Weight in a holster....

[litman252]

Well I may well be comparing apples to the dreaded oranges......

I have noticed many people prefer the 44 mags in a shorter barrel for a carry piece in the woods when compared to a 500 or 454 based on weight.

It is widely stated by some that a full size steel 1911 is too heavy and that a light 38 is way better for CCW carry.

Proper holster and belt is always included in the pro 1911 argument.

My questions-
How much does the holster belt help with a heavier "Woods" carry piece?????

How many "Woods" guns are chosen based on weight, as compared to CCW pieces??

What is a good holster and belt for a 4 5/8" Blackhawk??

Thanks,
Tony

 

[dmazur]

I happen to have a SBH in 4-5/8" barrel length -

1. Holster belt helps considerably with something that weighs around 4 lbs. I find it doesn't have to be a special double layer design (to resist rolling) as is helpful with CCW holsters, but it shouldn't be a nylon strap, either.

2. There are two schools of thought on this. The first is "you only shoot it for protection, so don't worry about how much it hurts your hand", and the second is "you can't practice effectively if it hurts to shoot it." I subscribe to the second school, so I got a Ruger rather than some scandium thing, even though it feels like carrying a brick. Comparing it to the .357 Mag/.38 Special isn't a bad thing to do...the lighter revolvers, such as the SP101, are kind of painful to shoot with full-house .357 Magnum loads, not so bad with .38 Specials. So, if you were going to carry the same gun for CCW, I'd say get one that's lighter and load it with .44 Specials, then put up with the discomfort for shooting .44 Magnum for woods protection. However, if you aren't going to carry it every day, the heavier gun is definitely easier to control with the .44 Magnum loads.

3. Bianchi makes something called the 1L Lawman that fits this model. So does Galco. I have both. They both carry about the same height, but the Galco protects the cylinder and the Bianchi leaves it somewhat exposed. Also, the Galco can be worn strong-side or crossdraw, where the Bianchi is strong-side only. I believe you can get an unlined holster from Triple-K or Hunter for about half the price of these two (which go for around $75), but the fit probably isn't as good.

 

[loneviking]

Ditto to the above. A holster maker I use with my revolvers is found at simplyrugged.com Well made holsters that hold the gun tight to the body and make carrying a heavy gun much more comfortable.

 

[moooose102]

for concealed carry, weight is a BIG ISSUE! for woods use, not so much. in the woods, i would be concerned with an animal attack, or hunting to kill for meat. either way, i want POWER, the weight is somewhat overlooked. of course, there is no way on Gods green earth you could shoot a 500 S&W that weights 22 ounces either! like dmazur said, buy light loads to practice with, and heavy loads for hunting. the point there is that the practice will make you a much better shot, and when it is really time to shoot an animal, (wether it is a bear, deer, or human) you will not notice the recoil nearly so much.

 

[litman252]

I understand what and how to practice.......... I shoot a fair amount of .45 in the 1911, and not so much of anything else at the current moment. We do not have CCW here I was simply using that for a referance. I don't have a good holster for my BH in .357 and am looking at a used one in .44.

I carried the .357 for a "fun gun" a couple of times and it sucked, no good hoster but I did use my good gun belt. I'm just wondering if that BH with the 4 5/8" barrel can be made comfertable enough, I'd say one of those simply rugged holsters or comparable would help out a lot.............

Tony

 

[dmazur]

Another idea is the "Tanker" holster, such as the one made by El Paso Saddlery -

Tanker holster

This can be adjusted to wear outside your jacket, so it takes care of accidental CCW issues, and it's reasonably comfortable. I usually wear it so it's on the lower rib cage at around a 10 o'clock position.

There are nylon versions of a vertical shoulder holster which are considerably cheaper, too.

Just another idea. You don't have to carry that 3-1/2 lb weight on a belt...