SF M6 Duty holster

LEDBE
why isn't nylon good enough? BlackHawk makes a M6 holster that looks pretty decent, and the M6 Guardian does have a lock-out tailcap feature to prevent it from accidentally turning on and melting the holster
 
IMO, the M6 is too big for belt carry.

SF has dropped the ball in most of its holster offerings over the years.

-dan
 
I've got to agree with Dano on this one.

IMHO Surefire make without any question of a doubt the best flashlights in the world but they just dont seem to recognise the importance of providing decent holsters.

It always seems to me that if you are going to provide LEO's and the military with the best lighting tools available then you'd make the light easy to carry and provide options on how to do this.

Some of the lights SF make are aesthetically great but not easy to carry, i.e, the 10x.

Before I'm flamed to death by Surefire supporters I'm not being derogatory about the lights but just questioning the thought that goes into how they will be carried by those who they are marketed at.

It seems that with lights like the 10x they didn't realise its full potential because no one makes a easy way to carry it. I wonder if this is the reason it isn't more popular?

The E2e which is my EDC on my uniform belt has two options neither which are that well thought out. One is the clip which in my opinion (and I'm probably alone on this) not overly secure and isn't suitable for uniform belt carry. (BTW) I'm talking about both the short and long versions of the clip!

Secondly there are the leather and nylon pouches that Surefire sells for the job. My personal experience with the leather version is that it looses it retention relatively quickly and the leather damages easily. The nylon pouch is quite secure but doesn't seem to last very well without looking awful. After seeing third party Kydex holsters on the market I made my own to fit on a Tek-lok and this has lasted for two years without loosing it's retention or looking shabby.

Unfortunately SF isn't alone and most manufacturers give more consideration to the aesthetics than how their products will be carried.

Doug
 
Ever since I got my M6, I've looked for ways to carry it comfortably and securely on duty. I have both the Blackhawk M6 pouch and the Mag Lite plastic ring holder belt keeper. I find the M6 simply too big for the duty belt (or any belt) when I'm sitting in my vehicle. The belt keeper ring holder (near the buckle) is OK for quick deployment and holstering when standing but isn't remotely secure, especially when seated. The light falls out too easily.

I don't have a problem with nylon, it's what we're wearing, but location on my body is a continuing issue. The ideal solution is probably strapping the Blackhawk pouch to the front of a MOLLE vest (or at least web gear suspenders), but I'm not sure I can get away with that fashion faux pas.
 
I do not know of any leather holster that will fit the M6. If you need leather for uniform considerations, I think a custom made holster is your choice. $$$

I use a Ripoffs CO-159 which fits the M6 with a filter installed. I have many Ripoffs holsters and IMO they have the best clip available. However, they are nylon. I prefer the Ripoffs to the Blackhawk.

Mark
 
I've been using a MOLLE radio pouch to hold mine and it does a decent enough job, but then, I've only been on short hikes with it attached to my belt. And the flap-cover secures with Velcro, which I don't think is considered manly enough for professional security and police types. But for $10 it might be worth a look... always enough room for another MOLLE pouch.
 
I'm a SureFire support/fan/what ever you want to call it and will agree that their Holster / Carry options are somewhat disappointing. -BUT- This makes for a great market for smaller guy's to come in and start making holsters for SureFire lights. I actually don't think the Holster line up has changed in years. (A search in the web archive will uncover that, and I'll make that search in a minute)

I would say that if i was pressed to use a SureFire made holster (which I'm not as i just pocket my E1L) I would probably choose one in SureFire's Polymer Series. (V70, V71, V72, Polymer, Designed to store light Bezel UP) The only downside is that the V Series is only designed for a smaller number of lights compared to the Nylon lineup (Which has a model for pretty much every light excluding the larger sized M3, M4 and M6 lights and most likely others)
 
John Willis from Real SOE gear sells a SF M6 holster that is made from nylon. It had a buckle closure with velcro inside. It can be attached to a belt or PALs. I've never used one but have other gear and pouches from him.

I think seery has some he uses with his multiple M6s.

You could also probably get a custom kydex holster like from Comptac or some other company. Comptac makes good stuff! Especially bezel carry down holsters.
 
Yeah, custom kydex might be the way to go. On a side note I accidently discovered that an ASP sidebreak scabard does a good job of holding a L2 or similar sized light.

Update, the ASP sidebrake also does a nice job of holding a SF M4
 
Last edited:
dougie said:
I've got to agree with Dano on this one.

IMHO Surefire make without any question of a doubt the best flashlights in the world but they just dont seem to recognise the importance of providing decent holsters.

It always seems to me that if you are going to provide LEO's and the military with the best lighting tools available then you'd make the light easy to carry and provide options on how to do this.

Some of the lights SF make are aesthetically great but not easy to carry, i.e, the 10x.

Before I'm flamed to death by Surefire supporters I'm not being derogatory about the lights but just questioning the thought that goes into how they will be carried by those who they are marketed at.

It seems that with lights like the 10x they didn't realise its full potential because no one makes a easy way to carry it. I wonder if this is the reason it isn't more popular?

The E2e which is my EDC on my uniform belt has two options neither which are that well thought out. One is the clip which in my opinion (and I'm probably alone on this) not overly secure and isn't suitable for uniform belt carry. (BTW) I'm talking about both the short and long versions of the clip!

Secondly there are the leather and nylon pouches that Surefire sells for the job. My personal experience with the leather version is that it looses it retention relatively quickly and the leather damages easily. The nylon pouch is quite secure but doesn't seem to last very well without looking awful. After seeing third party Kydex holsters on the market I made my own to fit on a Tek-lok and this has lasted for two years without loosing it's retention or looking shabby.

Unfortunately SF isn't alone and most manufacturers give more consideration to the aesthetics than how their products will be carried.

Doug
Click to expand...

So...I guess you would tell others to buy the Smith & Weson holster, and the Glock leather holster and Mag holder.

Just an example.

Respectfully,

RL
 
Fair point but I was referring specifically to Surefire's efforts.

I'm not saying that leather is unsuitable for carry but simply in my experience Surefire's leather holsters loose their retention in a relatively short period of time and do become tatty looking without quite a lot of care, YMMV?

Personally I think Kydex and nylon work well for duty gear but remember that apart from the SF's Nitrolon bodied lights an awful lot of SF lights have quite aggressive knurling which does seem to churn up the surface of most nylon % leather holsters, but again YMMV!

Doug
 
your next best bet might have to be trying to fit it in a tripple .223 pouch or a double .308 pouch, belt mounted :twothumbs hahaha
 
I think the only thing you could try is to see if it might fit into some other holsters that are designed for maybe a flashbang,pepper spray etc. A custom holster would be $$$ unless a company thought there would be a demand for it. I have a Blackhawk holster for mine and ya it is too ackward to wear on a belt.

Good luck in your search and if you find something let us know:grin2:
 
Agree with supes,
John Willis from Real SOE does great work, I bought a custom Gladius pouch from him and its a million times better than what was available off the shelf and very reasonably priced.

Brian
 
I use SureFire's V84 holster for the M6 - I prefer it to the BlackHawk offering although the Velcro is not as quiet as the buckle. I don't carry it (or any flashlight) on duty - only when I go out for walks at night.
 
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