For me, shoulder holsters aren't great unless you wear a coat at all times. Which I don't. I've got a couple, one for CC, one for a Tanker holster 1911, which is a good way to carry an unconcealed gun. Maybe it's just the way I'm built, but my other shoulder rig tends to move backwards on my shoulder making a single hand draw problematical. It's got a buckle to fix it to the belt, but that doesn't keep mine from migrating backwards so to draw it, I have to use my off-hand to push the holster forward to reach it. It's a good-quality holster, a horizontal carry rig. Maybe with a lightweight auto, it would be better, but that heavy-*** 1911 wants to shift backwards, I don't carry it.

The most impractical holster I've ever used was an ankle holster. Good for concealing, yes, but the idea of actually drawing it for use? Not unless you're sitting down, and even then, the process of drawing the weapon is a giveaway. I think there are better options for sitting-down draw, certainly quicker.

If you're taken hostage or something and have the time and opportunity to draw the gun without being observed, I guess it's OK, but for me, it's sacrificing usability for concealability.

Every holster has pros and cons that vary for different users. Every carry method is a compromise in one way or another.

I like ankle carry for a BUG, particularly in the seated position. It works better in the car than trying to get to my IWB-holstered gun behind my hip. I've also practiced with it standing. It's not as fast, but do-able. I certainly wouldn't want to rely on it for primary carry, unless it was absolutely the only way I could carry a gun. I did once when I was moving, but I was worried the physical activity would cause my IWB-holstered gun to become unconcealed.

I prefer IWB to OWB, mostly because it conceals better, but also because the one time I carried OWB it felt like the gun kept pulling away from me, despite using good quality gear. Maybe some day I'll find an OWB holster I'll like, but since IWB meets my needs it's not a priority.

AIWB and crossdraw work for some people, but not for me, even though I do like them in concept.

Not a fan of pants pocket carry due to accessibility, but sometimes it's the best option.

Haven't tried paddle holsters, but the ones I've seen don't look like they'd conceal very well.

Also not a fan of generic-fit nylon holsters, like those by Uncle Mike's. I like good retention for my belt holsters, preferably without a strap. I also prefer them to hold my gun close to my body for concealment, which you generally don't get with them.

But that's just me. I'm sure for every holster type I don't like, there'll be at least a few who swear by them.

I'll say that my experience has been similar. Shoulder holsters don't always keep the handgun exactly where it needs to be and the draw, especially for someone with a belly or barrel chest, can be difficult. I prefer to carry on my waist, just behind my hip. IWB mostly, but in winter when a heavier coat is worn, OWB works better.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

The Glock Sport/Combat holster. A fine holster by design, VG retention, inexpensive, durable, ambidextrous, but obtrusive. It can’t be pulled close enough to the body. I have three of these and recommend them for field use, but it is what it is.

I have the same issue with shoulder holsters

I tried a shoulder rig too. Didn’t like it. I’ve found that a vest or jacket inside pocket is best for me. In summer a good pancake holster or jeans pocket carry works. Any standard belt holster is great for woods/field carry. Absolutely hate iwb holsters. Just not my thing. Never tried ankle holsters. I kinda like crossdraw holsters but the grip always sticks out making it hard to conceal. I’d say pocket carry is my favorite for concealing. A good pancake strong side is close second. It’s really all personal preference and different for each individual.

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No gold. Only lead. Bobby

I’ve tried shoulder holsters and ankle rigs and have no use for either.

Shoulder holsters look great on tv, but are miserable devices in practice.

They are too bulky and uncomfortable for me to wear for any length of time for day to day use and are too intrusive and limiting to be practical for carry while out and about in our mountains.

Folks sometimes propose using a shoulder holster to carry a handgun while hunting with a rifle. This thinking is a triumph of hope over reality: the shoulder holster is a major impediment to quick rifle work (try assuming a quick kneeling position while wearing one). It’s like wearing a straight jacket.

Ankle holsters are great devices for escaping from fantasy hostage situations in the movies. In practice, they’re clumsy and uncomfortable. Observing someone wearing an ankle holster is very like watching a neophyte wearing spurs at a dude ranch.

I have tried a few shoulder holsters over the years and they were never practical, never comfortable and never concealable without sweating to death 6 months a year. I sold them all! The only practical purpose I see for them is while Handgun Hunting when it is worn over all your clothing and concealment is a non issue.

I used an Ankle holster for a few years prior to pocket carry. While you do sort of get use to the weight around your ankle, the gun is slow to deploy and is hard to hide when in a sitting position. Always watch for puddles when getting out of a car in the rain - ask me how I know. LOL!

Shoulder holsters are good if you spend a lot of time sitting down in a vehicle and are wearing appropriate clothing. Where I live I can go almost year around with a strong-side OWB pancake and a loose cover shirt. One of the few advantages of California.

When I used to ride a motorcycle, a shoulder holster was my favorite way to carry, but never used it any other time. I always carry aiwb these days.

I much prefer a shoulder holster when I am driving for a number of reasons, everything I need is right there, seat belt doesn't cause a problem, the ones I have been using are very comfortable to me, the magazine pouches are horizontal not vertical and are anchored to my belt with a strap as is the firearm.

Restroom visits are not problematic either....

However, I don't own cheap ones ....

Ankle holster....have no use for, nor do I use any of the gimmic type holsters...no urban carry, small of the back, Serpa, cordura nylon anything, etc.

Randy

I’ll just say I’m a shoulder holster fan as well. I wear my holster over a t-shirt and a dress shirt over the holster. Works great! But! But it has to be a light firearm for me to wear it that way. Under 20oz.

Another fan of the shoulder holster. I have one for all my guns. Great for driving. I don’t mind wearing a fishing vest or cover shirt.

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213th FBINA

Shoulder holsters work best with a small, lightweight, revolver or pistol,
such as my Colt's Agent, shown here in a Bianchi 9R.

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In Omnia Paratus

I am a fan of the upside down Bianchi 9R series.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

I like a shoulder holster for the accessibility, but yeah, it's difficult to conceal well without a heavy jacket or coat. I have two shoulder rigs, an M3 "tanker" holster you mention, and a Galco "Miami Classic". I use the M3 a fair amount when outdoors, it keeps the pistol up front and its weight off my belt. It's not too bad to conceal with a coat, as long as you keep it zipped about halfway to hide the strap. One thing I really like about it is that I have three 1911's to fit in it.

I haven't worn the Miami Classic in years. It's made for a G20, so nothing else I own fits it, and I don't own the Glock any more. I really wish my EMP4 would fit it, though.

Most times now, I use a high-riding leather pancake-style at 4 o'clock.

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I only have one shoulder holster and I've tried to love it. Sadly, the only reason it doesn't work for me is that I've got that infamous "ministerial profile" from too many church suppers. My belly is just too much to reach around!

True confessions ended.

I own two shoulder holsters and I love wearing them. They are an old school leather Bianchi and Tex Shoemaker. I use to be on my church security team and it was my preferred method of concealing, as I was always wearing a suit during service. Yes I suppose they can be impractical depending on the gun. Mine are for a snub nose K frame and I never had any issues with draw.

There are some pretty horrible modern holster designs out there for CCW. Never tried one but looking at those "Urban Carry" make me cringe. Also look up the "Bicep Holster" if you've never heard of it... another complete fail.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

It's not my belly, it's my chest. I kinda got a barrel chest, or too-short arms.

Now that I think of it, I did have a cheap Uncle Mike's nylon horizontal shoulder holster for my Beretta 92FS. Never really wore it much as there was no provision for legal concealed carry at the time (unless one was well-connected).

I have been tempted to try one of Ken Null's upside-down shoulder holsters for my 642, but has never really been a priority.

Sorry, but that reminded me of this...

My first handgun I bought when I was 16 for 20 bucks with holster and it was a Hawes .22 SAA cowboy gun in a black basketweave buscadero holster rig with bullet loops. My quick draw was lightning fast and I loved that rig and I love the looks of the cowboy single action revolvers but they don't fit my hand that well. My second handgun I bought when I was nineteen at the Tulsa gunshow and it was a M-39 9m/m then I bought a Bianchi shoulder holster which was a lot of money and I carried the gun while hunting but it had no safety strap and I was worried the gun fall out during rough activity. I started wearing a strong side OWB leather belt holster with thumbbreak snap and never looked back. For my whole life that's been about the only way I've carried and the muscle memory is there for the draw and to hit the thumbbreak regardless of what gun I carry. I don't like how pancake holsters collapse when you draw and are hard to reholster and I don't like inside the waist or any other holster that uses a spring clip. I wear cowboy cut blue jeans 99% of the time and they are starting to add a small amount of stretchy material so I may give inside the waistband another try but I still want a thumbbreak.

Back some 50 years ago I was talking with a friend and he was showing me a big knife that he had acquired recently and jokingly told me that it was something that that could "cut you long, deep, and wide." As my 1911A1 Colt appeared suddenly in my hand from the Bauer Shoulder Holster that was under my jacket I Said "But you would have to be fast" It was not pointed at him but was very ready. This REDHEAD Holster is just like the Bauer I wore back then. My friend was very impressed. He had no idea that I was carrying.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

I may have posted this info earlier, but here it goes again. Back when I was a cop and carried a 1911, for a while I used a pricey shoulder holster. This was back in Miami Vice days. It had a retention snap, and I believe it was horizontal. Def not a vertical carry. Anyway, one day I had to go to the Judge's chambers along with the DA, the suspect, and his lawyer. After the hearing, we all left in a group. Walking down the stairs of the courthouse, the 1911 fell out of the holster and clattered down the marble steps. I was highly embarrassed to say the least. The lawyer without missing a step, said, "Good thing it wasn't loaded." Which it was and in Condition 1, and I'm pretty sure the lawyer knew it. A good guy and one of the primary lawyers then and now, and I always appreciated him fading the heat for me.

It happened again, but not so dramatically and I managed to trap it with my shoulder before it hit the floor. I called the maker, which IIRC, was in California and they said it had never been reported to them before, and they probably thought I was trying to put a move on them.

I still have the leather and maybe it was so new then that I didn't let it settle in to the gun. I've carried it infrequently since and it's been secure, but never felt the same level of trust. The objections to shoulder rigs in my OP remain and I haven't used it again in years.

Shoulder holsters are great when used with the proper clothing. I have a Galco Miami classic that I use when wearing a sport coat. Body type can also be a limiting factor, but fortunately it isn't for me.

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Stay protected my friends.

I'm not a big fan of shoulder holsters but I have used one, still have it actually, from El Paso Saddlery. They make 3 or 4 different models so I am not sure which one it is at this point but I can comfortably carry my 2.5" M686+ in it and on the opposite side it has a leather case for a speedloader. I used to carry it when I was feral hog hunting down by the Rio Grande because that kept the revolver on the side away from my rifle. If I ever get back into the woods I'd carry that gun that way again. As a daily thing it doesn't work for me.

I did conceal it under a jacket or a vest depending on the weather but that was more for protection against bushes and branches than for hiding the gun. Nobody cared about the gun; we were required to have a sidearm on at all times due to the nature of what or who we might encounter in that neck of the woods.

I simply can't abide ankle holsters; the only place I see them as useful is seated in a car. But I still prefer belt carry there.

Strong side IWB or OWB is my choice. Cross draw for driving is okay, too.

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Come and take it!!

No go for me for concealed carry:
Anything for a pocket
Anything nylon
Any ankle holster
Remora or anything not attached to my body
Serpa or Serpa-like retention holsters
Shoulder holster
Small of the back carry of any kind
Almost every non-form fitted holster, especially if the mouth will not stay open for holstering
Snap retention straps
All paddle holsters ((weak belt attachment points)
Hybrid (leather/Kydex)
Flimsy metal or plastic belt clips, especially without bottom retention tabs/hooks
Hidden in plain sight belt holsters with flaps & other gimmicks
Generally, fanny packs
Any holster that requires two hands to draw
Vertically hung neck holsters (small guns)

Other than these, pretty much anything will work. :-)

Well, as long as you're not picky...

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

When it's cold enough to wear a coat I go OWB. The holster has a retention strap and extra mag holder built in to it. Drawing the gun is easy. When it's warmer I use an Alien Gear IWB 3.0 Tuck holster or a Crossbreed IWB and an untucked shirt. The draw is not as easy and I had to buy pants and belts that are two sizes larger.

Safety issues trump all complaints posted in this thread. When drawing or re-holstering, essentially a cross draw, you have no choice but for the gun to cover your non-shooting arm for a moment. Be too quick on the trigger and you risk a self-inflicted wound. For this reason, and to the best of my knowledge, police departments do not allow shoulder rigs during qualification fire because with each draw and re-holstering, a right-handed shooter (for example) momentarily covers all the shooters to his left besides the instructors standing to the rear and running the course.

Depending on situational requirements my primary modes of carry have usually been strong side IWB or a shoulder holster. I'd say it's a 70-30 split in favor of IWB.

I have a big, barrel chest, but I also have long arms. For years, my shoulder rig of choice was the Galco Jackass. However, in my late thirties I began upping my weight lifting and I reached a point where my pectorals and biceps began to get in the way of accessing the weapon. The diagonal cant of the weapon was making the reach around difficult. My solution was to switch to the Miami Classic with its horizontal holster orientation and problem solved. I've stayed with this set up, with the current kit consisting of a Miami Classic and a 4506. I'm a big guy so I have that advantage. In hot summer months, a loose button front shirt over a t-shirt conceals nicely. In cooler weather a blazer or coat works well. I've never been overly casual in my dress, so I don't have to worry about concealing a gun in a t-shirt and shorts, since I only dress like that in the gym.

Shoulder rigs have their drawbacks: they're slower to draw from, require two hands for holstering and can present the weapon for a gun grab in certain circumstances. There will also be a certain amount of muzzling things you don't want to point a weapon at. This can be mitigated with training and my personal experience has shown that, in a dynamic situation muzzles will be pointed at things they shouldn't be no matter what. In my military service and time in SWAT we trained in manipulating the safety at a near obsessive level for that very reason. On the other hand, they offer advantages in other areas: if much time is spent seated in a chair, or behind the wheel of a car, it can offer easier access to the weapon than just about anything else. There's also the convenience factor: a shoulder holster secures the weapon and spare ammunition in one unit and doesn't required fiddling with the belt line. Throw it on and you're out the door in five seconds. Honestly, since I'm no longer being paid to be a crime fighter, getting the gun off my belt is becoming more and more attractive. Years ago, like most cops, I experienced lower back issues. Getting the gun off my waist, at least in my off duty time, was a big help.

Proper adjustment is key to wearing a shoulder holster and most people don't know how to do it. Improperly adjusted and it will feel like a medieval torture device. I've tried shoulder rigs without an offside ammo carrier, using something like a heavy elastic band over the opposite shoulder and the like, Bianchi X15, etc. In the end, I've found Galco's much copied spider harness to be the optimal and most comfortable set up. Rigs that orientate the weapon muzzle up, ala the classic Berns-Martin rig of Bullitt fame, should be avoided. They're really only suited for small revolvers like an S&W J frame or a Colt Detective Special. Even then, you run the very real possibility of the weapon dropping out at the least opportune moment. It will happen. A shoulder rig also needs to be worn with the weapon as high under the arm as possible. Too loose and the weapon won't be stable and it will beat the hell out of you with any vigorous movement. Every time I watch Miami Vice and see Don Johnson with his pistol hanging down nearly to his belt line I shake my head. The cheap nylon rigs like those offered by Uncle Mike's, etc, should be avoided. They're not comfortable or secure. When it comes to shoulder holsters you have to pay to play.

Like everything else, shoulder holsters are a compromise of features. However, in certain circumstances they work better than almost anything else. I've worn one often over the last thirty years, in all kinds of scenarios and I've never had the weapon taken away, nor has it even fallen out. I'll leave it at that.

Currently, my belt carry consists of a Beretta 92 in a Milt Sparks VM2, carried at 3:00 with a single mag pouch OWB at 9:00. I've grown so used to IWB carry that a strong side OWB holster feels awkward. This is worn in the same fashion as the shoulder holster, with the only difference being the summer shirt is buttoned up, sans undershirt. There's little downside to this very standard mode of carry so there isn't much more to be said. It's very common for a reason.

For decades I carried a BUG in an ankle rig as the limits of my uniform made any other form of carry impossible. Is it slower? Of course. On the other hand, if you think it's impossible you simply haven't done your due diligence in training with it as you should. Being right handed, I carried mine on the inside of my left leg. It will feel awkward at first, but I wore it in that position for so long that before too long I just didn't notice it.

I've never found cross draw to have much practical merit anywhere other than the outdoors, or a cowboy action shooting match. It's hard to conceal in the real world and most easily presents the gun for a grab of any of the carry modes. Seated in a vehicle, the seat belt tends to get in the way and it makes you very vulnerable to internal injuries during a vehicle crash. Best left to Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon, in my opinion.

Appendix Carry is the current tactical hotness, but it's never worked for me. My build just makes it uncomfortable, especially in a seated position. Its only real advantage over other methods is speed and in the real world a lightening fast draw isn't going to be a deciding factor. It's also just as vulnerable to a grab as crossdraw. You also run the risk of injury during a crash, as with crossdraw carry. Yes, in an ECQC class it's easier to defend against a grab, wherein you're working in a fixed environment where you expect your opponent to do such a thing. Walking down the street with your family minding your own business and you're jumped unexpectedly? Not so much better. There's also the fact that it orientates the weapon towards vital parts of your body. I've seen proponents use all kinds of gymnastics to show how this can be avoided and it simply isn't possible, no matter how hard they try to sell it. A negligent discharge will result in the round hitting meat, no matter how many foam wedgies you put on your holster or what kind of yoga stance you assume while holstering. Yes, you can injure yourself with negligence in any form of carry, but none of them put as many vital areas in front of the muzzle as appendix carry. I've also seen the same worthies demonstrate how fast it is in the real world, while shooting on a square range with their hands hovering right over the weapon before the timer starts. Gaming the outcome doesn't change the reality. I'm not saying AIWB isn't a viable alternative, it certainly is. However, any form of gun carry has its inherent risks and AIWB is no different.

They all have their own advantages and disadvantages. You have to decide on which set of parameters you're willing to live with.

About the only time I wear a shoulder holster is in the winter when I'm outside for a walk or_________ under a jacket or coat ........ it's a lot easier to access than a concealed belt holster.... the gun is protected from the elements and everything is anchored in place by the coat.

I think size matters.....................
I'm 5'9" 165lbs 34"waist 42" chest.

Two of mine are adjusted to carry the gun horizontally high up near the armpit. Two spare reloads help balance everything. I bought two Miami Vice rigs both were "secondhand" and all but unused for pennies on the dollar in the late 80s; one is set up for a Beretta 92 Compact or Centurion the other for my Sig 220/245s both single stack .45s.

I also have a Bianchi X-15 (small) that is great for my S&W 3" 60-10 micro 686....... as a hunting back up