shoulder vs drop leg holster

IMO horizontal shoulder holsters are for concealed carry or seated carry like in a vehicle. I say that because with a horizontal shoulder holster OC, your gun is always and obviously pointed at anyone behind you. And since most have an open barrel end, the person behind you is literally looking down the barrel. Your drop leg may be pointed at someone while you're seated, but at least s/he isn't literally looking down the barrel if s/he even notices. Personally, I don't even like having my holstered firearm sitting on a coffee table pointed at anyone. Can't imagine how generic mom standing behind someone at the grocery checkout and having a gun barrel pointed right at her face might feel.

Vertical carry shoulder holsters like for larger revolvers and full size 1911s are obviously a different story and may draw less attention than a dropleg as your arm is partially covering it.

deepdiver said:

IMO horizontal shoulder holsters are for concealed carry or seated carry like in a vehicle. I say that because with a horizontal shoulder holster OC, your gun is always and obviously pointed at anyone behind you. And since most have an open barrel end, the person behind you is literally looking down the barrel. Your drop leg may be pointed at someone while you're seated, but at least s/he isn't literally looking down the barrel if s/he even notices. Personally, I don't even like having my holstered firearm sitting on a coffee table pointed at anyone. Can't imagine how generic mom standing behind someone at the grocery checkout and having a gun barrel pointed right at her face might feel.

Vertical carry shoulder holsters like for larger revolvers and full size 1911s are obviously a different story and may draw less attention than a dropleg as your arm is partially covering it.

Click to expand...

I have worn a horizontal rig openly but I set it so that the holster itself sits pretty far forward so the barrel is not so prominent from behind. The holster I have now is the Galco VHS.

Aknazer said:

I see a lot of people with that Galco holster while deployed and I'm not a fan of it. Unless you have a strap that secures it around your chest it likes to flop around. As for the drop leg, I prefer these. They can flop around if you don't properly set them up, but when properly set up this isn't an issue. Personally I wear mine (it is a blackhawk Y style instead of a safariland single-strap style) a little bit loose so that it doesn't feel like the straps are cutting into my leg, but still tight enough that it stays in the same spot unless running. One of the other nice things about a drop leg is you can get a quick disconnect system to be able to move the gun (such as in your car) without ever taking it out of the holster.

In regards to which one will cause more of a stir, it is hard to say without you trying both and seeing peoples reactions. Personally I think the shoulder holster will because it puts the gun closer to eye level with people. Both are even more non-traditional than simply OCing the gun on your hip, so I think that either one is more likely to draw attention than standard hip carry.

EDIT: Note that I only OC with the drop leg while deployed. When at home I would use a paddle holster. Also given the location of my current home station I can't carry at all currently (though if I can get a permit I'll be restricted to CC only outside of certain circumstances).

Click to expand...

I have the Galco Miami as pictured in OP. They offer belt tie-downs that help stabilize the holster. I like mine, even though I don't wear it that often.

Historically, drop-leg holsters were used by cavalry because a pistol on the waist can dig in uncomfortably when seated with the legs spread and because it's hard to draw from a waist holster while seated. When the Army quit using mounted troops, they disappeared until recently when they saw a resurgence due to widespread use of body armor. The drop-leg holster puts the pistol down out of the way of the armor. Other than that, I don't find them very useful. It's hard to stabilize the pistol so that it doesn't flop around and unless you have a similar weight on the other leg it causes an unsteady gait.

That said, I'm not a very big fan of shoulder holsters either because they also aren't usually very stable and the pistol flops around. However, for ordinary daily use, I'd prefer a shoulder holster to a drop leg. In the past few years, I have started to use a chest holster by Diamond D quite a bit. It's very stable and puts the pistol within easy reach and easy to draw whether standing, seated, or mounted. The firearm is right on the front of my body which theoretically should discourage anyone from trying to grab it. It's easy to cover with a loose jacket and can be accessed quickly if I leave the jacket unzipped about halfway.

Of your two choices, I would consider the shoulder holster more practical, but if you can you should look at a chest holster as well.

http://www.diamonddcustomleather.com/Chest_Holsters.php

I don't own a drop leg holster never saw the need for one. I do own 4 or 5 shoulder rigs and use them fairly often.

I do a lot of in the woods things the drop leg holsters would always be catching on brush and stuff.

Where as a shoulder or chest rig get your firearm up and out of the way

Bernymac said:

I'd go with a shoulder holster for comfort. When I was younger, I preferred the ease of use (not to mention the cool factor) of the drop leg holster until we started walking for a few miles at a time and changed the perspective of a few guys in our unit. That holster bouncing around your leg with every step for a few hours is not fun.

Click to expand...

If your drop leg holster was flopping around on your leg, it wasn't adjusted properly. It should fit snug enough that it doesn't bounce, but not so tight that you cut off circulation.

Cavalryman said:

Historically, drop-leg holsters were used by cavalry because a pistol on the waist can dig in uncomfortably when seated with the legs spread and because it's hard to draw from a waist holster while seated.

Click to expand...

Herself an I have been spending a great deal of time on our motorcycles. Just this morning she showed me a very nice looking leather drop leg holster. I will post the pic when I can get it from her. It is quite attractive and not "tacticool" I don't think I would wear it but it would look good on a girl. I ride and don't change holsters as the fobus works for me.

Not the same holster, but along these lines.

Big Gay Al said:

If your drop leg holster was flopping around on your leg, it wasn't adjusted properly. It should fit snug enough that it doesn't bounce, but not so tight that you cut off circulation.

Click to expand...

Yes, that "snug enough that it doesn't bounce around" theory sounds like it really works well on paper. I'm sure that your experience patrolling out in the boonies is different from mine and the personnel in our unit. We all switched to chest rigs.

Of course, if the OP will be going around the city unencumbered with an extra 120 lbs of gear, he should be okay

Bernymac said:

Yes, that "snug enough that it doesn't bounce around" theory sounds like it really works well on paper. I'm sure that your experience patrolling out in the boonies is different from mine and the personnel in our unit. We all switched to chest rigs.

Of course, if the OP will be going around the city unencumbered with an extra 120 lbs of gear, he should be okay

Click to expand...

I've got real world experience with a drop leg and it was common to see guys with the same issue you had. The problem was they didn't have it adjusted properly.
It's not supposed to place your weapon so far down your leg that the grip is in your palm when you have your arms at the sides. That's where most guys have it. It should be as high up as you can possibly get it. The closer to your hip the better it works.
I ended up deciding that a drop and offset from the belt worked better that an actual drop holster.

decklin said:

part one. It's not supposed to place your weapon so far down your leg that the grip is in your palm when you have your arms at the sides. That's where most guys have it.

part two. It should be as high up as you can possibly get it.

part three. The closer to your hip the better it works.

Click to expand...

part one. This is absolute Truth.

part two. I would change "possibly" to "comfortably"

part three. This is what works for me also, your mileage may vary.

This is my opine and you may do what suits you. I want my weapon comfortable and available. My Sweet Baboo adds "stylish" to that.

If you go with the thigh rig, you'll have difficulty accessing the handgun when seated in a vehicle. The only people I see wearing them are SWAT and undercovers when they plan on doing raids. However, I'd go with that before I open carried in a horizontal shoulder rig. Really, holsters aren't that expensive, and, if you don't have a box of them, you don't really have enough holsters.

Raggs said:

Which one do you think would be better for open carry? Which one would likely cause more of a stir at the local grocery store?

A shoulder holster like this
http://www.impactguns.com/data/default/images/catalog/535/galco_miami2.jpg

Or a drop leg holster like this
http://images.outdoorpros.com/images/prod/5/Safariland-6004-77-122-rw-25581-867.jpg

I am not looking at getting another holster I own the two pictured.

Thanks

Click to expand...

People who get upset by guns, don't give a darn about what type of holster they are in, or really what type of gun being carried. People who get upset about a type of carry are gun owners or carriers themselves who do not like diversity in carry. They believe their way is the only way. Most likely a person who would complain about a holster is a conceal only fanboy.

I prefer a thigh holster when riding on the motorcycle, I have a backrest/lujmbar support that a normal hip holster winds up smacking the grip into. Its very comfortable while riding and not terrible just walking around on brief stops.

Shoulder holsters I haven't really tried a lot, only one I have is for a massive .454 revolver. It isn't terribly comfortable given the boat anchor - but in bear country I'll take it.