Only Interesting Guns, Part One
Townsend Whelen is often quoted as saying, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” With all due respect, I’d offer that only interesting guns are interesting. Predecessors/Ancestors When I hired on in 1990, I was issued a stainless-steel Model 66 .357 Magnum along with a Blocker duty holster. After I qualified with my personally owned 1911, I turned that gun back in. Six years later, I was issued another -66 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s instructor [...]
Capability or Size? What’s Best For Pistol-Mounted Lights
Observations can be an interesting thing to consider. What catches your eye and – at least as importantly – why did it? In theory, it’d be an excellent discussion around a fire pit. But here is this week’s effort on an observation I had over two days at the Utah [...]
Blade-Tech’s VALOR Duty Holster
During SHOT ’25, Blade-Tech announced a new purpose-built duty holster – the VALOR. They designed and built it to compete with accepted offerings from several companies making holsters on- and offshore. When I spoke with them back then, I was pleasantly surprised to hear there would be left-hand models and [...]
The Next Echelon
Springfield Armory – the name invokes images of a few historic firearms. Two are their M1A rifles and 1911s. However, we'll be discussing the new thumb safety version of the Echelon. What the Gun Is The Echelon is a polymer-frame, striker-fired, high-capacity 9mm pistol from HS Produkt in Croatia. It [...]
Superior Concealment By Phlster
Most experts acknowledge that small revolvers still have a place in law enforcement as dependable backup guns. Revolvers also excel as deep-cover guns for officers working in undercover capacities. The rounded shape lends itself to effective concealment on the human body, and the long double-action trigger increases safety margins when [...]
Making Sense Of Duty Holsters And Retention Levels — Part 2
Editor's note: Part 1 is here Safariland retained the retention levels when they purchased the Rogers Holster Company and its designs in 1985. Actually, Safariland didn't just keep the protocol; they expanded it, adding new criteria and new test requirements, which made it even more difficult to achieve a Level [...]
Making Sense Of Duty Holsters And Retention Levels — Part 1
I was comparing notes on new products with American Cop Editor Erick Gelhaus at the 2023 SHOT Show, and the conversation turned towards law enforcement duty holsters. Each of us had seen some promising leads, and we were eager to share what we had learned with each other. Alas, [...]
Concealed Carry Holsters
Recently, a reader - Robert H - emailed requesting an article on concealed carry holsters for retired cops. Well, that fits nicely into my wheelhouse. Appropriate concealed carry holsters are not just a subject for off-duty cops, like nearly everything else here – it is a subject for all our [...]
CIRCLING BACK | Adjusting Holster Cant
Holsters are to handguns as slings are to rifles and shotguns. That is where you securely store the handgun when it's not in your hands. In my old department, 1911 pistols were common when I started as a patrol deputy in 1990. One popular holster was a muzzle-forward, open-top design [...]
Shoulder Holsters – Part 2
I have always loved shoulder rigs because they allowed me to carry large firearms and support gear comfortably and in a manner I can easily don and doff as needed. I have recently gone back to finding a good use for shoulder holsters. I spend a lot of time in [...]
Galco’s High Ready Chest Rig
I reached out to Galco a while back after seeing their new High Ready chest rig advertised on their website. Galco's Media and PR Manager, Mike Barham, responded swiftly and was good enough to send me samples to try out for two pistols: one to fit a Sig P227 and [...]