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As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of OWB holsters for concealment. In my warm climate I don’t wear jackets, except for maybe a few times in the middle of winter. As I write this it’s 96° out.
I’ve been known to wear an overshirt to keep the sun off my arms, but those tend to be flimsier and move around too much to really conceal anything, especially on a breezy day.
However, some people can wear jackets regularly and/or have no need for concealment. This is for you.
Table of Contents
Basics about the holster.
The Blackhawk Serpa is a Kydex, OWB holster with Level 2 retention. Which basically means that you have to do an action to get the holster to release the gun. In this case, your index finger presses a button on the outside of the holster. More on this later.
Retention of some kind is always useful for a holster that is not concealed. Helps to make sure it stays your gun, and not someone else’s.
My particular model is for a Glock 19. I picked one up recently and that coincided with a pretty good deal on one of these Serpas, so even though I’m not an OWB guy I decided to pick one up. 
No extra bulk.
It’s pretty svelte. Unlike the Blackhawk Omnivore I reviewed a while back, although that one had an excuse since it had to fit a rather large light in it.
As you can see from the pictures, it’s just enough to cover the trigger guard, barrel, front sight, etc. My Glock has no optic, but if it did the holster would not interfere. The forward part of the holster, where the top of the gun goes, is cut out. I’m not sure if that’s bulk reduction or deliberate to let you check the loaded chamber indicator on a gun that has one. It does both tasks well, though. 
In other words, it covers the important part of the gun and no more.
I have worn it around the house and it’s pretty comfortable. If I did wear jackets it would be easy to conceal, I think.
Attachment methods.
Like the aforementioned Omnivore, there are two different methods of attaching the holster to your belt. There’s the slide method that I prefer, and the paddle.
They’re exactly the same. You can move the paddle or slide from one holster to another. Bolt patterns and everything are identical. Seems like a good idea. Cuts down on their manufacturing costs and means I now have a backup of each attachment method
One proviso about the paddle: it’s huge. Almost 5 3/4″ across. I have one pair of jeans that have no space that size between belt loops. This obviously wouldn’t work there.
As I expected, the slide does a better job of keeping the gun stable and close to my body. If I was going to wear a jack or overshirt then the slide would make it more concealable.
The catch.
Here’s the thing. Using the index finger for retention release can be problematic. There have been cases of accidental discharges while pulling the gun from the holster. In my testing while carrying it around the house I’ve not had the issue. However, I’m not under any real stress or time pressure.
I have to say, I’m still not sure that’s the fault of the holster. As you can see below, the button you press lines up with the frame of the pistol. Where your finger should rest as you’re pulling the gun, anyway.
Having said that, the people writing the stories about the issues with the AD’s don’t seem like they’re incompetent or hysterical. As I said; I’ve only practiced with this at home. No real stress involved. In other words, I’m prepared to be wrong about this.
I can see the idea that you’re pressing that finger in towards the gun could cause your finger to do things you didn’t really prepare for.
Conclusion
I like the holster, overall. I, personally, won’t put it on a shelf due to the AD issue that people have reported. Of course, I’m not likely to use it anywhere but at home, anyway.
In the end, it’s up to you.
Palmetto State Armory and Amazon each have them if you’re interested.
