Shoulder Holsters

[walton6467]

I'm thinking about trying a shoulder holster. My EDC is a Glock 26 and I'm just looking for an option in carrying. Can someone give me some tips? Can you recommend an inexpensive shoulder rig? What are the ups and downs of shoulder rigs?

[peejman]

The ups are that they're cool in a Miami Vice sort of way. The downs are that they're expensive and you can shoot yourself or someone else while drawing/holstering if you're not careful.

[walton6467]

Hmmmmmmmmm interesting. If I wear a shoulder rig, is it required to wear a pink tee shirt and white sport coat with it?

[East_TN_Patriot]

A cheap shoulder holster isn't going to be comfortable at all, and expensive shoulder holsters aren't much better in most cases. They are literally like wearing a backpack all day long assuming you will also put a mag carrier on it as well. I own a Galco Miami Classic that I got a great deal on many years back. I literally wore it once. It was just too much of a hassle to put on, keep stable, and keep concealed. You have to keep a jacket on or wear two shirts to keep it concealed, which sucks. It also went against my own muscle memory that was accustomed to having my pistol on my hip. The cheap holsters use nylon straps that cut into your skin under the weight of the pistol and the fit of the holster is usually lousy. I have made a couple of shoulder rigs for folks, but they have all been pilots who are carrying their Beretta M9 while flying over in the Middle East. I think the shoulder rig is a great special purpose rig, but I'm not a fan of them for EDC.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

I think they're really best suited for people who go to work, well, suited. Professional types who typically wear a jacket as part of their work ensemble and sit in a chair most of the day. Easier to draw from that position in a shoulder holster than from your hip, plus you always have the concealment garment.

That being said, I fall into that category and still choose to use an IWB for my daily carry. A lot less obvious to others if you don't want to keep your jacket on all day, plus it's more comfortable. It may be a bit tougher to draw, but at least it gives me greater consistency of carry for all those times when I'm not at work.