{"id":308,"date":"2018-03-29T14:39:22","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T14:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/?p=308"},"modified":"2020-01-16T21:01:04","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T21:01:04","slug":"holster-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/holster-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"Leveling Up on Holster Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to carrying our guns, there\u2019s no doubt that we want them to stay in our possession. Most of us rely on our holsters to hold them there securely. Holster retention is what keeps the gun secured in its holster and is an aspect we must acknowledge if we are going to carry a gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

My first acknowledgment of holster retention came years before I even started shooting. I was a teenager working as a hostess at a restaurant; as a customer was leaving the restaurant, a gun flew off of some part of his body and ended up landing five feet away from him.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t familiar with guns at the time, but I knew enough to know that <\/span>typically<\/span><\/i> guns were carried in holsters – but weren\u2019t holsters supposed to hold the gun in place? How did this gun just fly across the floor in front of me?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where holster retention comes in play. Retention encompasses quite a few characteristics, including keeping a gun from flying across a restaurant floor when your jacket tugs on it. If you were to slip on ice and fall, you wouldn\u2019t want your gun or holster to be separated from you. You also wouldn\u2019t want a stranger or attacker to grab your own gun out of your holster.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you\u2019re doing your holster shopping, you may see some terms floating around like \u201cpassive,\u201d \u201cactive,\u201d and a whole assortment of \u201clevels.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing – there is no set standard in the holster industry for all of these terms. In order to make educated buying decisions, it\u2019s important to distinguish what these terms may or may not mean.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Vocabulary Lesson & Retention Devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ll find that some terms used when referring to holsters mean different things to different people. Even holster companies use these terms loosely, so be sure you clarify what these terms mean to the person or company using them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick rundown of what these terms <\/span>generally<\/span><\/i> mean:<\/span><\/p>\n

Retention Holster:<\/strong><\/span> a holster that has qualities or mechanisms that are intended to prevent the gun from being drawn or obtained by anyone other than the intended user, or prevent the gun from coming loose from the holster<\/span><\/p>\n

Active Retention: <\/b><\/span>mechanisms on a holster that \u201clock\u201d the gun in place and must be activated by the shooter in order for the gun to be drawn<\/span><\/p>\n

Holsters with active retention are useful in that they can potentially stop someone from obtaining your gun and using it against you. On the other hand, if you have not properly and regularly trained to disengage all active retention devices during your draw stroke, you may not be prepared to effectively draw your gun during an attack and under stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Passive Retention: <\/b><\/span>a holster that, due to its design, has retention of the gun and holds it in place, but does not require a manual \u201cunlocking\u201d of a retention device other than the draw itself; this could include the friction that holds the gun in place<\/span><\/p>\n

The accessibility that a passive rete<\/span>ntion holster offers is appealing\u00a0– it means there are less barriers you have to worry about when you need to quickly draw your gun. It also means that there are less barriers for someone else<\/i> to grab your gun.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Fury Carry Solutions<\/a> Concealment Series holster has no mechanisms that must be engaged in order to draw the gun, but has retention through friction, particularly on the trigger guard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are a number of different attributes that a holster can have that qualify as a retention device. This can be broken down into two categories: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Retention devices that keep the gun in the holster<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Retention devices that keep the holster attached to the carrier<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Some examples of retention devices that keep the gun in the holster:<\/span><\/p>\n