The thighs have it - Handgun Leather

Hardly anyone agrees on every little thing, especially when it comes to tactical gear. And disparity of opinion is found among the members of SWAT teams and Spec-Op units as well. The Navy SEALs favor the SIG P226, while the D-boys opt for customized 1911s.

Different strokes for different folks.

But when it comes to holsters for their Kimbers, Springfields, SIGs and Wilson's, the one piece of gear upon which every group agrees is the Safariland Model 6004 tactical thigh holster.

Safariland owns the tactical thigh market like Hershey's owns the chip market -- or is that Intel? The point is, if you're on a team, you're tightening the twin elastic straps of the 6004 around your strong-side quads.

Why such dominance? Two words -- Bill Rogers. The former FBI agent turned holster designer imbued the 6004 with a host of features, not the least of which was making it totally crush-proof, waterproof, corrosion-proof and, yes, even GI-proof.

The newer versions of the 6004 are designed to mate with the holster interface rail of a SureFire-dedicated handgun WeaponLight. SureFire's handgun light features a trigger guard-mounted adaptor rail for the light to attach to the pistol. Incorporated in the adaptor are a pair of holster interface rails, or wings, that mate with corresponding slots inside the 6004. The advantage to this system is the handgun can still be re-holstered, even without the light in place.

The holster interface keeps the gun from flopping around in what would become an otherwise overly-roomy rig for a light-less pistol. The 6004 also incorporates one of the simplest, fastest and secure retention devices in the thigh holster industry -- a niche market if there ever was one.

There is a molded sight track in the holster to prevent the front sight from snagging. The holster itself attaches to a contoured thigh pad, which in turn cinches to your leg with two adjustable, elastic straps. The entire rig suspends from your belt with a length-adjustable, Velcro[R]-backed strap.

The holster is made with Rogers' most significant contribution to holster technology, the Safarilaminate (nee thermolaminate) method of bonding an inner piece of suede to an outer shell of tough, durable Kydex. The holster also boasts an adjustable retention screw.

In sum, the 6004 is one of the toughest, safest, fastest, most secure tactical thigh rigs available.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group