Description:
Per Safariland's website - "The Safariland® 7360 7TS™ Mid-ride holster is incredibly durable, yet remarkably lightweight. Constructed from SafariSeven™ the holster is built to withstand the elements, including extremes of heat and cold. In addition, the holster retains its structural integrity even when submersed indefinitely. On the inside of the holster, the SafariSeven material is non-abrasive to protect your firearm’s finish. Additional protection is provided by raised surfaces which create airspace around the firearm, allowing dirt and moisture to quickly clear contact."
This holster features:
"ALS® (Automatic Locking System) secures weapon once holstered; simple straight up draw once release is deactivated
SLS (Self Locking System) Rotating Hood
Level IV Retention™ with optional Sentry installed
A proprietary nylon blend that is completely non-abrasive to a firearm’s finish
Raised stand-off surfaces in holster’s interior creates air space around the weapon allowing dirt and moisture to quickly clear any contact with the firearm
Very high heat and low cold tolerances; structurally sound from 300° F to -50° F Can be submerged in water indefinitely and still maintain shape and function
Matte finish designed to decrease reflection and can be maintained with a simple scouring pad"
I purchased this original 7TS holster when it came out around 2015 and have worn it every day on duty since. I don't remember what the original cost was, but it's probably comparable to the current cost of a new 7TS holster of a similar setup/ride at around $130.
Reason for Purchase:
The above photo I took at a Warrior Expo in 2014, before I bought a 7TS I used a 6000 series safariland holster. I never liked the 6000 series holsters, and still don't for duty work. I understand that many departments like them because they can be bought with various leather configs (weaves, matte, glossy, etc), that's just not what a duty grade holster should have as a defining characteristic in my opinion. As soon as I saw that Safariland went with a molded setup for a duty grade holster, adding some little things like the retention button (Sentry) and weight savings I knew I had to go with it.
First Opinion:
The 7TS was much lighter than my previous 6000 series holster. That was immediately obvious. The button retention was good enough that even if I put the hood down it still retained the gun well. Unlike the 6000 series holster, there was no play in the gun once it was in the holster, it didn't move around and didn't rely on "tactical fuzz" to keep it in place or stop the finish of the gun from being rubbed off - no one should ever care about this as it's a duty holster for a duty gun and hard use is the only method of daily operation. Install was pretty straightforward, take the old holster with the old ride height plastic belt attachment piece off, put the new one on, make sure all the screws are good to go. I don't remember if the original 7TS had a hood guard or not, but I remove them and don't use them. Neat idea, but in practice they catch on random stuff, and make opposite hand draw extremely difficult.
In the Field:
Since you probably won't be able to find this old version, I will talk about both the old vs. the new version and how they function in the field.
When the Negative Cant Plate came out I got one of them early on and then replaced that with Version 2 and the accessory mount when that became available. With that in mind, the original ride height and cant of the 7TS was never "perfect" but it was good enough. I wore it just behind my hip bone most often and then changed it up to just in front of my hip bone with a slight backwards cant to it with the help of the NCP v2.
Both holsters (LEFT old, RIGHT new) featured similar design specs but as you can see the updated version (newest) is more refined with better internal and external lines and functionality.
Back side showing the updates versus (left/new) versus the older version (right/old). Clear differences in body lines.
As you can see, if you didn't know about the 7TS being out for many years you'd think that the newer version on the left may be a completely different holster, and in many respects it is. I reached out to Safariland and they provided me with specific upgrades / changes from the old to the new version:
*Exterior cosmetics smoothed out, allows for deeper cavity on the inside.
*Internal tension device added, great for allowing you to adjust for your desired draw tightness or differences in frame setups
*Front screw near front sight removed, as well as some of the other screws were removed in the design updates depending on the model/fit
*Hinge design changed, on Light models and non-light as well for a stronger more durable build
*Clearance for Gen5 ambi slide catch
*Clearance for extended mag release buttons, extended controls
*Interlock improved for greater durability
*Increased clearance for larger Gen5 receiver frames
Two other changes that I noticed were that the width of the holster is slightly thicker. Not that it adds any real bulk.
The hood looks a little bigger to me, and the mechanism isn't as sloppy but feels slightly better overall. I also have used the Nub Mod on both holsters and it really helps with the draw and overall deployment of the pistol. Would recommend it as a cheap mod for the holster, make sure to use loctite.
Ownership and Usage:
As you can see the time had come to buy a new holster. After a long run, this original 7TS finally broke at the nose part, suffering a catastrophic failure. I was told by Safariland, and others, that this is a known issue and may happen to these first gen 7TS holsters. With the nose piece breaking, the pistol no longer sat securely in the holster and started to wiggle about. The other issue that developed was that the hood mechanism, began to creek, making various grinding noises and felt like there was dirt inside of it. I tried to lube it up and clean it up best I could but it still continued to have the same issues. With that I knew I should get a new holster.
The new 7TS holster functions exactly the same way as the previous version, but better in most ways.
Final Recommendations:
I kept this holster for far too long and allowing it to deteriorate like this is entirely my fault. I should have replaced this holster sooner, but if it ain't broke don't fix it right? I am, overall, very happy with the 7TS holster and the entire 7000 series of holsters that Safariland has since produced. They started to listen to what the end user wanted and it became a reality. That's, essentially, the best possible thing you can expect from any company. As far as I am concerned if you are a uniformed LEO or carry a gun for employement overtly, you should have a Safariland holster, they are the gold standard. The modifications I listed, and the additions I listed, are things I that I have done over my many years of useage of such holsters in the real world. As you can see from the first photo, I abused the origina 7TS through very hot, and below freezing weather, through rain, through probably thousands of impacts while getting in/out of vehicles and during the many dozens of foot pursuits I have gotten into while wearing the 7TS. It just works, everytime, until it does. I would always recommend you check your holster every few tours of duty, check the screws (you should always use loctite) and check the retention. If it makes noise, if it sounds like its grinding, get a new one. A holster, much like any good piece of duty grade equipment, is consumable and should be inspected, then replaced, as needed. This is often overlooked and I wanted to make sure I provided this info for those who may need to hear it. With that said, if you are in the market for a holster, go with the 7000 series from Safariland.
*sorry for the potateo photos, had to use my phone to take them due to time restrictions.