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SP101 .357 vertical shoulder carry?
- Thread starter Burnhaven
- Start date
crazy charlie
New member
I preferred shoulder carry when I was on the job and off duty for the same reason.
During qualifying fire on the range they wouldn't allow it as there was a good chance you would sweep the field with a loaded weapon.
I too liked vertical carry.
Any more holsters are becoming quite pricey, especially in leather.
During qualifying fire on the range they wouldn't allow it as there was a good chance you would sweep the field with a loaded weapon.
I too liked vertical carry.
Any more holsters are becoming quite pricey, especially in leather.
Mike_Fontenot
New member
I can comfortably carry my S&W69 5-shot 4-1/4" L-Frame .44mag in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster. I wouldn't want to carry it any other way.
The holster pictured is a big part of the problem. It has a very narrow belt loop, which concentrates the weight on a short portion of the belt. This adds greatly to the feeling that the "rig" is pulling your pants down. The answer is to spread the load. That is why proper (as opposed to cheap, poor quality) belt holsters tend to have widely separated belt slots. Further, a good quality leather holster will be much stiffer than the cheap nylon one pictured, which also helps to maintain control of the weapon - and reduce any feeling of "floppiness" - which can add to the insecure feeling described.
The other issue to address with a belt holster is the belt itself. A soft, thin belt, of whatever material, only makes the problem worse. A proper, thick, stiff belt will do wonders for supporting the holstered weapon.
I carry an SP101 every day myself. But, because I use a good holster and a proper stiff belt, I never have the feeling that the "rig is pulling my pants down".
Ditch the garbage holster (and probably the belt you are using) and get proper gear (which does NOT have to be expensive or custom made)....and you will find things to be quite different.
The other issue to address with a belt holster is the belt itself. A soft, thin belt, of whatever material, only makes the problem worse. A proper, thick, stiff belt will do wonders for supporting the holstered weapon.
I carry an SP101 every day myself. But, because I use a good holster and a proper stiff belt, I never have the feeling that the "rig is pulling my pants down".
Ditch the garbage holster (and probably the belt you are using) and get proper gear (which does NOT have to be expensive or custom made)....and you will find things to be quite different.
2damnold4this
New member
+1 on a good holster and a proper gun belt.
I have a galco vertical shoulder rig for my sp101 that I like quite a lot.
It's my favorite "jacket weather" form of carry - easy to access from a partially unzipped jacket, and it's not pointing at my kids when I drive.
I wear it a lot hiking and whatnot too, when belt space is taken up by other gear.
Also, when I'm running into town for something and don't want to change out of my "house clothes" and put on a belt.
I've never regretted the purchase.
It's my favorite "jacket weather" form of carry - easy to access from a partially unzipped jacket, and it's not pointing at my kids when I drive.
I wear it a lot hiking and whatnot too, when belt space is taken up by other gear.
Also, when I'm running into town for something and don't want to change out of my "house clothes" and put on a belt.
I've never regretted the purchase.
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
Have you tried a inside the pants holster? I carry my 2" & 4 " 357 very comfortably. But, I'm in a state where you don't have to hide it. If you do then get some pullover shirts and or sweaters to conceal. Get an Uncle Mikes and try it they are very cheap so it will not cost you much to try it.($13). If so then get a good holster.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
That holster gets an F on a A-F scale. Look at Simply Rugged holsters for great leather pancake holsters and great belts to hold them. He makes well-made affordable holsters. I carry a SP101 2.25" 357 in a Simply Rugged "Silver Dollar Pancake" holster with one of his belts. All day comfortable carry!
www.simplyrugged.com
www.simplyrugged.com
Cosmodragoon
New member
I have to agree that your current holster is no good for the SP101. It might work for an alloy J-frame but it's unbalanced and poorly supported for a steel gun. I think others also have the right idea in asking about your "regular heavy-duty belt". I've owned some decent "regular heavy-duty" belts but there is a reason that "gun belts" are a separate category.
That said, I like nylon. It's durable and far less expensive. It's just a matter of finding the right nylon holster for your gun. Leather is better for a lot of reasons except one: it tends to trap moisture. That doesn't have to be a deal-breaker but in every-day carry, that thing pretty much lives inside the holster and you'll want to keep two variables in mind: (1) how humid it is where you live and (2) how much moisture it draws from you depending on various circumstances.
Shoulder carry is great and there are a lot of options. Horizontal is more popular but it means muzzle-sweeping everyone behind you all the time. I know, a holstered gun should be safe but many of us are still uncomfortable with it and there are experts who recommend against it for this reason. Vertical carry doesn't have this problem. It also feels more stable/reliable to me. While it doesn't matter in this case, vertical lets you carry longer guns.
You can draw from a shoulder holster such that you don't sweep a big part of the room or your arm, but it can feel a little awkward at first. That's because the widely-sweeping arc is instinctive. Instead, notice the orientation of your wrist as you just pull the gun free from the holster. It should be pointing in a downward direction. Keeping that orientation, bring your arm forward so that the butt is sweeping your strong side and the muzzle is sweeping the floor. Naturally turn your wrist into shooting position as the arm extends. The idea is that you are trying to keep the muzzle component of your motion as vertical as possible, more like the better strong-side belt draw. I came up with this myself while practicing my draw, so you may want to play around with it--with an unloaded gun--to see if it works for you.
That said, I like nylon. It's durable and far less expensive. It's just a matter of finding the right nylon holster for your gun. Leather is better for a lot of reasons except one: it tends to trap moisture. That doesn't have to be a deal-breaker but in every-day carry, that thing pretty much lives inside the holster and you'll want to keep two variables in mind: (1) how humid it is where you live and (2) how much moisture it draws from you depending on various circumstances.
Shoulder carry is great and there are a lot of options. Horizontal is more popular but it means muzzle-sweeping everyone behind you all the time. I know, a holstered gun should be safe but many of us are still uncomfortable with it and there are experts who recommend against it for this reason. Vertical carry doesn't have this problem. It also feels more stable/reliable to me. While it doesn't matter in this case, vertical lets you carry longer guns.
You can draw from a shoulder holster such that you don't sweep a big part of the room or your arm, but it can feel a little awkward at first. That's because the widely-sweeping arc is instinctive. Instead, notice the orientation of your wrist as you just pull the gun free from the holster. It should be pointing in a downward direction. Keeping that orientation, bring your arm forward so that the butt is sweeping your strong side and the muzzle is sweeping the floor. Naturally turn your wrist into shooting position as the arm extends. The idea is that you are trying to keep the muzzle component of your motion as vertical as possible, more like the better strong-side belt draw. I came up with this myself while practicing my draw, so you may want to play around with it--with an unloaded gun--to see if it works for you.
Mike_Fontenot
New member
When I draw my full-size 1911 (or my S&W69 .44mag revolver) from its homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster, I can't clear my armpit if I keep the gun approximately vertical during the whole draw ... I HAVE to start rotating the muzzle up during the draw, in order to clear the holster, and start the grip of the gun moving toward the opening in my shirt (that I've created by unsnapping a couple of snaps as my hand slides into my shirt at about sternum-level). So, I HAVE to ensure that BOTH of my safeties on my 1911 are engaged (both thumb and grip safety). I've developed a procedure (and I practice it often) that makes me confident that I ALWAYS keep those safeties engaged until I'm coming onto target. I wouldn't be willing to carry that way with any other semi-auto, even a Sig SAO with a thumb safety ... I want and need that redundancy in safeties in order to have complete peace of mind. The only exception would be a DA/SA semi-auto, carried with hammer down. Likewise, I'm confident of being safe with my Model 69 revolver carried hammer-down (of course!).
In addition, I also had to come up with a drawing procedure that would allow me to draw my gun when I get to the firing line of my range, in order to not violate their rules about sweeping during the draw. The procedure I use is a bit counter-intuitive: I turn and face AWAY from the bullet-stop, so that as I bring the gun out of the holster and rotate the muzzle up toward horizontal, it's always pointing downrange. I then, without moving the gun, rotate my body so I'm facing downrange. I use the same process (in reverse) when reholstering ... the gun never sweeps me or anyone else. Of course, that procedure won't work when drawing in a self-defense situation (there, I HAVE to rely on my procedures for ensuring that the safeties are both engaged), but it also does come in handy whenever I draw my gun at home for non-emergency reasons.
In addition, I also had to come up with a drawing procedure that would allow me to draw my gun when I get to the firing line of my range, in order to not violate their rules about sweeping during the draw. The procedure I use is a bit counter-intuitive: I turn and face AWAY from the bullet-stop, so that as I bring the gun out of the holster and rotate the muzzle up toward horizontal, it's always pointing downrange. I then, without moving the gun, rotate my body so I'm facing downrange. I use the same process (in reverse) when reholstering ... the gun never sweeps me or anyone else. Of course, that procedure won't work when drawing in a self-defense situation (there, I HAVE to rely on my procedures for ensuring that the safeties are both engaged), but it also does come in handy whenever I draw my gun at home for non-emergency reasons.
Cosmodragoon
New member
^ It's amazing how we can adapt, to ourselves and our environment. I've found that the procedure I described above is more comfortable when stepping into a Weaver stance. A big part of the practice is imagining that I'm pushing with the muzzle as the gun moves. BTW, I also prefer revolvers or SA/DA semis.
Andy Blozinski
New member
I vertical shoulder carry my 4" barrel Rhino. One rather nice advantage to shoulder carry is that it takes your pants out of the pistol equation for many situations. Going to the bathroom, for instance.
Mike_Fontenot
New member
"One rather nice advantage to shoulder carry is that it takes your pants out of the pistol equation for many situations. Going to the bathroom, for instance. "
Yeah, that's a big issue, as well as comfort and accessibility when driving, or when doing almost anything. I carry my 10mm 1911 every day from pajamas off until pajamas on, and I don't think I'd be willing or able to do that with any carry method other than the one I use: in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster. I'm also able, using that same type of holster, to full-time carry my S&W69 .44mag revolver when the bears are awake.
Yeah, that's a big issue, as well as comfort and accessibility when driving, or when doing almost anything. I carry my 10mm 1911 every day from pajamas off until pajamas on, and I don't think I'd be willing or able to do that with any carry method other than the one I use: in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster. I'm also able, using that same type of holster, to full-time carry my S&W69 .44mag revolver when the bears are awake.
Andy Blozinski
New member
Since the Rhino has a bit of a whacky shape, I use a Kangaroo Carry shoulder holster. The straps are really adjustable. I can lower it down really low so it's like a high riding OWB hip holster, or it can ride higher in the more traditional location. Whichever works for the occasion. I've been thinking about wearing it on the wrong side and down low to see how that works. Then it would be like an OWB but not a cross draw. I just wear a long un-tucked shirt when riding it low.