Shoulder Holster

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Greell

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Looking for a shoulder holster for my p229.

I was wondering, are holsters like these any good? I have never heard of them but I ran across one online....kinda cheap looking as far as material, but it looks simple and basic...

anyone got any ideas? or suggestions for a shoulder holster?

and yea i know what kind of site that is, i'm just lookin all over, money aint an object for the holster:p

http://www.speedytoys.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=44
 
I'm not familiar with the shoulder rig that you linked... so I can't be any help on that front.

I own a Galco Miami Classic, which I seldomly use with my 1911. To be totally honest, it's spends 99.999% of the time in my closet.

The Miami Classic holster can be found HERE

It is most certainly a well contructed shoulder rig, and fairly comfortable as far as these holster types go.

IMHO, I think a lot of better holster options exist, at least for me... YMMV.

Regards,

Mike

P.S. I do like the shoulder rig when I'm driving for long periods of time. That's really about it though.
 
IMO, the only real use of a shoulder holster, is while wearing a sport coat, or nice jacket. That being the case, the only shoulder holster I would get would be a nice leather one, and only if I had a job where I wore jackets a lot.

As far as the one in the pic, I've done airsoft with a guy who had one of those, and it was pretty flimsy.
 
yeah i'm mainly just preparing for winter, because I wear a lot of coats so I wanted one for winter, and stick with the vm2 for everything else
 
Looks more like a holster for an airsoft. You want heavier duty for a full-weight gun, I expect. Galco makes one, Andrews Leather has their pretty well-liked Monarch design:
http://www.andrewsleather.com/
El Paso Saddlery has their version of the Galco:
http://www.epsaddlery.com/c-23-shoulder-holsters.aspx
And many other folks (Del Fatti and Alessi are very good). It's generally believed that tie-downs are more trouble than they're worth...

My preference for shoulder rig (the one I own) is Ken Null's SMZ.
http://www.klnullholsters.com/
Conceals well under a buttoned-up outer shirt... even with a 4" K frame. Holds it high, tight, and securely. No need for a belt.
I prefer wearing it under the buttoned shirt to avoid trouble with a breeze blowing a jacket back. Works very well for me.
 
Geronimo makes a good point in regards to tie-downs... they do seem to be more trouble then they are worth.

Also, make sure you get a shoulder rig with magazine holders on the other side. IMO it really helps to balance everything out.

Mike
 
I've actually got one...

...and I rarely wear it.

I saw it in Cheaper Than Dirt on super-sale for around $5 and thought I'd give it a try. I don't regret buying it, but it doesn't get much use.

It's made out of heavy nylon, plastic quick-release buckles are kinda flimsy but work. It holds a heavy pistol just fine, but is very off-balance unless it's attached to a belt and has two loaded mags on the weak side. It puts a very noticeable bulge under your arm with a full size pistol, and was obviously not designed for CCW, but could work with a heavy winter coat.

It's probably worth $20, but is by no means the best rig out there.

Hope this helps.
 
A cheap shoulder holster is a major no-no, for comfort, retention, concealability, ease of access. Putting an expensive, quality handgun in any sort of money-saving holster is absurd.

Look at the Alessi Bodyguard or the Tauris shoulder rig. They work beautifully in every regard.
 
Spending $$ on a cheap holster isn't money well spent.

That said: I would advise, from experience, that spending $$ on shoulder holsters probably won't make sense.

I don't know why, by they are just appealing to me - that is, until I wear one. I hate being restricted to wearing an over garment, and getting out of a shoulder holster is a lot more hassle than removing a belt holster.

But if you must. I've found that the Galco units work well.
 
Keep in mind that shoulder rigs require adjustment.

A lot of adjustments. With Ken Null's rig - which has three straps instead of the four you see on regular shoulder rigs - I adjusted it for about two weeks straight.

Wide straps are supposed to reduce the pressure on your shoulders. The comparatively thin ones on the SMZ don't bother me... but I'm generally hauling a 20lb bag for a half-mile or so with a strap over the shoulder, and a two or three-pound gun isn't too noticeable in comparison.
 
I have a Galco miami classic with the wider shoulder straps. It is great for me when I am spending all day in the car, less head ache buckleing in and out and it carries very easy.

Somepeople do not like them others do, some trainers hate them because of the way the gun comes out, but a lot, i mean a LOT of pro's wear them when they are working.
 
I have worn one just about everyday for the last 12 yrs.

Usually, the Miami Classic and my 1911.

Andrews makes a nice Shoulder Rig (the monarch) and I am currently looking at purchasing one.

FWIW, DO NOT buy a cheap shoulder holster, and plan on spending some time "adjusting" any shoulder holster you get.

s-holstersSmall.jpg
 
I have a couple of Galco rigs for my Sigs and 1911. They're very comfortable and conceal well under an overshirt or jacket. I'm a fair sized guy, 6'3", 250# FWIW.
 
I don't have much use for shoulder holsters since they require a jacket to conceal them, something I only wear about two months out of the year here. :cool:;) If you wear a suit throughout the day -- and never have occasion to take the coat off -- it might work better for you. That said, I've always thought this one looks very intriguing:
288242_d.jpg


This is the Safariland #1090 "Gun Quick." The spring holds the gun into the plastic "nose cap" (adjustable for length to accommodate different sizes of guns) and you pull the gun straight out, then angle it down to free the spring. You can reholster with one hand; other rigs require two hands, the other hand being used to fasten the thumb break.

A lot of pictures I see of shoulder rigs show the gun riding very low, just above the waistband. It looks like a good way to bang you in the rib cage and not very concealable. You want to adjust it so the gun rides higher, as far up under your armpit as practicable.

If you do not strictly adhere to trigger/finger discipline, a horizontal shoulder rig has an additional problem -- you can shoot yourself in the arm or anyone standing behind you when you draw.
 
I like the blackhawk serpa rig. Just have to replace the crappy magazine pouches with a Safariland mag pouch and it's about the best shoulder system I've seen. Quick too.
 
I have a Ken Null rig for my J-Frame when I "have to" wear it under my dress shirt. The other one is a Galco for my Glock.

Do not go "cheap" when buying any holster for self defense carry, you will regret it. That is not to say that there aren't good holsters out there that are reasonably priced.

Galco and Safariland are about as "cheap" as I go, everything else is handmade.
 
Uncle Mike's makes a good ballistic nylon shoulder holster that should do nicely. Mine takes both my BHP and Government model. Your P229 should fit too. It's comfortable, body size adjustable, light weight and doesn't cost a fortune. You can adjust how the grip hangs too. Used it regularly while in the Queen's Service.
Just remember that it takes some practice drawing from a shoulder rig. It ain't like it is in the movies. Lots of fabric to snag on. That wasn't a big deal in Combats(your BDU's).
"...compares to carrying IWB..." Nothing hard will stick into you when you drop your keys.
 
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