Shoulder Holster & the J Frame

[ice monkey]

Any of you carry your J Frames in a shoulder holster? How do you like it as a carry method?

[Wolfeye]

I sort of do: I use one of those deep-cover undershirts with the holster built in under the arm. All I have to wear over it is a patterned button-up shirt and nobody seems to notice. I find it to be a comfortable carry position - driving & sitting are easy, and there's no huge bulge in my pocket. Hugging relatives can get awkward, but I don't have to worry about anybody bumping into it. The draw is a little slow, especially since mine is vertical rather than horizontal. If I did it over again I'd probably put the money towards a good horizontal rig.

[salvadore]

I carry a 3" M-60 in Bianchi's knock off of the Berns & Martin rig that works nicely

[Elvishead]

I always thought of a shoulder holster as a good weight bearing holster to carry bigger and heavier handguns. I got one for my N-frames which works pretty good, but I rarely (.1%) carry those for CCW. I pocket carry my Airweight J-frame, but the reason I answered is because I'm looking to see what people that have actually carried that way with a J-frame.

TBS, I remember all the Detectives on LEO shows, they always had a snubby inside there jackets with that form of carry.

[munson1]

It's my favorite way to carry my m38. It's a spring loaded vertical rig made by S&W. when sitting in a car its out in a flash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other way of carry is as easy to get to.

Ken

[unit 900]

Boy, that's a trip down memory lane. I, like many of my police peers in the mid 70's, had to have a shoulder rig for my model 36. I just found it in the basement, a Lou Alessi horizontal holster with an ammo pouch on the off side. Still had 6 .38 LSWCHP in the pouch. It's all snaps and buckles and leather. The holster has a pull through snap, so a good tug would free it from its resting place. That said, I probably wore it no more than a dozen times, not my cup of tea as it turned out.

[Daryl]

A shoulder holster will work, no doubt, but seems like an unnecessary item to conceal a J-frame.

The J-frame fits almost anywhere you care to conceal it. I sometimes carry one at 1:00 under my tucked in western shirt, in nothing more than a neoprene pouch holster wtih the clip cut off. Friction holds it in place, and I've never had a problem with it moving.

Also have one of the undershirts that serves as a holster, and it works well with a snap-up shirt. Buttons would definitely be slower to draw from, but with snaps I can just run my thumb down them and they pop loose.

Or a pocket, belly-band, or....

Daryl

[MADISON]

I carry my Ruger 2 1/4 inch .357 in a Bianchi R 9-2 suside down shoulder holster. It was discontinued so you will have to go on E-Bay and bid on
any you can find.

[tomf52]

Model 60-15 3" in an Uncle Mike's and love it.

[AK103K]

I have a Galco Executive for mine. Works great. Very comfortable and very minimal in size and bulk. They work well for the SIG P230/232 and the Glock 26 as well.

I've also used an early version of the SMZ by Ken Null. It too is pretty minimal, and it also is a little different to use than most others.

I also have a Kramer Confidant undershirt holster, as well as a 5.11 undershirt holster. The Confidant is the better choice, as it lets you carry a bigger gun more comfortably, all day long. It does work well for the J frames too though.

[nogo]

After spending big bucks on different shoulder holsters, I found that none fit me well enough to be comfortable. The best use for me was carrying a large revolver in a vertical rig attaching to the belt, and this application was ok in the field under a roomy jacket.

I concluded that this carry mode required custom fitting of the rig by an expert maker. I did not follow through on the idea.

[bamaranger]

I had a shoulder rig for a bulldog 3" and believe it was the Bianchi upside down model listed earlier. The same holster was also stamped for a S&W 36/60. It was elastic/spring type retention, very secure at the time, and not uncomfortable. The entire rig consisted solely of the gun side holster and leather shoulder loop, and a simple elastic back strap. Easy to put on and off. It was ideal for in a vehicle over long distances, draw not hindered, and you didn't wear a hole in your hip or side as w/ a belt holster. I used it quite a bit and don't recall what happened to it, I may have traded it w/ the Bulldog, which shot out of time.

When the feeling struck, or when there seemed a need, it was an easy way to carry a fast second gun w/ a belt, duty rig, the shoulder rig under a uniform jacket.

Wish I still had it.

[Kreyzhorse]

I tried to carry my S&W 637 in a Bianchi rig. I found it uncomfortable and could never make the shoulder rig stay where it was supposed to. The rig wanted to ride up shoulder and neck area and chaffed like hell even over a t-shirt.

Personally I found that an IWB or OWB holster worked much better for me so I ditched the shoulder rig.

Shoulder rigs are a lot like ankle holsters. They look cool and in theory should work well but in reality they aren't worth the effort and are mostly a PITA.

[salvadore]

I have not experienced the discomfort Krewzhorse refers to. I carried my loaded M-60 3" all thru Jellystone hiking and wandering in concessions without a second thought. Bianchi's Berns & Martin style hangs where you want it and is very concealable. I have one for my Colt Cobra too. Madison almost had it right, the back of my holsters say 9R, and are no longer made.

[AK103K]

The rig wanted to ride up shoulder and neck area and chaffed like hell even over a t-shirt.

I know what youre saying here. Many of the shoulder holsters I've spotted, were because they had rode up and were exposed in the neck area.

Now, while I'm not a real big fan of them, there are some, like the Galco Executive, and a couple of others, that do work very well, and are very comfortable, especially when fitted properly.

Fitting can make a major difference in your experience with them too. I think a lot of times, people just take them (any of them) out of the bag and put them on and never bother to adjust or figure them out.

The other thing too is, you have to understand that some holsters tend to be special use, or less useful for all situations. For me, the shoulder holster falls in that category. They are not a year round, every day use type holster, like my IWB's and Smart Carry's.

Shoulder rigs are a lot like ankle holsters. They look cool and in theory should work well but in reality they aren't worth the effort and are mostly a PITA.

Again, a lot depends on what you have and how you use it. I also have ankle holsters for a few of my "smaller" guns, including the J frames, and there are times when they are very useful and effective. Like the shoulder holsters though, you need to find the right ankle holster that works for you. I went through quite a few until I found Desantis's line of them. Now they are the only ones I buy. They are the only ones that have been comfortable for day long use (and make those a long days too).

With both types, or any type of holster for that matter, you also have to put a decent amount of practice the time in with them for them to be effective. Its really the only way to learn the holsters strong and weak points.

I know a lot of people are under the misconception that you cant draw the gun from a shoulder holster without sweeping yourself, which is incorrect, or at least it is once you understand and adjust your technique. Same goes for those who say an ankle holster is slow and difficult to draw from. As with most things, you get out of them what you put into them.