Looking for a good vertical shoulder harness for 686 4in and 629 5-6in. I know I will have to get two different holsters for the shoulder harness. Does anyone have any experience using Galco's VHS along with their speedloader carrier. Any opinions on other good shoulder holsters. For the 686 I dont care if its vertical or horizontal because its only 4in just figured it would be easier to get a vertical harness that I could switch the holster out between one for teh 686 and 629 like I would be able to do with the Galco VHS.

Any information on this would be very appricated.

Well I will give you my opinion from personal experiences. Shoulder holsters might be "sexy" but I find them to be the most uncomfortable of all holster carrying systems. I have had a bunch over the years and have never found one worth keeping. They pull, dig, restrict movement, bulge, and require a loose fitting jacket or such. In fact I could never understand how someone could wear one all day!

The only real reason I would now consider wearing one would be for Hunting purposes on the outside of my clothing when the weather is colder. This way the gun would be handy and the straps would have cushioning from
your clothing.

Chief38

I carried a 4" model 14 in one for years when I had to wear a suit coat everywhere I went and loved it. The gun and speed loaders were readily available when belted in a car, seated or walking. The weight carried just as well or better on the shoulders than on the waist. When I went to a 5906 I carried it the same way. Another plus is that the gun and speed loaders are available to either hand.

During summers, I carry openly. During winters, I wear a Galco shoulder holster for a 1911.

It takes a lot of adjustments to get it to fit right and it takes a lot of discomfort to understand what needs to be adjusted. Once properly fitted, you never know it is on.

My experience is that having the rig balanced works best. I have the firearm on one side and two loaded magazines and a set of cuffs on the other creates an even weight per side.

There are other benefits to a shoulder rig and they include less wear on car upholstery, less pressure on the hips, more even pressure on the shoulders and, in my case, the belt loops on each side help my shoulders keep my pants from sagging.

The drawback is when the ladies are giving you a hug of gratitude, they think you are wearing a brace and take it easy on you.

I started wearing shoulder holsters on duty when I had to order it from Jackass Shoulder Holster Company. I find them very comfortable and especially pratical when sitting down or driving a vehicle.

If you get the Miami Classic (the old Jackass) be sure and get the wide shoulder straps as the thin ones cut into your shoulders.

Rule 303

I was years ago a dealer for JackAss, which is now Galco. The problem with shoulder holsters is that most wearers do not have someone fit the shoulder holster to their individual body. I never had any LEO or civilian return the JackAss shoulder holster to me for a refund, as long as I fitted their shoulder holster.

I just bought a shoulder holster and have worn it around the house for three days. It seems very comfortable and easy to use. Of course it will require a jacket but that seems workable most days.

I have had a hard time with shoulder holsters, im 6 4 and 260# and they just dont fit me the only two i have found i can handle all day is a bianchi with my mod 38 air weight and a elpaso tanker for a 4 inch n frame, the bianchi i could sleep in!

__________________
WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

We are about the same size. My Galco was very uncomfortable so like the idiot I am, I bought a second. It did not work either. While complaining about it to a Lt with the local PD, he told me to let him adjust it while I was wearing it. It took about ten minutes to get it to a point where it was tolerable. Then he told me to wear it all day, every day for 4-5 days no matter how it felt. By the end of the second day, I did not realize it was on me.

It is not in the holster but rather in the adjustment of the holster for the individual body.

If you go with a horizontal shoulder holster, here's some tips.

Step one-adjust it properly. AGAIN, adjust it PROPERLY. That means read the manual and do exactly as the manufacturer suggests for adjusting it.I wear a Galco Miami Classic II for my daily concealed carry, and it took me two hours with a screwdriver and a mirror to get the fit right.Its a pain to fit right, but once its done...you are DONE! No more fidgety holster again...ever.

Step two-Place the gun properly.

Wrong:



Right:



I grabbed the pics off the web, its kinda hard to take a picture of yourself holstering a gun but those illustrate the concept.Don Johnson might be Mr. Cool with his Bren Ten waaay down by his hip, but unlike you he never had to bother potentially using it with live ammo on the street.

With the holster adjusted placing the firearm near the bottom of the ribcage you have to fold yourself inward to draw it, and you risk putting a round in your arm to do so.Then you must bring the gun from down by your waist to your head to line up the sights afterward. As you can imagine, that's a process slow enough to bother a geologist.


By placing the weapon close to your armpit as comfortably possible you wont look as slick as Mr. Johnson on the beat, but with the distance to your head minimized and the gun closer to your right arm a draw is significantly faster and you acquire the sight picture instantly.Part of why people seem to have issues with shoulder rigs is because they wear them the "Don Johnson Way" ,for lack of any professionals saying otherwise.
When shooters discover that you need a 14 day head start to draw from that low-ribcage position they limp back to their waistband holsters convinced its an awful system of carry.

Putting the gun in the low ribcage also makes it frightfully difficult to draw while seated...which ironically is why people gravitate to this method of carry to begin with sometimes.


Another plus-because your holster is close to the armpit it is impossible to shoot yourself in the armpit as your draw will be flat,and not canted upward like you'd have to do with a "Don Johnson" draw.The worst that could happen is you put a round into your upper bicep if the gun magically discharges during the draw.It shouldn't do that any more than it would on a waistband pull when you cross your legs .

Step 3:Practice!

I put on my shoulder rig, and found it hard to draw! the mall ninja wails.Well duh, your strong side holster wasn't that easy to draw from either the first five times you wore it.Any method of carry requires practice, and just like it would be foolish to claim that IWB carry sucks because the first time you wore it and drew it was botched, claiming the same about shoulder rigs is just as ignorant. Practice is necessary to get the most out of it, and with the shoulder rig configured with the gun close to the armpit I can draw just as fast as my waistband holsters.

Hope that helps,and good luck!

I've owned a few Galco VHS rigs over the years. I don't think you will find anything better!

Years ago I carried a 4 inch mod 57 in a Bianchi vertical. I also had it adjusted properly. I never knew it was there either.

We're all different. I carry IWB mostly these days. Tried to convert a friend to IWB and he doesn't like it one bit. He say's "the only thing I like in my pants is me!"