Ankle Holsters?

D

Dimitri

Moderator
Not a flame here, just some honest SUBJECTIVE observations:

Does anyone else feel like ankle rigs are sleazy? I've never seen an ankle carry in the movies where the carrier wasn't a sleaze ball or a loser (and killed while going for the ankle rig).

Also, lots of bad socks and cheap shoes shown in the photos of ankle rigs.

I can't imagine trying to walk with a gun strapped to my ankle. Seems like it would throw off my gait and bang into stuff.

What sort of pants/footwear do you use with an ankle rig. Sorry, I'm not big on open top boots . . .

So when I hear about ankle rigs, my reaction is "no class low life" . . . Sorry, that's just the way my gut reacts. I get the same gut reaction from the term "belly guns" (pun intended I suppose).
OK . . . slap me silly. I'm ready.

[This message has been edited by Dimitri (edited October 05, 2000).]
 
There are a lot of good things about ankle carry, if you can get used to it. The key to comfortable ankle carry is a quality holster, not a $20 gun show special.

I carry my Glock 26 in a DeSantis DieHard everywhere I go. When I carry my Glock 29 in an IWB, the G26 serves as a backup, and when I am at work it is my primary weapon.

The benefits of ankle carry are summed up quickly:

-It lets you carry a decent defensive gun in casual/work attire without the need for elaborate belly bands or untucked shirts. A Glock 26 can ride on the ankle as well as a Chiefs Special, and the Glock 27 and 33 offer even bigger bullets in the same size as the G26. I carry all day at work, where no other holster would work for me. It's either a P32 in my pocket, or a Glock 26 on the ankle...I'd rather sacrifice a second in access time and go for the bigger gun.

-It's the perfect discreet carry for social occasions where a lot of hugging and body contact is likely (family meetings and such.) Nobody is likely to find your ankle gun by giving you a good hug.

-It can be used with any dress style, with the one drawback that you can't wear shorts with it. IWB or belt holsters rely on an untucked shirt or jacket, which may not always be appropriate. Ankle rigs go with everything.

-An ankle rig is less likely to be noticed than a belt holster. People don't stare at other people's shoes/lower legs routinely. You just need to avoid crossing your legs.

Sleazy or not, they work well enough for me. Anything that lets me take a good-sized fighting handgun with me at all times is a good thing. I may be a little slower on the draw, but at least I'll have it with me, instead of having to leave it in the glove compartment or the gun safe. And an ankle rig is not that slow...I can draw as fast from it as I do from a fanny/belt pack. It's even faster to get to than a belt gun when you're seated at your desk or in a car.

I disliked ankle carry for the longest time...it turns out I just never tried the right ankle rig. A quality ankle holster makes all the difference.

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"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice." -- Albert Einstein
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Glock/Benelli/Enfield -- the all-purpose threat management system.
 
I'm with lendringser on this one. I carry my PPK, my .357 model 60, and a 342ti in ankle rigs. And as soon as I find an ankle rig for my Kel-Tec (or break down and drop 90 bucks on an Alessi), I'll carry that too. Excellent mode of carry. In certain instances (ie, sitting or in a car), it's actually as quick or quicker than waist carry.

If you're righty (like me), you carry on the inside of your left leg. Advantage is you keep a better center of balance when you draw, the bulge (if any) is more hidden, and when you cross your leg (you usually cross your right leg if you're righty) your left ankle stays covered.

I've tried a few, and I prefer the neoprene (wetsuit material) with velcro closures and leather holsters. They're not for everyone, though.
 
Some problems I have with ankle holsters:

Running - Period.
Can't wear jeans, leg area's too tight.
Slow, obvious draw.
Gun must be fairly small/light.

But I do have one and, on occasion, use it. Most of the time though, I wear a belly gun......................
Hey, wait a dang minute!
 
Well, this is just coming from my personal like...but I've been carrying a S&W Model 642 airweight in a Galco ankle holster for the past year as a back up gun. Now the strap that came with my holster that goes up to the top of your calf and looks like little old man sock holders I have taken off. For me that strap is not necessary at all. I wear a pair of Rocky lace up boots. True that the ankle holster with a pair of blue jeans doesn't work unless you wear those stupid baggy jeans...but for me it works great with uniform pants and also with a pair of dress pants. I examined all the options when picking the back up gun itself and the method of which I was going to carry the gun on me and found that the ankle holster was the most comfortable to me. At first it was a little awkward but you very quickly get used to the location of the gun in the ankle holster and I haven't had any problems banging it up against stuff.
 
I wear my G26 in an Alessi ankle holster most of the time. I usually wear chino type pants and ankle high hiking type boots. First rule is to have a gun, so whatever it takes to get there is what you need to do. Maybe you should try a good one instead of making your decision based on what you have seen in the movies or in photos. Consider yourself slapped silly. MWT
 
If you want to get fancy.....open up the inside seam of the appropriate leg and re-do it with dressmakers velcro in a matching colour. Works on tux or jeans n all between. Speeds access, specially if you dropped to armed leg forward kneeling position.

Side note, had a cohort who carried second issue full size .45 in ankle rig. He be a big boy.

Sam...dangerous at any speed, good thing too cause me old n slow.

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Sam I am, grn egs n packin

Nikita Khrushchev predicted confidently in a speech in Bucharest, Rumania on June 19, 1962 that: " The United States will eventually fly the Communist Red Flag...the American people will hoist it themselves."
 
I have bought several rigs, Uncle Mikes, gun show elcheapos, you name it. I then broke down and purchased one of Mr. Alessi's masterpieces. Best c note I ever spent. All you notice is the weight. The rig is so well made it balances the weight to where you forget it. I wear mine 10 hrs. a day. Draw from behind a desk or seated at the wheel of a vehicle is not bad w/practice. I love this mode of carry.
BTW, I carry a G27 w/pearce +1 extention. Not a problem.

[This message has been edited by Simon (edited October 06, 2000).]
 
I feel ankle holsters are pieces of crap! You can't run with them for one, cuz the gun is likely to spring out and go bouncing like a basketball down the street ahead of you. The weight does throw your gait off when you run as well.

The other beef I have is with accessibility. Unless you see trouble coming, it is unpractical to have an ankle holster. When the BG comes up to you (with your wife or GF at your side) and points a gun at you and orders your wallet, what are you going to do say? How are you going to defend you and your loved one, "Hold on...let me lean over, pull up my jeans, unstrap my gun, and get the gun out of my foot so I can fight you?!" Totally impractical! Or if you are involved in a physical fight with a BG. How accessible is a gun at your ankle? Not very! Especially if you are wresting around. You will usually have only one hand to free your weapon. I'd rather have it on my hip or in front tucked in my belt.
 
Ehhh...no.

I wear a Galco ankle rig on duty (LEO) with a 5-shot J-frame .357 magnum. I have been involved in numerous foot chases (one involving 3 6-foot fences, *huff*puff*), and never once has the ankle rig so much as slipped, much less released the gun. It also doesn't affect your gait once you have gotten used to it. And no, my gun isn't one of those airweight ones either- all steel. I don't even notice it.

The trick, of course, is to get a good holster. I don't consider Galco to be all that great (saving loot for an Alessi), but it is 1. tight to my leg and 2. has a tensioner to hold the pistol in place. Before I went into action with it I tested it...windsprints and various sweaty silliness. Its rock solid. Hard to ask for more.

As to accessability, yes, it DOES have drawbacks, but so does every mode of carry. For me it is about the best, since I already have one gun on the gunbelt in open-carry fashion.

Off-duty I use it only if I can't carry strong-side, belt.

Mike

PS One thing cannot be overstated- MAKE SURE THE HOLSTER RETAINS THE GUN. Cheap holsters can and will do exactly what Raven said, and that is NOT a good thing.

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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
I too was skeptical about ankle carry. Then I went to LFI - 1 and LFI -2. I bought an Alessi ankle holster and carry a S&W 442 (PRE-AGREEMENT purchase!!!) It is a great method of carry for a back up gun and if you are to be seated for any period of time (like in a car). I also qualified at one ofo Heckler and Koch's pistol courses using the 442 and the Alessi holster - not as slow a draw as one might think - however, it does require a relatively awkward positio to draw. If you are i close quarters, you will probably not be in a strong position of balance and a strong position to fight empty handed or with a blade if need be. If you chose to keep both feet on the ground to draw and widen your stance, you are not as mobile, and one should avoid using the "stork stance" to draw if possible. However, if you have been knocked on your back, drawing from an ankle holster is, in my experience faster than trying to draw from a hip holster if you are on your back. I think the key is to pick a light weight weapon and a first class ankle holster - hence the S&W 442 and Alessi choice for me.
 
Coronach speaketh the truth regarding the J-frame and the Galco Ankle Glove. Keep in mind, this rig is avaiable with and w/o a thumbreak. If it really concerns you, buy the former, though I've had NO trouble with the latter. For autos, it ONLY comes with the thumbreak. Now, maybe, just maybe, I may have to consider the Alessi for my P9. I've read nothing but praise about it.
 
I went w/o the thumbreak on mine, since my j-frame has a fully enclosed hammer- there's nothing for the strap to hang onto. Just make sure you crank down the tensioning screw...if you do, it ain't going anywhere unless you PULL it.

Mike



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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
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