the strong hip. It is constructed of leather and is custom molded for the firearm it is designed to hold.

The interesting thing about this holster is only the front is molded to the firearm, the back of the holster is designed for the contour of the holster wearer. This contouring is said to increase comfort and also create a flatter, more concealable look.

Construction Quality:

The Galco Concealable Holster is very well constructed and as shipped is tight and needs some break in, Graco thoughtfully includes break-in instructions with the holster. I have not experienced any fading or loose stitching.

Concealment:

True to it’s name the Galco Concealable Belt holster is very easy to conceal, especially for an OWB holster.

The holster rides close to the body but not so much that it interferes with drawing. Even with the fairly large Springfield XD 45 ACP I am able to conceal this holster very well with an untucked polo shirt so it is acceptable for both winter and summer carry.

Comfort:

I’m not sure I buy the hip molded back side has anything to do with it but the Galco Concealable Holster is very comfortable, I have carried it in excess of 16 hours in a day without any discomfort.

It is important to use the holster as designed and carry it behind instead of on the hip as carrying directly on the hip isn’t comfortable with any holster and makes concealment more difficult.

It is far more comfortable than IWB holsters as the firearm is not resting between the pants and the body.

Drawing and Holstering:

The holster is easy to draw from and is stiff enough that it does not collapse, making re-holstering easy.

Retention:

This holster is an open top holster with no thumb break and is not designed to thwart gun grubs but like all good holsters offers some retention. Retention is important so that the gun does not work lose from the holster when walking, bending over, or other activity.

The holster comes from the factory VERY snug and requires a good amount of break in, even once broke in the holster remains tight enough to provide good friction and prevent the firearm from moving.

I believe the fact that the holster is only molded to the firearm on the front contributes to snugness.

Overall:

This holster is an extremely good value, it is well constructed, comfortable, and conceals easily. It is not quite up to par with some of the better custom holsters but it is also immediately available at a very fair price.

If you are looking for a good OWB concealment holster give the Galco Concealable Belt Holster a close look, it gets a solid A.

This is a review for the Blackhawk Serpa Retention Holster for the Sig P226 / P229. I purchased this holster for open carry use. I have used it for a year and a half for concealed carry, open carry, and running.

Overview:

The Serpa Retention Holster is made by Blackhawk and is available both online and in many local stores. I have seen it in Sportsman’s Warehouse, Cabelas and various local shops.

The Serpa Holster is carbon fiber injection molded holster fit to a specific firearm. It is a level II retention holster it uses friction and a locking action to keep the firearm in the holster.

The holster can be used as a paddle holster or the paddle can be removed and standard belt loops attached.

Holster Construction

The holster itself is visually appealing and feels as though it is constructed very well. Over the past year and a half I have impacted walls, doors, and other various objects with the holster and have not caused any damage to it.

There are two potential weak points on this holster.

The holster locks onto the trigger guard, and there have been some reports of gravel and sand getting into the holster and disabling the lock release. While somewhat concerning I have no intent of rolling around in the dirt with this holster and don’t anticipate running into this problem.

The holster can be used as either a standard belt loop holster or a paddle holster, both modules are provided in the box. Unfortunately the attachment uses somewhat small screws, I am concerned that in a retention the holster may separate from the belt loop or paddle module.

Retention

The primary use for this holster is for openly carrying a firearm. Because the firearm is in plain view when open carrying firearm retention can be more of an issue when carrying concealed.

The Serpa system locks onto the trigger guard when the firearm is holstered. There is a nice audible click that notifies the user the locking system has engaged. To release the lock the user obtains a firing grip on the firearm and indexes the pointer finger along the holster, the finger will naturally rest on the lock release button.

The Serpa system is viewed as unsafe by some firearm instructors because it requires the user to use the trigger finger to disable the lock. When drawing the user presses towards their body with the trigger finger and it is in theory possible for the finger to slip from the holster onto the trigger as the firearm clears the holster.

There has been a lot of heated debate between people on this issue with advocates on either side. I myself have not experienced the finger slip but it is something I’m aware of and watch out for with this holster.

It took very little time to master the system and drawing is no slower than drawing from a holster without retention. Disabling the lock is so natural I am somewhat concerned that an attacker may also naturally rest their finger along the release button.

The paddle attachment system locks to the belt but it can still be removed fairly easily with tugging.

Concealment

I have occasionally concealed this holster in locations where open carry is not possible and while not ideal it is acceptable. I would not purchase it for a concealment holster however as there are better choices.

This holster is a polymer holster and is very rigid, this means it tends prints more than a leather holster that can smooth out the edges of the firearm.

When configured as a paddle holster I found this holster rode too far from the body to be concealed.

Running

I am an avid runner and have experimented with various methods of carry while running. This holster works very well as an open carry running holster, the retention feature keeps the firearm securely in the holster and I have not experienced any accelerated firearm wear.

It can be made to work as a concealment running holster but I found I had to continually pull my shirt down, this is common to all OWB holsters though and nothing specific to this holster.

Overall

Overall the Blackhawk Serpa Holster is a good but not great holster with decent retention capability for general use. It is far surperior to the Uncle Mike’s line of polymer holsters.

That said I do not think it is constructed heavily enough or has enough retention features for duty use.

If you are considering a Serpa holster I also recommend you take a look at the Safariland 6367 holster as it is more heavily constructed in the belt loop area and also features more retention, it is a more expensive holster though.