Holster

Abstract

A holster arrangement (8) which includes a holster (10) which includes a body (12) having walls (16) defining a cavity (18) within which part of a firearm is receivable. The arrangement includes adaptor elements (17, 82) whereby the shape of the cavity and accordingly the firearm which can be received therein is adjustable. The holster further includes a retaining member for retaining a firearm in the holster, the force required to insert or remove a firearm from the holster being adjustable. The retaining member includes an arm element (112) and a nose element (114) which are manufactured separately and connected together to facilitate ready modification of the retaining member.

1 . A holster arrangement which includes:
 a holster which includes a body having walls defining a cavity having a muzzle receiving region and a trigger guard receiving region within which at least part of a muzzle and a trigger guard of a firearm are respectively receivable when the firearm is inserted into the holster;   retaining means for retaining the firearm releasably in the holster; and   at least one adapter element which is mounted or mountable to the body of the holster in order to permit the shape of the cavity to be modified to conform to and accommodate different firearms.   
     
     
         2 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the trigger guard receiving region is generally channel shaped in cross-section, the holster arrangement including a trigger guard receiving region adapter element which has a channel shaped cross-section having an outer surface which corresponds to an inner surface of the body defining the trigger guard receiving region of the cavity and inner surface configured to snuggly accommodate the trigger guard of a firearm with which the modified holster is intended to be used. 
     
     
         3 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes a muzzle receiving region adapter element which is mounted or mountable in the muzzle receiving region of the cavity in order to change the effective shape of the muzzle receiving cavity in order to accommodate the muzzle of a firearm with which the modified holster is intended to be used. 
     
     
         4 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1  in which the body of the holster and the adapter element are provided with complementary locating formations in order to locate the adapter element in the body, the locating formations including a lug on one of the body or the adapter element and a complementary recess or hole on the other of the body or the adapter element. 
     
     
         5 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the adapter element is secured in position in the body by means of a fastener extending through a hole in the body into engagement with the adapter element and/or in which the position of the adapter element is adjustable to permit it to be configured to suit a particular firearm and thereby ensure that the firearm is a snug fit in the holster. 
     
     
         6 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the retaining means includes
 a retaining member which is mounted on the body and displaceable between a retaining position towards which it is resiliently biased and a release position, the retaining member having a trigger guard engaging formation which, in the retaining position of the retaining member, protrudes into the cavity, the trigger guard engaging formation being configured such that insertion of a firearm into the holster causes the trigger guard to engage the retaining member and to displace the retaining member away from its retaining position towards its release position to permit the trigger guard to pass the trigger guard engaging formation and to permit the retaining member to return to its retaining position once the trigger guard has passed, and such that when the firearm is withdrawn from the holster, the trigger guard engages and displaces the retaining member away from its retaining position to permit the trigger guard to pass the trigger guard engaging formation and permit withdrawal of the firearm from the holster; and   adjustment means whereby the force required to displace the retaining member away from its retaining position and hence to withdraw the firearm from the holster is adjustable.   
     
     
         7 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the adjustment means is configured to adjust the depth to which the trigger guard engaging formation protrudes into the cavity, the adjustment means including an adjusting screw which serves as a stop to adjust the extent to which the trigger guard engaging formation extends into the cavity of the holster when the retaining member is in its retaining position. 
     
     
         8 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the retaining member is pivotally mounted to the body and is biased towards its retaining position by means of a resilient biasing means. 
     
     
         9 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the body is formed of a synthetic plastics material and has a guide arrangement for facilitating the insertion of a firearm into the holster. 
     
     
         10 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 9 , in which an inner surface of the body is inclined to guide a firearm into the holster, in particular, in which the body defines a flared mouth at an entrance to the cavity to facilitate aligning a muzzle of a firearm with the cavity of the holster. 
     
     
         11 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the retaining means includes a locking arrangement whereby a firearm inserted into the holster can be locked releasably in position, the locking arrangement including a locking member which is mounted on the body and is displaceable between a locked position towards which it is biased and a release position, the locking member when in its locking position being displaceable by a trigger guard of a firearm upon insertion of the firearm into the holster to displace the locking member away from its locked position to permit the trigger guard to pass the locking member and to permit the locking member to return to its locked position once the trigger guard has passed the locking member and in which the locking member serves to inhibit unauthorised withdrawal of said firearm from the holster. 
     
     
         12 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 11 , in which the locking member is pivotally connected to the body and is configured such that an attempt to withdraw a said firearm from the holster without manually displacing the locking member towards its release position will result in the locking member being urged more firmly into its locked position. 
     
     
         13 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the retaining means includes a locking member and a retaining member mounted on opposite sides of the body. 
     
     
         14 . A holster arrangement as claimed  claim 1 , in which the retaining means includes a retaining member comprising an arm element and a nose element on which the trigger guard engaging formation is provided, the arm element and nose element having complementary mounting formations whereby the nose element is dismountably mountable to the arm element, the mounting formations including a recess in one of the arm element and the nose element and a complementary protrusion on the other of the arm element and the nose element which is receivable in the recess and a locking arrangement for locking the protrusion releasably in position in the recess, the locking arrangement including at least one locking pin which extends between the arm element and the nose element. 
     
     
         15 . A holster arrangement as claimed in  claim 14 , in which the protrusion is secured releasably in position in the recess by a pair of locking pins, one of the locking pins forming a pivot pin whereby the retaining member is pivotally mounted to the body for displacement between its retaining position and its release position. 
     
     
         16 . A holster for a firearm having a trigger guard, which holster includes:
 a body having walls defining a cavity, for receiving at least part of a said fire-arm including at least a portion of the trigger guard;   a retaining member which is mounted on the body and displaceable between a retaining position towards which it is resiliently biased and a release position, the retaining member having a trigger guard engaging formation which in the retaining position of the retaining member protrudes into the cavity, the trigger guard engaging formation being configured such that insertion of a lire-arm into the holster causes the trigger guard to engage the retaining member and to displace the retaining member away from its retaining position to permit the trigger guard to pass the trigger guard engaging formation and to permit the retaining member to return to its retaining position once the trigger guard has passed, and such that when the fire-arm is withdrawn from the holster, the trigger guard engages and displaces the retaining member away from its retaining position to permit the trigger guard to pass the trigger guard engaging formation and permit withdrawal of the fire-arm from the holster; and   adjustment means whereby the force required to displace the retaining member away from its retaining position and hence to insert and/or withdraw the fire-arm from the holster is adjustable.   
     
     
         17 . A holster for a firearm having a trigger guard, which holster includes:
 a body having walls defining a cavity, for receiving at least part of a said fire-arm including at least a portion of the trigger guard; and   a retaining arrangement which is mounted on the body and displaceable between a retaining position towards which it is resiliently biased and a release position, the retaining arrangement having a trigger guard engaging formation which in the retaining position of the retaining member protrudes into the cavity, the trigger guard engaging formation being configured such that insertion of a fire-arm into the holster causes the trigger guard to engage the retaining member and to displace the retaining member away from its retaining position to permit the trigger guard to pass the trigger guard engaging formation and to permit the retaining member to return to its retaining position once the trigger guard has passed, the retaining arrangement including an arm element and a nose element on which the trigger guard engaging formation is provided, the arm element and nose element having complementary mounting formations whereby the nose element is dismountably mountable to the arm element.   
     
     
         18 . A holster for a firearm having a trigger guard, which holster includes:
 a body having walls defining a cavity having a muzzle receiving region and a trigger guard receiving region within which at least part of a muzzle and a trigger guard of a firearm are respectively receivable when the firearm is inserted into the holster; and   a mounting formation whereby at least one adaptor element is mountable to the body in the trigger guard receiving region and/or a muzzle receiving region of the cavity in order to permit the shape of the cavity to be modified to accommodate different firearms.   
     
     
         19 . A holster adaptor element for adapting a holster as claimed in  claim 18  which is configured to be used with one firearm to render it suitable for use with another firearm, the adaptor element including a body configured such that the adaptor element is mountable in said holster, and configured to modify the shape of a firearm receiving cavity defined by the holster such that the other firearm is snugly receivable therein. 
     
     
         20 . A holster adaptor as claimed in  claim 19 , in which the body of the adaptor element has a channel shaped inner surface within which, in use, at least part of a trigger guard of the other firearm is snugly receivable when the other firearm is inserted into the holster.