Considering Shoulder Holster...

[MLeake]

Off-body but handy in a car...

... can lead to loss of the weapon in a collision;

... can be illegal in some places;

... if done, should be done in such a way as to provide security, legally, while still allowing access.

So, on-body carry has advantages.

[dajowi]

I've carried many pistols in shoulder holsters. The best shoulder rig I've ever used (and the most comfortable) is my Andrews Custom Leather Monarch.

[Auto5]

For a period of time in the 1980's I carried a stainless 1911 in a shoulder holster, but it was mostly for show. I was a partner in a security/detective agency. Although I had little to do with the operations side of the business, the director insisted that all corporate officers have bona fide credentials, so I became a licensed private investigator. He also insisted that we go armed to client meetings and sales presentations because the clients liked that image. Most of the time, the gun and holster hung on the coat rack in my office. For those rare occasions when I actually went into the field, I would either use a yaqui slide holster or slip a PPK in my overcoat pocket.

[bamaranger]

I've had some experience with two setups, one for a 2-3" Charter .44/.38 and the other a GI type M3 "aviators holster" in which rides a 4-5/8" Blackhawk.

The Bulldog/Undercover holster was a Bianchi I think, and an upside down rig. . The revolver was retained in a leather clamshell, which was tensioned by an elastic band, it sounds like floppy retention, but was secure over the period of a couple years I used it. The shoulder harness was very minimal and simple, you could duck in and out of it easily. Since the Charters did not weigh much, the narrow straps were no problem. I liked it. It was a simple way to carry, no belt needed, you could use it with sweatpants, gym shorts, etc, provided one had a cover garment. I also found it a useful way to carry a second gun when wearing a primary handgun on your belt or a duty rig and wearing an Ike jacket or uniform coat. Belted into a vehicle seat, the restraints often tangle a duty rig/hip holster. I often reasoned that if rushed in a vehicle and unable to drive out of contact and a window gunfight was ensuing,that the Bianchi/charter would be the solution. I sold the rig when I sold the Charters. I've never seen another like it, it would work for the J-frame I have now.

[bamaranger]

The "aviators holster" is a repro, and climate/garment specific. I do not consider it a concealment rig, though it is often used under a woods coat. The gun is there, dry and reasonably accessible, but the strap is a hindrance and the holster needs snapped into a belt at the bottom to be moderately quick. But it is a good rough and tumble rig for ATV, mtn bike, etc. And it does not gouge you to death in and out of vehicles. But.....I do find it a bit hot and cumbersome in anything but cooler weather.

One alternative to your vehicle concerns might be a paddle rig. On the strong hip out of the vehicle, and reversed/cross draw when seated.
But I find paddles a pain, literally, in anything but standing position.

[dgludwig]

There has always been the concern that pistols carried in the horizontal position in a shoulder holster poses a potential safety issue for anyone standing behind the person so armed. I've often wondered if this "hazard" could be minimized if a holster manufacturer placed a steel "plug" between the muzzle of the gun and the end of the holster. Just a thought and I'm emphatically not claiming that a pistol carried horizontally in a shoulder holster is necessarily inherently dangerous.

[ClydeFrog]

A firearm goes bang when you put your finger on the trigger & pull it.

I don't get how carry methods are "unsafe" or "dangerous".
If you stay away from the trigger it will be safe. Most modern firearms have multiple safety features to prevent ADs.
Gun companies do not like to be sued & want to make safe products.

Guns don't "go off" if they are in a shoulder holster.

Clyde

[MLeake]

Human error is usually the cause of such discharges, and when that occurs it will almost always be during the drawing or holstering of the gun.

[dgludwig]

A firearm goes bang when you put your finger on the trigger & pull it.

Which is why, I guess, most holster manufacturers enclose the trigger portion of a pistol with material. This way you are forced to "stay away from the trigger".

My question/suggestion really has to do with the righteous safety rule that you should never point a gun at anything you don't intend on destroying. Pistols carried in a horizontal position in a shoulder holster are continually potentially "pointing" at an innocent person. But, as I opined: "...I'm emphatically not claiming that a pistol carried horizontally in a shoulder holster is necessarily inherently dangerous."

[Mystro]

Lets not go ignorant liberal native here. All means of carry is a training issue. You train how you carry. Its that simple. No need to throw rocks at other gun owners means of carry. We get enough of that crap from the uneducated non gun owners.

[MLeake]

The same argument is made at many military bases.

Ironically, when slung rifles point at things that are not intended to be destroyed, the argument is that they are in "administrative transport" mode, and therefor safe.

I tend to agree with "transport," but am not sure why it doesn't apply equally to handguns and long guns.

[Sharpsdressed Man]

Military weapons often have the chamber empty. No good for comparison if you are comparing to weapons that ARE fully loaded.

[ThesNazud]

A firearm goes bang when you put your finger on the trigger & pull it.

I was once told, "Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!"

[MLeake]

Sharpsdressed Man, comparison is more valid than you might think. A lot of commands require handguns be carried with an empty chamber.