An ankle holster inside a boot?

G

greyson97

New member
So I dont wear baggy clothes, so unless im wearing a coat or hoodie or soemthing, which is seldom in TX, waisband either inside or outside has a high likelyhood of printing. however, being in texas, i am wearing boots the majority of the time

do any of you CC inside the boot? with an ankle holster? without?

would any of you who do not, consider doing so?

note: we wear our jeans outside the boot, not inside. so in order to get the gun, wed have to pull the jean leg up, and then reach in and get the gun out.

so the time to retrieve the gun would be greater than pulling your shirt up and drawing.

so the trade off is: more concealability, but slower draw time, or faster draw time, and less concealability

I'm sure theres other factors here i forgot to mention, so chime in if you think of any
 
I don't have any experience carrying that way, but I have enough experience with jeans and boots to think that you are going to be measuring your draw time with an hour glass instead of a stopwatch.

Have you considered pocket carry, maybe a J-frame or a LCP?
 
ankle holsters are uncomfortable & clumsy.
Slow draw time , if the weapon is not your bug.
It will change your walk pattern somewhat.
Guess something is better than nothing though. ;)
 
Greyson,

A friend of mine took his boots to a boot shop and had them simply sew in a piece of leather to slide the gun in. That way it was not attached to his leg. I wish I had a picture of it.

I have worn an ankle holster before, and though I agree it makes for slow deployment of the firearm, but it is better than nothing. I no longer use one as I carry a smaller 9mm in a pocket holster.

tex45acp
 
2Old2Change/TailGator

my boots are actually pretty spaceous around the calf area. i put my wallet in my boot with the pant leg over it to see how fast i could pull it out. it was less than 3 seconds, and the wallet wasnt cramped
 
ankle holsters

to me have a purpose but I sure haven't figured it out.

Three seconds is a life time and a half and the out come, if you have to pull your gun and defend yourself won't be pretty. I have about 50 different holsters (for all my handguns) - in some cases I've gone through 4-5 different holsters to find the "right one" for concealed carry.

My preferred carry is strong side OWB on the hip, shoulder holster, then strong side IWB. I too have several compact handguns that drop into the right front pants pocket.

My keys to CC are a combination of gun, clothing, holster, and location. I'd rather change what I wear to accomodate the gun. Consider this - if you normally wear a large shirt, buy and extra large. Here's some photos of someone wearing a fullsized Colt Delta Elite 1911 in 10 mm, a spare magazine, and a folding knife, under a Tee Shirt; officers and detectives at the local Police Department weren't able to detect the gun under the Tee Shirt. Its called "A Better Holster".

arms_out.jpg

tee_shirt.jpg

delta_elite.sized.jpg

gun_and_mag.jpg
 
greyson97 said:
it was less than 3 seconds
Click to expand...

I'd think that many gunfights are over less than 3 seconds. Sounds like you might not even get to participate other than as the designated victim. You might want to give some thought to SmartCarry or a similar system. Or, perhaps, even alter your clothing style slightly to make waist carry more feasible.
 
+1

An ankle holster is a tough option if you are suddenly confronted...

("drop to one knee; hike up trouser leg; grasp firearm and draw"...)

Especially if driving or riding in a car...while someone is approaching or banging on your hood, etc. Just accesing it requires some additional time and effort.

Better than nothing, but there is also the problem of it flashing if you sit and cross your legs, etc. Inside a boot simply takes those access issues and magnifies them.

For situations when you can't use anything around the waistline, for whatever reason, I suspect that something like the T-shirts with holsters built into them are probably the most reasonable deep cover option that also provides relatively rapid access from seated or standing positions.

(Some guys like and use the "Thunderwear"-type carry options, but if riding in vehicles these can be equally difficult to access with minimum flailex...)

Here is yet another option, from 511:

http://www.511tactical.com/browse/H...vert-Shirts/D/30000/P/1:100:50000:50200:50206

Go with what works best for you...but practice with it frequently.

;)
 
Years ago I used to carry a little Detonics 1911 inside my right boot and three mags in my left boot. Used to call it my leg weights. My main carry was a Colt Gov. in a shoulder holster. This was years ago when bell bottoms were in style but even then it was not real comfy and getting the Detonics out took a little time.
 
You need to cowboy up and wear your gun on the right way. On your hip.

Also, buy looser pants. Nobody wants to see your bulge from your pistol or your "gun". Tight jeans are girls with tight butts. Period. You don't have to have wear them like gangbangers but you gotta give your guys some breathing room. If you want to carry IWB one size bigger waist will be plenty.
 
Greyson, I was razzing you a little with my first reply. Three seconds is better than I thought you would do, but if you or a loved one are in trouble those are going to feel like a loooooooooooong three seconds. I am assuming that both hands were free for that three seconds, too. Is that always going to be the case?

I don't see that you have said what you are planning on carrying, but if there is room enough in your boot for comfort, concealment shouldn't be a problem. Western boots come up pretty high, and I don't think the top flashing should be a problem; I don't recall my jeans riding up over the top of my boots during the long years that I dressed that way. But remember that the leg of your jeans is going to have to come pretty high to draw a pistol of any size, maybe higher than needed for your wallet draw practice.

Your choice, of course, but if I were in your shoes I would look harder at pocket pistols, tuckable holsters, and some of the other ideas our TFL gang has and will throw out.
 
The "Code"

I have often wondered what brought about the phrase “he shot himself in the foot”.

However, I might give it some thought.

One must, or should, by the “Code” wear their pants leg outside the boot unless he owns cattle. Of course if your boots have extra fancy tooling you may carefully carelessly have one pants leg “accidentally” caught atop one boot.

Note: I stole that “carefully carelessly” bit from Bill Mauldin. Wish I could claim it as my own, but I can’t. If you steal, steal the best.
 
Although ankle carry may not be the prefered method of carry, sometimes it is the only way to carry. With that being the case, you have to aproach ankle carry as you would any other method...you practice and pattern your gear for the task at hand.

I have been riding motorcycles for close to 40 years now and much of that time prior to legal concealed carry, I carried a Bersa 383E .380 pistol in a Uncle Mikes ankle rig, inside my left boot(I'm right-handed). I've always riden in "HH" brand boots and I always buy a pair that has the widest "pipe" possible. Coupled with flair or boot cut jeans, access to my weapon was reasonable. I am a fairly big guy (6'-250#) and comfort has really never been an issue. Granted, it is not nearly as fast as more conventional carry methods, but it beats not carrying at all, and with the right weapon and the right holster you can overcome the problem of comfort. Remember, "Carrying a gun is not supposed to be comfortable, but carrying a gun is supossed to be comforting". You may have to resort to carrying a sub-compact .380 or 9mm instead of a full size weapon, but it can be accomplished. Try some different ankle rigs until you find one that fits the best.:D
 
To the OP,
Since you are in Texas, and talking about concealing in your boot,
you are most likely into western stlye clothing.
Just follow the "Larry the Cable Guy" fashion tips: get some western style shirts about a size or too large, cut the sleeves off at the shoulder and wear them unsnapped and untucked over an IWB holster of your liking.
Worked for me when I lived in AZ. I preferred a wife beater tee shirt underneath, but a light short sleeved works too.
 
I carried a small automatic in an ankle holster along with Ranchers. Plenty of room, comfortable and secure. But most important , even more important than a fast draw was the fact it was concealed!!!! Yes I could have worn it on my hip, I could also have gotten a new job. There are times when a compromise has to be reached. I felt it was best to carry my firearm in a deep concealment rather than be fired. There is no best and only way to carry a firearm, what ever is the best for you is the best way.
 
I sometimes carry my LCP on my ankle when I'm wearing my Tony Lamas. Here in Idaho, I also wear my Wranglers over my boots. (Is there any other way?) But, they are loose and easy to pull up to get at my gun. It works for me.
 
thanks for the replies. I am getting a taurus 709 this weekend, and i already ordered an iwb holster, but was thinking about an ankle holster for when i wear boots.
 
Ankle carry is a viable option. It can even be as quick as some of the other carry options out there (under t-shirt carry, Smartcarry, etc.). But you may want to have a knife, pepper spray, or other device handy as your first response....something to buy you time to draw.

Think of it as carrying a gun as a backup to your knife.... :cool:
 
I carry ankle/boot style many times. But it's got to be with the right gun. I carry my PPK 32acp that way the majority of the time when I carry that gun. I use a small holster with a clip on it for normal owb carry,and clip it on the inside of my boot. I then have a wide piece of elastic/velcro around the holster/clip that goes around my calf. This makes it secure, and clipped on the boot with the gun on the inside, makes it so it can't slide down and become uncomfortable on my ankle. If it's a small/light enough gun, it's very comfortable and doable. And there are many times where that is indeed the best way to carry the gun.

There is no "Right or Wrong" way to carry a gun. And anyone that implies there is, is wrong. Each person is different, and what works for them is all that matters. And for what it's worth, your gun is NOT your primary defense against an attack or threat. Actually, it is your LAST defense. Your brain is your primary defense against a threat. If you use your brain correctly, you will have plenty of time to get to your gun if needed. If the scenario is such that you didn't have time, and the threat came upon you too quickly, then chances are that you wouldn't have had the time to get to your weapon no matter how it was being carried. And there are times when confronted with a threat, that it's better to not draw your weapon. A person with a gun pointed straight at you, is not the time to decide to pull your gun. You will most likely be shot. And believe it or not, sometimes: "Here's my wallet is the right answer". Sometimes, you can create opportunities to allow you to respond in force.

But bottom line is: carry in a boot/ankle combination is definitely doable. Especially for some of us who wear boots every day. We don't wear them as a fashion ensemble. They are as natural to us as sneakers are to some people. And therefor, you can adapt a gun to them quite easily. But it's not going to be a colt 1911 commander. The weight will become an issue. There's plenty of 32acp/380/and possibly a couple of 9mm that work fine. And a taurus 709 slim seems to be one that could work just fine. Get the smallest holster that is full, (Meaning the barrel isn't out the bottom rubbing you), clip it on the inside of your boot. (Opposite boot as your shooting hand. Inside of leg, not outside of leg where it can get bumped). Elastic/velcro around the holster and your calf. Loose fitting jeans. Works fine with my Ariat boots. Been carrying my 32acp like that for many years. And remember; we don't get into gun fights. That is hollywood. Our guns are for defensive purposes. IF we pull that gun out, it's not to scare anyone. And it's not to dive behind a dumpster and get into a hollywood gun fight. If we pull the gun, it's because we have a target. We are going to aim/point at that target. And we are going to unload that magazine into that target. Until that target is no longer a threat. The only way I WON'T fire a round, is if at the time the gun is up to my eyes when I'm pointing/aiming, I see their back. If I see their back, they are going the other way, and I'm not shooting. If I see their front, I WILL shoot. If I didn't plan on shooting, I never would have pulled the weapon out.
 
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