11Apr
The Guga Ribas IPSC Competition Holster
Guga Ribas at WSXVI in Rhodes
When you think of Brazil your thoughts may turn to Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana Beach or Pele and World Cup football success. Brazil also has an active IPSC competition scene. One of these IPSC competitors is Augusto Sergio de Oliveira Ribas. Better known to us as Guga Ribas, he is an active and successful competitor on the IPSC match circuit worldwide. We also know him for the IPSC competition holster that he designed and manufacturers.
Guga Ribas Holster
The Guga Ribas IPSC Competition Holster
When you think of Brazil your thoughts may turn to Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana Beach or Pele and World Cup football success. Brazil also has a very active IPSC competition scene. One of these active IPSC competitors is Augusto Sergio de Oliveira Ribas. Better known to many of us as Guga Ribas, he is a very active and successful competitor on the IPSC match circuit worldwide. We also know him for the IPSC competition holster that he designed and manufacturers.
Formerly a top stock car racer Guga Ribas is also a winner in the IPSC competition circuit,
as shown here at the IPSC WSXVI in Rhodes, Greece.
Champion Car Racer
Guga Ribas is well known as an active and winning IPSC competitor from Rio de Janeiro, but before he was involved in IPSC he had an active history in kart and car racing. In the 171 races in which he competed in, he completed them with 48 wins, 33 as runner up and 17 third placed, in addition to 43 pole positions. He won the World Kart Championship, in 1986 in Jacksonville, Florida.
During his years in kart racing Guga was an example of speed, efficiency and competitiveness on the tracks. He consolidated a history of titles at state and regional levels until winning the world championship in 1986, the first Brazilian driver to do so. Guga jokingly recalls that although he was close to being the Brazilian Champion he was World Champion without ever having won the Brazilian National title. After leaving the race tracks in 1997, Guga soon made his debut in practical shooting in IPSC and Steel Challenge competitions.
The Guga Ribas Fast and Safe Holster ( FSH ) is available for the makes of handgun commonly found in use in the IPSC competition circuit, such as the CZ75 SP01 and STI M2011 pistols shown.
GR FSH
Guga Ribas Fast and Safe HolsterSpeed of the draw, safely retaining the pistol and adjustably and versatility to suit the user are the main features of the Guga Ribas ( GR ) Fast and Safe Holsters (FSH). The holster is designed using CAD/CAM technology, and is manufactured from aluminium alloy and polymer.
GR FSH holsters are compact, versatile and fully adjustable. They are ambidextrous and have a special active-passive safety lock system. The set up and positioning can be adjusted using a ball axis system and they are made to fit the different types of pistols used in IPSC competition shooting.
Here Guga’s Modified Division pistol sits in a FSH with the active lock in the bottom position. With the demise of Modified Division Guga will now compete in Open and Production Divisions with Sphinx pistols.
The locking system of the GR FSH holster was designed to provide the user with safety and performance when competing in a match. The system consists of a set of bilateral locks with an active and a passive lock. The passive lock works under adjustable stress and is pre-activated whenever the gun is placed in the holster and released without interference when drawing the gun.
The holster is adjustable in four different height positions, forward and rearward cant and angle in relation to your body.
The active lock has three active positions to be chosen by the shooter, which we will call positions 0, 1 and 2. When choosing Position 0, the lock is released and the holster allows the shooter to draw the pistol with little or no resistance, which allows for a rapid draw. If the stage requires dynamic movement before drawing the gun, the shooter can choose Position 1. In this position the lock is near the shooter’s hand and they can unlock it during the drawing motion with their second finger as their hand wraps around the grip of the pistol. In Position 2 the lock lever is farther from the shooter’s hand to prevent the holster being unlocked accidentally with a sweep of your hand. Position 2 the lock also gives complete safety from dropping the pistol when the shooter is not on a stage and is off the line.
GR V1 Magazine Pouch
The GR V1 Magazine Pouch is made of Radilon™, nylon reinforced with very resistant fibreglass, which gives the product good durability. The GR V1 magazine pouch is designed to be more practical for the shooter during the competition and is universal, ambidextrous and multi-adjustable.
The inserts supplied allow you to alternate between M1911 and high capacity 9mm, .38 Super and .40 calibre magazines.
A feature of the GR V1 is the adapter kit to allow the user to set it up for different sizes of magazine. So you can adapt it to hold single stack M1911 magazines; double stack 9mm magazines, such as CZ, Tanfoglio, Sphinx etc or the larger .40 calibre magazines for M2011 sized pistols. It also has multiple angle adjustments, including height in relation to the belt. It can also be angled 90 degrees outwards, if you prefer to carry your magazines in this direction. As well as having the ability to be set up to suit different magazine types you also have two finger adjustment screws to adjust the tension that retains the magazine. The GR V1 is available in black, blue, grey and yellow.
Another unique characteristic of this magazine pouch is that it can be loosened and removed from the section that is attached to your belt without losing any of its adjustments. This feature allows the competitor to remove all the magazine pouches from their belt when storing everything in your range bag as it will take up less room.
A useful feature is that the magazine pouch can be removed from the belt attachment by turning the knurled wheel shown. Remember to keep it fully tightened during a match.
The GR Belt
The GR belt has an inner light steel structure lined with nylon and is less bulky and narrower than many belts. This structure will withstand the weight of the pistol and loaded magazine pouches, which will guarantee stability when drawing the pistol to allow you to deliver your best possible performance on the stage. With the holster and loaded magazine pouches attached, the belt attaches rigidly to the Velcro inner belt.
The inner belt is lined with the soft part of the Velcro and the gun belt carries the hooked part. The inner belt is just as thick and sturdy as the outer gun belt, and it will keep your gear rigid on your waist without unnecessary swinging. The weight from your equipment is well distributed and comfortable to wear.
On the Beep
Trying the GR Rig OutOver the winter of 2011 – 2012 I have been trying out the GR FSH with a CZ SP01 and STI Executive pistols. This review is based on using the GR FSH for personal practice, running training courses, taking part in local matches.
Here Guga Ribas adjusts one of his holsters to suit a CZ75 SP01 Shadow.
Before the GR FSH leaves the factory it is set up for the pistol for which the customer has ordered it for. The adjustable tension screw is also factory pre-set, but you can easily adjust this with your finger and thumb. In the time I have been using both holsters I have not needed to alter any of the factory pre-set adjustments. The holster comes in a protective box and a range of Allen keys if you want to adjust the factory settings. A nice touch with the Allen keys is that where necessary they have been shortened to allow them easy access to adjust specific settings. Once you have attached the holster to the belt you may want to make some adjustments to the cant and angle that the pistol sits in to suit your own personal taste.
On the beep I can achieve a proper grip on the pistol and then perform a rapid draw. The pistol sits very rigidly in the holster, with no wobbling which assists with a uniform draw. The draw resistance is set low and I have the confidence with this set up to leave it as it is. When you draw the pistol from the FSH it will lift cleanly with no dragging or resistance. When holstered and locked the FSH has a solid grip on the pistol. The rigidity of the steel lined outer belt keeps the holster rock steady during the draw.
When the pistol is holstered at Position 0 ( top ) you can engage the locking mechanism, by flicking it down to Position 1 or 2 with your finger or thumb. If the draw involves no dynamic movement leave it at Position 0. If you have to get up or turn rapidly before you draw, then set it at Position 1 ( middle ) and disengage the lock as your hand closes around the frame of the pistol. Dynamic starting positions were more common when I started competing in IPSC. With the pistol locked in at Position 1 I tried jumping up and down, turning and twisting and running; all with no issues regarding pistol retention. When you unload, show clear and holster set it at Position 2 ( bottom ). You can now go a look at the other stages, or have a coffee, knowing that your pistol will not unintentionally drop out of your holster.
The tension adjustment knob rotates to increase or decrease the resistance of the draw. This gives you a range of adjustment from resistant free to when you will want a bit more resistance in the draw for stages that have a more dynamic starting position. The GR FSH has an adjustment and positioning system based on a ball joint and also has adjustments for angle and distance from the body. The belt hanger will be a stable fit on 1.5 inch wide belts used on the IPSC circuit.
The holster can be adjusted in height or be detached completely from the belt. When the knurled wheel is backed out a few turns, the holster can either be adjusted in four different heights or completely removed from the belt.
Another product is the Soft Gun Case comes in three sizes, small, medium and large. Large will fit Open Division pistols; medium will fit Standard Division pistols and for Production Division pistols, size small will work.
The GR FSH holster and GR V1 magazine pouches can be easily be attached and removed from the belt, while maintaining all adjustments and positions. This enables the shooter to pack their equipment, taking up less space in your range bag.
The Future
The FutureGuga Ribas was a world class competitor in the former IPSC Modified Division and is one of the major promoters of IPSC shooting in Brazil. As Modified Division no longer exists he has had to think about his future in IPSC.
Sphinx Systems, the Interlaken based Swiss pistol manufacturer has announced a sponsorship with Guga Ribas and the launch of a new line of accessories with Guga Ribas Company. Guga will be using Sphinx pistols in all tournaments in both IPSC Production and Open Divisions. Negotiations for the sponsorship of “Guga Ribas Junior Top Team” are also in progress. The project aims to join Guga’s coaching and training sessions to Sphinx’s pistols in order to develop new IPSC top competitors. IPSC competitors in Brazil will also be able to have access to Sphinx pistols through Guga Ribas, which will be its representative in their country.
If you have a dynamic start position you can sweep the active lock from the fully locked to the unlocked position when your gun hand closed around the grip.
Sphinx also announced the launch of a line of accessories for sports shooters designed by Guga Ribas. Known worldwide for its accessories for Practical Shooting, Guga Ribas Company has built an excellent reputation among IPSC competitors, thanks to innovative products such as GR FSH holsters, GR V1 magazine pouches and GR soft gun case.
“I believe the companies profile is the most important aspect of this partnership. Just as we have adopted the motto A Better You, Sphinx is a company that is reinventing itself and in search of innovative solutions for its products”, said Guga Ribas. “Another determining factor for the agreement was the immediate empathy I had with the brand’s future developments and strategy. Our similar profiles brought us closer, something that will be the key for our partnership success.”
The two finger adjustment screws on the side of the magazine pouch allow you to adjust the amount magazine retention.
“We are proud and excited of partnering with Guga Ribas. This sponsorship not only represents the first step of our strategy to expand our brand into the competitive shooting community, but also a major component of establishing a future Sphinx Team with top Practical Shooting athletes” commented Christophe Guignard, VP sales and marketing of Sphinx.
The inventiveness and quality philosophy of both Sphinx and Guga Ribas Company will be employed in order to provide the best in equipment and accessories to shooting athletes worldwide. The product line will be released gradually through 2012.
For Further Information
www.gugaribas.com.br
www.sphinxsystems.com
www.kriss-arms.com