shoulder holsters?

[dareposte]

92FS shoulder holster

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]

Thanks, gentlemen...

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.