In this Safariland 6360 review, veteran cop Randall Wilson tests the Springfield Armory duty holster. When it comes to duty rigs, a superior retention holster is a must for law enforcement officers. Safariland is well-known for making gear for police officers, but does this one measure up? Springfield Armory provided the holster to the author for this review.
While the concept of a retention holster — one designed to prevent the unauthorized removal of your handgun — may seem straightforward, the effective execution of this can be much more complicated.
There is one company that has a stellar reputation for creating exceptional holsters that fit into this category — Safariland. In particular, we are here considering the model 6360RDS, a holster rated to keep your optics-bearing Springfield Armory Echelon securely at your side. I am no stranger to its lineage, having carried Safariland Level III products on my belt for three decades. This holster lives up to its legacy.
A Solid Foundation — Safariland 070 SSIII
My original duty holster as a rookie cop was a basketweave front-draw model made by a reputable leatherworks company. That holster offered only a thumb snap for security. It was definitely far from secure. In my first fight with a felon, a back-up officer nearly lost his firearm in the ground-fighting melee. While I resolved the conflict with a side-handle baton, I was more than a little shaken over the suspect’s attempted gun grab.
Shortly after that, my department pivoted to the Safariland 070 SSIII, an early adopter of Level III security. For those not familiar with “Level III”, it refers to a system of three separate levels of holster retention rating. The SSIII bolstered my faith in a well-built holster actually saving one’s life.
[Read our article: What Is a Retention Holster?]
Moving Forward — The Safariland 6360RDS
But that was then and this is now. What does Safariland have to offer today for a modern handgun like the Echelon?
The Safariland 6360RDS we are considering here in this article provides industry-standard modern safety features in a very tough package:
- ALS (Automatic Locking Systems) secures the weapon once holstered; simple straight-up draw once the release is deactivated
- SLS (Self Locking Systems) Rotating Hood is a manual hood that protects the gun from coming out
- SafariLaminate thermal-molded construction protects the handgun and sights
- For use with a wide variety of red dot optics. Fits Trijicon RMR, HD, SRO, Holosun 507 and dozens of other widely available optics
- For use with a wide variety of weapon-mounted lights including Surefire X300U A or B, Streamlight TLR-1
- Suede-lined to protect the handgun’s finish
- Optional STX Tactical or Cordura finish
- Note: This holster is not designed for use with threaded barrel model Echelons
Safariland states their RDS holsters are specifically constructed for firearms equipped with red dot sights, hence the RDS. My Echelon is topped with a Trijicon RMR red dot sight, and I found this full-sized pistol with optical sight snuggles nicely in the holster, with little to no play or movement. The Safariland’s front shroud and high-top design add protection for the RMR sight’s glass from inclement weather, debris or direct impact from above.
The Full Spectrum
While discussing the merits of the Safariland holster with my managing editor, Richard Johnson, who is also one of my former law enforcement co-workers, our conversation turned globally to gun retention. We both agreed that while a holster is part of the equation, the operator bears the additional responsibility.
Fellow The Armory Life writer Massad Ayoob, who founded the Massad Ayoob Group training cadre (MAG), built a course specifically addressing handgun retention. A MAG instructor who happens to live in my city graciously offered to teach our police officers about gun retention and we jumped at this opportunity. I am a recent graduate of this excellent training. While a properly designed holster can keep your firearm safe, knowing leverage-based countermoves is another layer of personal protection needed, whether you are a soldier, police officer or armed citizen.
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My MAG instructor, whom I’ll call Doc, examined the Safariland 6360 and gave it and its security features his tacit approval. When this style of holster is fortified by the knowledge he gave us in our course of instruction, I feel my officers are given the best chance in a survival situation. Tragically, our department had an officer murdered when he was disarmed and fired upon with his own gun. We reflect on this circumstance soberly.
Carrying the Safariland Holster on Your Duty Belt
The Safariland rig is a mid-ride holster used in firearm-specific configurations at both of the cop shops for which I’ve worked. Eschewing tacticool-looking “drop holsters,” I carried this Safariland-type belt holster on duty, in the K9 Unit and SWAT, to include real operations and multiple SWAT Round-Up International competitions.
At the SWAT competitions in Orlando, we saw more than one other agency’s handgun disholstered during the heat of an event and later retrieved from a watery fate. These guns did not fall from Safariland holsters.
As I write this, our local Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit’s Airbus helicopter is orbiting my area at a serious incident. The officers and deputies on this call, including our department’s personnel, are wearing Safariland security holsters.
When it arrived, my Echelon was a flat top, having the superlative SA U-Dot irons for sights. The Trijicon RMR showed up last week. Springfield Armory’s Variable Interface System allowed for a straightforward mounting of the optic atop the slide. Over 30 optical sights can be affixed to the Echelon, and only a few require an adapter. A T-12 star drive bit is needed to complete the transition. The RMR co-witnessed the U-Dots and I did not have to make any adjustments for this to occur.
With the Trijicon installed and the Echelon devoid of ammo and a magazine, I practiced drawing and reinserting the pistol from and into the 6360. I am very familiar with the mechanics of the Safariland Level III carriers. The addition of the red dot sight hindered neither operation. The Echelon cleared the holster smoothly and it went right on target, with the Trijicon RMR red dot quickly acquired by my eye.
At the firearms range, the levels of retention provided by this holster, which is identical to my current Safariland duty model, did not slow my ability to get on Center-of-Mass or T-Zone. There are several steps to the draw and presentation of a weapon that becomes second nature with repetition. So-called “muscle memory” with this platform can be consistently developed.
Conclusion
I admit to being a big fan of this holster for uniformed carry. It safely brings the Echelon to calls for service and resists the most vigorous attempts to part your firearm from you.
Every single incident to which a police officer, deputy sheriff, military policeman or other lawful authority responds has a weapon involved — because we bring one to the scene. It’s up to us to be the sole user of that gun. The Safariland 6360RDS gives us an advantage to keep it that way.
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