[Whistling Moon]

i have been considering buying a shoulder holster for an additional handgun during the winter. i carry a Ruger LCP in a pocket holster all year round, but figure during the winter when i'm wearing a coat all the time it wouldn't hurt to have a larger auto, and i'm not too crazy about waist carry. so i want to try a shoulder holster.

from what i've seen you can carry vertically or horizontally. i imagine the horizontal carry would be much more natural for drawing. i'm not concerned about speed as i will also have my pocket gun.

will it be difficult to conceal a full size auto, such as a beretta, in horizontal carry under a large leather jacket or wool overcoat? (i wear both during winters)

if i cant would it be easier to conceal something like a sig p229 or compact glock? any additional info on shoulder holsters themselves would be helpful also

[Speedo66]

As a retired peace officer, I never liked shoulder holsters in a SD mode.

Very easy to block or grab and hold your arm , which is in a weak position. Also easy for opponant to grab your gun too, as opposed to blading away from adversary and keeping gun away if it's on your hip.

Horizontal carry will be limited by how "thick" you are. If you're thin, it's going to print front and back, depending on the length of the pistol.

Find a coat with large cargo type pockets for the winter.

[NMGonzo]

Many moons ago I was being trained in personal defense.

I was able to defend my shoulder holstered weapon better than my side carried one.

But ... that was me.

[Archie]

Shoulder holsters have fallen from popularity in the last twenty years or so. Up into the 1970s they were the ultimate 'cool guy' concealment rig.

The good points:
They cover the gun from the elements very well.
Easy and convenient to draw. Good accessablility to off hand.
Very comfortable if made and balanced right.
Can carry very large guns with reasonable ease.
Doesn't get in the way much.

Bad points:
Pain in the yarmush to put on and off discretely.
Very uncomforatable if designed and made wrong. (Will not be worn long.)
Must keep jacket on, all the time.
Gives rangemasters the screaming fits; drawing the weapon tends to 'sweep' the whole area.

I used to carry a Government Model in a Bianchi X15 holster. (Honest, that was the model name!) I've pointed out the good and bad parts. Over time, I find a belt mounted holster for most everything more convenient.

[dairycreek]

What Archie has written pretty much sums up the pros and the cons of shoulder holsters. I recently purchased a CZ SP-01 which is a heavy, all steel, pistol. Fully loaded with a 19 round mag full of 9 mm mine weighs a formidable 48.5 ounces.
http://cz-usa.com/assets/product-images/285/main285_png_637x200_q85.png

A shoulder holster really does a great job of distributing the weight of a heavy pistol. I recently purchased an Under Armor shoulder holster http://www.highnoonholsters.com/Product_Line/Under_Armor/under_armor.

and if really does a great job with my heavy CZ along with the two fully extra loaded mags on the off side.

I always wear a t-shirt and find that a light, polar fleece vest is a great cover garment. I live in Oregon (we have rain you know) and the t-shirt, vest, combo with a raincoat is a great way for concealment here. I can take off the outer garment and still wear the vest indoors with perfect concealment and not be too warm.

So for me and the heavy CZ a shoulder holster is an ideal way to carry concealed.:cool:

[TeamPrecisionIT]

The shoulder holster that Denzel Washington's character used in Training Day looks to be pretty comfy. I noticed it had backpack like straps on it and was real thick which would make sense to distribute the weight better. Anyone know the make and model of it?

Damian

[SharpsDressedMan]

Gives rangemasters the screaming fits; drawing the weapon tends to 'sweep' the whole area.

Might I suggest turning so that gun side (under weak arm) is adjacent to "downrange, or facing 90 degrees toward your strong side. Then, when you draw, keep your muzzle toward weakside (which is now downrange), and pivoting just slightly to "face" target with your feet/body (all the while controlling the muzzle to be downrange), and then engage target. With this technique, you don't have to wave a muzzle all over the place. At the range, this improves on safety. In a real engagement, anything goes that gets you on the target first. Actually, if you are canted bodily to the target, you should be a smaller target (although your vest, if yo uhave one, might not be covering everything you want it to cover......).

[RDF]

Depending on how heavy or large the gun is; there is a soft elastic band under arm holster made that does an excellent job of concealment, but is very light and comfortable to wear.

www.activeprogear.com

I've used one for nearly a year now and I'm very happy with it. I carry a Kahr PM40, admittedly a small gun, in complete comfort.

Ralph

[HexHead]

I've got a Galco Jackass rig for my G19 and sometimes for my G26. Very comfortable and I really like not having my clothes tugged at. Even with something like a denim jacket worn open, I'd really have to try hard to expose my pistol. I was showing it to a cop buddy today and when I put the jacket on, he couldn't tell I was carrying. Even when I extended my arms straight out to the sides.

[bwsmith2850]

Galco makes good ones. I carry the G27 in it now but I origanally carried the G22 in it with no trouble with concealment. The slide sticks out on the 22 & 23 which didn't bother me (but your results may vary). I got the 27 so I could leave the full size at work & not forget it if I grabbed another one to carry & didn't make it home before work. As a bonus it makes it easy to remember the reloads and they balance the load.

Guns in shoulder or crossdraw are easier to snatch than ones behind the hip. Police worry about such things & they do happen. Remember we have to get close, put hands on & arrest the BG we encounter so are more exposed to grabs. As a citizen you don't have to keep them. Typically you will want to make distance between you and the BG and really just want him to stop and go away. You don't want to be in arm's reach if you can help it. That makes you a bit less prone to grabs. (Not impossible, but less likely)

The draw stroke is longer than on the belt with an open coat (180 deg vs. 90 deg) and you have a longer reach to get to the holster. Practice until you get it as fast as you can. I usually carry on the hip OWB but it's a pain to get to in the car and it gets cold with the coat unzipped in January. On a long car trip or when it's too cold to have the coat open all the way the shoulder rig comes along.

Here's mine
111482


Any good holster maker will make a solid holster that will last for years. Mine is 13.

[Jonah71]

I recently purchased a horizontal shoulder holster for my.357 mag 4" barrel revolver. It is well hidden under all my jackets and coats. Gun is easily removable with a little practice. But it is uncomfortable. And I would NOT reccomend going with the cheaper nylon type as I did. Spend the extra bucks. It's just not worth going cheaper on anything as important or you're going to use frequently. I should know that by now. I can tell the nylon and velcro will wear out in no time at all and in the long run, I've pretty much wasted money instead of saving it. Go with something as well made and dependable as the one I NOW see pictured in the above post.

[Cosmoline]

I've experimented with a bunch of different shoulder rigs. The Galco style "X" allows you to carry a large and heavy piece, esp. if you opt for a vertical holster. The downside is it tends to be off-balanced with wheelguns because the weight of the spare ammo on the offside rarely balances against the weight of the revolver. For semis that's less of an issue.

I ended up creating a hybrid rig for my Speed Six that's worked extremely well. It incorporates a flexible Bianchi shoulder strap with a Galco horizontal holster, canted down at an angle and bolstered with an elastic band. It's something akin to the old Toschi upside-down rig.

I'd suggest trying a variety and seeing what works for you.

As an aside, that LCR is small enough you can pocket carry in your winter jacket.

[Babarsac]

My roommate wears one with his Kimber one working from home. He says he likes being bale to access the pistol when sitting down, and not have the discomfort of sitting ON the pistol and spare magazines. I'm considering picking up one for either my CZ or 1911.

[Cosmoline]

Gives rangemasters the screaming fits; drawing the weapon tends to 'sweep' the whole area.

There's an easy way to avoid this. Stand with your back to the range, backside against the shooting stand. Draw your handgun from the holster, and keep it pointed towards the target. Turn around and fire. The barrel remains pointing downrange the entire time.

With WB carry you have to sweep your foot area and the ground to draw.

[bwsmith2850]

You could take the lane where you sweep the wall, practice drawing when no one else is on the range or with an empty gun at home. You could probably do without practicing a strange drawing dance. It can lead to odd behavior in a gunfight.

Most drawing from holsters seems to give rangemasters the screaming heebie jeebies outside of CC or LE classes.....

[BullfrogKen]

Rusty Sherrick makes the old Brown Shoe holster.

I know of no one else in the world still making such a design. I have one for my Colt Detective Special/Cobra, and love it. John Farnam has one for his J-frames, and other friends have ones, too.

http://www.c-rusty.com/pages/holsters/shoulder.html


http://www.c-rusty.com/Resources/holsters/brownshoe1.jpg

[Cosmoline]

That's excellent! I may order one for my strong side carry. It would make a nice stealth draw to reach up and pull it down.

[BullfrogKen]

It is by far the slickest shoulder holster I've ever come across, Cosmo.


I've seen nearly every shoulder holster made come through here. This is the only one I own and actually do use frequently.

[Old Fuff]

That's an excellent design based on the old Berns-Martin rig first offered during the late 1930's. It was also offered as a strong-side belt holster that didn't require a safety strap. While it works well with revolvers its not applicable to pistols.

[BullfrogKen]

Yup, the old Berns-Martin rig.

One of the few designs that only works on a revolver.

[The Lone Haranguer]

Several shoulder holster designs have long intrigued me.

That's an excellent design based on the old Berns-Martin rig first offered during the late 1930's. It was also offered as a strong-side belt holster that didn't require a safety strap. While it works well with revolvers its not applicable to pistols.
Yup, the old Berns-Martin rig.

One of the few designs that only works on a revolver.
A similar concept, but in plastic, is made by Ken Null. USH-X (http://klnullholsters.com/NewHolsters/ush-x.htm) The one for revolvers only is the SKR. (http://klnullholsters.com/NewHolsters/skr.htm)

Others are the vertical (right side up this time) shoulder holsters by FIST (http://fist-inc.com/holsters/holster/CATSHOULDER.htm), and the Safariland "Gun Quick." (http://safariland.com/DutyGear/product.aspx?pid=1090) The latter permits one-handed reholstering.

[Old Fuff]

One of our members, Robbt, has an extensive supply of new/old stock holsters that date from the 1960's through '80's. Included in his collection are some shoulder holsters that are like the ones under discussion, and his prices are very reasonable. Look in the "Accessories For Sale" section.

[BullfrogKen]

A similar concept, but in plastic, is made by Ken Null.

Yup. Ken Null and Rusty are long time friends.

[Autolycus]

Take a look at the Andrews Leather Monarch rig.

http://www.andrewsleather.com/

I just ordered one. I am anxiously awaiting to receive it.

[tackstrp]

i wear suspenders under my shirt. Vain i reckon. Anyway I keep looking for a shoulder hoster rig that attaches to my belt or pants, so i can discard the suspenders. Sure I will find one some day.

[dareposte]

I carry a Beretta 92FS in a shoulder rig in the winter, and aside from being heavy it conceals fine under a heavy-ish coat. I'm a large frame, 6'3" / 225 with broad shoulders, so that helps too.

I'm not able to carry it "horizontally", as the pistol is just too long. I give it about 30 degrees downward cant, so the butt of the pistol hangs below the muzzle, and that makes the front-to-back distance short enough to be concealed under my coat without printing.

If you're "rounder" around the waist, or if your waist measurement is close to your chest measurement, you may have trouble with it printing.

For reference, my preferred carry is the Galco Jackass rig, its comfortable and pretty adjustable. Take time to adjust it well, with a partner and a mirror to see what you can do without printing. The key is in the adjustment.

I recently bought a PT709 slim to carry instead of the 92FS, just to get the weight down a bit and be able to wear lighter overgarments. I'm having trouble finding a shoulder holster for it, but I think the Galco Lite will work. I have a shoulder holster for my S&W .38 stubby, and it conceals easily even under a sweatshirt or sportcoat.

My overall recommendation would be to go with something a bit smaller than a full sized 5" gun. Something a hair more compact like a Beretta PX4, Ruger SR9 / P95, or even a Kahr would probably be better in the long run. I think a 4" sig would also conceal better, but any doublestack is going to be a bit thicker. I'm not really a fan of 1911's, but they are pretty thin and the 4" 1911's would probably conceal quite well, especially if you put a thinner grip on it.

[dareposte]

i wear suspenders under my shirt. Vain i reckon. Anyway I keep looking for a shoulder hoster rig that attaches to my belt or pants, so i can discard the suspenders. Sure I will find one some day.
Most of the Galco holsters have attachment points, but they are typically just one point on each side, and the intent is really to keep the gun or mags from swinging away from the body when you lean over, not to hold up the pants.

On a side note, have you seen the 5.11 holster T-shirt? It's kind of like under-armour but with a built in pouch to hold a pistol on your side, in a shoulder-holster type position. Drawing would be slower, but it does look pretty comfortable.

[Archie]

Might I suggest turning so that gun side …There's an easy way to avoid this… With WB carry you have to sweep your foot area and the ground to draw.You could take the lane where you sweep the wall… Most drawing from holsters seems to give rangemasters the screaming heebie jeebies…
Gentlemen; the problem is not with safety, per se. I've never fired a shot through the wall or bottom of a shoulder rig. However, rangemasters seem to have the screaming heebie jeebies just looking at a shoulder rig.

Lots of things – ‘approved’ holsters, for instance – seem to change with time and what can only be ‘fashion’. Another problem is the lack of original thought on the matter. The maniacal tenet of ‘keep the muzzle downrange’ is not such a bad idea on a range. However, I’ve never heard any instructor, rangemaster or guru ever address the problem of ‘which way is downrange in a real life, unscripted, self-defense episode?’ But I’m drawing us off on a tangent.