Ankle Holsters: How & What?

[seeker_two]

How do you wear your ankle holster? Strong-side leg or weak-side leg? Gun butt facing rear or butt-forward? Cant or no cant?

What gun do you carry in your ankle holster? Revolver or semi-auto? How big & how heavy?

Thanks in advance for the responses....

[SWglockmagnum]

An ankle holster is great for a woman wearing wide leg baggy jeans that are tight on top, and tight shirts / blouses etc and have nowhere else to hold them, or as a 2nd or 3rd weapon, but IMHO not good for a primary carry location - judging by various things i've watched, read, heard, and common sense.

Common sense being that if anyone sees you reaching for your ankle, they are likely to close the gap and kick you in the face or stab you before you get to your weapon, and can much more easily get to it than you can if they are on top of you pinning you to the ground. Martial arts training tells me that. And almost anyone with any sort of fighting ability vs someone who doesn't have it will be able to do so. i.e. if you have zero martial arts training, and you're up against someone who does, or they are significantly larger than you, they are going to get your gun... not you... especially considering that anyone who has enough distance from you to allow you to reach that weapon isn't really a threat, and if they are holding a gun, you're never going to make it to your own. he will unload his on you before your hand gets to your knee much less your ankle.

Which is why i say not good for primary carry position unless there is nothing else available with your outfit.

so keep that in mind.

But, if you have 1 or 2 other weapons on you and that is your third position, then by all means carry an ankle holster, though, who -really- needs that much fire power for daily life? at some point it seems like it would a burden carrying around that much metal.

Just my opinions though.

[SWglockmagnum]

crap.... now i feel like i need to update that to actually answer your questions.

i think a lot of people carry them cross leg.. right handed goes left leg and vv.

That way your weak hand pulls up your pant leg while the guy kicks you in the face, and maybe misses and you end up with your strong hand on the weapon. and.. usually they face in the direction your hand will be if you try to grab for it. if you have to contort and twist your arm, it's wrong... i.e. butt goes towards your butt. barrel down.. you can also do same side on outside of your leg... butt to butt still applies. but then you have to move your pant leg AND remove the gun without snagging it with the same hand usually.

or you can do 4 guns, one on either side of your leg per both legs... just watch how you walk or they may spark and create forest fires while you're walking.

as for weapons, i personally don't see any use in any weapon less than a .380 with the best hollow points on the mkt, which is hotly debated, i prefer gold dot ammo, i've never had a misfire or dud and they have incredible penetration even at .380.

i like the ruger LCP because it is small, and THIN... it will fit anywhere, especially on your ankle.

i personally don't recommend revolvers either because you are limited on ammo, and unless you practice a lot and have a speed loader, it's difficult to reload, especially not as quickly as with a semi auto. sure, some people can do it, but, i can't. so i don't. plus, you have more rounds. LCP has up to a 10rd extended mag, which means 11 shots. vs 4,5,6 in a cute little revolver - when whoever you're up against most likely recently acquired your neighbor's glock.....

also, barrel size is somewhat intimidating too. a large guy may look at a 22 and laugh at you. at least a .380 with gold dot will do the job even for an obese attacker. 9mm is preferred, 45, is probably most preferred, though there is a lot of debate about this too as it usually has to do with the specific ammo you're shooting. but specifically, i personally would go with the LCP because of it's size and apparent reliability.

but in general, i've been looking more into compacts rather than sub compacts, they tend to have less snap and be more accurate. though i can hit a tight group with my lcp. i have a lot of practice on it and know the proper way to hold it so it isn't so snappy like most people report it as being.

[JollyRoger]

For a number of years I carried a J-frame in a Galco Ankle Glove. I currently carry a Glock model 26 in a DeSantis Apache rig. I'm a LEO, so I don't get to choose what I can carry: I have a list of approved weapons. The Glock is about at the outer limit for ankle carry, IMHO, although it is quite manageable with the DeSantis rig.

I carry on the inside of my left ankle, as I am right-handed, butt to the rear. This facilitates a kneeling draw, which is fairly fast. Some folks would have you believe that you will be hopping around trying to get the weapon out, and cannot accomplish a decent and timely draw. With a proper draw, you can get 2 shots off in 3 seconds from standing fairly easily (part of our qual course).

I have never seen an ankle rig adjustable for cant-most of them have a forward cant to avoid the ankle bone.

Also, nobody says you have to draw from the ankle if you get a bad feeling about your surroundings. Several times when I have been in a marginal area I have taken the gun from the holster and carried it in my hand, concealed in a pocket. When I felt better about my surroundings, I returned it to the holster. Plenty of flexibility and the most concealable rig you're likely to find.

Just my $.02

[ClydeFrog]

I'm not a huge supporter of the ankle carry method. It's slow & awkward to draw from in a critical incident. The weight & size may also take some adjustment. It could also feel wierd & unbalanced if you walk-run.

If I were to use a ankle holster for a BUG(back-up) or 2nd gun, I'd wear the rig on my right ankle(inside). I'm left handed & like the way a inside ankle holster is concealed by the leg. A few top brands for ankle carry include Bianchi, Alessi, DeSantis, Galco, and Ken Null.
Many gun owners & LE officers like the Bianchi Ranger style and the DeSantis.
Sheepskin formats are popular because they breathe(good for hot weather) and are comfortable.
As for revolver vs semi auto, I'd lean towards a 5/6 shot snub. Grit, dirt & lint can cause a pistol to jam quickly.
Clyde

[SWglockmagnum]

I carry on the inside of my left ankle, as I am right-handed, butt to the rear. This facilitates a kneeling draw, which is fairly fast. Some folks would have you believe that you will be hopping around trying to get the weapon out, and cannot accomplish a decent and timely draw. With a proper draw, you can get 2 shots off in 3 seconds from standing fairly easily (part of our qual course).

actually, that makes sense..... training training training, and a nice Ninja/Matrix summersault flippy thing, and it's drawn. lol.... kidding, but you know that's how a lot of people think they'll react in that situation.

but yeah, what you said about "pull it and put in your pocket if you suspect something, then put it back when you're clear" makes the most sense.

[seeker_two]

SWglockmagnum: The Snark is strong with this one.... I would point out that, if an attacker is close enough to kick you when drawing from an ankle holster, he's probably close enough to punch you if you draw from anywhere else. Maybe some empty-hand skills or a distraction would be in order....

JollyRoger: interesting way to adapt your tactics to your equipment. I'll remember that....

ClydeFrog: Good point about the weight.

Thanks. Keep it coming.....

[SWglockmagnum]

distraction would be in order....

Potential Distractions:

Hold on.... my shoe is untied. bang

BIGFOOT! bang

COPS! bang

Yo-mama's calling you. bang

i knew that rumor wasn't true! zip your dang pants. bang

MY ... hEaRt!!!! muh..... hea...r..t.... UGHHHHHhhhhhhuuu ................ bang

holy crap.. that's the biggest butt i've ever seen. bang

you think those are implants? bang

i always forget that people don't seem to joke around very much in this forum, and i'll probably get a warning for this one, but....... at least i'll go out with a................ bang...

[Straightshooter629]

As with any mode of carry, practice will make you profecient, and ankle carry is no different. Simply because you don't favor ankle carry as your preferred mode of carry, don't discount it as a viable mode for someone else. There are times when ankle carry is the best and only way to carry, and since it is a preferred mode for me, I have practiced enough to have become very comfortable and profecient at it. I manage very well to carry my Rossi 462 in an Uncle Mikes ankle rig.

In any case, situational awareness is a must, and the majority of the times, this will prevent being put in a situation that allows a perp to gain a tactical advantage over you. I suggest you do what works best for you, and allow the rest of us to make our own choices.

To answer the OP's question, I am right- handed and I wear my ankle rig on the inside of my left leg, but facing rear. This also happens to make drawing your weapon while seated in a car very easy...but this is only my opinion.