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**Myles** · 05-17-2019, 08:21 AM

Hey Watsons,

I've run into a similar problem when it comes to my Springfield EMP (3 inch) night sights. There are only two companies that sell after market night sights for that model. I bought them both, which were specifically made for the gun, and they didn't fit well!

I called Springfield and they mentioned they have a custom shop to make custom sights. As I did, you may want to try calling Beretta customer service directly and let them know you're having trouble finding aftermarket parts, with a holster being a priority.

Other than that, I'm pretty sure there are holster companies that create custom holsters and they do for any gun. However, you will likely have to wait a few weeks. I have a friend who mentioned one of those companies to me, but I can't recall their name. I'll ask and post it here.

Sorry I can't provide more help. Perhaps the others here can!

**Myles** · 05-17-2019, 10:11 PM

To follow up on my previous message, Blade-tech is the company that can make custom holsters. My friend also has the EMP that I do, and he ran into the same problems. He wasn't able to find a lot of holsters for it, and Blade-tech made him one. Doesn't hurt to ask them if they can make one for your Beretta.

Hope this helps.

**Arc Angel** · 05-19-2019, 06:03 AM

Hello Watsons!

Let’ see what I can tell you? First off, like most shooters who’ve been using handguns for a long time I’ve got a large plastic crate, actually two crates, with airtight lids on them that are full of every kind of holster, sheath, or gun belt that anyone could ever imagine—At one time or another I’ve tried them all; and, over the years, I’ve formed some pretty definite opinions about what a good holster both should, and shouldn’t be.

In my own opinion (humble, of course) the three best, and most often seen, leather holster makers are, in no particular order:

Retired Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Del Fatti in Greenwood, WI.

(2) Greg Kramer of Kramer Handgun Leather in Tacoma, WA; and,

(3) Wm. Tucker of Tucker Gunleather in Houston, TX.

Over the years I’ve done business with all of them, and I can say that each company produces very fine, very high quality, leather holsters.

Quite frankly, I have found the unlined Del Fatti holsters to be very fast to work out of! The unlined Kramer holsters are similar, and Kramer horsehide is one of the toughest and most durable gun leathers anybody’s money can buy. As for Wm. Tucker in Houston, TX? Bill uses nice thick ‘Herman Oak’, vegetable-tanned leather that holds its shape very well.

(It is the holster’s ‘mouth’, or top edge, that you don’t want to ever soften up; and, in more than 10 years now, none of them have. I’m able to reholster a weapon, today, as easily as I did when each of them was brand new.)

I’m sure Texas pistoleros will understand when I say that the best fancy ‘barbecue holsters’ I have ever seen, all, came from Tucker Gunleather. (Lots of Texas Rangers really seem to love these holsters!)

Just so you know, until a heavy leather Tucker holster gets well broken in it can be a little slow on the draw. (Not a fault, OK. Just a precaution to make sure to break in each of your leather holsters before you attempt to do any serious work with it.)

Now, let’s move onto high quality custom Kydex, and production quality polymer holsters: I, personally, am a fan of Blackhawk polymer and (stiffened) Nylon fabric holsters. In fact I frequently use a Blackhawk SERPA paddle holster which I wear at 2:00 o’clock on my ‘BeltMan’, polymer-lined, bullhide, gun belts.

(My BeltMan gun belts are very good-looking, very strong, with utterly no sag in them, and very comfortable to wear all day long! One other thing: A 2:00 o’clock ‘appendix carry’ is the very best place to wear a pistol when you’re the driver, and stuck behind the wheel of a car—Which is, historically, a natural slow draw position!)

In order to help keep this recommendation ‘real’ I’m going to add that: SERPA holsters are NOT for everyone, OK! Without a lot of (empty gun) practice and acquired familiarity, using a trigger-locking SERPA is something that an inexperienced or only lightly practice pistolero should never attempt—Never!

Why? Because the SERPA design is NOT easy for an inexperienced handgunner to use with a high degree of personal safety. THAT is ‘Why’! A SERPA holster requires additional familiarity and carefully acquired skill in order to be used, both, properly and well. Me, personally? I wouldn’t be willing to work with a handgun student who showed up at the range sporting a brand new pistol and SERPA rig.

At the same time, though, I have no problem working with someone who’s been around handguns for a while, has GOOD TRIGGER FINGER DISCIPLINE, and is accustomed to drawing from his SERPA holster.

(With an habitually straight trigger finger a SERPA’s mechanical trigger lock can be made to work, and work well. In fact I’ve always thought of this very necessary, trigger lock, safety precaution as being not too different from correctly handling any striker-fired pistol.)

Right now I don’t think you’re going to be able to get a SERPA holster for an APX, anyway; but you should be able to find a stiffened Blackhawk nylon fabric holster that will fit.

Personally, I like using these (ridiculously inexpensive) stiffened fabric holsters. I cut the retention straps off them, seal the strap end with a hot lighter; and, then, I’ll frequently wear an opposite hand holster on the inside my gun belt. So far (like 5 years, now) the holster mouths have retained their shape, and reholstering has not been a problem. These nylon fabric holsters are also nicely lined, and no metal snap flanges are able to touch the gun—Which is a feature that I really like!

I use these Blackhawk nylon holsters for range work all of the time. They seldom seem to be a perfect fit, so what I’ll do is go to a large dealer, and try slipping either his, or my own, demonstrably cleared and very empty pistol into one nylon fabric holster after another until I find the most perfect fit.

As long as the holster’s upper edge remains stiff I’ll continue to use it for everyday range work until it can’t be used anymore; and, truthfully, in spite of the fact that I own a great many other holsters, I like Blackhawk’s generally carefully made nylon fabric holsters—They are quick, and they do retain a stiff upper edge for a long time.)

I, too, like Blade-Tech’s ‘two flavors’ of plastic holsters: The higher priced custom Kydex, and the production-grade ordinary polymer holsters. I own both types, and I’m sure you can get one for a Beretta APX, too. As a matter of fact I carried a compression-fit, carbon fiber pattern, custom Kydex holster for nearly a decade; and, most of the time, it served me very well.

However I should add that the one and only major holster screwup I ever had, in my entire long life with guns, came when I had a C-1 pistol yanked out of an open-topped Blade-Tech holster. What happened that afternoon was as completely unexpected as it was 100% embarrassing!

There I was pushing my way through a large busy crowd of people when, from out of nowhere, a chair was suddenly shoved in front of me. I tripped over it; and, to my absolute horror, the raised arm of that chair somehow managed to snag underneath my pistol’s butt as I fell towards the floor.

I went down fast and hard; and, as I fell, I saw my fully charged C-1 pistol go flying past my head and off into the crowd! (Sweet Jesus!) This sorry event happened to me while I was wearing an open topped, compression-fit, Blade-Tech, Kydex holster.

Now, make no mistake, that C-1 pistol had been held very tightly in place by a properly adjusted retention screw, but that still didn’t spare either me, or anyone else from having to watch my fully charged pistol go flying off into the crowd!

I, and everybody else too, was very lucky that day: Thank God that my pistol didn’t accidentally discharge when it hit that very hard linoleum floor in the same way that I did! It was after this untoward event that I bought my first trigger-locked Blackhawk SERPA holster; and, yes, I’ve heard all of the precautionary stories about SERPA holsters.

(I, also, realize that there is no such thing as a perfect holster—None, but still, I definitely needed a more secure holster than anything I was presently using, so . . . )

Which now brings us to the one polymer holster that I, personally, think everybody should own at least one of: A lockable Safariland tactical/concealment rig! To bring this long reply to a quick close, if it were my brand new Beretta APX the very first holster I would own for it would be a Safariland: ALS, GLS, or SLS paddle holster. (The exact choice is yours!)

Me? I like to use a snap-on belt clasp on many of my EDC holsters, and I prefer to carry two single magazine pouches instead of using only one double. (A double pouch carrier can take up too much ‘belt real estate’.) One of these easy on/easy off belt clasps is very nice for quickly dropping ‘a piece’ off my belt whenever I have to go into a courthouse, or post office. (The post office carry exclusion is a vestigial Clinton Administration fiat that I will never understand?)

Good luck to you with whatever you decide.

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