Opinions on Serpa Holsters needed.

MatieA

MatieA

New member
I have a new Springfield XDm 40, and am looking to buy a Serpa holster, but am not sure whether to get the "sportster", or the "CQC" either choice will be the level 2 retention, and the CQC seems to be more holster. This will be used primarily for open-carrying my pistol, but also for the occasional conceal carry.
I am looking for folks' thoughts, experiences, whatever on the differences between the two holsters before I make my purchase.

Dug a little deeper and found the answers a few pages down....
 
MatieA said:
I have a new Springfield XDm 40, and am looking to buy a Serpa holster, but am not sure whether to get the "sportster", or the "CQC" either choice will be the level 2 retention, and the CQC seems to be more holster. This will be used primarily for open-carrying my pistol, but also for the occasional conceal carry.
I am looking for folks' thoughts, experiences, whatever on the differences between the two holsters before I make my purchase.

Dug a little deeper and found the answers a few pages down....
Click to expand...

My wife and I have SERPA level 2 CQC retention holsters. In her case it's a for the S&W J Frame .38 and mine is for the Springfield Armory 1911A1 GI. These are great open carry holsters, but we don't personally like them for concealed carry. Yes, they can be used for this, but they're much harder to conceal. Also, while the retention feature is easy to use I recommend repeated practice. It's easy to forget the button catch if you're not used to it.

For concealed carry I'd recommend a holster that hugs the body or rides within the pants. They're much easier to conceal.
 
Serpa CQC holster

MatieA said:
I have a new Springfield XDm 40, and am looking to buy a Serpa holster, but am not sure whether to get the "sportster", or the "CQC" either choice will be the level 2 retention, and the CQC seems to be more holster. This will be used primarily for open-carrying my pistol, but also for the occasional conceal carry.
I am looking for folks' thoughts, experiences, whatever on the differences between the two holsters before I make my purchase.

Dug a little deeper and found the answers a few pages down....
Click to expand...

A GREAT holster for open carry or range work. Not as good for concealed carry.

Comfortable, holds the gun securely. Definitely practice using the finger release though...I find I'm a little rusty (I sometimes wear the Serpa @ home, but I wear a custom leather holster for CC) when I switch holsters. When I use the Serpa more regularly, using the finger release is automatic and EASY.

I know nothing of the Sportster so cannot comment on the differences.

Best of luck finding a holster that works for you,
 
Maybe instead of editing my post (I did not see a delete option) I should have made a second post;
I scrolled down a few pages and found the CQC versus Sporster thread and found the answers I was looking for there.
I do appreciate the replies though; I am buying the CQC holster, and looking into a leather outfit for when I need deep-concealment ie. no printing allowed.
For now if I conceal it's because my jacket covers it, unless I am in Denver, then it is intentional with a long enough jacket to ensure it stays covered (what a pain).

I really do appreciate the responses though.
 
I have the concealed carry SERPA and like it a lot! It carries very comfortably and fits both my XD9 SC and my 45 compact! The paddle release is easy to work and the audible click on holstering the gun is a good feature. Plusyou can get a quick release upgrade that allows for the holster to be quickly detached from the belt patform. A well thought out item in my humble opinion.
 
I'll back up whats already been said, 100% great OC holster, absolutely terrible for CC. I'm also not a fan of the paddle.
 
jg1967 said:
I have the concealed carry SERPA and like it a lot! It carries very comfortably and fits both my XD9 SC and my 45 compact! The paddle release is easy to work and the audible click on holstering the gun is a good feature. Plusyou can get a quick release upgrade that allows for the holster to be quickly detached from the belt patform. A well thought out item in my humble opinion.
Click to expand...

I think it's doable for CC unless you are in one of those strange places where printing is against the law. However, the quick disconnect option is not good in my opinion. It adds too much space between the body and the holster making the whole setup too unwieldy.
 
snatale42 said:
I'll back up whats already been said, 100% great OC holster, absolutely terrible for CC. I'm also not a fan of the paddle.
Click to expand...

I agree. I absolutely love the Serpa for range work and for carrying around the house. I would never use one in a situation where I would need to draw my weapon quickly. I have practiced extensively with the Serpa, and I still have a tendency to botch the draw when I am trying to go fast. This does not happen with my other CCW holsters. I even saw Bob Pincus botch a draw on one of his training tapes using a Serpa, and this guy is a pro. I know a lot of military guys who swear by them, and I can see why. They are excellent if you want to keep the pistol IN the holster during all kinds of action. I don't like them when I need to get the pistol OUT of the holster fast, and my life depends on it.

BTW - my CCW rig is a Glock 21SF in a Galco Summer Comfort holster. I like the Serpa paddle holster around the house since I can wear it on my pajamas (much to my wife's amusement) as well as my pants.
 
Go with the CQC version of the Serpa. The Sportster looks the same at first glance, but they're actually slightly different.
 
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