Concealment holsters 101: The complete guide to concealment holsters
Part 1
http://www.policeone.com/pc_print.asp?vid=1229386
By Ralph Mroz
Experienced gun-carriers often joke among themselves about the "drawer full" of holsters that they've accumulated over the years … and don't use. There are several reasons it takes a while to find just the right holster for you; you probably need a few different kinds of holsters for a few different guns; some holsters are well made, while others aren't. Now do all the permutations of these reasons multiplied by the dozens of holster manufacturers, custom holster makers, and semi-custom makers, and you wind up with … well, a whole lot of holsters that you don't use, and a few that you regularly do.
You can save yourself a good deal of this trouble by understanding the variable characteristics of holsters to begin with. Here's a guide to them — Holsters 101, if you will.
Objectives
There are three and one-half objectives of any concealment holster: security, access, concealment, and the half-consideration: one-hand re-holstering ability.
Security — the holster should hold the gun in place while you are running, while you're upside down, while you get in and out of cars, and so on. You don't spend your life sitting still, and in a fight you sure as heck aren't standing still.
Access — the holster should provide access to the gun in a short amount of time in compromised positions, like when you are rolling around on the ground or strapped in a car seat. Further the gun should be held in a stable position, so that the draw can be consistent and reliable under stress.
Concealment — the holster should not let the gun be visible or "print" through concealing garments.
One-hand re-holstering capability is useful if your hands will be tied up with other things immediately after firing or challenging a suspect with your gun, such as handcuffing him, restraining him, holding onto innocents (such as a spouse or children), and so on. This capability is absent in holsters made of thin, floppy material, and inherent in holsters made of rigid materials like Kydex. Some leather holsters use a metal band around the mouth to keep it open when the gun is out of it.
Process and trade-offs These 3½ characteristics can sometimes work against one another, so intelligent trade-offs, based on your own lifestyle and threat assessment, are sometimes necessary. For example, retention devices will usually impede draw speed, as will a deeply concealed gun. A comfortable holster may not provide access under some conditions (e.g., most hip holsters are hard to access while seat-belted in a car.) Thus, realize that finding the right holster for you is a process, much like finding the right spouse. Just as you are unlikely to marry the first man or woman you date, you may have to experiment with a few holsters before finding one that's right for you.
Main Types
The most popular holsters are hip holsters, and they ride on a belt outside the pants on the strong side. Pancake holsters are made of two pieces of material with the gun sandwiched between them, and they have two or more belt slots. "Askins" or "Avenger" type hip holsters are made of one piece of material folded around the gun, and usually have a belt slot on the rear of the holster and a belt loop sewn on the back of it. The pancake style provides more leverage on the gun to pull it close the body, and thus is a bit more concealable.
IWB or inside-the-waistband holsters are worn inside the pants and attach to the belt with loops or hooks. These are the most concealable type of holster, but require pants that are about an inch more in the waist measurement than you normally wear. Some people find them less comfortable than hip holsters, and vice versa. A Summer Special-type IWB has the rough side of the leather on the outside to help keep the holster anchored in one place (most leather holsters have the smooth side out.) Some IWBs have an extra "flange" or "tab" to the rear for the same reason. You may or not need/like them.
The Down Under from High Noon Holsters is an example of a rough-side-out Summer-Special type IWB holster
Crossdraw holsters are worn on the off side of the body. They are practical, particularly for people who spend a lot of "threat time" in cars, but they are less concealable than hip holsters because they have to be worn in front of the hip bone.
Shoulder holsters are essentially uncomfortable crossdraw holsters. They have a place when the gun can't be worn on the hip, but they are specialty items, and are much less popular in the real world than they are on TV. They require a an open-front jacket, while most hip holsters can be concealed by an un-tucked shirt. Vertical-carry shoulder holsters are best for very large guns. Horizontal-carry shoulder holsters are best for normal carry guns, and they are worn high near the armpit-not low near the floating rib like so many catalog pictures show.
The Jackass from Galco is a classic shoulder holster
Fanny packs (worn in front) are useful in hot weather when clothing is thin, but they make sitting and driving uncomfortable, and too many of them look like gun packs. If you can, choose a bright color. I even sewed an "LL Bean" tag onto mine!
Paddle holsters are held in place with a paddle attached to the holster that slides inside the pants and is held in place by belt tension on the it. Their main virtue is their "quick-on, quick-off" capability. Most, but not all, are less secure than hip holsters.
Fobus' line of inexpensive holsters incluse this popular paddle rig
Ankle holsters are not appropriate for carrying your primary gun since you can't move while drawing from them. They do have a place for back-up guns, though.
Pocket holsters are an under-looked option. They are a convenient way to carry a smaller gun, and require no concealing garment. But they cannot be drawn from while seated, which is a serious consideration.
Small-of-the-back holsters carry the gun severely canted (see below) at the center of the back and are not recommended! If you fall (a very likely occurrence in daily life, let alone in a fight) you will be crushing your spine between the anvil of the floor and the hammer of the 1 to 2 pounds of ordinance steel that compose your gun and the 150+ pounds that make up you. And then consider sitting for any period of time with them…not a good idea!
Retention
Holsters either have something holding the gun in them other than friction or they don't. Speed scabbards, or open-top holsters, have none, and these are generally preferred for concealed carry. A simple-and the oldest-retention device is the thumb-break, in which a strap of material over the top of the gun is un-snapped with the thumb as the gun is drawn. These are reasonable devices as they slow down the draw-stroke only a bit, but they do make it more complicated, which is the real concern. There are now many kinds of retention devices available on concealment holsters (and more still on police duty holsters), and they usually involve one or more digits of the drawing hand releasing one or more levers as the gun is drawn. Some are more intuitive than others.
Part 1
http://www.policeone.com/pc_print.asp?vid=1229386
By Ralph Mroz
Experienced gun-carriers often joke among themselves about the "drawer full" of holsters that they've accumulated over the years … and don't use. There are several reasons it takes a while to find just the right holster for you; you probably need a few different kinds of holsters for a few different guns; some holsters are well made, while others aren't. Now do all the permutations of these reasons multiplied by the dozens of holster manufacturers, custom holster makers, and semi-custom makers, and you wind up with … well, a whole lot of holsters that you don't use, and a few that you regularly do.
You can save yourself a good deal of this trouble by understanding the variable characteristics of holsters to begin with. Here's a guide to them — Holsters 101, if you will.
Objectives
There are three and one-half objectives of any concealment holster: security, access, concealment, and the half-consideration: one-hand re-holstering ability.
Security — the holster should hold the gun in place while you are running, while you're upside down, while you get in and out of cars, and so on. You don't spend your life sitting still, and in a fight you sure as heck aren't standing still.
Access — the holster should provide access to the gun in a short amount of time in compromised positions, like when you are rolling around on the ground or strapped in a car seat. Further the gun should be held in a stable position, so that the draw can be consistent and reliable under stress.
Concealment — the holster should not let the gun be visible or "print" through concealing garments.
One-hand re-holstering capability is useful if your hands will be tied up with other things immediately after firing or challenging a suspect with your gun, such as handcuffing him, restraining him, holding onto innocents (such as a spouse or children), and so on. This capability is absent in holsters made of thin, floppy material, and inherent in holsters made of rigid materials like Kydex. Some leather holsters use a metal band around the mouth to keep it open when the gun is out of it.
Process and trade-offs These 3½ characteristics can sometimes work against one another, so intelligent trade-offs, based on your own lifestyle and threat assessment, are sometimes necessary. For example, retention devices will usually impede draw speed, as will a deeply concealed gun. A comfortable holster may not provide access under some conditions (e.g., most hip holsters are hard to access while seat-belted in a car.) Thus, realize that finding the right holster for you is a process, much like finding the right spouse. Just as you are unlikely to marry the first man or woman you date, you may have to experiment with a few holsters before finding one that's right for you.
Main Types
The most popular holsters are hip holsters, and they ride on a belt outside the pants on the strong side. Pancake holsters are made of two pieces of material with the gun sandwiched between them, and they have two or more belt slots. "Askins" or "Avenger" type hip holsters are made of one piece of material folded around the gun, and usually have a belt slot on the rear of the holster and a belt loop sewn on the back of it. The pancake style provides more leverage on the gun to pull it close the body, and thus is a bit more concealable.
IWB or inside-the-waistband holsters are worn inside the pants and attach to the belt with loops or hooks. These are the most concealable type of holster, but require pants that are about an inch more in the waist measurement than you normally wear. Some people find them less comfortable than hip holsters, and vice versa. A Summer Special-type IWB has the rough side of the leather on the outside to help keep the holster anchored in one place (most leather holsters have the smooth side out.) Some IWBs have an extra "flange" or "tab" to the rear for the same reason. You may or not need/like them.
The Down Under from High Noon Holsters is an example of a rough-side-out Summer-Special type IWB holster
Crossdraw holsters are worn on the off side of the body. They are practical, particularly for people who spend a lot of "threat time" in cars, but they are less concealable than hip holsters because they have to be worn in front of the hip bone.
Shoulder holsters are essentially uncomfortable crossdraw holsters. They have a place when the gun can't be worn on the hip, but they are specialty items, and are much less popular in the real world than they are on TV. They require a an open-front jacket, while most hip holsters can be concealed by an un-tucked shirt. Vertical-carry shoulder holsters are best for very large guns. Horizontal-carry shoulder holsters are best for normal carry guns, and they are worn high near the armpit-not low near the floating rib like so many catalog pictures show.
The Jackass from Galco is a classic shoulder holster
Fanny packs (worn in front) are useful in hot weather when clothing is thin, but they make sitting and driving uncomfortable, and too many of them look like gun packs. If you can, choose a bright color. I even sewed an "LL Bean" tag onto mine!
Paddle holsters are held in place with a paddle attached to the holster that slides inside the pants and is held in place by belt tension on the it. Their main virtue is their "quick-on, quick-off" capability. Most, but not all, are less secure than hip holsters.
Fobus' line of inexpensive holsters incluse this popular paddle rig
Ankle holsters are not appropriate for carrying your primary gun since you can't move while drawing from them. They do have a place for back-up guns, though.
Pocket holsters are an under-looked option. They are a convenient way to carry a smaller gun, and require no concealing garment. But they cannot be drawn from while seated, which is a serious consideration.
Small-of-the-back holsters carry the gun severely canted (see below) at the center of the back and are not recommended! If you fall (a very likely occurrence in daily life, let alone in a fight) you will be crushing your spine between the anvil of the floor and the hammer of the 1 to 2 pounds of ordinance steel that compose your gun and the 150+ pounds that make up you. And then consider sitting for any period of time with them…not a good idea!
Retention
Holsters either have something holding the gun in them other than friction or they don't. Speed scabbards, or open-top holsters, have none, and these are generally preferred for concealed carry. A simple-and the oldest-retention device is the thumb-break, in which a strap of material over the top of the gun is un-snapped with the thumb as the gun is drawn. These are reasonable devices as they slow down the draw-stroke only a bit, but they do make it more complicated, which is the real concern. There are now many kinds of retention devices available on concealment holsters (and more still on police duty holsters), and they usually involve one or more digits of the drawing hand releasing one or more levers as the gun is drawn. Some are more intuitive than others.