Two-Gun Shoulder Holsters In Practice

[Cosmoline]

We've all seen two gun rigs for the CAS matches and in "Last Man Standing" and other films. But I've been toying with the notion of rigging one in real life, for day-to-day CCW. The problem is this. With all the shoulder rigs I've used, the weight is never really equal between the sides. The handgun side ends up riding down, and the ammo side is lighter and ends up riding up. With a good Galco rig or custom job, the problem can be reduced but never really eliminated. But what if one puts handguns of equal weight on each side of the rig? That balances like a scale. Plus it gives you a "New York reload" when needed.

I've been experimenting with rigging a Star BM to the off hand side of my Galco SB 2 rig, and so far it seems to be working OK. In theory I can keep the SP loaded with 200 grain hardcast for a moose tangle and the Star with Winchester SXT for two legged predators. Has anyone done this long-term out of doors? Are there problems I'm not seeing with the approach?

 

[otomik]

solution to the balance issue is to carry more ammo, since your spare mags don't have to be flush fit really why not get the highest capacity mags and mag extensions you can find that still fit.

like a glock 19 with two spare 17 round mags + extensions. even the military with the JCP contract looks like it's favors this.

wearing two guns is something a lawyer would love to use against you in court but they'd probably say the same thing about extra magazines too.

 

[Soybomb]

Well I'm still waiting for my name to come up with my holster maker to have mine made. The few people I've heard from that do it have no complaints. I'm going to wait and see if I find a gun and mags on the other side to be that unbalanced feeling first I think.

 

[RyanM]

Another solution for balance would be to use a suspenders-type clippy thingo on the light side, which attaches to your pants. Unless you're carrying a really heavy gun, in which case that would only give you a half-wedgie kind of thing.

 

[Cosmoline]

I change my pants too often for the clip on thing to be practical. Plus the weight of the SP tends to pull that side of my pants up. I've been trying out an ad hoc double rig using an old Uncle Mike's jackass holster to hold the Star on the off side. The balance is excellent. I'm going to go out and about with it tomorrow and see if any problems arise.

 

[Diamondback6]

I had a similar question over at AmBack, and the suggestion was to get a left and right Galco Miami Classic, dissasemble and replace one's mag-carrier with the other's holster. Maybe if you email 'em, they might build it for you...

 

[MadMercS55]

I have a Galco Miami Classic setup to carry two Sig's. Right now it's a P226 on one side and a P228 on the other. Not too bad and hides pretty well, but when I draw one, the other side feels droopy. Probably going to order the tiedowns for both sides and see how that fares. Right now it's more of a novelty but could be useful someday.

 

[Cosmoline]

I thought you were supposed to draw them both

 

[Manedwolf]

I thought you were supposed to draw them both

Only if you then jump sideways through the air while firing both. And yelling.

As for the weight, I think one thing it depends on is whether your state allows hi-caps. For me, a Miami with a Taurus PT92 on one side and two full 17rd mags on the other balances nicely.

If I ever needed to USE all 52 rounds, I think I'd have more to worry about than the holster now being off-balance.

 

[Diamondback6]

Well, that's the direction I was thinking in, even though I'd only actively be shooting one at a time. Second gun in second hand=ultimate in speed-reload, trumping even the New York Reload. Just dial in that McMillan tilt, shift sighting focus and you're back in the fight for a few more rounds.

[thread hijack]While we're proceeding in this direction, anyoone ever seriously (not Hollyweird) figure out how to reload one-handed?[/thread hijack]

 

[Devonai]

Eject magazine, kneel on the ground, jam pistol mag-well-up between thighs, insert fresh magazine, grab pistol, close slide.

 

[Gordon]

I have a det special (D frame colt ) left holster and a N frame right (strong side ) on my SSII.

 

[AZgunstudent]

I work for Galco. We actually sell a surprising number of double shoulder rigs (enough that we decided to illustrate it in our 2006 catalog). Cosmoline has a pretty good approach to a problem most people don't have -- needing one gun for aggressive animals and one for aggressive humans. Guys (and it's always men) who set up these rigs usually fall into one of three general categories:

1. A guy who carries two similar revolvers because he recognizes the revolver's limitations in reloading speed. A NY reload, in other words.
2. A guy who has a big brother/little brother gun pairing (say a Glock 17 and a 26) and wants to carry one to back up the other.
3. Guys who have seen too many John Woo movies and want to carry two full-sized USP .45s under a black trench coat.

I can't recall ever getting a complaint from anyone who has set up a two-gun rig. As long as the guns are reasonably similar in weight, I think you'll be good to go. The only "problem" I can think might arise would be drawing the wrong gun. I am sure a big revolver would do fine on a criminal, but the Star might be a bit light for a moose.

 

[10-Ring]

One of the funniest threads I've ever read was in regards to depolying 2 handguns at the same time....I don't remember if it was here or TFL, but man...epic! Tried it once...enough to know two guns at the same time is not as effective as one and a few extra mags of ammo

 

[english kanigit]

Enter the firepower rig

It's self balancing, and provides more than enough heft to comfort you on any side of town.

These rigs were originally produced for narcs who wished to make a good first impression on their customers...

ek

 

[jerkface11]

Someone talking about a two gun rig always make me think of this.

 

[Cosmoline]

I am sure a big revolver would do fine on a criminal, but the Star might be a bit light for a moose.

That's one reason I've avoided getting a matching SP for the other side (also the price is rather steep). I don't want to get mixed between what handgun has what ammo in it. 180 or 200 grain hardcast are really not very useful for people, as they'd just punch a cookie-cutter hole. That's not to say they're not deadly, but the heavy Rangers would certainly work better.

 

[HiWayMan]

Cosmo -

I think we had a disscussion last year where you wanted to carry a fixed blade on your offside rig. Always evolving aren't we. I'll reccommend the same rig now as I did then, only replacing the blade with a gun. Andrews Leather Monarch rig with the Backup/Ammo option.

http://www.andrewsleather.com/bkp_ammo.jpg

 

[Revolver Justice]

1. A guy who carries two similar revolvers because he recognizes the revolver's limitations in reloading speed. A NY reload, in other words.
3. Guys who have seen too many John Woo movies and want to carry two full-sized USP .45s under a black trench coat.

I guess I fall into both catagories. I often carry two S&W M64s in a double belt rig, still debating the shoulder holster idea. I mainly do it because, I firmly belive in a NY Reload for revolvers. And also it does look cool.
I must also say I don't want to be like John Woo, I want to be like Gene and Roy. The true two gun movie heroes.

 

[Cosmoline]

I did the knife carry for most of the winter, but the weight never really balanced out.

 

[HiWayMan]

Cosmo -
It didn't balance because...............you need a BIGGER knife. Geez, you guys in Alaska just can't seem to think through a simple problem.

 

[pete f]

I was shown a picture the last time I was getting a sport coat fitted at Nordstroms. I had asked the tailor to make sure the coat had a extra liner to save the fabric on the inside of the coat.
The guy in the pic was a FPS or DSA guy and he was getting a suit coat to fit over his shoulder rig, He had a HK SP 89 or MP5K under one arm, four thirty round sticks under the other arm, a Motorola under the sticks and a belt holster with a large pistol in it. He was wearing some other kind of holster on the left rear behind the radio that looked almost like it held a taser, but it was oddly shaped. the second pic showed the guy with the coat on and it was hard to tell he was packing.

Another guy who used to skate with us, was a body guard for a federal judge, he carried a Sig, and three mags and he too had a radio under the mags. His was much more like a shooting vest that went under his cover garment. It had wide and smooth leather shoulders that then attached to ballistic or cordura nylon. The holsters and equipment holders were hybreds part leather and part nylon. I always wanted to ask where he got that stuff. He had a sort of a liner that rode between the holsters and his shirt. It appeared to be just some shaped nylon and foam but it was detachable and washable. He said that was madatory for him, that he could take almost all of the set up and toss it in the washer, otherwise the smell would kill him after a while. I will say that his set up under a chore coat or a sport coat almost disappeared.

 

[Flatfender]

Jeff Quinn wears 2 Glock 19's

http://www.gunblast.com/i_hate_glocks.htm