Shooting from the Hip

This young gun enthusiast isn't Dan L. But we'll pretend it is.

I have been a gun enthusiast since before I could say my ABCs. Through the years I have owned and used several different holsters.

Leather, nylon, composite … inside the pants, pancake, shoulder harness…the list just goes on.

After talking to customers forever about the Blackhawk SERPA Level 2 Holster, I finally broke down and got one for my Springfield XD 40, and much to my wife’s dismay all the accessories that come along with it.

This is by far the greatest holster I have ever used—period! Not only is the holster itself a fantastic piece of engineering, but the accessories and different wearing options that Blackhawk has incorporated make this the only holster I will ever use.

Living in a suburb, I don’t have too much need to be packing heat all the time, (and yes I know many of you would point out why I am wrong on that). But with the SERPA, I can (if I want) carry my XD concealed comfortably. With the belt mount or paddle attachment, I can elect to have the holster on permanently or removable if I am going into an establishment that does not allow conceal carry.

The accessory I enjoy the most has to be the Drop Leg Platform. With hiking and hunting on our property, I can wear a backpack, different belt pouches and still have my XD at my finger tips. Also it’s built so that it conforms to my leg, not my leg having to conform to it, which for a (as my co-workers say) “sturdy” guy like myself comes in handy.

So, a big kudos to Blackhawk on the SERPA line of holsters. You have a customer for life!

This post was written by Dan Lamb, a firearm aficionado and ecommerce manager at Cat5 Commerce. And we hope to coax him into frequently contributing to the Gun Holsters Blog.

(Image via Flickr)

In the scheme of things, Blackhawk has only existed for a short period of time. Yet during the last 17 years, it has managed to work its way up to become a leader in tactical gear and equipment, outfitting members of the military and law enforcement industry.

• 3,000 – The estimated number of products Blackhawk manufacturers including tactical armor, holsters, knives, weapon accessories and more.
• 2004 – When the holster manufacture introduced the leather law enforcement holster line and the SERPA holster line.
• 6160 – The address of Blackhawk headquarters on Commander Parkway in Norfolk, Va.
• 2 – The amount of companies (Masters of Defense and Delta Design Group) acquired in 2003. Blackhawk also added two more companies in 2005, obtaining All Seasons Apparel and Wildfire Warrior.
• 1993 – When Blackhawk was founded — in a garage — by former Navy Seal Mike Noell.
• 4. 5 million – The number of results Google gives when searching “Blackhawk.”
• 2007 – The year it entered the industrial security market.
• 228 – The quantity of Blackhawk holsters offered on GunHolsters.com.
• 1995 – Blackhawk released its first catalog made with black line drawings on a copy machine.
• 44,230 – Times that people have viewed the following video about Blackhawk’s SERPA level 3 retention holster.

Blackhawk Basketweave Molded Duty Belt

Just in time for the upcoming Shot Show, Blackhawk has added two new pieces to its nylon duty gear lineup.

Made out of Nytek composite fabric, the recently launched gear can be picked up in either a plain or basketweave finish. The Nytek fabric helps to give the belt a fancy leather shine, but the material itself weighs less than traditional leather and is much more breathable. Blackhawk even contends that Nytek is so similar to its leather counterpart that when you get deep down to the belt’s fibers, you can barely tell.

“We have seen rapid adoption of our SERPA holster technology in the law enforcement community, and with the extension of both plain and basketweave finishes to our nylon duty gear lines, officers will now be able to have a complete duty belt system available … regardless of their choice of finish,” said Terry Naughton, Blackhawk’s vice president of marketing, in a prepared statement.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Blackhawk’s nylon line is that you can polish it just like leather, yet you can use a 5 percent bleach-water solution to on it to eliminate blood-borne pathogens. This material is also weather resistant, which means it repels water and does not dry out or crack.

Along with the duty belts ($49.99), a range of tactical pouches ($27.99 to $49.99) are also available.

Wondering what is typically included on a duty belt? One man shows the world “all the crap” he carries on his duty belt in the video below.

It’s OK to be the gun nut in the family. What’s not OK is letting your loved ones sit around and guess what type of gun accessory they should pick up as your just-right holiday prize. To avoid further seasonal shopping stress, forward along this post to your gift-buying committee.

Dirty Bird™ Multi-Color Splattering Targets Animal Pack
Targets can be a great (and cheap!) gift. And since it’s not really humane to provide a moving/living one, these “real beast” targets ($12.99) made of NRA animal shapes like chickens, boars and turkeys will certainly make a splash at the shooting range — literally. When a target is hit, the color associated with each animal shape will explode creating a ring around each bullet hole. Animal shapes not exciting enough? Try these zombie targets ($5) then.

Flashlight Filter
Cheery colored filters in red and green are the choice tools when deceiving animals who are unable to see colored lights. That way, when you’re out in the forest at night, you won’t scare away any easy targets by spilling white light all about. For Blackhawk’s Legacy X6 flashlight ($69.99), you can pick up a filter for about $10 in red, green or blue.

Bullet Pen
With a catchphrase “make words not war,” it’s easy to love this seemingly dangerous writing utensil. The brass pen ($5-$25), said to allow you the ability to even write upside down if need be, fits inside of a .375 H&H Magnum shell for easy storage.

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