Horizontal holster

P

prhm

New member
I am looking for a horizontal shoulder holster to carry my glock 17. Can anyone recommend a good brand to check out. I am also open to different styles of holsters if they would be easier to conceal. Thanks
 
I prefer horizontal as well, but haven't scraped up the cash to get one yet. Bianchi is one of the premium makers out there, but you can find tons of others. A good place to start is by going to http://www.galls.com and ordering their catalog. (They sell a lot of police uniforms and supplies).
 
Thats a tough one..The 17 is a full size weapon and you will probably have to wear larger clothing to get it concealed.I found the shoulder holsters not very good for getting the gun out when you may need it. A good IWB would be my first choice,with a high OWB strong side, my second choice. I like the cross draw best of all when I have to drive, but most don't like the idea of having to draw across your body first..Most of us have drawers full of holsters that we thought were good untill we bought them and found out differently..It's trial and error..Good luck with whatever you decide..:cool:
 
I also like the Galcos, but I prefer the SS2 style with the wide shoulder straps to the narrow Miami Classic version.
 
To each his own and, my brother-in-law LEO used the Jackass rig of horizontal holster but they make me uncomfortable. Hard to draw without violating Rule #1 by covering your upper arm and, in a crowd and moving around, you are continuously violating Rule #1 because your handgun is nearly always covering (pointing at) someone.
However, as always, YMMV.
:rolleyes:
 
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I must agree with OJ. While standing in the "bank line" at Wendy's for lunch, I was preceded by three plainclothes sheriff's deputies. It was hot so they had no jackets on but two were wearing horizontal holsters with Glocks. I noticed that as they snaked the line towards the cash register, the muzzles of their weapons swept about a dozen people, most who were very nervous and adjusted their position to keep from being covered. When I got back to work I called the lieutenant in charge of detectives and explained the problem to him. He first started to defend the position, describing the safety of the firearm, etc. As I countered his argument, he came to realize he was talking with someone who knew as much, or more, about handguns as he. I asked him if he would allow these same officers to sweep the firing line on the range! He realized he had a situation to deal with. He told me he would bring it to the attention of the sheriff and a decision would be made.

Bruce Woodbury
 
OJ and support six,
thank you for pointing out the fact that I would be breaking rule #1, for some reason it just didn't dawn on me.:confused: Taking that into consideration I am now searching for either a IWB holster or possibly an OWB holster. I am looking at the Comp-tac shirt tucker, and the new Galco that is supposed to fit closer to your body. Has anyone tried either of these? Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
 
prhm,
You're welcome. Truth be known, probably all of us have at least one BIG box of holsters that, for one reason or another, didn't work out as we had hoped when we bought them. A large part of the value of this forum is that there are some experienced shooters who are willing to share their experiences, good or bad, with those of us with less experience.
I've been using a Mitch Rosen ARG to carry a Glock 20 and also a Milt Sparks EX, both of which are IWB and have been very satisfactory. I favor the Rosen but it is significantly more expensive. I have no experience with anything but leather, which I prefer, but your tastes may be different.
I like autoloader pistols but my wife prefers revolvers. Tastes differ.:rolleyes:
 
Horizontal type holsters have another major problem in that they are just not very concealable, so we are again into the degree of concealment needed.

Another idea that sounds good is the small of the back carry. Until you bend over to tie a shoelace or pick up something, then you look like the camel on the cigarette pack.

Jim
 
Re: Horizontal Shoulder Holsters

Here's what I did:

First off I carry a G26 although what is described below also works with my G17.

Glock Sport/Combat holster ($13.95!) attached to Strong Co.'s Suede & elastic harness (about $20) with chicago screws and adjusted for diagonal somewhat butt down carry angle. Not quite as "upside down" as the the Ken Null upside down rig for revolvers, this gets around the "sweep folks behind you with the muzzle" dilemma.

More recently I found a "Jackass copy" harness in a shop's "junk box" and moved the Glock polymer holster over to it, added a single magazine carrier on the "off side" and can wear this under a tucked in loose fitting Cabela's Serengeti "camp" shirt.

BEST! way to go: Found a vertical Hunter rig (similar to Bianchi X-15) that hangs from shoulder and attaches to belt at bottom. Elastic strap goes around other side and when adjusted correctly "hugs" the side. Needs an untucked Cabela's Serengeti (or similar heavy cotton long square tailed shirt) or loose fitting sport coat/suit coat to cover but is extremely comfortable and is super for driving also. BONUS! This dang thing fits every handgun I carry! (Colt Commander, S&W 4013, both Glocks, Ruger SP 101 w 3" tube, UNAMIT!

Found this jewel (in-the-rough) at a gunshow, table was being watched by the vendor's friend and nothing was price tagged. Guy watching table said to make an offer it would serve the vendor right for not pricing his stuff. I felt like $10 would be akin to larceny so offered $15 and walked out with it.

Bruce Foreman


"I Glock...Therefore I am..."

check out website at http://www.crosswinds.net/~bforeman
 
If you still have an interest in shoulder carry, you should contact Beth at Galco. She will answer your questions and if what you want is not the best solution, she will also advise you of that and make alternative recommendations. Her email is: BethS@usgalco.com
 
OJ, that's funny -- you're right that most of us have a huge box of holsters that haven't worked for one reason or another. I've tried shoulder holsters including the Galco Miami Classic and SS2, all sorts of belt holsters, ankle holsters, and IWB holsters.

The IWB holsters clearly offer the best concealment under the widest variety of weather/clothing. I was extremely happy when I found that the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 works so well for me ........ now I have one (or have ordered one) for each of my carry firearms. Mitch Rosen holsters are very good, but are expensive ...... and his old Workman model sits at the bottom of my holster box. His ARG model and variants are well crafted. Alessi holsters are well made also.

I'd stick to IWB holsters, even if you have to crash diet to loose weight periodically like me. You can't go wrong with Milt Sparks, Rosen, Alessi, and other good makers.
 
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