Speed re-holstering–on the big screen, it looks pretty cool. Whether it is a high noon shootout or a police hostage-based standoff, fictional cowboys and detectives tend to holster their weapons in the blink of an eye.

In real life, this is very dangerous and unnecessary.

In a Warrior Talk forum post, Suarez International instructor specialist Roger Phillips said that re-holstering was one of the worst habits he had observed within his student base. The truth of the matter is holstering your weapon carelessly can result in self-inflicted, albeit unintentional, wounds.

Recently, a Palmhurst police officer shot himself while holstering his weapon during a training exercise. Although he may not have been speed re-holstering, his brief lack of attention to  safety cost him some hospital time. The bullet reportedly grazed his calf.

Blackhawk SERPA Level 2 Holster

A recent post published on The Shooter’s Log discussed the dangers of speed holstering. “If you’ve ever shot an IDPA/USPSA match, you’ve likely seen this guy: He shoots the course of fire, and then does his ‘unload and show dear’ at Warp 5, rapidly thrusting his gun back in the holster almost as fast as he took it out at the start of the stage.” Many people echo the sentiment “no one has ever won a match by getting their gun in the holster first.” Still, some are obsessed with the speedy holster method.

No matter your preference for holstering and re-holstering, you should have a decent holster. A safe bet is always the sturdy holster like a Blackhawk SERPA. Also, make sure that it is made for your gun. Universal holsters should be avoided, as they have extra room to allow for various styles of guns.

A number of trainers teach the “hard stop,” which means upon finishing shooting, you pull the gun into a high retention position and take a deep breath and relax and then holster. Although there are a number of methods to re-holster your weapon, but one constant is to not rush to re-holster.

Do you know anyone who has shot themselves while re-holstering? Could it have been avoided if they slowed down?