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Opinions on crossdraw for OC

Strike

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
53
Location
Washington
I have been practicing and trying different carry methods and I feel that crossdraw is the most comfortable for me while OCing.

Are there any disadvantages to this? What are your thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone.
 

thebigsd

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
3,535
Location
Quarryville, PA
I have been practicing and trying different carry methods and I feel that crossdraw is the most comfortable for me while OCing.

Are there any disadvantages to this? What are your thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone.

The only disadvantage I can think of is that if you have to draw for self-defense you may unintentionally sweep people other than your target as you bring your gun into firing position. Some folks may tell you that an assailant may pin your arm against your body as you try to draw. I say if you let someone get that close, you're probably in trouble no matter where you draw from. As far as positive I have heard it is much more comfortable when driving or sitting for extended periods of time. If it's why you're comfortable with then I say go for it!!
 

b0neZ

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
505
Location
Davis County, Utah
I have tried OC with the holster I have ("Cop 3 slot") in different positions, and have found crossdraw to be the most comfortable. I would carry that way every day, except that that position makes it near impossible to release the thumbbreak due to my body style. IMHO if a person is not that experienced in weapon retention (I know, get training and lots of it!) and/or does not have at least a Level II holster, this would be great for helping guard against attempted "gun grabs".

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert and am not singling out any particular person in my comments. I am only stating what I have seen and experienced.
 

Cubex DE

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Messages
111
Location
Spokane, WA
Really hard to sit down with a larger firearm, lots of extra movement to draw... I like the 4 o'clock position more than anything else, with a 15 degree forward cant.
 

BigDave

Opt-Out Members
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
3,456
Location
Yakima, Washington, USA
I would not choose this method of carry.

And would you care to elaborate?

As stated in my first post I would not, I find with me it is more difficult to draw from, added time to draw and get on target, no longer one smooth motion and the higher likelihood of having your firearm sweep others around you when drawing.
I have trained and continue to train with my firearm at the 3 to 4 o'clock position and it fits me well.
 

sirpuma

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
905
Location
Deer Park, Washington, USA
When I used to work armed security I would often carry my 4" .357 cross draw depending on the contract. It's easier to draw from a seated position and if done right you're not flagging non targets any more than you would drawing from a regular carry. There is a chance to flag your own leg and private bits. With practice I found I could draw and be on target just as fast cross draw as standard, in fact often much faster because of the type of holster set up I had for regular carry.
 

SovereignAxe

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2011
Messages
791
Location
Elizabethton, TN
I tried crossdraw for about 5 minutes once. I realized I could switch my serpa to a crossdraw configuration, so I did hoping it would make sitting in the car more comfortable (I have narrow, supportive bucket seats in my Subaru. A far cry from bench seats). It did, but it felt REALLY weird having my pistol grip jutting out in front of me while I was standing. I decided the awkward look wasn't worth the temporary, and only slight extra comfort in the car (not to mention the other drawbacks mentioned). So I switched it back and just make sure the holster is in a very specific location somewhere between 8 and 9 o'clock.
 

DamonK

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
585
Location
Ft. Lewis, WA
I OC my 7.5inch redhawk 44mag in a bianchi crossdraw with a thumb break. Very comfortable, and for a longer barreled weapon it's much more practical unless you are using a thigh rig. Also stays out of the way of pack and rifle slings.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2
 

Mainsail

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
1,533
Location
Silverdale, Washington, USA
I like cross draw myself. I have a cross draw holster for my Rock Island 1911 and prefer it for open carry. I'm right handed, so I think I could fight off a gun grab with my right hand better than my left. Cross draw allows me to use my left hand to keep the gun in the holster while I fight with my stronger and more coordinated right hand.

As for the sweeping. Gun forums seem to have this hysteria about sweeping strangers in a crowd, or over-penetration of their SD rounds and hitting bystanders. The problem with all that is that the most likely crime you or I will ever be subjected to will not happen in a crowd, but in some isolated place. Criminals don't mug their victims on a crowded city street, but down an alley or someplace where they can isolate their victim.
 

Metalhead47

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
2,800
Location
South Whidbey, Washington, USA
+1, cross draw don't work well for me for that reason


I'm a big guy, and cross draw worked very well for me. I switched back because the gun was just too darn heavy. Might switch back with the new CZ if I like it. A few points:

Extra time to draw: Negligible. We're talking hundredths of a second here. That matters in competition shoots, not a real crisis situation in the real world. Old west "draw pardner" doesn't happen.

Muzzle sweep: This is a training issue, pure & simple. I got it to where I could draw without sweeping anything that was more than a few feet away. Then it was nearly the same motion as the "standard" draw. And muzzle sweeping in an actual self defense situation is a pretty minor concern, you're likely to do it either way, and nothing bad will happen as long as you're keeping to the rule right before that one, KEEP YOUR BOOGER HOOK OFF THE BANG SWITCH until you're on target.

Big plusses for me me are, first off, weapon retention. You can train & train & train but simple fact is, it's gonna be a lot harder for someone IN FRONT of you to take your gun than BEHIND YOU. Also leaves your strong hand free (while securing the weapon with your weak hand) to deploy your Plan B. Also made me much more comfortable doing my business in a public bathroom with people milling about behind me. Strong side carry, that always makes me nervous.

No one mentioned it, but as long as the angle's not too much, you can also DRAW WITH YOUR WEAK HAND (called a cavalry draw) if your sidearm is ambidextrous. Takes practice, but what doesn't?

Sitting in a car: Try doing a standard draw while sitting in a car with bucket seats, console, seat belt, etc. Like most vehicles are these days. Go on, just try it. Probably won't work too well. Carrying cross draw puts in a very easy to access spot when driving (and lets face it, most of us spend a good chunk of our time armed doing just that), AND it's that much closer to pointing out the driver's window where your threat is most likely to come from. Threat from the passenger side? Cavalry draw like I mentioned. Yes, you might sweep your tender bits or something else doing that. Better than letting the bad guy win, and again just try drawing and point towards the passenger side strong-side carry.

Yes there are draw backs, but the same is true of ANYTHING down to what gun you carry.
 

OrangeIsTrouble

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
1,398
Location
Tukwila, WA, ,
Boo-hoo, even if I sweep someone...there's something more important going on.

And why would your finger be on the trigger as you draw anyway?
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
If you are on the range learn the cross draw dance, to keep from getting kicked off the range. It also presents less of yourself as a target, and a better stance for firing. Take a half step back with the strong foot, this will prevent the sweeping, give a more smooth draw and presentation, as well as a fighting stance that is more solid. This is required in SASS for cross draw.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
In his book, No Second Place Winner, Bill Jordan very briefly discusses one or two disadvantages against cross-draw. I think he even cites that law-enforcement cancelled cross-draw for one of these reasons (Jordan rose high in the Border Patrol and was a goodguy gunman of some reputation back in the day. Say 1940's-1960's.)

When facing an adversary, cross-draw presents the butt to your opponent. A gun-grab, according to Jordan, is very easy from this position. His book has a photo of a cop putting a badguy into a cruiser or something to show how easy from the positioning--not something that an OCer is likely to encounter.

Also, if your adversary is inside your reactionary gap (the space that gives you time to react) and in front of you, he can easily pin your gun in your holster by trapping your hand on your gun as you reach for it.

Now, if you think through on it a little bit, about the only time these will be a problem is when you are facing an antagonist who is not yet a real threat. Just heated, lets call it. And, thus maybe gets within arms reach during a heated discussion. This problem is easily solved by maintaining distance if you can. If you can't back up very far, its a different story. I kinda think those circumstances are likely to be rare enough as to not be the deciding factor. So, those alone didn't dissuade me.

But, what if you encounter a situation where lethal force is not justified, but you have to defend yourself against, say, a fist-fight assault or something. Now, your gun is within easy reach of the assailant, and if he decides to escalate by pulling a gun--yours--suddenly he's in a great position to do so if he's mostly in front or a little to your weak side where the cross-draw holster is located.

Between, these three circumstances, I decided against cross-draw.
 
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