THE SHOULDER HOLSTER

One of the gripes that I have always had with the sports versions of combat systems is that sports version gains serious popularity and then the rules of the sport become the matrix for reality in terms of techniques as well as equipment. There is also the thought that everyone that came before our time had it wrong somehow, and we as the anointed modernists, have the true understanding. And of course, that perspective is not only arrogant, but totally wrong.

In generations past, long before the first IPSC competition, men still carried handguns and killed other men in armed disputes worldwide. And they had been doing it for at least 200 years in the USA. A pilgrimage to the Cody Museum in Wyoming will show that to be true. They are all there, the guns of the good and the bad, and even the ugly, as well as their holsters. And plenty of shoulder holsters there as well.

One of my first purchases when I was hired by LASD was the purchase of a Miami Vice type rig for my 686 revolver. Later did the same for my SIG P226. I wore them off duty and whenever I was wearing a suit. It seemed a staple of LE concealment as late as 1999. But sometime after that I saw a definite change.

I think this came about for a couple of reasons.

1). Was the proliferation of egalitarian concealed carry nationwide, most of it constitutional – which means without any training. While I am a strong Second Amendment advocate, the lack of skills I see might make someone change their mind. A shoulder holster, as well as an appendix holster is an expert’s holster. And not everyone qualifies as that. In the real world, not everyone is entitled to a black belt and a trophy.

2). Given item #1, we began to see the Range Nazi mindset that a muzzle must always be pointing “nowhere”. As impossible as that sounds and is, it has become a mantra at every public range. There are ways to teach the proper use of any holster, but as few “trainers” are actually skilled at “teaching”, its just easier to ban the shoulder holster. That is when the artificial world of the range begins to affect how people perceive the real world of the streets.

3). Shooting classes and gun sports. They, looking to dumb down the rules and not make excessive work for their staff of volunteers, in essence banned anything but Strong Side Belt Carry. Only recently, probably due to the sheer masses of people carrying that way, Appendix Carry has been given the nod. As if we need the approval of some overfed bullet golfer to carry a weapon in a certain way on the street.

All of that said the shoulder holster is still a highly useful way to carry a weapon and if you wear one to one of MY classes and show that you are skilled in its use, you are good to go from my point of view.

Advantages of the Shoulder Holster.

The SH gets the weapon and ancillary kit off the belt line. This can be an asset when you are spending a long time seated. When I did surveillance work, I tended to use a shoulder holster more than a belt holster, as an example. I used to wear a black t shirt with an open cotton shirt over it. It was comfortable and cool and well concealed.

Seated in a car, one can get a grip on the holstered pistol and even draw it to Road Block Ready, without anyone seeing it.

The SH also keeps everything in one place. I recall often one had to get up and move quickly. Crashed out in a hotel room after a 16 hour shift, and getting the page to go, one didn’t need to grab holster and mag pouches and everything else. You donned the rig and off you went. And yes, I sometimes slept with it on too.

The SH allows carry of a big pistol and as many as three or four additional magazines. Not everyone is able to carry all of that in their belt.

The other side – nothing is free. Disadvantages.

It is not as useful for pure reactive work as appendix carry. One afternoon in force on force drills will show us that. As well, it is not as protected as appendix when faced with a clinch or stand up grapple event. The butt of the pistol tends to float, which is why it is so comfortable in its niche. That cost of comfort is a liability when moving quickly or fighting from your back.

The draw from SH is not hard, but substantially different, directionally-speaking, than that from appendix or four o’clock. It is more like a crossdraw presentation. Which again, must be learned but is as effective as any other.

So do not allow the gamers or Elmer and his crew to dictate how you carry. For me, Appendix IWB solves 99% of my carry requirements. But there are times when I might dust off the old Miami Vice rig if the situation calls for it.