HOLSTER SELECTION

Open versus Concealed Carry

• There are some jurisdictions where open carry may not only be legal but accepted, whereas concealed carry may not be a legal option, particularly if your concealed-carry permit is not recognized in that state.
• Open carry has the disadvantage that it advertises a gun for the taking to anyone who cares to try taking it. For this reason, it would be foolish to carry openly in a holster which did not provide at least one level of security via a retention device, such as a thumb-break strap or some sort engagement of the trigger guard.
• While opinions differ, many people feel that if a gun is concealed, security devices are unnecessary on a well built holster. In fact, many holster makers do not even offer concealment holsters with thumb-break straps, generally regarded as the lowest level of retention device on a holster.
• In my opinion, a holster which has no security devices is suitable only for concealed carry or for competition games. Consider:
  • In Virginia you may only carry an exposed handgun in a restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages. If you comply with the law, your concealment holster becomes an open-carry holster if you enter such an establishment.
  • In New Mexico your vehicle is considered an extension of your home. You may legally carry concealed in your vehicle, without a permit, while driving in that state. If you lack a recognized permit and comply with the law while stopping for gasoline or to use a rest room, your concealment holster becomes an open-carry holster.
  • Drawing and reholstering should be programmed reflexes. If you program them with a simple open-top holster, then use a thumb-break holster for a special occasion, your reflexes may not be tuned to pop that thumb-break in an emergency. Conversely, if you are programmed to pop the snap on a thumb-break holster, you may waste time seeking it the day you wear an open-top holster.
  • The same caveat obviously applies to any other type of security holster suitable for concealment, such as Blackhawk's Serpa holsters. Thus, if it is likely that you will need to carry openly at times, it would be wisest to be consistent in the use of a holster with your chosen security system.
• Police "duty" holsters are beyond the scope of this discussion.

Belt Holsters

• There are two major ways to categorize belt holsters: where on the waist they position the gun and whether they do so inside or outside the wearer's waistband. Think pf a normally positioned belt buckle being at 12 o'clock (12:00) and the spine being at 6 o'clock (6:00)
• If you point your index finger, making a fist with the rest of your hand, and slowly sweep your hand along your waistv you will notice that your finger is nearly vertical when it is around the hip joint (usually 2:30 or 9:30), points forward if it is forward of the hip joint and points to the rear when it goes behind the hip joint. The farther you go from your hip joint, the greater the angle off the vertical. This should give you the impression that the angle or "rake" of the holster needs to be selected for the part of the waist where you will wear it.
• Most holsters have been designed for the build of a fairly athletic male, of at least average American size. This is not the same build as most women and not even for many men. Most women and some men are "short-waisted." As men gain weight they fall into two categories: "apples" and "pears." Pears may also experience some of the holster frustrations of the average woman.
• Because they work best for the average man, the most common concealment holsters tilt the muzzle of the gun to the rear (FBI rake); these holsters are designed to be worn behind the hip of the gun hand side (FBI position, typically between 3:30 and 4:00 or between 8:00 and 8:30). For the right user they are quick to access and provide a fairly direct path to the sighting plane. They generally do a good job of tucking the grip area of the gun into the relative hollows of the anatomy of a physically fit male. The FBI position places your gun where you can cover and protect it with your elbow.
• Potential problems with the FBI rake holster worn behind the hip include having the gun butt digging into your ribs or armpit and lack of adequate concealment. These obviously result from mismatches to one's body size and/or shape.
• One response to these problems is to shift the holster to different positions along the waist:
  • Appendix position: forward of the hip joint, still on the gun-hand side (typically between 1:30 and 2:00 for a right-handed user or between 10:00 and 10:30 for a left-handd user), this position is popular with many women. It has enjoyed popularity with male detectives on one large police department, who do not seem to be concerned that their guns flash every time their coats start to open. It offers good concealment to women in the drape of a loose pullover garment, rather than a coat or conventional shirt. This carry mode may be uncomfortable when you are seated.
  • Front cross-draw position: moving further into the land of compromise, this position places the gun butt somewhere near the line of the navel (typically around 11:00 for a right-handed user or 1:00 for a left-handed user). Think of it as a more extreme version of the appendix position which requires more lateral arc to bring the muzzle on target. In the right holster, it may actually be useful for people who work seated. In the wrong holster or with a long handgun it can be extremely uncomfortable when seated.
  • Cross-draw position: butt forward on the opposite hip, this position can offer great concealment, even greater if it goes behind the hip. It also requires a long reach to acquire your grip on the gun, unlike an assailant to your front who has very easy access. It requires a large lateral arc to bring your muzzle on target and you are vulnerable to having your arm pinned to your torso when you reach for your gun.
  • Kidney position: an exaggeration of the FBI position, moving to the rear (typically around 4:30 or 7:30), this position enhances concealment for the slim user and may get the gun out of the armpit or ribcage for the short-waisted, for whom it may also may a smoother draw sroke. It introduces a bit more more lateral motion to the draw stroke and may make your gun inaccessible when seated if you cannot lean forward or twist away from the back of the seat; this dynamic may also make it uncomfortable when seated for some users.
  • Middle of the back position: an extreme version of the kidney position which not only adds to the lateral component of the draw stroke but places the gun over the spine (typically between 5:30 and 6:30). You will have set up a great fulcrum to damage your spine if you should fall on your back or be slammed against a wall.
• Remember our finger pointing drill? The angle or rake of the holster needs to fit the position where you place it on your waist! Blade-Tech, for example, offers a choice of "straight drop" or "cant" on some models of their polymer holsters, while some models of Greg Kramer's holsters are raked and others are straight drop.
• As long as we are dealing with holster design, it's also nice to have some choice of how high or low the holster rides on the waist. A small number of holster makers even offer the choice of some lateral offset to help keep the butt out of your ribcage, albeit at the expense of a degree of concealability.
• This discussion of belt holsters assumes that the gun is positioned so that you grasp it with the palm of your hand facing your body. Any position such as the "cavalry draw" (butt forward on the gun hand side) or middle-of-back with the grip frame down will inevitably result in the muzzle crossing your own body as you draw under stress.

Inside or Outside the Waistband?

• When the holster is held inside the waistband (IWB), concealment is normally increased in two ways:
  1. Because most of the length of the holster is covered by the pants, the upper body garment (shirt, coat, etc.) only has to conceal the portion of the gun projecting above the waist band and the loops holding the holster to the belt.
  2. Because the belt goes outboard of the holster, the gun is pressed closer to the body and usually does not appear to project as far to the side.
  3. There is a "tuckable" variety of IWB holster, pioneered by Dave Workman, with which the gun itself is covered by a tucked-in shirt. These designs require that the shirt first be pulled free of the pants before the gun can be drawn but only leave a belt loop exposed when the shirt is tucked into the pants.
• Objections to IWB holsters include:
  1. IWB requires a longer belt and about 2 inches larger waist size for the pants.
  2. Women and pears may find the butt angled too sharply into the ribcage if worn in the FBI position.
  3. Pears may find that the muzzle end of the holster pinches a roll of fat when seated. This problem may be minimized with a design with a "flange," like the Executive Companion from Milt Sparks or the Undercover Special from Ken Null.
  4. Most IWB holsters are manufactured with an FBI rake, so if you do not like the product of the few who do offer a choice of rake, it may take a custom holster to get the rake you need for your carry position.
• Holsters worn outboard of the belt may pose the following challenges:
  1. The cover garment has to come lower to cover the entire holster or length of the gun.
  2. A wider belt may be necessary to stabilize the gun in the holster. This is particularly true for autoloaders with heavy, high-capacity magazines, which place much of the gun's weight above the waistband.
  3. The contours of the gun may be more obvious, making concealment more difficult.
  4. The holster may block access to pants pockets.
• A belt holster is only one half of the carry system. The belt is the other half. It is not a bad idea to order a belt from your holster maker to ensure that you get a belt which is designed to support your choice of holsters. Among other things, the width of the belt should match the belt slots of the holster. A holster worn outside the waistband will require a more substantial belt than one worn inside the waistband.

Paddle Holsters

• Paddle holsters are outside the waistband holsters which do not use loops to secure them to a belt. Instead they use a paddle which rides inside the waistband, to which the holster is fastened, over the top of the waistband. This last factor tends to make the holster ride fairly high, a potentially undesirable feature for the short-waisted user of one of the larger handguns.
• These holsters were originally designed for ease putting on the gun and removing it during the day. Some require the use of a belt and some do not.
• While the manufacturers must provide some means to ensure that the paddle does not slip out of the pants during the draw, leaving the holster on the gun, you cannot expect a paddle holster to resist a gun grab as well as a loop-secured holster. I would not consider a paddle holster for open carry.

Belt Holsters for Women (but men should read this too)

• In my experience, most women find belt holsters to be most comfortable in the appendix or front cross-draw positions. As discussed above, this is because the combination of rounded hips and short waist tend to stick the butt of the gun into the ribs or the armpits of most women who try to use FBI-style holsters.
• Most women can conceal a handgun in these locations under a loose, untucked shirt or blouse, such as a polo or golf shirt. Such a garment will usually drape from the breasts, giving cover to the gun. Depending on the woman's shape, this may or may not require an IWB holster for adequate concealment.
• As we have already discussed, when the holster moves forward of the hip joint to avoid this problem, the rake must be adjusted accordingly. Sometimes a straight-drop holster will work but it may well take a forward-rake holster to do the trick. However, there is a limit to how much forward rake can be built into an IWB holster without compromising access to a full firing grip on the holstered handgun. OWB holsters, if they provide adequate concealment, are more tolerant in this regard.
• Perhaps for this reason, few people offer IWB holsters with a forward rake. However, if you've got the bucks, Mitch Rosen, America's premier holster maker, not only offers an IWB holster designed for cross-draw (Tito's Revenge), he also offers one which is worn outside the waist band, between the belt and the pants or skirt (SLM).
• Tucker Gunleather actually offers a reasonably priced IWB holster with both adjustable rake and "drop" (height relative to the belt). As noted, there is a limit to how much forward rake can be used as it will eventually close the angle between the front strap of the handgun and the belt. Further, if the holster is placed higher above the belt to adjust for this, there may not be enough of a short barrel inside the waistband to stabilize the gun and the rear of the gun may stick into the front of the ribcage.
• Since not all women (nor all men) are built the same, one approach won't fit all women. Another set of adaptations to make a holster more suitable for women is the Ladyfist, which places the holster slightly lower than normal. I strongly recommend viewing the video for this holster and evaluating whether the adjustment for greater comfort and smoother draw might compromise concealment.
• Moving in the opposite direction, Mitch Rosen's Nancy Special (about halfway down the page) places the holster forward of the hip joint but higher than normal. (It may be worth noting that this holster was designed when Nancy was pregnant.) Another holster, designed for women, that also places the holster slightly forward of the hip joint, with a slightly forward rake, is Del Fatti's SLP/F.
• Clearly, for women, as for men, one size does not fit all.

Other Types of Holsters

• It's pretty safe to say that no holster will be faster than a belt holster on your gun-hand side unless you've already got your hand on the gun when the balloon goes up.
• Ankle Holsters: Not a good place for a primary gun, the ankle may not be a bad location for a backup gun. Among its advantages, it is fairly accessible while seated, especially if your automobile safety belt blocks access to your primary gun. An ankle holster also gives you good access to a gun if you are knocked on your back and can pull your knees toward your chest as you roll. On the flip side, some people cannot tolerate ankle holsters because they can irritate nerves and cause abnormal sensations (paresthesias) in the leg. The nation's largest sheriff's department is re-evaluating the use of ankle holsters in uniform after incidents of guns lost during altercations and foot pursuits. Ankle holsters also require at least a boot-cut width of pants legs.
• Pocket Holsters: Again, not a first-choice location for a primary gun, the pocket may work well for you for a backup. A man can usually get away with conducting business with his hand on a gun in his left, front pants pocket, if the fit of his pants allows it. A gun in a jacket pocket can be an accessible gun when your other gun is buried under a closed coat in cold weather. I favor guns such as the S&W Airweight Centennials for jacket-pocket carry, where the weight of the gun on only one side may cause visible sagging of the garment. Personally, I am happy with the heavier, steel-frame version for pants-pocket carry. I definitely urge the use of some sort of holster (that allows acquisition of a full firing grip) to keep pocket guns in a consistent position.
• Shoulder Holsters: All the disadvantages of a cross-draw with a gun which can flop into your ribcage to test your pain threshold! They tend not to conceal as effectively in real life as they do on screen. While female breasts may help conceal a gun in this position, they can also interfere with access. I suppose you could argue that if you had to carry a large gun under a partially buttoned raincoat or overcoat (and didn't have a smaller gun to place in the coat's pocket), a vertical shoulder holster might allow you to access your gun. It's pretty hard for me to find something I like about shoulder holsters!
• An Innovative Compromise for Women: Rusty Sherrick offers a holster in his women's section called Bosom Buddy. It appears to move a horizontal shoulder holster just under the breasts, which is probably a better location for it, by suspending it from a bra (which I assume is furnished by the customer in, her own size) from which the cups have been removed. While it may not offer the fastest draw, it might be an option for the woman who is too petite to use a belt holster.
• Fanny Pack Holsters: A good way to advertise that you're carrying a gun, if that's not likely to get you arrested. Anyone in the know assumes any fanny pack of decent size conceals a gun until proven otherwise. Fanny packs offer you the same disadvantages of a front cross-draw with slower access than a belt holster in the same position. Like any carry system, if two hands are required to draw the gun, you can get seriously injured if the second hand is busy doing something else when you need the gun.
• Deep Cover Carry: The Pager Pal is sort of an inside-out paddle holster with the entire gun inside the pants, below the waistband, with the "paddle" outside the waistband, covered by a pager, cell phone or folding-knife sheath. This system is designed for front cross-draw carry. Like many designs, it seems to work for some body shapes better than for others. It used to be pictured in advertisements with the non-gun hand pulling up the pager to bring the grip frame of the gun within the reach of the gun hand. If you have to go to this level of deep cover carry, practice a two-step draw with the gun hand only, in case your non-gun hand is otherwise occupied when you need the gun. This advice goes for any other deep-cover system, such as Thunderwear or SmartCarry, that places the grip frame of the gun out of reach. Kramer offers a deep-cover equivalent of a shoulder holster in the form of the Confidant shirt. This is basically a vertical shoulder holster stitched into a garment like a heavy-duty athletic-style undershirt. If you must go to this mode of carry, at least wear a shirt or blouse that closes with snaps or Velcro closures, so that you won't have to rip off your buttons to reach the gun.
• Thigh Holsters: There are several variants of thigh holsters, including frilly ones, suspended from garter belts, that look more like kinky bedroom accessories than combat gear. Others, with a more masculine appearance, simply support the gun with an elastic band. One problem with the latter ones is that thighs are basically elongated cones in shape and the holster is likely to slide down the leg as you go through the day. While a man could arguably access a thigh holster by unzipping the fly in his pants, that's hardly a quick-reaction technique; garter holsters are best suited for those wearing dresses, skirts or kilts. The garter-style holster supported by a connection to a belt might be an option for the woman who is required to wear dresses. My concern, however, is consistency. If you carry in one mode on work days and another while wearing pants on your days off, your reflexes will not be properly tuned to reflexively reach for the gun in the right location on the day that you are surprised by an assault.
• Off-Body Carry: Gun purses, day organizers, etc., which conceal guns scare me! If you are a woman being attacked, what is the most likely target of the attacker? Once he's got the purse, we now have a well-armed mugger. The LP Defender, which may be the best of the breed, requires two hands for the draw; other purses may be no better in an arm's-length emergency. What is the likelihood that a businessman with a day organizer won't set it down in public at some point in his day? Once it is set down, it may either be grabbed by a thief or forgotten.You take on a lot of responsibility when you carry a gun; carry it where you can keep control of it.
• An Interesting Compromise: With all of the above caveats, the Safepacker is the least distasteful compromise to me. It can be worn exposed as what is essentially a disguised flap holster, on the belt, requiring an additional step to undo the quick-release buckle. In its smaller sizes, it may attract less attention than a fanny pack. For the user who cannot wear it on a belt, it can be carried, ideally only while going to and from a vehicle, in the non-dominant hand and secured with the vehicle's safety belt while driving. Personally, I carry a large-caliber revolver in one, slung with the optional shoulder strap, while hiking in bear country. This rig allows me to add a third revolver, that I would not normally use in town, without interfering with the pair of revolvers in IWB holsters that I do use in town.

The Frustrations of Finding the Right Holster

• Everyone who carries a gun routinely owns a drawer full of holsters. Rarely does your first purchase turn out to be a life partner.
• The large, mass production manufacturers may be good sources of medium priced holsters which can serve you to discover the design you like. Once you discover the right design, it makes sense to think about the more costly holsters. The better holsters are available from both custom and semi-custom holster makers.
• Good holsters can be made from cowhide, horsehide and synthetic materials. Poor holsters can be made from cowhide, horsehide and synthetic materials. I would not ignore the product of a reputable holster maker with good designs because he chooses to work in cowhide instead of horsehide or vice versa. I might compare similar holsters of different materials to determine if there was a difference which would affect my use of the product. With leather holsters, some makers seem to get by with one layer while others need two. Does the thicker construction detract from your concealment?
• A well made leather concealment holster will usually require a lengthy series of draws and reholsterings to break it in (as well as to condition the user to the new equipment). The converse of this is that, in time, the leather holster may eventually become too loose to hold the gun securely, particularly if there is no retention strap. Some makers of custom and semi-custom holsters offer a reconditioning service, which often involves re-stitching the holster.
• Kydex offers lower cost and greater rigidity over time than leather. It may also result in a "click" when the gun is drawn. I can envision circumstances under which I might want to draw the gun surreptitiously and would prefer not to have that clicking sound.
• Kydex holsters can present a challenge to revolver users. If the cylinder recess is tightly molded, the barrel can hang up on the "shelf" if the user reholsters at the wrong angle. David Brown eliminates this problem by leaving a bevel in this area, instead of a sharp 90-degree angle.
• Personally, I have never encountered a ballistic-nylon/closed-cell-foam holster that impressed me favorably. Most of them are generically sized and often do not permit a full firing grip on the holstered gun. They generally lack the rigidity to ensure that the mouth of the holster will remain open after the gun is drawn, particularly if there has been pressure on the empty holster.
• Your best friend may swear by his megabucks holster but, until you know that its design is right for you, it's a risky investment, even if it will last forever. It may be that an attractive design feature is only available on a very expensive holster, but it's likely that a somewhat similar holster is available at a lower price for you to make sure you're on the right track. Greg Kramer, for example, who works primarily in horsehide, offers a few designs in cowhide, at lower prices. Similarly, a Kydex holster may allow you to evaluate a design at fairly low cost, with the option of upgrading to leather if you do not remain enamored of the Kydex concept.

Two Cautions:

1. Make sure that you can acquire a full firing grip on the handgun while it is still in the holster. You most likely will not have the time to shift your grip after you have drawn the gun, meaning that if you haven't drawn with a full firing grip you may be forced to shoot without the gun in its proper position in your hand.
2. Make sure that the mouth of your holster will remain open when it is empty, under a variety of conditions of use. You and your holster both contribute to the ability to re-holster your gun one-handed with your eyes on the threat. This is a crucial gun handling skill which could be impeded by the wrong equipment.

The Defensive Firearms Tripod

• If you recall my priorities for the defensive use of firearms, the five priorities can be condensed into three categories: mind set, skills and equipment.
• Equipment is the lowest on the list. When you choose it, don't settle for the training that comes in the box!

The Defensive Equipment Tripod

• Don't forget that the holster and its support form only one leg of a tripod which also includes the handgun and its ammunition.

First the website, now the book - DEFENSIVE USE OF FIREARMS Click image for further details