SERPA vs Safariland
 

Hey there folks. I am currently in the market for a new holster, and Im trying to decide which of these two would be better bang for your buck. Ive looked around the board here and find ALOT of differing opinions, some say SL is the way to go, others say SERPA is the way to go. Ive yet to see any direct comparisons of the two systems though.

Ive had a SERPA before for my KJW M9, but thats gone now, since that is no longer my primary GBB, and my PTP wont fit due to the tac underside rail. Ive yet to have any experience with a SL though.

What are the advantages of either system, as well as the disadvantages. I will more than likely prefer to have my P226 holstered in it, since not ever field will allow use of the PTP since its a pretty hard shooting GBB. But I will listen to pros and cons of the M9 varients as well, and if they will fit the M9A1 with the tac rail or not.

First question: real or replica? It changes a lot of things.

Well from what I hear theres little differance in price so naturally I would go with real. Unless there are any replicas that are on par with the real thing, or close to and are substantially lower in price, then it would be replica. But until then...

Well do you prefer a locking mechanism or a strap-ish mechanism? I like Serpa's because they lock your gun in.

Safariland are used far more by real special forces and that, I don't know exactly why but I'm sure there's a reason. Personally I chose Blackhawk SERPA over Safariland because the difference was $50 to $150.

If you want to have a tac light permanently on the gun you would have to go with Safariland as there are no SERPA's I know of that have room for an integrated light. With a blackhawk you need a rail on the platform to mount the light on and then stick it on when you draw it.

I find the SERPA mechanism provides a faster low snag draw.

Occasionally I failed to completely open the loop on the Safariland I had which would snag the rear sight and foul things up. The gun suede in the Safariland gives an ultra luxo plush feel, but I found that it could sometimes retain sand which I wasn't crazy about. I later added a slide mounted RDS which screwed up my draw even more so that was the end of my Safariland.

Conversely, the SERPA has a relatively loose fit, low stick surface which lets sand fall through. The catch has a more positive means of opening, but I bet it has some retention problems in the field. I don't mean that your gun would fall out, but the outside button is very easy to reach which would make it easy for someone else to remove your gun. Not really a problem in airsoft, but I wouldn't like that kind of nonsecure retention on a duty gun. There are new versions of the Serpa with a thumb release which makes the retention a heap more secure.

I think the SERPA also has more mounting options. You can get leg rigs, hip paddles (most common), and there's even a MOLLE panel you can bolt on to put your holster on your vest which is a really neat feature. The hip paddle is typically standard with the holster, but the MOLLE panel only costs about $15. The leg rig adds about $50 to the package cost. I think you have to make transformer sounds while you change mounting configurations though.

This is very true, I tried to switch mine over without making the noises and it fell apart.

This past weekend I ran my SERPA at an indoor game in the cold. My Hi-Cappa would jam in and would take quite the effort to draw. I think it may have contracted due to the cold as I never had that problem last summer/fall.

To get a Hi-Cappa to fit in a SERPA, buy a 1911 and dremel out the area where the trigger guard goes. A 4.3 Hi-Cappa will fit in a Glock 17 Safariland but as far as I know there is no way to get a 5.1 Hi-Cappa into a Safariland.

Ugh. It takes some work to make a 1911 SERPA fit the Hicapa just right.

First off you have to carve out a chunk of mat'l for the trigger guard. It's not easy to take material out of there. It would be easier to round the lower corner of your trigger guard if you were ok with hacking your guns. Then you have to widen the whole thing a bit to loosen things up a bit. A combination of radiant heat from a stove coil and some focused anger can flare out the holster just right. If you drill a small 1/16" hole at the latch pivot pin, you can push it out with a small punch. Take the latch out and resurface the contact face. I find the stock contact angle binds with the trigger guard a bit if you pull the gun while the latch sweeps out. Change the contact angle so it's less catchy for more reliable draws.

All those modifications considered, I'd say that the Safariland was a better holster for a hicapa in stock form.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t/DSCN0997.jpg

I love my serpa :)

On the chest like that.. it takes up alot of space... but it keeps the gun nice and clean and it's a really easy draw/re-holster

I personally hated thumbstrap. Not sure which safariland you're talking about, but if it comes with thumbstrap, I'd personally go for BH Serpa. Haven't used both (I'm using Uncle Mike's Kydex Paddle), but from what I read from real steel users, the Serpa's Index Retention switch is quite easy to get used to. Not sure if it's a marketing hype or what though.

i use bladetech holsters and there quite decent , maybe take alook at those too.

My experience with the Serpa and Safariland differs from you guys it seems.
I think I had the first Serpa in the Calgary airsoft scene, but not for long.
It was a paddle and it wasn't too difficult to use. Usual issues arise out of cqc holsters scratching the gun, but thats rad. I used it one day out at Edmonton and duffed. I think my Beretta and the Serpa were chock full of dirt and soil. Jam packed too.
I cleaned everything out. The Beretta still worked like a charm, however the Serpa continued to fail on me. I eventually after a fair bit seemed to get it working better but never in it's original state.

I'm currently rocking the safariland 6004 for my MEUSOC.
Love it. Does not slip, the inside doesn't scratch your pistol, and I honestly trust the thumbreak tons better than with any Serpa.
I've had my Beretta fall out of my Serpa after hitting the ground hard a couple times.

I say stick with Safariland, or just rock a leather hip holster.

I have lost all respect for you, your left handed...

But are there any Safarilands on the market that can take 5.1 HiCappas? 4.3 Cappas just feel small in my hands, if it ain't at least a 5.1 it not right for me (6'3" 250lbs...I'm a big boy.) I also only had to dremel out the trigger guard area in mine. Other than that it works fine. I found the planer bit for my Dremel works wonders. The thing is totally useless for actual planing but since its like a 4" long drill bit with really sharp cutting edges along its entire length, it makes short work of plastic.

I assume your speaking about the thigh holsters, as both BHPG and Safariland have a variety of holsters. Its not a true apples to apples comparison, because the method of LVII retention is different. Safariland uses a rotating hood, Blackhawk uses the SERPA release. With the Safariland one must remember to rotate the hood back, the SERPA just reholster, this may or may not be a problem based on your level of training.

SERPA PROs
1.) Relatively Cheap
2.) Readily Available (At Least State-Side)
3.) Variety Mounting Options (Comes Stock OEM)
4.) Comfortable (Thigh Rig Y-Harness v. Traditional One Point)

SERPA CONs
1.) Release Mechanism (LVII Can Jam)
2.) Bare Kydex (Wears on Finish of Gun)

Safariland PROs
1.) Felt Lining (Protects Finish)
2.) Wide Variety of Holsters for Different Makes/Models
3.) Wide Variety of Holsters for Laser/Light Combos

Safariland CONs
1.) Long Turn Around Time (Depending on Make/Model/Laser/Light Combo)
2.) No Variety of Mounting Options (OEM Stock Doesn't Come with Accessories, Must be Purchased)

For non thigh holster recommendations see below...

Ming_the_Merciless Recommended Holster List:
Ankle Holster: Forbus or Galco
IWB (Inner Waistband Holster) w/ Laser-Light (Streamlight TLR-2): Raven Concealment
IWB w/out LaserLight: Crossbreed Supertuck
OWB (Hip/Belt) w/ Laser-Light: BladeTech WRS or Safariland ALS
OWB (Hip/Belt) w/out Laser-Light: SERPA, BladeTech, or Safariland
Thigh Holster w/Laser-Light: Safariland 6004 with Nylon or Kydex Shroud
Thigh Holster w/out Laser-Light: Safariland 6004 with Nylon or Kydex Shroud

The issue with SERPA jamming isn't really important if the user is not the type to mount/use/rub it where it'd ingest a lot of dirt.

:) Nothin' wrong with being a southpaw!

Which just so happens to be most airsoft players, me included.

Maybe it's the location... I've got mine on my chest and it's been there for a year... and it's just fine.

I used to use a SERPA on a duty belt. I seldom find myself doing anything that gets it into a position where it can ingest dirt. Most people don't lie down and roll around here in Ontario, and our former primary field (FR) had a lot of grass.

New FR is a lot more sandy, though.

how do you find it it when you are prone? also, how secure does the holster mesh with the MOLLE attachment device?

It's crazy secure, doesn't shift around at all.

When I go prone, my face is still up looking down my gun, so that part of my chest is still raised.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...ke/holster.jpg

Another vote on the chest. I can get to all the primary mags in the carrier, shoulder a rifle to my strong and weak sides, it's very solid with no bounce, and the only real downside I found was giving up the admin panel I had.

I'd say if you're going this route to pick a holster with the long top so the front sight is shrouded, that'll reduce the chance of you belting yourself in the face if you fall.

But if I put the holster there, where do I fit my 8 spare pistol mags? My rig is totally full, drop legs open up a lot more room for me. I also don't care about smashing the gun up since it cost me essentially $125, WE Hi-Cappa. I have fallen on the holster and smashed the handle of the gun against concrete more times than I can count, still nothing but small scratches on it.

I tried it on my chest for one game but the one time I tried to draw it when I took a gun hit, my three point sling got caught in it and stuck it in handle so I couldn't get the gun out. I find drop legs are at the perfect height for my hand to just fall to my side and draw it.

If you ever get a SERPA leg panel, don't get the pressure fit pistol mag holders for it. I had two and while running I saw this thing come up in front of me, as it flew through the air I realized it was a spare mag flying out of the pressure fit holder.

I also I'm in the same position with my previous SERPA use. I've used the SERPA for both airsoft, and while CCLing, and never had the device jam on me, nor out of other users of the SERPA have I seen a documented case of failure. However, that said, Mr. Murphy might come knocking on my door soon....

Good point, with the difficulty transitioning, along with your specific need to have more real-estate available on your 2nd line set up. It highlights the axiom: what works for some people may not work for others.

Its critical we also remember the big picture that gear doesn't make a warrior which often airsofters often get a bad rep for. The important thing in the end is to make sure it works for you, consistency, builds confidence, and leads to greater effiency. Often people get into caliber debates for example, or in this case whats best with regards to gear, when they should be more worried about their skills/experience/level of training. I myself I'm guilty of it, get excited with a new high speed gizmo or gadget, I test and eval it, if it works great, if it doesn't I throw it in my "tactical-tool-box" to perhaps reconsider it later. I also know for the on and off airsofter that doesn't plan to go into harms way, this isn't an issue, but otherwise without training your just a laibility. You could have the must high-speed set up, eaxctly what Delta/Seals/or some Uber-death-touch-spec-ops group have, but without training, practice, and further thought your a lability.

If I teach you just how to take off, land and fire from an F-22 a thousand times and more, would you say your ready for aerial-combat?

Just food for thought ;)

I have four pistol mag pouches on my weak side on the cumberbud of the carrier.

In my case I consider that as enough since it's a secondary and I have 11 rifle mags also. In fact some times I'll only carry 3 spare mags and put a set of folding pliers in the empty pouch. I've got space for 2 more but never felt the urge to go that far.

My SERPA replica has been great for indoors. Better than any cordura holster out there. Outdoor, I've yet to test it. I can see dirt and grime possibly being issues but the retention is rock solid and the different mounting options is a big plus.

Anything that would jam up a SERPA would do holy hell on your GBB anyways. Any super sandy game (ahem Rawdon) would make me leave the pistol at home. About halfway through the day I realized that my Detonics backup was a solid hunk of fine Japanese engineering and varying grades of sand.

I suppose it would be possible to go to ground and hit the index finger release on the SERPA because it's on the outside. If you're worried about that, and you still want to get a SERPA look at getting one of their new LVIII holsters which have both the usual index latch as well as an ingenious thumb break retention which looks really fast:

YouTube - BLACKHAWK Level III SERPA HOLSTER

Too bad they don't make one for the 1911...

I've seen more than a few people scouring the local field for pistolas that ejected out of cordura holsters!

That's happened to me as well. Pistol lanyards all the way for me now. It's just a $15 investment to protect a $250+ gun.

Can you guys point me in the right direction on where to get genuine serpa/safariland?

I've been to a few U.S. sites and they won't ship holsters to Canada. If I go for replica, where do I find the molle attachment plate such as Amos has?

Look for a serpa solution for P226 on vest.

I picked mine up at rnichols

http://www.rnicholls.com/en/index.php

DS Tactical

What name do I search for? I can find serpa holsters easily, but never the attachment plates to molle.

it's called the serpa holster platform s.t.r.i.k.e. platform I got the retail package infront of me :P

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/SER...ous,772,82.htm

Cheap on eBay, and there is an ebaybanned clone too.

bit of a necro well alot but whatever Danke your profile pic is epic!

Just to resurect the dead....

I just recently purchased a Safariland 6004 SLS thigh rig for my Glock 17. I've a TM P226 in a huang replica of a BH Serpa and I like it, I was going to purchase a serpa for my glock so I could look uber cool at the range.

I then decided I wanted a weapon light for my glock and decided on the Streamlight TLR-1. Well, you can purchase a Serpa that accomodates a tactical weapons light, but the ONLY light that fits is the Blackhawk Xiphos weapons light. I was sold on the Streamlights TLR-1's price as well as the 135 lumens....compaired to the Xiphos's 90 lumens and higher price. Granted the Xiphos has a strobe feature....but that's another matter.

Anyways, given the option of a Serpa and a Xiphos NT weapons light or a Safariland 6004 SLS with a Streamlight TLR-1 I went with the Safariland.

I was looking only for a thigh rig, that said I may yet purchase a serpa for my plate carrier as Blackhawk did it right with their system for mounting the serpa....pretty much anywhere. The adapter idea is stellar. SO I may end up with both in the end, one holster for when I have a light attached and one when I don't.

I'm also not sure how well I'll like the single waist retention strap of the safariland compaired to the "Y" yoke of the Serpa thigh rig.

I'm currently waiting delivery ( next few days ), I'm hoping that I'm happy with my choice...if not....well.....there will be a for sale ad up....