November 08, 2024
Left Hand RDS 7TS & 6000 Series Duty Holsters
Recently, Safariland was made aware of a scenario that could potentially compromise the retention standards of the ALS lever in certain left-handed RDS holsters for Glock 17, Glock 19, Glock 34, Glock 45 and Glock 47 firearms. Safariland promptly initiated the development of a proactive solution, reinforcing its mission to safeguard those who trust and depend on its Duty Rated holsters.
August 23, 2022
In an effort to help accommodate current customers that need several variants of green cordura for agencies, as well as clear up a previous misunderstanding of color names, we have now made available two different variations of green coloring in our cordura covered holsters.
March 18, 2022
Safariland Duty Holsters 7000 Series for Streamlight TLR 7 and similar sized light attachments
Recently, Safariland was made aware of an incident in which an officer’s duty weapon was discharged during a violent struggle with a suspect. As part of its review, the agency decided to discontinue use of the holster, Model 7360RDS with TLR7 light attachment, and notified us about the incident and potential issue with the holster’s retention.
November 8, 2021
Safariland Duty Holsters 7000 Series for Streamlight TLR 7 and similar sizedlight attachments
Recently, Safariland was made aware of an incident in which an officer’s duty weapon was discharged during a violent struggle with a suspect. As part of its review, the agency decided to discontinue use of the holster, Model 7360RDS with TLR7 light attachment, and notified us about the incident and potential issue with the holster’s retention.
August 15, 2021
Safariland 7TS™ GEN 2 ALS Light Bearing Holsters for Sig P320 / P320C and Surefire X300USafariland has recently become aware that right-handed 7TS™ Duty Holsters (GEN 2) for the Sig P320 and P320C utilizing the ALS system when using the Surefire X300/X300U/X200 light attachment are not fully retaining the weapon to Safariland’s specifications. Notably, this was discovered during internal testing and there has not been any reported issues in the field to date.
April 22, 2019
Safariland Duty Gear 7TS light bearing HolstersSafariland has become aware of some instances in the field where 7TS™ light bearing holsters developed hairline cracks, likely from heavy compression of the holster without the weapon inserted, especially in Defensive Tactics training.
January 17, 2019
NIJ Advisory Notice #09-2018; Hardwire, LLC model – HW-LWP-IIISafariland, LLC (“Safariland”) is providing notification of the issuance of NIJ Advisory Notice #09-2018 with respect to Hardwire, LLC model – HW-LWP-III (the “NIJ Notice”), a copy of which is attached. Pursuant to the NIJ Notice, the Hardwire model HW-LWP-III (the “LWP-III”) has been suspended from the NIJ Compliant Products List.
January 17, 2019
NIJ Advisory Notice #10-2018; Hesco Armor, Inc. Model – 4400Safariland, LLC (“Safariland”) is providing notification of the issuance of NIJ Advisory Notice #10-2018 with respect to Hesco Armor, Inc. Model – 4400 (the “NIJ Notice”), a copy of which is attached. Pursuant to the NIJ Notice, the Hesco Model 4400 (the “Model 4400”) has been suspended from the NIJ Compliant Products List.
January 04, 2017
Safariland 7TS Models Fitted for Certain Heckler & Koch and Ruger PistolsIn keeping with Safariland®'s commitment to the highest level of quality and safety, we are notifying the public of this bulletin relating to certain Safariland® 7TS™ Model holsters that were manufactured since June 2016.
August 02, 2013
GLOCK Gen4 Beavertail Back Strap - Holster Service BulletinSafariland® advises users that GLOCK beavertail back straps should not be used with any of the following Safariland holster / GLOCK gun combinations as such modification will impact the locking mechanism of the SLS.
August 22, 2012
Safariland Laminate Holster Reminder Regarding Direct Exposure to Excessive HeatSafariland would like to remind all duty gear holster customers of the need to limit direct exposure of the Safariland laminate holster to excessive heat. Particularly, users are directed to not leave their laminate holsters in the car exposed to direct sunlight magnified through the window glass. Excessive direct heat exposure to Safariland’s laminate holster can cause deforming of the holster body that may impact its performance. Exposure to excessive heat can cause the gun to stick or jam due to the swelling action.
February 01, 2011
Safariland Service Bulletin for Bianchi Models 82, 83, 84 and 4584 Manufactured before February 2010Re: Notice Regarding Potential for Undersized Dowel Pin in Bianchi® Models 82, 83, 84 and 4584 Manufactured BEFORE February 2010. Safariland would like to notify Bianchi holster customers of the need to inspect the Bianchi Models 82, 83, 84 and 4584 holsters for possible loose or undersized dowel pins in the housing system. This issue potentially affects those Bianchi holsters of the identified models that were produced before February 2010. Our testing of holsters shows that the handgun will insert and draw even without the dowel pin. Nevertheless, we are asking our customers to inspect their Bianchi holster for any signs of this issue. Please see pdf attached for details.
July 13, 2010
Use and Care of Safariland Holsters Exposed to Water SaturationIt is important to regularly take proper care and maintenance of holsters after exposure to excessive moisture, just like the care provided to your weapon.
February 26, 2009
Service Bulletin for ALS™ Holster Users
Safariland has been made aware of a situation where the Provo, UT Police Department experienced malfunctions while training with the 6360 ALS holster on the range.
The range in question is covered with approximately 4-6” deep, loose pea gravel. The drills used called for the officers to draw, go to a prone position and fire, roll from one side to another and fire, and finally spin into a supine position and fire.
While doing such drills on a surface as described above, substantial amounts of gravel entered the body of the holster.
Officers then holstered their weapons, and in some cases debris had lodged between the body of the holster, and the ALS mechanism causing sticky operation, and in some cases jamming when the recommended clearing drill described below was not performed.
The recommended course of action if you suspect large amounts of debris may have entered your empty holster is as follows:
- make sure the holster is in a vertical position (stand or kneel)
- Operate the ALS relates lever several times, satisfying yourself that the mechanism is free of debris and working properly
- Holster your weapon normally
It should be noted that neither Provo PD nor Safariland has been able to duplicate this situation with a weapon in the holster.
Currently there are several hundred thousand of these holsters in service worldwide, and Safariland feels all users should be reminded to take care with regard to their weapon and holster in the event they find themselves in an environment where debris could enter the muzzle or other parts of their weapon as well as their holster.
July 01, 2008
Safety Warning/Service Bulletin Safariland 6070 Raptor™ holster for SIG P220/P226 and SIG P228/P229
Summary
In June of 2008, an officer in Bridgeport Connecticut accidentally re-holstered a loaded SIG P229 pistol into a Safariland Raptor holster model 6070-744, with the hammer cocked in the single action mode. The pistol discharged in the holster resulting in a non serious injury.
Accident Investigation
Technicians at Safariland have studied this matter extensively. The Safariland holster, model 6070 for the SIG SAUER pistols, P220/P226 and P228/P229, require a middle finger locking device with an upper and lower cam, (refer to Figure 1 below).
The cams are required to engage the trigger guard of the pistol upon initial holstering and to move the locking arm to the outside This allows the pistol and trigger guard to enter the holster, before snapping back into position and locking the weapon from being rotated rearward. Both cams are required for the listed holsters to accommodate the dimensional variations of the SIG pistols manufactured under the same model designations. Under certain conditions, such as when the weapon is re-holstered in an abrupt manner, the middle finger locking arm is displaced with extra energy and it returns with additional force. There is a slight interference caused by the upper cam touching the front side of the trigger, when the hammer is cocked and the pistol is in the single action mode. The cam is angled such that when it snaps back in place and touches the front side of the cocked trigger, it propels the trigger slightly in a rearward direction. This interference is not sufficient to maintain contact with the trigger and pull it all the way back to the firing position. However, the bumping action of the trigger with the returning finger locking arm, combined with the simultaneous rapid downward motion of the pistol, can impart enough force to the trigger to cause the trigger to move back under inertia and disengage the hammer from the sear. SIG pistols, as well as most other modern firearms have a firing pin safety device that helps to prevent such "inertial" firings. The firing pin safety device is designed to be moved out of the path of the firing pin by pulling the trigger to the most rearward position, while simultaneously releasing the hammer from the sear. The actions of the human body are such that the trigger finger cannot release the trigger as fast as the hammer can fall and strike the firing pin into the primer of the loaded shell. With an inertial release of the hammer, such as the case of a dropped pistol or the situation described above, the trigger return spring immediately moves the trigger forward after the sear has released the hammer and the spring loaded firing pin safety plunger immediately moves back into a position to try and prevent the firing pin from striking the shell. The two mechanisms are truly in a race to see which one can have control over the end result of the firing pin. If the firing pin safety plunger is well maintained, clean, properly lubricated, and is working smoothly, it can usually block the firing pin in an inertial type release of the hammer from the sear. If the action of the firing pin plunger is retarded in any manner for instance by a weak spring, dirt or old lubricant, it is not likely able to prevent an inertial firing of the weapon. Technicians at Safariland used a standard SIG P229 pistol loaded with a primed only shell. The pistol was placed in a single action mode with the hammer cocked back. It was repeatedly slammed into a Raptor 6070 holster. Numerous attempts were required to cause the hammer to fall. A count was made of each event that the hammer fell but the weapon did not fire. The weapon fired on the 14th hammer drop. The timing of the hammer fall and the return of the firing pin safety block is clearly separated by milliseconds.
In conclusion, Safariland has confirmed that an accidental discharge with a SIG P229 pistol and a Safariland 6070 can occur if all three of the following conditions are met during the same event:
- The operator fails to de-cock the pistol before re-holstering.
- The weapon is re-holstered in an abrupt manner.
- The timing of the firing pin safety device is such that it allows an inertial firing of the pistol.
It should be noted that Safariland has manufactured thousands of this model holster for SIGs, since 2001 and this accident is the first and only to be reported.
Action to be taken
This action concerns only Safariland Raptor holster model 6070 for the SIG P220/P226 and SIG P228/P229 pistols. Inspect your holster to see if it fits these criteria. If it has two cams as pictured in Figure 1, you should return it to Safariland, at your earliest convenience, for proper modification. Until your holster can be upgraded, you should do the following to prevent an accidental discharge:
- Strictly follow the safety guidelines of both SIGARMS and Safariland operating manuals and de-cock a loaded pistol before attempting to re-holster it.
- Thoroughly clean and inspect the firing pin safety plunger in the slide of your pistol and insure that it is clean, lubricated with a fine oil, and is working smoothly before reassembling.
- Avoid jamming or quickly forcing the pistol into the holster when re-holstering.
October 21, 2005
Advisory for Handguns with Lights and/or Lasers AttachedSafariland® has been manufacturing holsters for handguns with lights mounted to them for over 10 years. The need for this application with the Law Enforcement, SWAT and military communities has grown into a requirement to include lasers as well as lights for duty applications.
May 23, 2005
Safariland® Holsters with injection molded belt loop, UBL, (Universal Belt Loop) manufactured before July 2002
Effects the following model numbers: 200, 2005, 6295, 62955, 295, 2955, 6280, 6285, 6070, 6075, 6270, 6275, 6070UBL, 6075UBL, 5200, 52005, 56295, 562955, 5295, 52955, 56280, 56285, 56070, 56075, 56270, 56275, 56070UBL, 56075UBL
This service bulletin pertains only to Safariland holsters using the injection molded UBL belt loop back piece manufactured between July of 2001 to July of 2002. This part is identified by not having a molded-in date plug on the back of the UBL, approximately ¾” above the bottom screw. All parts manufactured after July of 2002 have this date code and no failure has been identified with parts produced after this date.
Safariland has become aware of a very small percentage of failures of the above described parts. A simple test has been designed to determine if the above described parts will fail. If you or your department have Safariland Holsters with the Injection molded UBL manufactured prior to July of 2002 (identified by not having a molded-in date code on the back of the UBL) please contact your local dealer, Armor Holdings sales representative, or go to our web site at www.safariland.com for further information.
- To determine if your belt loop requires replacement, perform the following test
- This test should only be performed on old style UBLs without the date code (see Photo 1)
- It will not hurt the new style UBLs with the date code, but there is no reason to perform the test on them (see Photo 2)
- Remove the holster from your belt. Other disassembly is not required. From the back side of the holster a 1/4" (diameter of shaft) screw driver is placed in the right vertical belt slot about 1" with the shaft and handle running parallel to the top of the belt piece. (see Photo 3)
The shaft of the driver is located in the slot, 3/4" down from the top of the belt piece or just about even with the widest protrusion of the Impala horns. Cam the screwdriver away so that the flat part of the driver is leveraged against the middle portion of the belt piece on the side toward the holster, and the shaft is pushing against the outermost part of the slot. With a quick motion, cam the screwdriver away until the shaft is parallel to the plane caused by the middle portion of the back piece between the two slots. If the part is defective, it will break near the top of the slot. (see Photo 4)
- Repeat the process on the left side. If the part is good, this force will not weaken the part. If it breaks it can be replaced quickly without any significant down time.
- If the belt loop needs to be replaced, please follow the assembly instructions included with your new UBL.
- For the following model numbers on the Levitation Belt system, you will not be able to perform the test in the field. Please contact you local distributor, sales representative or Safariland Customer Service (800) 347-1200 for a replacement. This pertains to UBLs without the date code as stated above. (See Photo 5) Models: 5200, 52005, 56295, 562955, 5295, 52955, 56280,56285, 56070, 56075, 56270, 56275, 56070UBL, 56075UBL
