Safariland7378 Duty Holster - ALS Concealment Paddle and Belt Loop Combo Holster for Ruger American .45 ACP (4.50")

I own a 1911 Gov for this holster. I been using safariland's other holster, the GLS, for the M9 when I was in security. It is another system that's similar to the ALS, but the unlocking mechanism is pressed with your middle finger using your "Grip" toward the chamber/top of the firearm and pulling it out. I'll be comparing both of them alot.The ALS holster locking works pretty well. The only problem is to place your handgun the right way, otherwise some part of the firearm or holster (when putting it in at a wrong angle) can prevent the handgun from getting locked into the holster successfully. So you can't always simply drop your gun in and expect it to always click in.Compared to my GLS holster, it's just more simple to just drop it in and let it funnel into a locking *click*. It's always nice to holster your weapon easily without adjusting.So one point off for the ALS locking feature.The ALS opening at the barrel end has a caving-in that narrows the opening. It's a good idea for people who works in duty to prevent environmental anomalies from entering the holster. But for my case, I have a compensator from Valkyrie Dynamics on my 1911 that sits flush with the whole slide. And having that narrow opening did not allow my handgun to holster all the way without taking off my compensator, which I would prefer not to do. So, I was forced to rasp/file away at the opening to make it just big enough to let my 1911 compensator slide through. It was so narrow, it took me quite a while to file it all away. I did it just enough to get the compensator through so it locks in fine. If you want to put any muzzle devices on your handgun, make sure it's small enough to slide through the narrow opening, or you'd have to resort to grinding the opening bigger.The GLS holster on the other hand. My M9 has the RIC Compensator. The holster has one big opening, so you can literally put any muzzle device on the barrel, like a large threaded compensator/flashhider and even a suppressor (depending on state laws). I live in california (unfortunately), so threaded barrels are a no-go. So I got a RIC Comp for my M9. And it's a pretty huge compensator. Slightly bigger than the slide of my M9. Yet when I place it into my holster, it had absolutely no problems going all the way through and getting secured with the almost comically huge RIC Comp sticking out of the holster.Another point off for the ALS.Unlocking and Drawing with the ALS is a pretty amazing feature. Great for first time users. Just using your thumb to press down on the lever and draw your gun is extremely simple and fast and ergonomic. Just pulling out your firearm feels natural and smooth with the ALS. Using your thumb to unlock and push your holster away from the firearm makes the ALS superior in drawing quickly without issue.The GLS has the lever right behind the pistolgrip of my firearm. When I first got it, it was a bit awkward to draw my firearm, but got used to it eventually. Sometimes if I don't press it all the way forward, it won't unlock and I unintentionally pull my M9 with the holster still attached to it. It's not a bad unlocking mechanism, but it wasn't amazing.Here's the first point to the ALS.The materials that safariland uses for their holsters protects your pistols from surface damages. You can literally rub the smooth part of your holster to your handgun and it won't make any scratches on the paint. Holstering and Drawing your firearm over and over will not damage your firearm at all (of course using it for years and years will show the wearing down on your firearm like most other holsters) (And I don't really care about slight scratches and dents on my firearms in the first place)Comfortability is pretty much the same with most other hard-shelled holsters they have. It doesn't make you uncomfortable in anyway. And if it does make you uncomfortable, then you should be using different types of Rides to figure out what works best for you and modify it in ways to make it more comfortable.No points taken or given, because this should be standard to the ALS and all other Safariland holsters.Overall the ALS in my opinion is a 3 out of 5 stars. I already know that the ALS is also a CCW holster as well, but it's just too bulky to really be used as a CCW unless you're a huge person with a huge waist and pelvis. The biggest gripe of mine is just having it come with a narrow barrow opening that would not allow for options of muzzle devices. The constant adjustment of trying to get it into the holster correctly can get a bit annoying, but easy to deal with. I do think it's quite a nice holster if you use it for competition.

Fits weapon great. Only complaint is, it is bulky, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for such a quality-built holster with an ALS.

Good quality.

Great

Fits my pistol like a glove, looks great, no complaints whatsoever. I've been using it for around 4 months and would definitely buy it again.

Very nice holster and surprisingly compact.

Love this holster!

I compared this holster and the Blackhawk Serpa side by side to choose which I wanted to use while on the range or when not in uniform but in a unit. I chose the 7378.The holster has a good feel for the draw and the ALS retention comes natural. I also liked how the ALS retention is not in view of anyone else around you. One concern I had was that a shirt tail might hinder the release. This did not create a problem, as the dexterity of the ALS lever is good enough were you can release the gun with your shirt on top of the release itself. So if you are in a hurry and you shirt gets in the way, the gun still comes out smooth and you can just pull the gun and the shirt up with you into a shooting position and shoot quickly or deal with the shirt.The paddle was also important to me in holster choice and Safariland has a good paddle. The size is right and it contours to your hip shape better than the Serpa. Best of all, the locking hook for the paddle is outside the pants, not inside the waistband, so you can pull the paddle out and remove the holster without taking off your pants. Now don't get me wrong, it still takes some work to remove, but the Serpa is impossible to remove.Lastly, the shape of the holster is different than the Serpa. It is larger in surface area when looking at it from the side. However, I don't find that having the smaller physical size is actually an advantage. The Serpa has the lowest height of any holster I have seen and Blackhawk likes to say that it makes the gun rotate faster out of the draw. From that low on the hip, my wrist can't even turn enough to level the gun from the lower level the Serpa holster allows the gun to clear the holster vertically. So all in all, the height difference is a mute feature. The width of the 7378 is a little wider than the Serpa, but that's not because the overall width of the holster is wider. It is because the Serpa holster follows the contours of the gun, where the 7378 makes the gun's shape into a rounded off square at the bottom. So there is really no difference, and the square shape of the 7378 makes the holster look like a big phone, rather than the shape of a pistol.In conclusion, I picked the Safariland holster over the Blackhawk. However, I think it is important to mention that neither of these holsters are a good concealment holster. If your shirt is covering it, the bulge still shows up. So use this as a second holster when you don't need full duty gear.

Fits my Sig P320 with Lima320 laser grip module perfectly!!

As always solid built Safariland, retention is intuitive and I can draw fast like it isn’t even there. But to bulky for conceal carry. Overall love it

It was supposed to fit a Glock 20 and mine became stuck in the retention system. Had to disassemble the holster to remove my gun.

Works with my gen 5 glock 17 with an Olight PL-2 perfectly! Very happy with the purchase

The best holster...