Holding On to Your Handgun: Safariland Holster

posted on February 27, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
201322710058-safariland_f.jpg

2/27/2013

While Safariland is best known for its excellent line of duty (belt mounted) and tactical (leg mounted) retention holsters that involve either rotating movements of the gun or the rotating of a hood above it in order to release the firearms they carry, the factory also offers a number of concealment models based on its ALS (Automatic Locking System) design. When the gun is placed into the holster, it is locked internally with no action required on the part of the user. To draw it, the wearer merely presses down on a strategically located thumb lever as the handgun is gripped.

Always one of the leaders in the field of retention, Safariland now offers an optional guard that rotates in place over the ALS thumb lever in order to protect it against being inadvertently struck or deliberately attacked. Additionally, at the 2012 SHOT show, the company introduced an extremely lightweight, ALS-type horizontal shoulder design that, like the Blackhawk SERPA, also allows the return of the firearm to the holster with one hand. It is an extremely low-profile model with an amazingly simple and unique upper body harness that makes it a great choice for a wide variety of handguns and modes of dress.

For more from Safariland, visit Safariland.com.

 

Latest

attack in a back alley
attack in a back alley

Cold Performance: How to Prepare for the Uncertainty of Self-Defense

Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.

Derya Goes Silent: The OBone Suppressor

In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 26, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Rifleman Q&A: Understanding a Firearm's Cycle of Operation

The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.

Review: Sightmark Pinnacle 1-6x24 mm Riflescope

Looking for a performance LPVO without the usual associated cost? The Sightmark Pinnacle 1-6x24 mm might be your answer.

Myths & Misunderstandings About the “Modern Fighting 1911”

The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.