Going with a shoulder rig?

[FilthyHarry]

Thinking about a shoulder rig for medium to full size pistol. Questions arise for those who have experience...

Leather or synthetic? Best fitting? Custom worth the money?

I realize I'll have to choose appropriate garments to conceal. I realize a full size auto will be heavy, but I'm pretty stout.

I would love to hear from those with experience. Who is making the best fitting, best functioning rigs?

[mete]

I've only had a shoulder holster for my M29 ,an old Safariland. Protects from weather , supports weight well ,conceales well [at least for me 6' ]. All leather . Shoulder holsters must be adjustable !!
Best fitting ? I can only think of one problem at the moment - those with barrel chests and short arms will not find shoulder holsters at all comfortable !!
Best thing is to find a GS where you can try them.

[dahermit]

those with barrel chests and short arms will not find shoulder holsters at all comfortable !!Not only uncomfortable, but too far around to be very accessible.

I have a couple of shoulder holsters that I use when sitting in my woods armed for varmints. While I cannot say they are uncomfortable in that application, I sure would not want to have to make a sudden grab for a gun way around my girth and under my arm in a gun fight. It is, however adequate for my non-defensive purposes. By all means, try one on (with your gun in it), before you outlay some serious bucks.

[Snyper]

Galco makes nice shoulder outfits
They work well if you never take your coat off, or if you don't mind everyone seeing when you do

[hartcreek]

You need to fing a LGS that will let you try them out unless you like that blasted C store and the idiots that work there.

What I do is go to my LGS with what ever I am trying to fit select the holsters from the rack and walk over to the guncounter. In front of the employees I unholster my gun and clear it and then proceed to check for fit. I have shoulder holsters for everything from my Uberti Walker to my .32 S&Ws. The hardest part is selecting the correct size for any given brandand vertical or horizontal for the holster.

I prefer Uncle Mikes because you can customize them with specialized bolt to hold your specific gun in place.

[JimDandy]

Galco makes THE shoulder holster in fact. Especially if you listen to them crow about it. They make a line, with variations, called the Jackass/Miami Classic/ Miami Classic II line. It allegedly (and I have no reason to doubt this but also can't confirm it myself) was heavily featured on Miami Vice and allowed them to design some super duper four point thing-a-ma-bob that goes between your shoulders. With that said, not a whole lot of difference between that and what I see other places.

I have a Miami Classic something or other for my 1911 5". I have never worn it for long. It's not uncomfortable with the weight in the least, but it's always pulling on the tiedowns when I twist or turn at the waist. And you don't want to skip the tiedowns which are usually an "extra" and "not included". It's not impossible for me to reach around my gut, such as it is, and draw but it's not comfortable and doesn't feel like it would be if I practiced it more either.

[colbad]

Used to wear the Galco Miami Vice holster a lot when doing protective work in suit and tie. Great holster for my Sigs. You need to really try on some with gun, cuffs and full mags before you buy. I am a weight lifter and thick in chest. It took a lot of playing with the holster to get it adjusted right. I do not like the vertical holsters but you might. A good adjustment across your shoulders that gives you an even distribution is the key to comfort, or else you will be constantly wiggling to move it around. Also, unless you get a good adjustment it will either be hard to draw or not lay well under your suit.

If you sweat a lot you might want something synthetic opposed to leather so it can be cleaned and dried out.

[Water-Man]

Lobo Gun Leather makes a nice one.

[gman3]

I have a couple of them that I used when I carried 1911s with a suit. There were issues with them that I found made them not as practical as other methods.

Hard draw, drawing across the body, and pistol flopping around

If you attached it to the belt using the loop, there wer differences between sitting and standing.

Just couldn't make it a good thing for me.

I am not a beginner either. Been carrying handguns every day for a long time.

[RickB]

I like the Galco Jackass. It's open-ended, so will accommodate pistols of a similar model regardless of barrel/slide length.
Mine is for a 1911, and I've used it with 3.5", 4.25", and 5" guns, with good results.
Two loaded mags balance an alloy-framed gun very well.
I have mine rigged high, with no tie-downs, and have not had any issues with comfort, the gun moving around, etc.

[lwestatbus]

I purchased a Galco Jackass for my Kimber 4" 1911 a couple of months ago. It definitely took some break in and time adjusting. Here are some comments, some of which reinforce other posts in this thread.


Needs Break In: Galco makes no bones about the fact that their holsters need break-in. See their video and follow the directions and it will work out. Do NOT expect to take it out of the box and be ready to go out on the town the first day. You will also probably want to get Galco's Draw-Ez fluid.
Adjustment: As others have posted adjustment is an issue. You will need to experiment and (probably) adjust a couple of times. I found that I wanted mine snugged up pretty close to my armpit.
Reach-Around an Issue: I'm not particularly large (44" coat) but have to reach for a good grip.
Holster Cant: I'd selected the Jackass over the Miami Classic because I wanted the muzzle pointing somewhere besides straight at anyone behind me. But any cant in the holster hang really exacerbated the reach-around problem and I've ended up with it hanging horizontally. Had I known that I'd have probably bought the Miami Classic (the version with the snap closures on the magazine pouches--I'm just conservative).
Draw Angle: This may be unique to my Jackass/1911 combination but I cannot draw my pistol straight out. I have to consciously put a little downward pressure on the grip as I am drawing. Just needed to practice a little and it comes out cleanly then.
Comfort: I find the rig to be very comfortable. I actually wear it on morning walks in colder weather, though I use a different setup when it is warmer and I am walking.