Glockfan1954" said:
How does this affect the "chambered/not chambered" debate? Why do they say this if the Glocks are "designed" to be carried this way?
I work as a police officer, and I agree with the others that the statement in the Glock manual is purely to satisfy lawyers!
The gun is completely safe with a round in the chamber, provided that you don't pull the trigger. I've seen loaded/chambered Glocks dropped before, and I've seen them come out of holsters during resistances with suspects.
I've also carried a loaded/chambered Glock with me every single day for many years now, and have never had a problem. On or off-duty, I have it with me.
Glockfan1954 said:
I'm thinking of getting a more secure holster though my blackhawk covers the trigger but has no retention strap.
Are you talking about the Blackhawk Serpa holsters (the holsters with the index finger release "button")?
I currently have two of those holsters, one that I use when off-duty (for my Glock 37 duty weapon), and one for my wife's Glock 27 carry gun. These holsters are pretty darn secure from my point-of-view, and are sold as a Level II holster. I've gone through ground fighting classes with these, and have never lost the training gun while rolling on the floor. I initially had the same concern as you, and asked some other trained friends help me to evaluate the ability of the holster to endure attempts to take the weapon away. From my perspective the holster is
nearly as secure as my Safariland Level II duty holster, and
much faster to draw from.
Just make sure you adjust the retention screw to the point where you can hold the holster upside down, depress the release button without touching the weapon, and not have the weapon fall out. This is the same way that we adjust our duty holsters, and it helps to prevent losing a gun during a scrap with a bad guy on the ground. Mind you, don't overtighten this screw... you still want the weapon to draw easily, just not fall out when inverted with the button pressed. Some folks like it to endure shaking in the upside down position, and that is largely a matter of personal preference.
All in all, I've been satisfied with that holster, and have carried it nearly every time I've been off-duty for the past year or so.
Edited to add:
I also just remembered my very first test of this holster! I had barely taken it out of the package when I walked through my basement (loaded gun in holster on belt), and slipped on some crap that my wife had left on the linoleum-covered concrete floor. I went down darn hard on that holster, to the point that I had a two-line bruise on my hip from where the holster pressed into me. I was peeved, and sore, but the holster came out of it unscathed.
