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Selecting A Holster
by Ruben Chavira
Sometimes people forget to put there brain in the proper gear when they purchase certain items. This is not due to a particular malfunction in the person. It is usually due to ignorance. Now, ignorance is not something to be ashamed about, unless you fail to try to overcome it. I don't know how to heal bulging vertebral discs. I'm ignorant in that subject. But my ignorance would be redoubled if I failed to seek out someone who did know how to heal them. I have an excellent doctor. I have overcome my ignorance.
My daughter recently needed to purchase a new car. She did a bit of research and decided on a certain model. She had never dealt with car dealers before. She was ignorant. She asked me to go along with her to help her deal with the car dealers. She overcame her ignorance.
I was talking to a gun dealer friend and another fellow at a shoot last weekend. The other fellow was looking to buy a concealable handgun. He explained that he wanted a small gun, possibly a 9mm although he preferred the 45ACP. A friend told him that the 9's were better for concealment so he was leaning that way. At this point I produced my carry gun, a S&W Chief Special 45, a .45 ACP semi-auto pistol with a 3.5" barrel and 6 round magazine. My friend then explained to the young man that many times people come into the gun store looking to purchase a gun and want a gun that a friend has told them is the best gun to have. In their ignorance, the gun seeker goes looking for that particular gun, not knowing if the gun fits their shooting style, caliber preference, their hand or sundry other things that effect shooting. The gun seeker should school themselves on a variety of guns and calibers then seek information from experienced shooters, possibly even going to a range and trying out a variety of guns, before purchasing one. You don't buy the first car at the car lot and when you order a pizza you get what you want, not what someone else says is good, right?
During my many years of gun toting I have seen people purchase holsters in the same manner. I know a detective sergeant who is a proponent of the ankle holster. He says it is the best concealment holster one could have. I've walked into restaurants to join him for lunch on several occasions and have seen how the pant leg rides up when you sit down, revealing his wonderfully concealed handgun to the world in general and his fellow diners in particular. I wore a leg holster for a short stint while working an undercover narcotics enforcement gig. I quickly learned that the ankle holster was not the best way to be packing when you needed your gun in a hurry. You had to actually come to a full and complete stop and raise a pant leg to get to the gun. Not good if the other guy has drawn first, which is what usually makes you realize that you need a gun in the first place. And forget running. I've had my gun leave the holster and take off ahead of me, sliding along the ground, ejected by the force of the leg action during running. Still, you may like an ankle holster. If you sit behind a counter, with your leg crossed, you could do worse than an ankle holster. But for others, well, you know the down side.
Then there is the small of the back (SOB) holsters. Wonderful creations, if you plan on standing all day and don't allow anyone within shouting distance. The SOB offers excellent concealment, easily covered by a loose shirt or light jacket, until you bend forward, where the covering garment either rides up or lays across the gun, revealing your gun to one and all.
The draw presents another problem. There are two trains of thought in the SOB field, each defended with a fervent zeal. Palm towards the back grip (gun butt up) or palm away grip (gun butt down). The former has a larger following but I have found it extremely uncomfortable to reach under a jacket, slide my hand along my body towards the back, then grab a pistol with my palm facing my back. Of course I am a short, strongly muscled persons and I suspect the movement would be much easier for a person with longer, thinner arms. Either way, it is a long reach to the gun, twice the distance to an IWB or belt holster. After reaching for the gun you begin the actual draw. Although, with sufficient practice (a couple of hundred draws before wearing the holster) a person could learn to draw the firearm properly, if the practice isn't there the barrel of the gun will naturally travel across some of your vital organs before being presented. In the heat of battle, when you are thinking of getting your finger on the trigger and squeezing, this might not be one of the best ideas of the day. Think about it. Reach behind you back as if drawing a gun from a SOB. Imagine where the barrel is pointing as you draw your gun. If you are right handed as you draw the gun you cross your right kidney, then the ascending (or descending, which ever is on the right) colon, then the liver, before you are able to point the gun at the person you intend to point at. Again, with practice you can over come this. But how often do you practice drawing.
Then come the tactical problems. Again, imagine reaching for your gun. If an aggressor were to lay his hand on your drawing arm he's pretty much got you beat. How much more if he were to grab you. In a wrestling match the aggressor has a much better chance of drawing your gun than you do. Now, imagine going to the ground with the gun in this position. You fall flat on your back, crushing vertebrae against the gun. I know, not a big deal for the average citizen who doesn't intend to be in a grappling contest, but how about those of you working security or personal protection details where the action is close and fast.
And for the rest of you, how about just plain old sitting down? Years ago I learned to wear two handcuff pouches, one on either side of my back, and nothing in the center of the back. Driving a car with a handcuff case in the center of the back was painful, at the least. Imagine a gun in that position. Even if worn off to one side the imbalance when you are sitting causes untold harm to the spinal column. Many police officers retire from what has come to be known as “Sam Browne Syndrome". The Sam Browne is the name for the police equipment belt. All of the equipment worn causes the officers back and hips to become unbalanced. This causes damage to the vertebral discs. Officers don't have much choice. You do.
There are many other types of holsters. Unfortunately, no holster offers an ideal carry method but carrying a gun is not an ideal situation. Still, some methods are better than others. In my opinion the best method to carry is with a belt slide or other hip holster. This is easiest on the body, but requires that you always wear loose clothing that will conceal the gun. This is followed by in the waist band holsters (IWB), which are a bit less comfortable but offer more ease of concealment. Next is a fanny pack type holsters. Excellent concealability although providing for a much slower draw and the fanny pack tends to weigh on the back (the pack worn in front of the body causes the packs belt to pull on the small of the back). Next I would rate some of the bellybands, which offer great concealability for small guns but are a very slow draw. Some of the T-shirt holsters offer good concealment, but draw slowly unless you wear an open shirt or jacket, which limits when and how they can be worn and like a shoulder holster, they are a load on the back. Next is the shoulder holster. I like shoulder holsters. I have two excellent ones my self, one a custom made job for my Glock 21, but you can only wear them for so long as the back quickly tires of them. Then come the cross draw holsters. They are good concealment holsters with a light shirt or jacket and work well with suits, blazers or sport coats. They are great for those who are often seated, like drivers and body guards. Their downfall is close quarter work where they offer the aggressor a better draw that they do you. Lastly, I would then choose an ankle holster before I would an SOB.
Those are my thoughts based on many years of carrying concealed. Now, take a look at a variety of holsters and see what works for you before you purchase your next holster.
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