Wearing it on the leg/thigh...

[johnelmore]

I saw a National Guardsman wear his pistol on the leg. Ive always wondered the effectiveness and safety of this rig. Lets say I have to make a run for it. What if the momentum and pumping action of the legs flings the pistol out of the holster. Of course, the pistol should be strapped in but sometimes that doesnt happen ...

[BarryLee]

Yes, I’ve always thought the same thing that it just didn’t seem like the best carry style. Then a friend told me this was designed for easy access to the handgun while wearing body armor and other gear. He said it also makes accessing the weapon easier while seated in a vehicle. I’m not sure if this was the initial reasoning or not, but it does seem to make sense.

Now, why the ex-Navy SEAL/CIA Operative/Battlefield Surgeon working at the local Pawn Shop needs one while wearing a tee-shirt and jeans I don’t know.

[T. O'Heir]

The guy an armoured type? That's how some cavalry carry their pistols to keep 'em out of the way. An NG guy is probably doing it just because a higher up said it was ok.
Mind you, that type of holster also puts the pistol below the bottom of a combat parka. RSM of the Regm't I was affiliated with did that.
You'll see SWAT types wearing the same style of holster. With all the rest of the kit cops carry these days, there's no room left on a belt for a pistol. The iron is strapped in so it cannot come out unless you undo the strap.

[johnwilliamson062]

It is much better if running.
It is at the correct height to most easily draw.
I don't think it is that much easier to draw seated in a vehicle. Shoulder and cross-draw are the only comfortable way to do that IMO.

Gunfighters have been wearing them there since a time long before body armor as you know it. It moved away from the thigh as a fashion compromise to allow a single belt, or at least the appearance of a single belt.

If you wear a flap holster or some sort of click-in type positive retention holster it isn't falling out.

[Mobuck]

"pumping action of the legs flings the pistol out of the holster."

I saw this happen on one of the "cop shows". Cop is chasing a suspect w/o the safety strap snapped and zing goes his pistol. If the bad guy had been quicker, he could have caught the gun as it clattered across the pavement.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...Gunfighters have been wearing them there since a time long before body armor as you know it.....

Really? Do you have some evidence?

Billy the Kid didn't.

Bill Hickock didn't.

Nor did this fellow.

Frontier Battalion Company B of the Texas Rangers, ca 1880.

And members of the Frontier Battalion, a company of Texas Rangers, ca. 1885.

[roashooter]

Really? Do yu have some evidence?

Matt Dillon...

Paladin...

Rowdy Yates...

Maverick....

The Cartwright family.....

Sundance Kid....

The Magnificent Seven....

[johnwilliamson062]

Last link didn't work. Hickock and "black Outlaw" wore crossdraw. Horseback and reaching across eliminates the benefits of the thigh height. I wear my crossdraw on the hip when I know I will be in a vehicle.

Billy the Kid, well there is one.

Evidence? This is an internet forum, not the defense of my dissertation.
You spend your time proving a low western holster is a hollywood anachronism go for it.
There are benefits. It works. Anyone who has worn it that way knows it. There are also negatives. Like everything.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

Last link didn't work....

It just worked for me. The photo is about halfway down the page on the left.

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...Evidence? This is an internet forum, not the defense of my dissertation....

I see you're continuing your efforts to promote ignorance and stupidity in cyberspace. Why is it that people think that factual accuracy is unimportant on Internet forums?

If you claim that something is true it is never inappropriate for people to expect you to be able to support your statements. And it you can't, folks have every reason to conclude that you're making stuff up and/or don't know what you're talking about.

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...There are benefits. It works. Anyone who has worn it that way knows it....

Yet in the hundreds of hours of training I've had at places like Gunsite, no one has carried his gun that way, nor suggested doing so except when necessary to accommodate a gear laden vest.

[Rob228]

Most people wear them entirely too low. While standing straight up you should be able to extend your arm and curl your fingers around the bottom of the holster. If you can't, you'll be dipping your whole body during the draw, causing you to slow down, put your body in an awkward position, and worst of all, look stupid.

[FireForged]

Now, why the ex-Navy SEAL/CIA Operative/Battlefield Surgeon working at the local Pawn Shop needs one while wearing a tee-shirt and jeans I don’t know

If you don't have the occasion to wear cumbersome gear/armor, I would consider its use to be counterintuitive. The low ride rigs were the most immediate answer to a specific problem caused by bulkly gear and armor. It likely has nothing to do with cowboys, gunfighters of lore or action movies.

They certainly do not lend themselves to agility, running, ground movement or tight spaces.

[OldMarksman]

Gunfighters have been wearing them there since a time long before body armor as you know it. It moved away from the thigh as a fashion compromise to allow a single belt, or at least the appearance of a single belt.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to show us an illustration or to provide some other documentation.

Leg or thigh holsters are suspended from a wait-high belt and held by straps that encircle a single leg. They are available commercially. I have never seen one.

I am aware of no old time "gunfighters" who ever wore such a thing.

Perhaps in stating that "gunfighters" have been wearing them, you are confusing them with the low-slung belt holsters worn by most actors in screen fiction.

Alan Ladd, of course, wore his holster up high in Shane (1953).

[ShootistPRS]

A persons thigh is about 15 to 20 inches long. Mine is 16.5". I can reach about ten inches down my thigh while standing upright. Wearing a holstered gun on the upper part of the thigh is quite comfortable and accessible while standing and walking. My 9mm is easily drawn from a drop holster that puts the grip at mid-pocket level.
I guess it all depends on how far down your thigh it is worn.

[johnelmore]

So its really about having too much stuff so they put the pistol on the leg??? I guess to each his own. If you feel this is the most effective way more power to you. For myself, it would be awkward and I dont feel like I have tight control with it swinging around on the leg. Just my personal opinion.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by ShootistPRS

...Wearing a holstered gun on the upper part of the thigh is quite comfortable and accessible while standing and walking. My 9mm is easily drawn from a drop holster that puts the grip at mid-pocket level. ...

The closer your gun is to your hand when your hand is hanging down the further the gun will need to be moved to see your sights and confirm you're on target. You should be able to move your empty hand faster than you can move your hand with a gun in it, and there is no law of nature that says that when you need your gun your shooting hand will be hanging straight down.

So are you suggesting that if you're scratching your chin with your shooting hand when your immediate need for your gun becomes apparent you won't be able to instantly find your gun if it's in a holster at your waist? Well maybe you can't, but I know that I can. I also know a bunch of people who can as well. It doesn't appear to be that difficult with a modicum of training and practice.

In all the training I've done the preferred, general purpose method of carrying a gun has been in a holster at one's waist on one's shooting side. That is the position from which a carried gun can most effectively and efficiently be brought to bear on target under the widest range of conditions.

Other methods of carry (shoulder holster, belly band, crossdraw, thigh holster, etc.) are primarily for special purposes under special conditions such as deep concealment, extended periods seated in a vehicle, wearing certain gear, etc.

There are a lot of ways to carry a gun. But it looks like most instructors, absent a special need, will carry their guns in a shooting side holster at the waist.

[Rob228]

A point that is being overlooked is tied into the body armor aspect. When I did direct action work, everyone in my platoon was carrying their secondary weapon in a thigh rig that connected to a pistol belt, typically held up with suspenders underneath body armor, with the belt itself holding 2-3 magazines. When flying over water it is nice to know that if the helo ditches you can shed the body armor and still have a pistol. It may not be in the most advantageous position for a fight, but it is still on your body. As I mentioned before, it needs to right very high on your leg to be practical. I am in a far less exciting line of work these days, but I still cringe every time I drive through the gate and see an MP wearing a thigh rig with the grip of his/her pistol by his/her knee.

If someone is wearing a thigh rig and it is not in conjunction with bulky body armor they may need to spend more on training than on 5.11 pants.

[WyMark]

I don't have any direct evidence, but in many of the Louis L'Amour books I read all the real "gun slingers" wore their six shooters low on the hip, with a tie on the bottom of the holster around the thigh. As a matter of fact if Tye Sackett hadn't tied down his holster there probably would have been 20 less books.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by WyMark

I don't have any direct evidence, but in many of the Louis L'Amour books I read all the real "gun slingers" wore their six shooters low on the hip,....

I'm sure you're aware that Louis L'Amour wrote fiction. He was born in 1908, and his first stories were published in the late 1930s.

I mention that so folks won't think you were being serious.

[mete]

Well the first time I saw a thigh rig was as a kid. I was very curious about it as I hadn't seen another . One of my sets of lead soldiers was IIRC was a Indian unit with British officer .The officer carried his side arm in a thigh holster. This was sometime in late '40s and there were lots of photos of military but can't remember seeing such a holster .
There must be a photo [s ] of the holster somewhere !

[Brit]

The one problem I see with a thigh holster, the gun bangs on everything!

The quickest draw to front sight view, in my opinion, is an outside belt holster, 3-30 position, on shooters dominant side. Also hides gun best, undercover of jacket, or shirt.

[Mobuck]

The only info I have on a thigh holster is from my Son-in-law. He served 2 tours in the Middle East in a unit that operated from vehicles and was the unit commander's driver(humvee). His comment was that the thigh rig was the ONLY way to be able to access his sidearm when equipped to go outside the perimeter. If needed, he could draw even while seated in the driver's seat.
I have no need for such equipment as I don't use body armor.

[johnwilliamson062]

I see you're continuing your efforts to promote ignorance and stupidity in cyberspace.

No, just rejecting your position that I have a responsibility to prove everything with citations as if this is a formal setting. No need to promote it anyways. Runs rampant. Don't worry though, I heard there is a do-gooder California lawyer working on a bill to restrict posting to only those with a law degree. That will bring truth and transparency to all corners of the web.

And it you can't, folks have every reason to conclude that you're making stuff up and/or don't know what you're talking about.

No, they should buy one and try it out or take the info provided, such as it's common name being a buscadero holster and do their own research.

Here is a photo for you though. Approximately 40 years prior to when hollywood is supposed to have invented the "buscadero" style rig. A gun-fighter. Even cross-draw like the two high holsters you cited.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_...erry_Owens.jpg


The style was seen regularly in border areas by 1900. It is still used around the border. I've actually seen a vaquero wearing one within sight of the border. May even have a photo or a friend may. I have used it with a revolver while doing rural property maintenance and found it quite comfortable while performing a number of physical tasks.

I bought a used revolver that came with a Buscadero style rig. Buscadero meaning "searcher," as in bounty hunter or lawman.

Hollywood adopted the equipment used by the closest thing to a western gunfighter that was still around. South Texas rural cowboys and lawmen. There were probably lots of different holsters in use. If you want to say the buscadero was not proportionally represented in any time as it is in hollywood movies or that it is shown in movies that pre-date its development, fine. I'm not buying low holsters did not exist until someone in hollywood invented the style in 1920.

If you can't, you'll be dipping your whole body during the draw, causing you to slow down, put your body in an awkward position, and worst of all, look stupid.

If the situation calls for a gun to be drawn I don't plan on standing up straight, I'll be dipping somewhat, but not like I think you mean. No matter where my gun is holstered or whether I even have one on. If there is gun play I am getting low.
Using the bottom of the holster as a point to index your holster height makes no sense to me. I have holsters for pistols with 6" and pistols with 2" barrels and corresponding length holsters. Should the pistol grip vary 4"? Where the trigger guard meets the grip seems to be where I need to get the height right. Several inches below any of my hip holsters, although as some have already pointed out, also several inches higher than I see some wearing thigh rigs. My thigh rig has a height adjustment and it is about as high as it can go.

On an OWB hip holster with the attachment low enough on the holster the bottom doesn't flop when I pull the grip is going to be somewhere on my forearm. That isn't the best place for it. Not everyone has the same arm&torso ratios. That could come in to play.

The comfort come into play where you have a relatively mobile joint at your hip instead of a rigid piece of steel. On the buscadero holster I have it is a relatively soft/flexible leather attachment and on the thigh rig is it is a pivoting joint. The thigh attachment has to be tight. If a cord, tight enough it will cause bunching in all but the rawest denim pants. I tried one with a think elastic belt and it didn't work. Had to replace elastic with stronger type and still not perfect. You may find yourself occasionally pulling your pants leg down past the cord.

I'm not saying it is the best holster option out there. In the context of most of our lives it is a terrible option for reasons outside technical aspects.

Once you get used to it being there you won't bump it very often. How often did you hit your arm on your OWB or even IWB gun/holster when you started wearing 3 o'clock? After a month?

[johnwilliamson062]

Any of you shoot a rifle prone using sling with a full size side-arm in a strongside hip holster? Correct position, not with legs straight.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

No, just rejecting your position that I have a responsibility to prove everything with citations as if this is a formal setting.....

not all evidence in an informal setting needs to be in the form of citations. But it's still never inappropriate to expect folks to back up what they say; and (1) not expecting backup, or (2) not being able or willing to provide backup is does help promote ignorance and stupidity. There's a lot of lousy information out there in part because people tolerate it and in part because people spout it. People believe a lot of stuff that's not true.

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...do their own research.....

The burden-of-proof fallacy:

...The burden of proof lies with someone who is making a claim, and is not upon anyone else to disprove. The inability, or disinclination, to disprove a claim does not render that claim valid, nor give it any credence whatsoever....

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...Here is a photo for you though. Approximately 40 years prior to when hollywood is supposed to have invented the "buscadero" style rig....

No one said that some folks didn't carry their guns low. What was questioned was your unqualified and unequivocal statement that:

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

...Gunfighters have been wearing them there since a time long before body armor as you know it.....

Some folks might have, but I provided documentary evidence that some did not.

[FireForged]

The western "gunfighters" low ride rig is the stuff of Hollywood. I think there are some people who need to read some history. I am not saying that it didn't exit but it has been widely established that is was not a common trend and certainly not to the degree portrayed on the big screen.