Quickest draw?

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ACP

ACP

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Anyone have any thoughts or experience on what carry style and position is fastest for a draw from concealment?

I mean IWB, OWB, cross-draw, etc. at 5 o'clock, 3 o'clock, appendix carry, etc.

I was very disappointed with my right front pocket draws this evening with the PACT timer.

My guess is OWB at 3 o'clock under a loose covering garment like an unzipped vest or jacket is going to be the quickest.
 
How fast one can draw has more to do with practice then the style of the holster (presuming you start with a quality rig in the first place.)

As for pocket holsters, the advantage they have (if any) is you can have your hand on a gun beforehand, but not give away you are armed, or be accused of brandishing a firearm. Under these circumstance the draw can be very fast - and even beat an aggressor's reaction time.
 
Based on actual testing at our agencies range, when carrying concealed there is very little difference for most shooters. Proficiency in clearing the cover garment played way more into the time then holster position. Working without a cover garment, basically the further from the center of the body the holster is, the slower (we're talking a few tenths of a second at most) the draw is. Slowest is small of the back, fastest is appendix. IWB/OWB also showed no statistically significant difference. We did not test ankle or shoulder rigs.

In general whatever gear setup allows you to clear the cover garment fastest is your best option. This will depend on your specific environment regarding what clothing you'll be wearing. Clearing a t-shirt versus a heavy winter coat, vest, and untucked flannel are two entirely different techniques. One lends itself to appendix carry, the other something closer to the hip.

All testing was done using a standard sized S&W M&P pistol.

-Jenrick
 
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How fast one can draw has more to do with practice then the style of the holster (presuming you start with a quality rig in the first place.)
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I agree to a point. Some types still do lead to a faster draw.

Ive never been a fan of pocket carry for the most part. Outside coat pocket carry aside. The downside to it that I see is, its really not all that fast, if you dont have your hand already on the gun, and often slower when you dont, than drawing from something on your belt, depending on your outer wear of course.

While I carried strong side IWB most of my life, and am quite comfortable with it, I do find now, that appendix carry has more to offer in most all respects, including speed. With a proper holster, and a little practice, its really quite quick, and the draw can be executed more discreetly. It also places the gun in a position that is easily concealed, more easily defended, and less apt to be bump frisked or granny groped/hugged.
 
When you are pocket carrying a pistol you can draw a larger pistol from your pocket much quicker than a small pistol you have to fish around to find. I am a big guy and most of my clothes have big pockets to match. If my Glock 19 will fit in the pocket of the pants I am wearing I can draw it pretty quick. I have never timed myself to see what is the fastest way to draw my pistol. I know if I can draw the pistol without looking or feeling around I am drawing it pretty fast.

I use a DeSantis Pocket Tuk holster. The Pocket Tuk has a tab to make your pistol sit up straight in your pocket. Simply roll the tab around the holster so your pistol goes to the bottom of your pocket. Once your pistol is in your pocket the tab will spring out keeping your gun in the same place all the time. The tab on the holster also breaks up the outline of your pistol so it does not print.
 
I have never been faster with any holster in my life then I was when I used to practice a lot with a Glock plastic Sport holster carried FBI tilt, OWB at 4:00.

It was incredibly fast, for me.

rc
 
ACP said:
Anyone have any thoughts or experience on what carry style and position is fastest for a draw from concealment?

I mean IWB, OWB, cross-draw, etc. at 5 o'clock, 3 o'clock, appendix carry, etc.

I was very disappointed with my right front pocket draws this evening with the PACT timer.

My guess is OWB at 3 o'clock under a loose covering garment like an unzipped vest or jacket is going to be the quickest.
Click to expand...
Fastest draw I ever saw from concealment was this guy who had his gun in a paper bag.

Just lifted it up and fired.

Deaf
 
I like the paper bag concealment :) for me though, comfort and concealment are much more important than speed. I carry iwb appendix, though I'm sure owb would be faster.
 
Before you can analyze draw speed, you have to set the parameters of where you start from and how you conceal. You need to remember that the slowest part of the draw is getting your hand to the gun.

With the hands down at your side, the Appendix position is faster, if concealed under an untucked loose shirt.

From a surrender position (hands above shoulders) the 3 o'clock OWB position is faster to access...and you can conceal it under an unzipped jacket

The more standardized 4:30-5:00 position is the compromise that allows easier concealment (behind the hip) and good speed (set away from body)
 
It has to be the holster you are the most comfortable using. I read an article about a man who is considered a grand master and has won two IDPA SSP national titles with an ITW holster. He doesn't do much or any modifications to his Glock pistols. He shoots them just like they came out of the box. I am sure there are more articles about him. Here is the article I read.
http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics-training/tactics_training_combatg_100306/
 
The more standardized 4:30-5:00 position is the compromise that allows easier concealment (behind the hip) and good speed (set away from body)
Click to expand...

I would strongly disagree with the claim that it's easier to conceal on the back. For a number of reasons, one of them being that people like to have the grip set away from the body for a faster draw. I've "made" more people carrying there than any other position, although that may be due to the fact that it's the most popular.
 
Good responses.

9mmepiphany, I guess my parameters are one that you mentioned -- hands by your sides, gun concealed, whether in a pocket, IWB or OWB. I never think of drawing from the surrender position, maybe I should.

I have found that, for myself, using a PACT timer, my draws using an OWB holster at 3 o'clock under an unzipped jacket or vest are about 2-3 seconds faster than front pocket draw. That is to say, twice as fast.
 
Any of you guys ever heard of the 'Sparrowhawks'?

They were, and I think still are, assassins. Look it up and how they drew their .45s to assassinate people.

Deaf
 
Deaf,

Do you mean Filipino sparrow units?

I've read about their tactics but not their carry and draw techniques.
 
Any of you guys ever heard of the 'Sparrowhawks'?
Click to expand...
Are you referring to those boys who carry something like a 1911 down their pants, and quickly pop it up out with a hand in their pocket?
 
ACP said:
Good responses.

9mmepiphany, I guess my parameters are one that you mentioned -- hands by your sides, gun concealed, whether in a pocket, IWB or OWB. I never think of drawing from the surrender position, maybe I should.

I have found that, for myself, using a PACT timer, my draws using an OWB holster at 3 o'clock under an unzipped jacket or vest are about 2-3 seconds faster than front pocket draw. That is to say, twice as fast.
Click to expand...
Back in the days of Flower Power when it was common to see folks in the drug culture dressed in untucked loose shirts, a well known IPSC shooter...who was also an undercover narcotics agent... used to carry his Colt Commander IWB in the appendix position.

He would hunch his shoulders over a bit and allow his arms to hang,,,which protected his gun from a casual "bump check." His draw was to lift the hem of the shirt with his support hand while drawing with his strong hand.

Remember that this was in the days when IWB holsters all used metal clips to hold them in the waist band. This was less than optimal for quick presentation...so this officer made his own holster for this purpose.

That holster became know as the Summer Special and was later manufactured by Milt Sparks under license from Bruce Nelson...it's inventor.

The Surrender position is actually faster to a concealed holstered gun, which is worn on at 3-4:30, than with arms at sides...because the motion to clear your cover garment and reach for your gun takes one less directional change
 
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