I’m looking for a good leftie upside down shoulder holster for my 340PD and am concerned about the gun falling out under normal wear. At my age (71) & physical condition I can’t run and fist fighting to defend myself is unrealistic. Any input is appreciated.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Check the Galco line of shoulder rigs. It can be uncomfortable in the Miami heat, despite what you saw on TV. It does require some adjustment.
Geoff
Who wonders why some smart entrepreneur hasn't started a touring company to sell and fit holsters to guns owners and all at shows and big gun shops. I know LIABILITY!

I recommend the Bianchi 9R. This old one of mine still has a firm grip
on the gun. Its shown with Colt's Agent. It might not be easy to find a
left handed one, but I don't know why ambi-dexterous wouldn't work.
But you would probably need to re-work the harness. Maybe Red Nichols
will jump in here. He designed the 9R & 9R2, so he can give you some
good advice.

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In Omnia Paratus

I've worn shoulder holsters for extended periods of time (years). The only time I've ever had a handgun come out of a holster and hit the deck was with an upside-down shoulder holster. Just sayin'...

BE Mike: That’s been my experience too but I’m hoping the light weight of the 340PD will make a difference.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I have no experience with them, but you might want to check out the products by Ken Null and Alessi. They both make upside-down shoulder holsters that should work with your 340. They have good reputations.

Here’s my LH Bianchi 9R.
Fits my 2 in 66.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Bianchi's 9R series is ambidextrous. Harness need be switched around or replicated as mirror image of OEM harness. I own two 9Rs, one with L-H harness, one with R-H harness. . . . But wait! There's more!! 9R series (R1 and R2 only) is also an ambidextrous break-front strong side hip holster that affixes on up to 1.5-inch belts.

Depending upon specific version, 9Rs function correctly with a large number of revolvers that otherwise should not be used with the same holster.

By way of example, my 9R2s accept my three-inch Ruger SP101. Rugers are not supposed to work - but they do. Holster is supposed to accept up to 2.5-inch barrels. My three-incher works perfectly. And on, and on.

These shoulder holsters are marvelous. Since they have been out of production for decades, you may be able to acquire one for substantially less than a currently manufacturef shoulder holster that is less functional.

One last feature, Red Nichols designed the R1 and R2 series.

Hope something in this mishmash helps.

A Galco 156 works for both my J frame and 642. Takes some adjusting and wearing to get exactly right.

A while back, a brilliant forum member coined the phrase ‘J Boy.’
Yes, Father, I am a J Boy.
I did not know the 9Rs were switch hitters.
Wouldn’t mind having one for my J Frames.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

OP will likely have to go to one of the smaller semi custom holster makers for the 340PD, none of the vintage holsters is likely to fit correctly. I had the elastic cloth material replaced on a Bucheimer upside down shoulder holster, the person who did it also added a retaining strap for additional safety. Doubtful a handgun will fall out of a holster that uses the metal clamshell design.

Check out Craft Holsters.
I just ordered one of theirs for my Beretta Cougar and I’m really pleased with it.
No matter what angle I have it adjusted to the gun will not fall out. The nice thing is that they made this to come off the harness and it can be used as a belt holster!

I have one and I carried a Model 60 in it for years. (mid 1970s) Left will be harder to find. With that said its not hard to make a good and fast draw from the off hand so a right handed holster might work for the OP. FWIW those holsters, at least for my J Frame are extremely picky about what grips are on the gun. In my case I stuck with the stock factory grips gun came with.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

The Bianchi #209 fits the magnum frame j snug..real secure if you ask me. Don't even know the 340 is there most of the time. I'll usually carry the PD in my pocket and the MP340 that I fitted with a titanium cylinder in the shoulder rig as my either/or setup..great carry combo, gives you options sitting or standing having both holster positions. I carried all day today with this combination downtown Detroit on a family trip to the DNR outdoor center, what a breeze to carry two j frames this way.

The forum has reviewed upside down holsters more than once. The original was Berns-Martin's "Lightin" (no 'g'), famous not least for being intended as James Bond's shoulder holster -- for the then-new Centennial -- and being specified for the Walter PPK that was being discussed with the author as being a European baddies gun.

elberton cs (3).jpg

The most knowledgeable about the B-M's peculiar history is turnerriver. In general, though, the market began there and was supplanted by the elastic form, apparently created by Wally Wolfram by the early 1960s. John Bianchi and Neale Perkins both copied it, Bucheimer and everyone else jumped in -- and then the pistols started falling out. No maker except John realised why and gave them up.

9 (4).jpg

The Bianchi elastic version was called the #9. Avoid these, whether new or a half-century old as they are now. It was replaced by the #9R, the letter to distinguish it from the old. During development it was code-named 'baby 27' as it was derived from the new police duty holster with wire-form spring and internal cylinder pockets.

bianchi shoulder (2).jpg

Still fell out, so an equivalent to the B-M internal spacer at the muzzle was added (one person on this forum actually owns one of the originals without it) -- and the guns stopped falling out even under a harsh test we developed to sort the good from the bad.

bianchi shoulder (1).jpg

The best of them, if I do say so myself, then, was the #9R-1 and -2. I 'think' the difference in the numbers refers to a change in the spring itself; unsure because it was a long bloody time ago. Both, though, are visually distinguishable from the #9R and the #9. The early #9R is shown in crazyphil's post, and the -1 or -2 is shown in at least one other here.

Leftie harness: in a jam, leave the setup assembled for right hand and just -- put it on backwards; that is, put your right arm through the leather harness yoke and the left arm through the elastic cross strap. Work exactly like a left hand harness because that's all a leftie is: the leather was turned over on the clicker machine, and the same die is used to punch it out.

The holster itself is literally the same for left and right; and the belt slots are even rh/lh. We were quite obsessed with ambidextrous holsters because (1) JB is left handed and (2) it reduced stocking units (called 'skus').

Looking up the OP's pistol tells me it is a Centennial in size; i.e., it still has a five shot cylinder. The muzzle of the revolver is a bit larger, so one might even prefer the Detective Special version which was always moulded 'round the 'new' (how old am I) Dick Special with the longer, bulkier barrel and ejector rod shroud.

Bianchi doesn't make it now, so one would find it on eBay, for example. Things to watch out for: you want the 'lips' of the holster closure to be aligned; when the spring goes 'wonky' inside the holster shifts out of alignment; and you want assurance that the spring itself hasn't already snapped at the muzzle end; and you want assurance that a finger snapped through the opening still makes a loud 'pop' to tell you that the earlier owners haven't 'sprung' it trying to get a faster draw.

Alternatively, there is ONE elastic shoulder holster that actually works: the Bianchi 209 (in soft harness leather and 208 (same holster but constructed from thin saddle leather). The former is far more commonly found on auction sites.

bianchi shoulder (3).jpg

Whew, I just wrote an encyclopaedia entry. Mit pics.

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The Holstorian

Bianchi 9r2.

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Certified Curmudgeon

The OP wrote: “Any input is appreciated.”. He is 71.

I am going to be 76 on 4/27, if I live that long. I can assure the OP and everyone that age does not dictate the choice of a holster. Anyway, I am speaking to the OP and everyone else is listening in and some will be weighing in. That I’d come with me and based upon the OP’s remark it seems fine with him.

The choice of holster that carries the gun in a position that has to,overcome gravity is counterintuitive to best self defense practices. The only thing that keeps the gun from falling to the ground is some sort of active retention device. That device will never be foolproof. Consider that the position of the holstered gun will be barrel pointed up at your armpit. Add to that the fat that drawing in the gun from the holster will require some distortion of the hand and wrist affecting grip and control, and you have a recipe for disaster by death or a shoulder and arm that will never work again.

Polite writers would say that using a shoulder that suspends the gun upside down is “counterintuitive.” Jarhead senior noncommissioned do not mince words. To me counterintuitive means either thoughtless or crazy.

There are so many good carry options today to choose from that considering selecting what has to be the worst option for safety seems misinformed.

Dear OP, I rarely write as boldly as I have in this post. Please do not take it personally and please reconsider your choice. This forum is full of some of the most knowledgeable people on the widest range of gun related topics. If you describe what condition leads you to consider the upside down holster, I am certain that some here will grasp it and provide better solutions.

I have had a horizontal shoulder rig and hated how it didn't conceal worth a darn. I gave it away and bought a vertical shoulder rig and like it a lot. I wouldn't trust an upside down rig and I have no idea how the gun stays in the holster or what the purpose is for an upside down rig.

RichardW is, of course, quite right in a literal sort of way. And I'm the very first to remind that safety isn't about eliminating risk; it's about the elimination of unnecessary risks; because some risks are absolutely necessary in certain roles of society (a soldier takes risks that I would never take, as they are unnecessary for me; but they are necessary for him).

My replies in this thread are directed to the restriction of considering 'upside down shoulder holsters'. My personal preference in concealment weapons is not to carry at all; on the other hand, in my environment it's really not a choice but a requirement: no guns here, even the coppers are prohibited from carrying off-duty.

So: 'why' upside down shoulder holsters at all? The original, the B-M, was designed and made for only small revolvers and with very short barrels. That meant 2" J, 2" D, and eventually 3" in both and I think even the M&P might have been added.

I personally would not rely on a B-M of any age. But if I were Bond, and someone handed me one with a loaded 2" .38 Special in it and said, "that's all I've got", I'd be grateful for it!

The upside down holster was supposed to, and does, provide a natural draw that is a sort of 'snatch and shoot' from across the chest. It was meant to accomplish this, by reversing the traditionally difficult way to draw (butt up and forward) and to conceal, by turning the grip to the rear. Perhaps Myres was first to 'think outside the box' with this patented holster by son Bill Myres.

1938 myres (3).jpg

So the B-M was issued with a specific set of instructions about where it was to be worn, and that was not under the armpit: between the armpit and the nipple. Yes, drawing it would direct the muzzle back to the shoulder because to be secure, it is designed to require the pistol be 'levered' out.

1968.jpg This is Jack Martin himself.

So (again), carried pointed away from the wearer, and everyone else except directly above in a multi-story situation, at all times except during the draw which, in an expert, is fractions of a single second.

On the other hand, if one doesn't have a good one (including elastic versions made to this very day by folks who don't understand the physics of the situation) one is risking it falling out every minute you're wearing it! That's bad.

The physics of the old #9R are such that it can't fall out. Ever. Under our gravitational limitations. Dunno about high g's such as a fighter jet launch. If you fly fighter jets, please don't listen to me and instead get your instructions from much higher up.

The 9R, and the better #9R-1 and -2, came about for the very reason that's being queried: an LEO jumped a fence wearing the original #9 and out popped the revolver! So we developed a test that it couldn't pass in the 'lab' (my office) and built a holster that would pass that, and an even greater extreme: we called it 'the snap test'.

I've covered the snap test before; will again if someone insists. But it's quite a boring enunciation and few will actually do it anyway. But those who do, with aged #209s and #9Rs, report 100% passes for them of this test. NO other brand of upside down holster will pass it. In fact, no vertical spring shoulder holster will pass it: takes a safety strap to pass a shoulder holster snap test unless it's a #9R or a #209.

When I carried, in USA with a permit in CA when those were v,v rare, I carried a 44 Bulldog in a #9R (-1 or -2 I dunno). Would do it again. It had the side benefit of being proof against my young children ever getting it out, because its draw is, there's the word, 'counterintuitive' until one puts it on.

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The Holstorian

The Bianchi 9r2 hoster and a M36 is a match made in heaven. Upside down Shoulder rigs place a firearm very tight against your body, in a very consealed position with the barrel either directly in front of or behind your shoulder, the cylinder and trigger under your armpit and the butt in the hollow below.

Wearing a suit, the gun just disappears. Drawing is very natural. On the 9r2 the revolver is retained by a very strong flat spring sewn into the leather. The weight of even a steel J is held motionless, running, jumping (ah, memories, I do NOT do that anymore) will not dislodge it.

Drawing is a simple natural fluid movement. Reaching inside your jacket, strong arm gripping the square butt magna stocks you pull down and across while rotating your wrist in S&W fashion (CCW). It is almost as easy to reach up weak hand grip the butt, pull down while twisting Clockwise. Southpaws can simply wear the holster backwards.

Any crossdraw holster presents slower than a belt OWB. Any shoulder holster causes the muzzle to sweep yourself or others at least momentarily. Plenty of folks who do not place thier finger OUTSIDE the trigger guard have managed to shoot themselves regardless of holster type. (Appindix carry anyone.)

I dislike horizontal rigs for the reason that they are constantly sweeping others with a loaded firearm.

My M64 had occasion to ride around in a Bianchi 15 vertical rig from time to time, its a really nice option for a 4 inch K frame if you are dressed well. These days my M640 spends most of its time in a Shadow Pancake holster about 2:15 to 3:45 OWB, I dont wear the 9r2 so much anymore as I never wear a suit.

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Certified Curmudgeon

Comfortable or not, my body shape suits a shoulder holster. My Remora is very adjustable in position with top grade velcro.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Some excellent suggestions already. I have a few more you may want to consider.

The Galco Executive is a very comfortable rig with a tension adjustment screw. The cross shoulder strap is elastic and attaches with a suspender style clip. There's no fear of the gun falling out when properly adjusted, as you can tighten it to point where two men and a boy can barely get it out!

The down side is they're out of production and finding a left hand version for a J frame may be difficult.





My current favorite is an older Alessi Bodyguard. This is also a very comfortable rig and features a pull-through retaining snap. Later models had an off-side speedloader pouch, but I prefer a dump pouch because it's flatter.

These are also out of production, but Alessi is more of a custom maker and may be willing to set you up.





You might also look at the Ken Null City Slicker. I've handled them, but don't own one. The holster is polymer, has a pull through snap and is under $100. If I wasn't so happy with the Alessi, I'd buy one.

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"I also cook."

As a couple of posters already mentioned... You should really take a close look at one of the holsters made by K.L. Null. The 340 won't fall out of it.

A real world review of the Bianchi 9R-1 to assure the OP he will never, ever drop a revolver from one.

i have spent my life mostly as a surveyor in the Appalachian Mountain area of the Southeast. In 1978, I purchased a Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 special to carry in the woods for snake protection and to have a sidearm in the wild and woolly terrain that work produced at times. I have in my hand this morning my 9R-1 that has been thru three elastic bands and two over the shoulder "hangers" in the past 40 years. This rig has been in some of the most inaccessible places that most "flat landers" would consider mountain climbing while I carried survey equipment and supplies up, over and around. It has been a constant companion over the years, especially the first 20 years of ownership and with work, it was just another tool, strapped to my body and I forgot it was there most of the time. It has never become dislodged. The old bulldog has very little blue remaining as it has been saturated with perspiration thousands of times in the summer humidity of the southeast. I believe it is totally impossible to dislodge the bulldog from my 9R-1 today unless you put your hands on the gun and extract it from the holster. One of the best tool purchases of my lifetime.

Hard to beat a testimony like this one. If the holster fit wear it.

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In Omnia Paratus

My first post--and probably a question to Red! Would you please have the manufacturing dates for the Bianchi 209? I recently bought a brand-new one (really!) in the original (quite yellowed) Bianchi bag!
I'm in the process of breaking it in with my S&W 642.
Many thanks!

Have 3 original “ Jackass” holsters , 2 for semi autos and a revolver one. Have to check the snap as thats what keeps the pistol from falling out.

It is the only one of the elastic-loaded inverted shoulder holster that can be counted on for excellent retention even after all these years, when bought on eBay. It appeared first in a 1977 ad:

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The Holstorian

I have two. Liked the idea for many years. Used to carry a Charter 44 with a 3" size one back in the 80's. Don't remember the brand - sold it with the Charter. Now I have a Bucheimer 188-11 and a Nevada Gun Leather J2. My J's don't fit well these days, as I'm using aftermarket grips, which fill the area below the trigger guard and block the ability to roll in tight. Still, a right or left hand grab under any coat or jacket was a wonderful thing to have at hand.

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Heavily armed old man.

Have had a half dozen of the R9-1 over the years...none even looked like the could, let alone would, dump a gun...

One time even found a DOUBLE rig that I should have never sold...

Currently have one right hand harness with two holsters, a 2" J and 2.5" K that will also take a 2.5" Diamondback...

Super comfortable to wear.

They should be brought back by someone....Bob

Decades back I ponied up for a Null SMZ. When I got it, my first thought was: " I paid $$$ for this?" Then I wore it. Worth it. The draw takes a bit of practice, one lifts slightly and twists the gun to pop the retention snap. BUT, it isn't gonna fall out. Nor is the harness going to print.

Were there instructions or guidance on how to adjust the 208 or 209 "Silent Partner" harness to the person wearing it?


Do you have any guidance on adjusting?

On the one I have there are several snap positions front and rear, as well as three slots for the elastic web strap - plus a buckle to adjust length.

I expect you're not referring to the mechanics, but how the holster s/b positioned when the harness is properly adjusted. Here's a pic:

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The Holstorian

My question might be what you are calling mechanics. Should one simply experiment until the front d-ring is about hte hight of the armpit?

What about the strap? Should that be centered on top or slightly down the back?
I ask because it seems that these points affect how well the holster will stay in the postion shown in the advert.

One of my lefty friends passed and I got several holsters from his wife. One of them was a Safariland upside down J frame LH # 19. I only put it on to try it out with my 649. I don't even see this one mentioned here. Is it one of the bad ones?

All the elastic loaded shoulder holsters of the sixties and seventies were adequate when new. Since then the anecdotal evidence is that only the Bianchi 208 and 209 have stayed strong. This is more than the elastic we chose but also the contours of the leather which trap selected parts of the da revolver to resist the drawing motion.

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The Holstorian

I wonder if the OP is still looking for a holster recommendation after 7 years?

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Rule of law, not a man.

The thread restarts in the current year, around #26 and is addressed to me professionally. I'm treating the thread as an holstorical treatise inspired by the OP.

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The Holstorian

The question around which Bianchi 9R/9R2 proponents and opponents dance is why is this holster series nearly failure proof - OR how can my Ruger SP101 three inch pass the "Snap Test"? And yes I did the test with my couch acting as catcher if the revolver failed any of my 25 throws.

Visualize revolver holstered. It is upside down, grip to rear. The front of holster, as you wear it, is split and closed by strong spring pressure. At the rear the bottom of trigger guard, again as you wear it, does not hang free. Revolver is not retained only by spring's closing the clamshell. Bottom of trigger guard is rigidly held by three pieces of leather - two sides of holster pouch, plus doubled layer of harness affixed to holster. This whole shootin' match is stitched into a single assembly. The single assembly results in trigger guard resting within solid multi layered barrier. Spring tension only holds revolver in position for guard to retain revolver against this solid barrier.

And this solid barrier will resist any straight downward force that does not tear through the sold barrier. The solid barrier slides away when revolver is yanked forward or around your chest, again as you wear the holster. If revolver is not drawn in an instinctive "yank", revolver remains in holster.

I hope this description of how and why the SP101 fits my Bianch 9R2 clarifies rather than confuses.