HOLSTER FOR HANDGUNS

Abstract

A holster for handguns enables a variety of different handgun configurations and handguns having tactical accessories mounted thereto to be carried in a single holster configuration. The holster's sheath may be of sandwich construction, with inner and outer layers and a plurality of retention members sandwiched therebetween. The rear edge of the holster may be open so that guns on which are mounted tactical accessories of varying thickness may be carried therein. The handgun's grip is supported by the split upper rear edge of the sheath, while the handgun's barrel and action are held between the opposed, spring-biased sides of the sheath. A holster support clip may be inserted through a pair of spaced-apart horizontal slits in the sheath outer layer. The holster may worn inside the wearer's pants or skirt, with the support clip overlapping the upper edge of that article of clothing, between a belt and an article of clothing or on a belt.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to holsters for handguns. More particularly, the present invention relates to holsters which may be used with a variety of handguns and/or handguns having tactical-rail-mounted accessories or other accessories.

2. State of the Art

A tactical rail, or “tac” rail for short, is a bracket used on some firearms that functions as a mounting platform for accessories. The “Picatinny Rail” is a term that originated from a military standard, specifically MIL-STD-1913 (AR) which was adopted on Feb. 3, 1995 in a publication titled “Dimensioning Of Accessory Mounting Rail For Small Arms Weapons,” which specifies the dimensions and tolerances for the device. The Picatinny rail is also known in NATO circles by the designation STANAG 2324, which refers to Standardization Agreement through which the US MIL-STD-1913 rail was adopted as the NATO standard optical and electronic sight mount and standard accessory rail.

The name “Picatinny” comes from the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, USA where the mounting rail was originally tested. The rail was originally intended for telescopic sights. However, its use was soon expanded for the mounting of other accessories, such as tactical lights, laser aiming modules, night vision devices, reflex sights, foregrips, bipods, and bayonets. Because the Picatinny mounting rail was originally designed and used for telescopic sights, it was initially installed on the receivers of large-caliber rifles used by snipers. But use of these rails has broadly expanded to the point that they have replaced the iron sights of many firearms, and they have also been incorporated into the undersides of some semi-automatic pistol frames and even into the grips.

A similar system is the Weaver rail mount. A Weaver rail mount is a system to connect telescopic sights and other accessories to rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery bows, etc. which uses a pair of parallel rails and several slots perpendicular to these rails. Like the Picatinny rail, it comprises a series of ridges and slots which allow a telescopic site or other devices to be attached to various locations along the rail. Scopes are mounted either by sliding them on from one end or the other, or by various clamping mechanisms.

The use of rail mounted laser sights and lights has been popular on handguns. The laser sights may improve firing accuracy and the mere projection of a laser dot projected on a potential threat is likely to dissuade the threat from further escalation of the situation. Likewise, the mounting of a light on a pistol makes searching easier as it frees one hand for other uses.

The advantages of rail mounted equipment have resulted in modification assemblies for various pistols which are less conducive to mounted rails. Thus, there are now lights and laser sights which are attachable to the trigger guard, handle, etc. While these devices make the pistol more practical for many people, the variations in the devices have dramatically increased the variations which must be accounted for in holsters. Not only are there dozens of different pistol configurations, but the additional availability of mounting rails and various accessories provides hundreds, if not thousands, of different shapes which must be accommodated in holsters to properly secure the weapon when not in use.

As interest in the concealed carrying of handguns has grown exponentially during the past decade, the trend toward rail-mounted accessories and other aftermarket accessories has made the provision of concealed carry holsters even more challenging. Thus, there is a need for a holster which can be used for carrying a variety of different types of handguns with various tactical accessories.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a concealed carry holster for handguns that enables a firearm having one or more accessories mounted thereto to be carried.

In accordance with aspect of the invention, the holster is configured to receive and hold a variety of different pistol configurations within the holster such that a single holster may be used for a number of different handgun models.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the holster may adjust to accommodate a handgun or the same handgun having tactical accessories mounted thereto.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sheath of the holster may be made of a sandwich construction, with inner and outer layers of leather, which are attached together, having at least one generally U-shaped laminar spring sandwiched therebetween. As a pistol is inserted into the holster, the spring causes the inner layer of the holster to engage the sides of the weapon so as to help retain the weapon. This enables a variety of pistol configurations to be placed in the same holster without fear the weapon will simply fall out of the holster.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a rear edge of the holster is preferably open or substantially open so that guns on which are mounted tactical accessories of varying thickness may be carried therein. The handle of a carried handgun is supported by the split upper rear edge of the sheath, while the handgun's barrel and frame are held between the opposed inner sides of the sheath, which are biased against the handgun's barrel and action by one or more of the U-shaped springs.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the bottom of the holster may be open so as to allow handguns of different lengths to be held in the holster with the handle disposed immediately adjacent the top of the sheath. A shorter handgun may not reach the end of the holster, line a longer handgun may have a barrel or tactical accessories which extend beyond the end of the holster.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the holster may have three springs employed in the sandwich construction. The springs are configured to engage different portions of the handgun to thereby receive and hold the handgun while allowing release when the handgun is pulled by the user. Each spring may have, for example, a opening width of between about 0.66 inches and 1 inch when at rest, with about 0.75 inch being preferred in some configurations. The springs may be fabricated from a variety of materials, such as 301 stainless spring steel.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the holster may include a detachable/moveable clip for securing the holster to pants, a belt, etc. The clip may be inserted through a pair of spaced-apart horizontal slits in the sheath's outer leather layer. The holster may be worn inside the wearer's pants or skirt, with the support clip overlapping the upper edge of that article of clothing, or with the holster between the pants and a belt, with the support clip overlapping either the upper edge of the article of clothing or the upper edge of the belt.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the outer layer of the sheath may have slits on both sides to allow the clip to be placed on either side so that the holster may be worn on either side with the clip extending over the belt or over the upper edge of the article of clothing. For concealment, a shirt or blouse is worn so that it covers the handgrip of the firearm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right-side view of a holster made in accordance with principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left-side view of a holster made in accordance with principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the holster of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the holster of FIGS. 1 through 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the holster of FIGS. 1 through 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the holster of FIGS. 1 through 5;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the belt or garment clip which may be used in conjunction with the holster of FIGS. 1 through 6;

FIG. 8 is a left-side view of the belt or garment clip of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the belt or garment clip of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is an isometric configurational view of the U-shaped stainless steel springs which may be used in the holster of FIGS. 1 through 6.

The drawings will be described further in connection with the following detailed description. Further, these drawings are not necessarily to scale and are by way of illustration only such that dimensions and geometries can vary from those illustrated. It will be appreciated that various aspects of the any one drawing may be present in or usable with another drawing and may have been omitted merely for clarity in the drawings. Thus, the omission of any element from one of the drawings does not mean that such element is not usable with the configuration shown in that drawing in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present invention is disclosed and described in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular structures, process steps, or materials discussed or disclosed herein, but is extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those of ordinarily skill in the relevant art. More specifically, the invention is defined by the terms set forth in the claims. It should also be understood that terminology contained herein is used for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the invention only and is not intended to limit the invention to the aspects or embodiments shown unless expressly indicated as such. Likewise, the discussion of any particular aspect of the invention is not to be understood as a requirement that such aspect is required to be present apart from an express inclusion of the aspect in the claims.

It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, singular forms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” may include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a spring” may include one or more of such springs, and reference to “the layer” may include reference to one or more of such layers.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is “substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context, such that enclosing the nearly all of the length of a gun barrel would be substantially enclosed, even if the distal end of the gun barrel were protruding from the enclosure. The use of “substantially” is equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, structure which is “substantially free of” an bottom would either completely lack a bottom or so nearly completely lack a bottom that the effect would be effectively the same as if it completely lacked a bottom.

As used herein, the term “about” is used to provide flexibility to a numerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be “a little above” or “a little below” the endpoint while still accomplishing the function associated with the range.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.

Concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to about 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, individually. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value as a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described.

The Invention

The invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the attached drawing figures. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and are meant to be merely illustrative of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention unless specifically indicated as such.

Referring now to FIG. 1, this is shown a right side view of a holster made in accordance with principles of the present invention. The holster, generally indicated at 100, may be fabricated from a two-layer sheath 101. The sheath 101 may be made of leather, leatherette, plastic, nylon and/or other fabrics.

The holster sheath 101 may be made from two layers of material so as to form an inner layer 101-I and an outer layer 101-O. It will be appreciated that the inner and outer layers 101-I and 101-O may be two separate pieces of material or may be a single piece of material which has been folded, etc. to form the two-layer leather sheath 101.

Each side of the outer layer 101-O may include one or more slits. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of spaced-apart slits 102-U and 102-L are provided so that a belt or clothing support clip 103 can be installed therein. As will be discussed in more detail below, the slits may be placed on both sides of the outer layer to allow the belt or clothing support clip to be moved to either side to provide a configuration most comfortable to the user.

The outer layer 101-O and inner layer 101-I may be attached together in a variety of ways. For example they may be sewn together with stitching 104 along their outer edges, or they may be adhesively or thermally attached to one another depending on the materials involved.

Also shown in FIG. 1 are three retention members 105-U, 105-C, and 105-L disposed in the holster 100. The retention members 105-U, 105-C, and 105-L are shown in dashed lines to indicate their position within the holster where they would not normally be able to be seen in the present view. The retention members 105-U, 105-C, and 105-L may be, for example, three generally U-shaped laminar springs which are designed to receive and help secure a firearm in the holster 100. The retention members 105-U, 105-C, and 105-L may be secured to or mounted in the holster 100 in a variety of ways. For example, they may be sewn between the outer layer 101-O and the inner layer 101-I Likewise they may be glued or otherwise fixed in place.

The uppermost dashed-line rectangular area identifies the location of the uppermost U-shaped laminar spring 105-U; the center dashed-line rectangular area identifies the location of the center U-shaped laminar spring 105-C; and the lowermost dashed-line rectangular area identifies the location of the lowermost U-shaped laminar spring 105-L. While three retention members are shown, it will be appreciated that fewer or more could be used. For example, a single spring could be used or four or more springs could be used. Additionally, one spring could be configured to perform the function of two as discussed herein.

The retention members 105-U, 105-C and 105-L are used to help secure a handgun when it is inserted into the sheath 101. This can be done, for example, by squeezing the right and left sides of the leather sheath 101 together so that a handgun installed within the holster 100 is engages both the left and right sides and is securely held therein. As will be subsequently seen in the additional drawing figures, the top 106, the bottom 107, and rear 108 of the holster 100 may be open so that a handgun having a tactical rail, or more accessories, can be easily received in and carried by the holster 100.

The handle of a carried handgun may be supported by the split upper edge 108A (FIG. 4) of the rear 108 of the sheath, while the handgun's barrel and frame are held between the opposed inner layers 101-I of the sheath 101, which are biased toward one another and against the handgun's barrel and frame by the U-shaped springs, etc. forming the retention members 105-U, 105-C and 105-L. Each retention member may be fabricated from 301 stainless laminar spring steel, with each spring having a width of about 1.9 cm (0.75 inch). It will be appreciated, however, that other materials and widths may also be used. Although for a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, three springs are employed as the retention members in the sandwich construction, other embodiments with more or fewer springs may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

The holster 100 may be worn inside the wearer's pants or skirt, with the support clip 103 overlapping the upper edge of that article of clothing. For concealment, a shirt or blouse may be worn so that it covers the handgrip of the firearm and the holster 100. Likewise, the holster may be worn between a belt and a pair of pants or a skirt with the support clip 103 extending over either the belt or the upper edge of the article of clothing.

Referring now more specifically to the left-side view of the holster 100 in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the left-side is essentially a mirror image of the right side. The spaced apart slits 102-U and 102-L in the outer layer 101-O of the sheath 101 may be provided. It will be noted that, as the holster 100 is set up for a right-handed shooter who prefers the clip to extend over the upper edge of the clothing (if warn inside the waistband) or over the belt (if between the belt and the clothing), no support clip 103 has been installed on the left side thereof. This configuration could also be used with a left handed shooter who prefers to wear the holster 100 outside the waistband of pants or a skirt, but wants the clip to extend over the waistband rather than the belt. If the user prefers the other configuration, the clip 103 need only be remove and reinserted on the slits 102-U and 102-L on the opposite side of the sheath 101.

Referring now to the front view of FIG. 3 and the rear view of FIG. 4, it will be noted that the right and left sides of the leather sheath 101 may be joined only by a semi-cylindrical front portion 301, and that the holster 100 may be open at the top 106, the bottom 107, and rear 108 thereof. This configuration makes it easy for a variety of different handguns and handguns have a variety of different accessories to be disposed in a single-sized holster, rather than requiring a variety of different sized holsters. Currently firearms retailers carry a large number of holsters to accommodate the various configurations and many holsters will not accept a handgun having accessories attached thereto. The present invention resolves these issues by using the inner layer 101-I to engage and apply pressure to the handgun, rather than merely forming a pocket into which the handgun is placed.

Additional details of the support clip 103 are visible, as it is shown in profile format. The support clip 103 has an outer arm 103B which wraps over and along a waistband or belt, with a deflecting bevel 103B at the bottom to cause the outer arm to deflect outwardly when engaging a belt or a waistband. The support clip can be made from a variety of materials, including spring steel.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a rear view of the holster 100. The sheath 101 is shown with both the outer layer 101-O and the inner layer 101-I being visible. It will be appreciated that the outer layer 101-O and the inner layer 101-I need not be coextensive. In other words, the inner layer 101-I could cover only a portion of the interior of the holster 100 or could wrap around or over to cover parts of the exterior of the outer layer 101-O.

Also shown in FIG. 4 is one possible embodiment of the left and right rear edges 401-L and 401-R, respectively, of the sheath 101. One or both of the rear edges 401-L and 401-R can be curved toward one another so that they are generally adjacent one another. Having the two edges 401-L and 401-R adjust but spaced-apart or spaceable apart provides several advantages. Upper edges 402-L and 402-R can function to support the grip or handle of a holstered handgun. However, by having the two edges 401-L and 401-R unattached and moveable away from one another allows the holster to securely receive and hold handguns of different thicknesses. It will be appreciated that an adjustable material—such as an elastic band—could be placed between the edges 401-L and 401-R to allow adjustment to the width while still preventing the handgun from being pulled rearwardly from the holster 100.

Referring now to the top view of FIG. 5 and the bottom view of FIG. 6, there are shown top and bottom views of the holster 100. Like most holsters, holster 100 is open the top 106 to allow a handgun to be advanced into the sheath 101. Unlike many holsters, holster 100 is also open at the bottom 107 and rear 108 thereof (as explained previously). Being open at both the bottom 107 and the rear 108, the holster 100 is able to accommodate a large number of different handguns, as well are handguns have a variety of tactical accessories. For example, in FIG. 5, there is a first dashed FIG. 500 representing the barrel of a handgun. The barrel 500 is engaged on either side by the inner layer 101-I of the sheath 101. The pressure applied by the inner layer 101-I and the retention members (i.e. one or more of 105-U, 105-C, 105-L), which bias the inner layer into contact with the barrel 500, holds the handgun in the sheath 101 until the wearer pulls on the handgun with sufficient force to pull the barrel 500 out of contact with the inner layer 101-I.

Also shown in FIG. 5 is a dashed FIG. 510 which represents a tactical accessory, such as a laser pointer, a light, etc., which is attached to the barrel 500. The opening in the holster 100 is large enough to receive the tactical accessory. Additionally, if the tactical accessory is about as wide as the barrel 500, the inner layer 101-I will also engage the tactical accessory and further secure the handgun in the holster 100. The holster 100, however, will receive and hold the handgun 500 regardless of whether the tactical accessory 510 is attached. This allows a user to use a single holster regardless of the accessories attached to his or her handgun, thereby eliminating the need for multiple holsters.

Turning now to FIG. 6 specifically, there is shown a bottom view of the holster 100. Unlike many holsters, the bottom of the sheath 101 can be left open or substantially open. This allows the holster 101 to use with handguns having different length barrels. If the barrel is long, it may extend downwardly through the opening, while a shorter barrel may be not even extend to the bottom.

Also shown in FIG. 6 is a dashed FIG. 520 representing another handgun. Some handguns, such as the BARETTA NANO with the LaserMax Centerfire laser sight have unusually large trigger guards 524. Regardless of the size of the trigger guard, most conventional handguns can be received in and safely carried by the holster 101 of the present invention. The opposing sides of the holster 101 are biased together by the retention members 105-U, 105-C, and/or 105-L. Thus, the handgun is grasped and held until the user affirmatively pulls it from the holster 101. The open rear edge 108 allows the two opposing sides to move toward or away from one another to accommodate handguns and/or tactical accessories of different widths.

It will be noted that in both FIGS. 5 and 6, the edges of outer layer 101-O and inner layer 101-I of the sheath 101 are both visible, but the retention member(s) sandwiched therebetween are not. It will also be noted in both FIGS. 5 and 6 that the rear edges 401-L and 401-R of the sheath 101 are curved toward one another. This shape makes the holster 100 convenient to use and secures the handgun. It will be appreciated, however, that other configurations may exist, such as one of the rear edges being curved toward to opposing side, while the other rear edge is generally straight. Likewise, as mentioned earlier, an elastic band could be used to help pull the edges toward one another in addition to the action of the retention members (not shown in FIGS. 5-6).

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the support clip 103 is shown in three views. The support clip may be fabricated from stamped metal or may be formed from laminar spring steel. The support clip 103 is shown in a front view in FIG. 7, a profile view in FIG. 8, and a top view in FIG. 9. The support clip 103 includes the arm 103A and bevel 103B discussed above. Also shown in a base 103C which is configured to slide into the slots 102-U and 102-L on the sheath 101 (FIGS. 1-6) where it is held by a flange 103D at the bottom of the base. One can see that once installed within the spaced-apart slits 102-U and 102-L of the sheath 101, it can be removed therefrom only by working the flange 103D back through the slits. Thus, the support clip 103 can be moved if desired, but is very unlikely to come out accidentally.

Turning now to FIG. 10, there is shown an exposed view of three retention members 105-U, 105-C and 105-L, such as U-shaped laminar springs, as they may be disposed in the sheath 101 of the holster 100. Referring momentarily to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 10, it will be appreciated that the upper most retention member 105-U is U-shaped and generally shorter on both arms (i.e. each a length of 1-2 inches) than the other retention members. This allows the upper most retention member to be positioned in the sheath 101 adjacent a larger opening where the handle extends from the barrel. Thus, the upper most retention member can be made to engage the barrel but not extend so that it will not interfere with the handle.

A center retention member 105-C is disposed below the upper most retention member. Because this retention member will typically be placed more adjacent to the trigger guard of the handgun, the second or center retention member is longer on at least one and typically both arms. One or both arms may also include and end portion 1001 which is curved to help shape the rear edges of the sheath 101 as discussed above. This shape also helps the inner layer 101-I of the sheath 101 to engage the exterior of the barrel and any tactical accessories of the handgun without inadvertently turning on a tactical accessory, such as a light.

Disposed beneath the center retention member 105-C may be a third or lower retention member 105-L. (It will be appreciated that references to first, second and third structures in the claims are not meant to identify a specific structure location, but rather to identify to different structures, unless additional detail describing said structures clearly indicates which location is being discussed. The lower retention member 105-L may be substantially the same as the center retention member 105-C but inverted so that the end portion 1001 of the retention member 105-L is bent or curved inwardly from the opposite side as the end portion 1001 of the center retention member. This allows the end portion 1001 of the lower retention member 105-L to curve the opposing rear edge 401-L as shown in FIG. 4. Depending on the size of the holster 101, the arms of the retention members 105-C and 105-L may be, for example, between 2 and 4 inches long, with one arm being slightly longer and having the curve or bevel at an angle of about 30 degrees inward. The middle and lower springs are inverted (i.e. flipped about a plane bisecting the retention members parallel to the arms) so that ON/OFF controls on the rail-mounted accessories are less likely to be activated by pressure from the springs, and the shorter end is positioned where the ON/OFF controls of those accessories are located. As most accessories are designed to be controlled by right-handed shooters, it has been determined that this configuration of the springs provides fewer interactions from the sides of the holster 100 and the rail-mounted accessories while the handgun is holstered.

The retention members 105-U, 105-C, and 105-L are disposed in approximately the position they would be in when sandwiched between the inner layer 101-I and the outer layer 101-O of the sheath 101. This provides the holster 101 with three distinct point of contact along the handgun and/or tactical accessories and provides a secure hold of the weapon even through many different handguns and handgun tactical assessor combinations may be used in a single holster.

Thus, there is disclosed a new holster which is advantageously used with a number of different handgun and handgun/tactical accessory combinations. Although only a single embodiment of the new concealed-carry, spring-equipped, split holster is shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed. For example, it will be appreciated that a variety of materials may be used for the sheath and/or the retention members, more or fewer retention members could be used, and the overall structure of the holster could be modified. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.

Claims

1. A holster comprising:

a shealth having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end having an opening sized for receiving a handgun; and

a plurality of retention members disposed along the sheath for applying force to a handgun when the handgun is disposed in the sheath.

2. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sheath has an inner layer and an outer layer and wherein the plurality of retention members are disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer.

3. The holster of claim 1 wherein the lower end of the holster is substantially open.

4. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sheath as a front end which is generally closed and wherein the sheath has opposing sides which extend to form a rear end but are substantially unattached to as to allow rear edges of the opposing sides to move toward and away from one another.

5. The holster of claim 1, wherein the plurality of retention members comprises an upper retention member being formed of a generally U-shaped spring, the upper retention member being disposed adjacent the upper opening in the sheath.

6. The holster of claim 1, wherein the generally U-shaped spring has arms which are between 1 inch and 2 inches long.

7. The holster of claim 1, wherein the plurality of retention members includes at least one retention member disposed below a bottom of the open upper end of the sheath.

8. The holster of claim 7, wherein the at least one retention member is a generally U-shaped spring having two arms, one of the arms being longer than the other and having an end portion bent inwardly at an angle.

9. The holster of claim 8, wherein the sheath has opposed rear edges and wherein the end portion of the at least one retention member is disposed adjacent one rear edge of the sheath to curve said rear edge toward the other rear edge.

10. The holster of claim 8, wherein at least one retention member disposed below a bottom of the open upper end of the sheath comprises at least two retention members.

11. The holster of claim 10, wherein at least two retention members are generally U-shaped springs, each having one arm which is longer than the other and has an end portion bent toward the other arm, and wherein the U-shaped springs are disposed in an inverted orientation to one another so that the bent end portions are disposed on opposite sides of a plane bisecting the springs from each other.

12. The holster of claim 11, wherein the at least two retention members are sandwiched inside of the sheath and wherein the sheath has opposing rear edges, the end portion of one of the at least two retention members curves one rear edge of the sheath toward the other rear edge, and wherein the end portion of another of the at least two retention members curves the other opposing rear edge toward the other rear edge from the opposing side.

13. The holster of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of slits in the sheath and a clip removably mounted in the slits.

14. A holster for carrying a handgun, the holster comprising:

a sheath having an open upper end for receiving a portion of a handgun; and

at least one retention member disposed in the sheath for biasing the sheath into contact with the handgun to hold the handgun in the sheath.

15. The holster of claim 14, wherein the sheath has an generally open bottom and an generally open rear portion such that a handgun disposed in the sheath may be slid out of the sheath through the rear portion.

16. The holster of claim 14, wherein the at least one retention members comprises a plurality of generally U-shaped springs disposed in the sheath for applying force to a handgun when the handgun is disposed in the sheath.

17. The holster of claim 14, wherein the sheath comprises an inner layer and an outer layer and wherein the at least one retention member comprises a plurality of generally U-shaped springs sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer such the generally U-shaped springs apply a biasing force to hold the inner layer against a handgun and/or at least one tactical accessory attached to a handgun and thereby hold the handgun in the holster.

18. The holster of claim 14, wherein the at least one retention member comprises a first generally U-shaped spring and a second generally U-shaped spring, the second generally U-shaped spring being longer than the first generally U-shaped spring and having an arm with an end portion which is bent inwardly at an angle of about 30 degrees.

19. A method for holstering a handgun, the method comprising:

selecting a holster having an open upper end and a generally open rear side and at least one retention member disposed in the holster; and

advancing the handgun into the holster until the retention member biases the holster into forceful contact with the handgun sufficient to hold the handgun in the holster until sufficient force is applied to the handgun to overcome the retention member and withdraw the handgun from the holster.

20. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method comprises selecting a holster having a sheath with an inner layer and an outer layer and a plurality of retention members disposed between the inner and outer layer and advancing the handgun into the sheath until the inner layer is held against the handgun at at least two locations by the plurality of retention members.