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FBI Seeks New Holsters

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released a request for information to industry for holsters which for their GLOCK pistols. Pursuant to this RFI,  the Government plans to schedule individual vendor demonstrations over a period of two (2) days, November 8-9, 2023.

According to the RFI, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Firearms Training Unit (FTU) is responsible for training FBI agents and issuing holsters for new agent training.  This consists of the Glock 17M Gen 5 and Glock 19M Gen 5.  Recent additions of suppressor height sights and red dot sights have created the need for a different holster than what has been issued in the past.  

Desired characteristics:

Meet the basic requirements as contained in FBI Policy, as it relates to “Approved for duty carry.”

a. All holsters must be Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant.

b. No components shall have been used previously.  

c. All holsters shall present a 0 degree vertical draw.  The capability to slightly cant the weapon through attachment options is acceptable.  The vender must submit all attachments required to achieve canting.

d. Holsters must fit their respective Glock 17 Gen5 MOS and Glock 19 Gen5 MOS pistols in the following configurations:

1. Equipped with the Aimpoint ACRO P2 optical sight, Aimpoint adapter plate AP-200520, and AmeriGlo Custom Firearms suppressor height sight set (GL-815, GL-814, GL-813); and

2. Equipped with the Trijicon RMR Type 2 optical sight, C&H Precision Glock MOS V4 Plate (GL-RSH), and Ameriglo Custom Firearms suppressor height sight set (GL-815, GL-814, GL-813).

e. The pistol will have a mounted light attached to the accessory rail with the following characteristics:

• United States Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant.

• Mounted to the rail on a Glock 19M and Glock 17M handguns

• Weight not to exceed 4.5 ounces empty

• Length not to exceed 3.75 inches or past the front of the gun barrel

• Depth not to exceed the width of a Glock 19M  and Glock 17M handguns

• Switch controlled with ability to one a single finger operation

• Battery light run time:  Minimum 1.5 hours

• Attached and detached from the gun without the aid of a tool

f. Holsters shall not be modified to fit both pistols (G17 and G19), i.e. an adapter which allows either pistol to fit in the same holster.

g. Tactical Light-bearing holsters shall be available only in black.

h. Tactical holsters shall accommodate both the Aimpoint ACRO P2 electronic mounted optic option (Modular Optic System) and the Trijicon RMR Type 2 electronic mounted optic option (MOS).

i. Holsters will have an active retention device.

2. Tactical Light-Bearing Holster – Glock 17 Gen5 MOS AND Glock 19 Gen5 MOS Shall:

a. Holsters must not utilize glass filled material.

b. All of the operational controls for the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS and Glock 19 Gen5 MOS shall fit without exception, to include the Glock Part Number 33713 dual extended magazine catch and the Glock Part Number 47249 extended ambidextrous slide stop lever.

c. Be constructed of durable material that will not excessively scratch, mar, or abrade any contact surface of the weapon through the life cycle of the holster.

d. The material and design shall be rigid enough not to allow any digit of the hand to pass between the holster and the trigger guard covering to prevent access to the trigger while the weapon is holstered.  The trigger guard shall be fully covered.

e. The holster shall have an active retention device.

f. Secure the holster and weapon to the body at the belt line strong side.

g. Holster shall secure the weapon through strenuous physical activity.

h. Holster shall allow the weapon to be drawn and holstered with one hand.

i. The holster shall not have a lining on the interior of the holster that is susceptible to swelling in humid or wet climates.

j. The design of the holster shall fit the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS and Glock 19 Gen5 MOS exclusively.  No holsters that are designed to fit “All Glocks”, or a generic fit will be accepted.  Holsters which fit the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS and Glock 19 Gen5 MOS are acceptable.

k. The holster shall be attached to the wearer at the beltline strong side with an adapter that drops the weapon not less than 1.5 inches and not more than 4 inches below the belt line as measured from the top of the belt to the back of the rear sight.

l. The attachment to the body shall be durable and sturdy enough to retain the weapon and holster on the body during strenuous physical activity, to include inversion.

m. The holster shall be of sufficient design and rigidity that the holster will not flex while seated activating some of the operating controls of the weapon, for example, ejecting a magazine because of flex tension on the magazine catch.

n. The holster shall retain the weapon as certified by the manufacturer, with the same level of retention, with or without a light attached.

o. The holster shall secure the weapon through violent motion forward, backward, and straight up without disengaging the retention device.  The retention device shall not suffer catastrophic damage through this action.

p. The type, design, and placement of the retention device shall not change or alter the establishment of the grip by the strong hand.

q. The retention device shall be of a design so as not to telegraph its purpose or function.

r. The retention device shall not require the use of the trigger finger.

s. The holster shall not be secured with a leg strap.

t. The holster shall accommodate the above mentioned weapon mounted light characteristics, which do not extend forward of the gun barrel and are not wider than the widest measured width of the gun.  Also, the holster does not extend significantly past the end of the length of the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS and Glock 19 Gen5 MOS gun barrel.

To be considered, vendors must submit a company capabilities statement NLT 1:00pm CDT, October 27, 2023. Full details are available at SAM.gov.

6 Responses to “FBI Seeks New Holsters”

  1. Leland says:

    Let them stick their guns in their pants. I just hope they don’t blow off their trans parts and leave regular citizens to lead their own lives without fear or political harassment and/or persecution.

  2. Ed says:

    Let them use sticks and slingshots. Rats

  3. Casey says:

    “a. Holsters must not utilize glass filled material.” Does that specifically exclude the 7TS holsters? I can’t tell from Safariland’s site if the SafariSeven material meets that description.

    Interesting language on the WML, too. Sounds like the Streamlight TLR7 is the only mainstream light that fits the requirement not to extend past the muzzle.

  4. darrel says:

    Kind of bizarre they are specifying maximum 3.75″ and also not extending past the muzzle of the gun and not wider than the frame. As mentioned that’s basically only the TLR7/XC1. Safariland 7TS seem to be garbage holsters so I can only assume the old 6 series safariland RDS ALS holsters will have any chance, if SL has anything they can whip up in two weeks

  5. Joe_K says:

    Cloud Defensive might finally get their crap together and give the people what they want.

  6. Burdy says:

    This is not a wish list, this is a spec sheet for the holsters they already know they want.