"concealment" holsters

Forty Rod · October 04, 2013, 04:09:12 PM

I'm hoping this is the right place to ask about non-CAS holsters.

I'm looking at so-called concealment holsters and have some issues with the commercial products that I have found.

They all seem to be made from some form of multiribbed plastic material or double thickness heavy leather and are so bulky as to nearly double the width of the pistol being carried, Add to that belt retention or hanging devices, pistol retention equipment, bulky straps (some with heavy padding) on shoulder rigs, tie down straps, multiple magazine pouches attached to the holders or straps, horizontal carry (this is "concealable?), and a plethora of other things that seem to advertise that "Hey, look at me. I'm carrying a concealed gun."

I don't need "ease of re-holstering", some cockamamie system to keep the gun from being snatched or to prevent it from falling out while I'm running a cross-country marathon or doing calisthenics, magazine pouches, anything at all with "tactical" in its name or description, room for fancy high-rise sights or lasers, or anything attached to or riding on a rail. I also have no interest in embossing or tooling, fancy buttons, etc.

I have no need nor desire for a complicated or bulky adjustment system if I get a rig that fits correctly in the first place.

What I do want and need is a comfortable outfit for a Colt Government .380 or similar sized pistol, preferably a shoulder holster, that supports the weight and conceals the gun to a maximum degree, has a reasonably easy draw, is light weight, has little or no plastic or metal in it, is made of plain leather and/or fabric parts, is a vertical carry for a right hander and doesn't cost more than half the cars I've driven over the years.

So far the best bet seems to be a J. R. Roscoe shoulder holster but it seems unreasonably expensive. If anyone can vouch for it I might be willing to buy one but not on his advertising say-so.

Any help?

Thanks.

Tom

KidTerico · October 04, 2013, 05:38:21 PM

Tom I have been licensed to carry concealed for over 40 years. I get my shoulder rigs for my Browning's 1911s etc. from Galco. Nice weight and great fits. I have tried all kinds and like these by far the best, I have Rheumatism pretty bad so to mush weight on my shoulder hurts but with the wide strap I can keep it on 10 hrs. at a time with no problem . The adjustable elastic strap goes around the back and clips to your pants or belt on your right hip. When wearing a short sleeved vest you cant tell your wearing one since there are no straps in front or around your chest. Terry kt

outrider · October 04, 2013, 07:01:23 PM

Forty Rod

Why not make you own....

?

GunClick Rick · October 04, 2013, 07:45:19 PM

Is there a couple on the classifieds for sale?They are nice if that's what they are.

Forty Rod · October 04, 2013, 08:03:27 PM

Quote from: KidTerico on October 04, 2013, 05:38:21 PM
Tom I have been licensed to carry concealed for over 40 years. I get my shoulder rigs for my Browning's 1911s etc. from Galco. Nice weight and great fits. I have tried all kinds and like these by far the best, I have Rheumatism pretty bad so to mush weight on my shoulder hurts but with the wide strap I can keep it on 10 hrs. at a time with no problem . The adjustable elastic strap goes around the back and clips to your pants or belt on your right hip. When wearing a short sleeved vest you cant tell your wearing one since there are no straps in front or around your chest. Terry kt

Sorry, Kid. I'm just not built for horizontal carry.

Forty Rod · October 04, 2013, 08:06:29 PM

Quote from: GunClick Rick on October 04, 2013, 07:45:19 PM
Is there a couple on the classifieds for sale?They are nice if that's what they are.

Rick, those things almost double the width of the pistol and, without seeing it from another angle, I'll bet they add 50% to the width.

Thanks, but not what I'm looking for.

Forty Rod · October 04, 2013, 08:08:29 PM

Quote from: outrider on October 04, 2013, 07:01:23 PM
Forty Rod

Why not make you own....?

I might end up doing that. I question my skills, though, but may take the plunge in spite of that "problem".

KidTerico · October 04, 2013, 08:23:29 PM

Quote from: Forty Rod on October 04, 2013, 08:03:27 PM
Sorry, Kid. I'm just not built for horizontal carry.
[/
Tom the picture doesn't show it but it sits at a 50 degree angle with the butt toward the ground. It can be adjusted so it is almost 70 degrees angle. It is not horizontal at all. KT

Massive · October 04, 2013, 09:47:26 PM

You probably know all this, but the easy availability of permits has revolutionized the guns and the leather to carry them. There are tons of rigs designed to have anything from nothing to a lot of thickness. The availability of 1911 ish guns in 9 mm that allow pocket carry, etc... has changed everything that we thought we knew say going back before CCW became universal.

If you have to carry in a shoulder holster, that isn't any area I know, but for other stuff there is always new stuff coming out.

A zero bulk option is:

http://www.clipdraw.com/

http://www.miltsparks.com/Summer_Spec.htm

How to:

I thought one hand re-holstering was a possible legal issue, or best practices thing. Is it stressed in the courses? There is certainly the view that it is fairly difficult to re-holster without breaking one of the safety rules, if one has to hold the holster open on the way in. I have been worrying about this because I have a design I think is pretty cool, that I want to sell, but I am worried about the fact it isn't one handable.

Forty Rod · October 05, 2013, 01:18:11 AM

I have a Summer Special, but when it's inside my waistband I need suspenders to keep my britches up (It's a fat guy thing) and it doesn't work real well with a short jacket. It's also about as comfortable as a barb wire jock strap when I tighten my belt up to hold it in place.

outrider · October 05, 2013, 08:08:34 AM

Try looking at the Jim Simmons pattern for the "Brazos Jack" shoulder rig....but it is designed to hang more to the front than under the arm. I just made two of them (one for a Ruger SP-101 and the other for a Ruger 3" 44 mag) and they really are nice rigs. Similar to the M3 Tanker holster in the way they hang. If you decide on an under the arm rig I have also just done two of them.....funny I have not done shoulder rigs in 25 years and all of a sudden four of them $:-\$

Red Cent · October 05, 2013, 12:16:50 PM

These.

http://www.perretsarmysurplus.com/Clothing_and_Accessories/Bandannas-Belts/1_1_2_Inch_Black_Perry_Suspenders?zenid=9389ff46d5a0fe479d96f6dfabdbd939

The suspenders hook under and on the inside of a belt. With a good gunbelt, these will keep almost anything.......up. I got so used to wearing suspenders, I wear these a lot. They keep the Commander at the right position.

Forty Rod · October 13, 2013, 10:56:06 AM

Does anyone have any experience with the Legends in Leather MI-6DA Mk. I. shoulder rig? It looks more like what I'm after, that and J. R. Roscoe's rigs.

Forty Rod · October 13, 2013, 10:59:59 AM

Quote from: Massive on October 04, 2013, 09:47:26 PM
You probably know all this, but the easy availability of permits has revolutionized the guns and the leather to carry them. There are tons of rigs designed to have anything from nothing to a lot of thickness. The availability of 1911 ish guns in 9 mm that allow pocket carry, etc... has changed everything that we thought we knew say going back before CCW became universal.

If you have to carry in a shoulder holster, that isn't any area I know, but for other stuff there is always new stuff coming out.

A zero bulk option is:

http://www.clipdraw.com/

http://www.miltsparks.com/Summer_Spec.htm

Tell me about your design. I don't give a hoot about a one-handed re-holster and If I have it out in public I have already violated someone's rules...preferably the bad guys'. Send a PM if you want.

How to:

I thought one hand re-holstering was a possible legal issue, or best practices thing. Is it stressed in the courses? There is certainly the view that it is fairly difficult to re-holster without breaking one of the safety rules, if one has to hold the holster open on the way in. I have been worrying about this because I have a design I think is pretty cool, that I want to sell, but I am worried about the fact it isn't one handable.

Forty Rod · October 13, 2013, 02:00:08 PM

Massive, I'd like to see what you have. Would you PM a picture or diagram?

J. R. Roscoe and Legends in Leather are the only ones so far that even look close to what I'm after.

Seems everything is either a huge, bulky "tactical" (God how I hate that now=meaningless term) rig made to carry a street howitzer with lasers and Aim Points and GPS units and Klieg lights and a bayonet, etc., or they are upside down or horizontal carry and are still too bulky for fat guys to use.

I'm just a guy on the street that doesn't need a ton of bells and whistles. I'm not going to be hurling barricades, diving into the dirt, or plowing through the brush. The only real modifications to my guns are sights and internal fixes. I have no desire to add anything further to my girth or stick my piece inside my pants or strap it to my leg / ankle. I hope to never get into a situation where anyone will try to get the gun out of the holster but me. If I do things right, no one will know I'm armed until I pull the trigger.

I'm very aware of street conditions in southern California and avoid places where trouble is likely to happen, knowing that it can happen anywhere.

I'm not going to involve myself in a fast-draw with any one if I can be stealthy instead, and I pray I never have to use the gun in a fight EVER!!!

I just want a lightweight, flexible shoulder rig for a Colt .380, Remington 51, or PPK size gun, not something that outweighs my gun and is so complicated I'll never get it to fit properly and end up shoving a pistol into my pocket rather than dealing with it.

Camano Ridge · October 13, 2013, 03:06:44 PM

Forty Rod, what you are looking for is what I call an old school Shoulder holster (I can do that because it was new school when i starteed wearing one). If you have a mind to PM me with your email I believe I might be able to help you out.

Scott

Forty Rod · October 13, 2013, 04:59:03 PM

Done. Thanks, C. R..

Massive · October 13, 2013, 10:43:35 PM

Sorry Forty Rod, I missed your reply. I don't think I am doing what you are after, it is a belt design. I have a novel twist on a Beltster, but unless you were wanting to wear braces, It probably wouldn't stay up.

http://www.gunforums.net/forums/ccw-conceal-carry/445-product-review-bandera-beltster-gunbelt-holster.html

Mine uses a totally different principle, but it is sorta like that. I have been working on Yaqui Slides for a bit, and now I am moving in this direction, and once I get those out, I will be moving towards a new design on inside the belt designs. I'm trying to build a line at the moment. I won't try to build a web presence until I get enough photos, and holsters out there.

Forty Rod · October 14, 2013, 01:07:49 AM

Thansk anyway, Mass. I appreciate it.