What if any advantage does a tactical/leg drop holster provide to the wearer? The old westerns featured the gunslingers with their holster belts canted to one side a a leather thong tying the holster to their leg. Now it seems SWAT/Tactical officers have dropped down nylon holsters strapped to their legs but rank and file LEO's have their holsters on their duty belts.

Video of the gunslingers and SWAT/Tactical officers drawing their weapons almost universally have the cowboy or LEO crouching to draw. In my opinion, the movement would key the opponent and the time it takes would allow an opponent to get a round off first.

So is this a style issue or a tactical improvement?

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U.S. Coast Guard, retired CPO

The only time I wore one was when wearing body armor in a tactical vest, as it was not possible to use a belt holster. AND, at the time I was always carrying a rifle and the handgun was secondary.

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Bill

A drop holster allows the wearer to wear body armor ( as mentioned above ), or a backpack with waist-belt. Also gives better access when seated or crouched down.
They are quite useful.

The western gunfighter rigs are a different story, mostly, from Hollywood.

I bought a drop leg holster to use while hunting. I wanted to keep it off the belt line to clear my other gear. My experience was it flopped around on my leg no matter how I tightened it up and caught on brush and things. Went to a crossdraw on the belt. YMMV.

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The best I can with what I got

As has been mentioned, some body armor makes it a good idea, along with possible need to wear a rappelling seat.

As to the westerns...............the historical accuracy of the gear and clothes and the cleanliness of the people wearing them pretty much match the guns that never run out of ammo. They call it "artistic/dramatic license".

That also goes for the gunfighters crouch. I've seen that exactly once and it was done by some kid who'd seen entirely too many John Wayne movies. He also left cover and silhouetted himself in the patrol car lights.

When running a rifle, I wore a vest with spare magazines and other gear pouches. Below that I wore a belt with other gear. If I made room for a belt mounted holster I would not be able to carry some of that other gear, and drawing would be difficult because of the tactical vest above it.

In this instance, the handgun is not meant for QuickDraw. It is a backup to the rifle. My thigh holster dropped from my belt and securely fastened around my thigh with a strap, not a string.

To keep it from getting fouled working through brush and mud, I used a flap holster. There were never going to be any quick draws from that rig, especially with gloves on. If I could not get to the handgun quickly enough, there was a front mounted fixed blade knife on my vest, available to either hand.

It was not terribly convenient, but in truth none of that gear was.

Convenience and comfort were not the goals. Having necessary gear was.

The drop leg holster was part of a coordinated, sequential set of weapons. It was not primary or standalone.

I don’t believe there is an equivalent comparison to a drop leg cowboy holster setup. Totally different situations.

Not practical for civilian gunfighter use and of limited practicality even for police work. The reason (wearing bulletproof vest) has already addressed. Drop downs have been around a good while.

Drop leg holsters are designed to specifically clear a heavy tactical vest which is very different than and goes over the standard patrol vest.

The issue with drop leg holsters is that the vast majority of those using them do not wear them properly.

My first tac rig was the Safariland 6004 with flap, then the 6304 ALS and last a 7304 ALS.

The thigh plate and double strap system provide a very stable platform and I can draw equally as fast from the tac rig as I can from a 7360 ALS mounted mid ride on my duty belt.

As far as properly wearing the tac holster, the holster is set at the correct height when your arm is straight down along your side and the web of your hand rests fully on the back strap up into the tang of the pistol. When a tac rig is worn properly as described there is no need to bend or crouch to draw.

Regardless of single or double thigh strap the highest strap needs to be positioned as high up onto the thigh and basically next to the groin to prevent shifting especially when moving fast.

The long answer short is a Tac Rig is not an advantage but rather a necessity due to the heavy tactical vest.

a duty belt is much more comfortable especially when getting in and out of a vehicle all day long. The best option in my opinion if you truly need this specific type of equipment is using a 1.5” belt drop such as the safariland 6360/7360 ALS holster with the 1.5” UBL (universal belt loop) instead of the standard 1.25” mid ride height that is standard. The 1.5” Belt drop was much more comfortable as it does not use leg straps and it clears the heavy tactical vest without any problems.

Hope this helps, Stay safe!
BB

It gets the pistol, and the magazines if you have a drop leg carrier for the other side, out of the way of your plate carrier. Rank and file don’t generally wear that rig . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I have a dropleg rig for my 10mm so my jacket doesn't get in the way in brown bear country.

A video of a professional hunter dropping a charging wounded lion with his rifle, so close it touched his leg when it stopped, really caught my eye.
He was carrying a large fixed blade knife on his belt centered in back where either hand could access it.
We have a lot of cougars here and IMO a knife could be better for getting one off your back then a gun.

Current issue uniform for New South Wales Police Force (my old department - a State Police agency) allows the option to wear a dropleg holster or stay with the standard hip holster. Note that this is the General Duties (like Patrol) uniform and they are not specialists.

Load Bearing Vests that are being integrated with external body armour is coming the "norm" with Australian Police Departments. These have caused the need for drop leg holsters. Also, the types of sedans we were issued had issues with the front seats. Troops, particularly Hwy Patrol, getting out of their vehicles with traditional strong side holsters, were having their magazines dropping out of their guns due to the seats.

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NOt my area of expertise...............but I've noticed.

There is another tacticooool option ..... carrying the handgun in a chest mounted cross draw on the tactical vest.

For field/range use I prefer a cross draw (field only) or for the range a strong side with the butt just below/at the belt line.

Most often when I have seen this it is with a military officer who does not carry a rifle. Therefore he doesn’t need rifle mags on the front of his armor.

Working in units of variously armed individuals gives more flexibility for personal armament.

I seem to recall seeing this with "SWAT"/Police where they only have 1 or 2 extra mags on the right sided..... Glock on the right. See MOOMOO post above with tasers.

Drop legs are fine for specialized units like SWAT but are a hindrance for regular uniformed patrol as they are way harder to defend from a gun grab. Also, in a radio car, having your weapon vertical is easier to reach than alongside your leg.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

The chest mount holster is seen in big bear territory. That option keeps garments, fishing gear etc. clear of the gun but IMO would hinder the ability to open-close a jacket for temperature control.
I'm on the fence if I will go that direction.

For field use here in Penn'sWoods I favor a Bianchi 111 Cyclone cross draw on the belt....... J-L frames...... generally a 3/4 inch 66/686

Winter I favor a Galco Miami Vice shoulder rig worn under the coat/jacket.... just requires a half zip to access.

Don't really see myself going all Tacticooool short of TEOTWAWKI