Pros and Cons of using an ankle holster with a G26

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Rockrivr1

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I've just picked up a G26 and am thinking of how I would like to CCW it going forward. I'm thinking of trying it in an ankle holster, but I have no experience with these. I'm looking to find out what your thoughts are on CCWing this way and what type of these holsters your currently using.

Any information would be helpful. Thanks
 
I've never actually carried in an ankle holster, but I've tried one on.

Seems to me that it'd be fairly hard to quickly get to in most situations. I don't remember the make/model of the holster I tried on, but I'm sure that somebody makes a comfortable one - just this one wasn't one of them.
 
I have tried a G27

in an ankle holster. It was a Uncle Mike's ankle holster. It is not very comfortable. Im sure if you bought a quality ankle holster it would work a lot better.
 
i carried a smith j-frame in an ankle holster for a little bit. it was comfortable enough, but very difficult to get to, and in order to get to it, you have no choice but to move to a very ineffective fighting stance. also, it did not conceal as well as you would think. i went back to belt holsters.
 
The Glock 26 is fairly large, (wide), for a compact weapon. I would think it would look like a leg tumor unless you had some really baggy pant legs.
 
The G26 is light enough... but like Greymoor said, it's pretty thick. Maybe bell-bottoms will make a comeback. :D
 
The pros of carrying any gun in an ankle holster are that it gives you one more place to carry a back up gun.

The cons are:

1. Difficult to access the gun in a hurry.
2. Clumsy -- try running with an ankle holster.
 
If you spend your day sitting down, an ankle holster isn't a bad way to go. Galco makes a pretty good ankle rig with neoprene padding which is quite comfortable once you get used to it.

As someone else said, a G26 is really too wide to conceal easily in an ankle rig. It can be done (I've done it) but it simply doesn't work that well. Frankly, the best gun for an ankle rig is really a lightweight snubby. Don't tell anyone I said so... ;)

The draw is awkward, and must be practiced. Some of my LEO friends who carry their backups in ankle rigs have put velcro on the lower inner seams of their pants, to make the draw faster. This really works, but is a royal pain to do. And of course velcro can get gummed up; you've got to launder carefully so it doesn't come unstuck in public.

You cannot draw from an ankle rig while running away. But you can draw while sitting, while crouched under your desk or behind cover. And although it is slower than a waistband draw, if practiced it can be done pretty quick.

Basic technique is to stick your left leg out in front of you while crouching with your right leg. Try not to put your right knee down if you can help it, because that slows you down if you need to move in a hurry. Move your pantleg out of the way with your left hand, draw with your right, stand up and you're good to go. Or you can fire from the crouch, if you've practiced it. As you can probably guess, the draw takes flexibility and good balance. Um, also, loose pants.

If you're in a chair, your can simply bend over to draw, or bring your left ankle up to your right knee and draw from there.

Keeping the gun concealed in an ankle rig requires pants that are slightly longer than you would normally wear, and looser around the ankles. You have to avoid hitching your pants up when you sit down, too, and you can't thrust your legs out in front of you & cross your ankles, or cross your legs when you sit down. Basically, you have to avoid doing anything which might expose your socks.

HTH.

pax
 
I occasionally carry my P3AT in a Fobus ankle holster. I agree with the above posts that ankle holsters have their disadvantages. The P3AT is light and small enough to be a good ankle rig, and the Fobus is a comfortable holster, but I usually carry it IWB.
 
+1 on Pax- I carry a 26 in a Galco ankle holster about 30% of the time, mostly when I'm not wearing a coat and tie. Since I wear dress slacks most of the time, they drape and conceal the pistol pretty well. You DO have to practice drawing and firing from that postion, as it is NOT easy to do. First time I tried at the range, I fell over... :eek:

You can run with an ankle holster, but it IS uncomfortable unless you have a really good fitting one, and yes, the best ankle weapon is a J-frame :evil:
 
Depends on the season

In our office, dress is business casual. That's pretty much a golf-shirt and khaki pants. This clothing does not lend itself to waist carry in my experience. Even with the IWB holsters that have subtle belt attachments, you can't hide the fact that you have a bulge on one side of your body, and you have to wear a heavy belt fairly tight to keep the beltline from sagging on one side. (this is the part I found most uncomfortable)

I carry a .380 Mustang in a DiSantis ankle rig with calf strap in warm weather. It's great for driving, and is just about the idea office rig in a worker-goes-postal situation, because you can draw it completely under your desk, without having to move your elbow behind your back, as you would with a waist holster. (might give you a chance to draw without being obvious, as your arms appear to remain at your side.)

In the cooler months, I wear a collared dress shirt and sweater. This easily conceals IWB carry, especially if the sweater is a little loose. Also, you don't have to tighten the belt too much, or worry about the belt sagging a little on one side, because you beltline is hidden under the sweater. In this setup, I carry a Kimber ultra compact 1911.

I do carry the Kimber in an ankle holster, but only while not at work, because the base of the grip can print on the back part of your pants leg while wearing khakis. That doesn't happen when wearing jeans.
 
The most common way for me to carry is a Galco ankle glove. I have two of them, one for my Glock 26 and one for a titanium snubbie. The Glock does require slightly larger pants, but most styles of dress pants, khakis, and some jeans work fine. I had an Alessi, which is also a good holster, and sold it because on my legs it rode too low. The guy I sold it to liked the Alessi and it suited him just fine. I agree with what's been said above in general, though the Glock does not require bell bottoms to conceal it. I spend most of my life sitting down, so it works pretty well for that. I started ankle carry for church, because the hug bunnies have taken over my previously staid church and now if you don't hug someone it means you're a Nazi, so belt carry is a little impractical. Belt carry also doesn't work well in a car.

My advice:

1. Make sure your pants are long enough. Accept that some pants will wear a little at the hem from dragging on the ground.
2. Wear black socks and pull them up over the bottom of the holster. Be sure not to block the draw, but pull the socks up as high as you can without blocking the draw.
3. When you sit down, put your left hand on your left knee. This keeps the pants from riding up.
4. Practice.
5. Dark pants conceal better than light colored pants. Heavy fabric conceals better than thin fabric.
6. I carry a reload for the snubbie in my left pocket in a plastic ammo wallet or on the belt in a little Galco snap on wallet. If I carry a reload for the Glock it's in my left pocket, top down, in a cut-down knife holster that protects the cartridges from lint but draws easily. I suppose you could also carry your reload in a mag pouch of the kind with a velcro-sealed top that goes on your waist.
 
I use a Galco "Glove" Ankle holster for my G27 and love it! Is a belt holster better and faster - yes - but during work this is the best I can do! Ankle gun is better than no gun. I had an Uncle Mikes and didn't like it - this galco doesnt compare - I also heard Alessi makes a great one.
 
Until the final ohio ccw came out I figured in car carry would be an ankle holster since there are days when I do a lot of driving, but ohio does not allow that so oh well.

Someone mentioned pulling your sock up onto the bottom of the holster and that is an option. And for some socks that will stick to velcro by themselves I considered adding some velcro to the outside of the ankle holster to help hold the sock in place.

But then I figured I would rather cut up a sock and attach it to the bottom of the holster, that way it would just be a bit of camo for the holster.
 
The Alessi ankle holster is good for the G26. Under Lee or Levi "Loose" straight leg jeans, it doesn't print much at all.
 
Another oakie: I agree entirely with your excellent advice but I would add that when carrying traditional speed-loaders like the HKS type for revolvers, I recommend stowing them (or it) in your right pocket if you're right-handed. During the reload the left hand cradles the revolver while the right hand inserts the cartridges with the speed-loader.
 
To tell you the truth, I am a very large man, and I simply don't think I could draw and fire from an ankle holster with anything approaching speed, grace or skill, regardless of practice time. Not saying they suck, but for us larger guys, probably not a particularly good option.
 
Wore a M37 Smith for some time in an ankle holster with cowboy boots before my wife made me give it back. Not quick but good place for a hideout and the small size and light weight of the gun made it practical. Still have the ankle holster but haven't worn it in years. Quite wearing cowboy boots about the same time.

My daughter has a G26 which I have played with. My take on it is that it is a chunky little non-airweight gun best suited to a small belt or IWB holster. That ankle stuff is for the little guys. One of those little scandium J-frame howitzers would probably be great in that role.
 
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