I Found A Holster for Cowboy Boots!

[hylysly]

I recently purchased a Ruger LCP as a backup weapon for the sole purpose of using it as my backup. I expected a readily available selection of boot holsters for such a small weapon, and was ASTONISHED to find NONE in the retail world.

What I did find, however, was a number of threads about this very issue, guys asking how to carry "in boot." All of them seem to have the same talking points: Crowding in the boot; draw time; accessibility; boot height; etc.

I saw a problem, and as an engineer, I set about to fixing it. I now have, and wear a holster that reliably carries, conceals, retains, and protects my LCP and works WITH a cowboy boot mount while maintaining accessibility comparable to ankle holsters, or BETTER.

I can tell you that as a US Marine, I can appreciate an acute ability to access a weapon whenever necessary, and what I have created here meets any requirement I can think of for a backup holster. Depending on preference, some may consider my holster as a primary carry option.

This is not a sales pitch, but rather an attempt to gauge the interest, if any, in a holster with A COWBOY BOOT MOUNT for everyday concealed carry. As of right now, I am a private citizen who fabricated something to meet his own exacting standards. If people are interested, maybe I'll consider setting up shop.

I don't yet have pictures, but I'll tell you the following:

-The holster sits OUTSIDE the boot, halfway down.

-I am right-handed, so I wear it on my left cowboy boot, inside my leg.

-When mounted, the holster CANNOT come free of the boot without manual intervention.

-A few seconds will free the holster from the boot and move it to your calf/ankle should you visit somewhere requiring shoes off (like my mom's house) without ever removing the weapon from the holster.

-I have designed, but not yet implemented into prototype, adjustments for ride height and fixed rotation about the boot.

-In jeans (I wear 33x30 Slim Fit with "Boot Cut" legs from Express.) you cannot see the gun (again a Ruger LCP) printing or otherwise through my pant leg while it is pulled down over my size 9 Lucchese 1883 Goat skin boots.

If this is something that might interest you, please chime in with your thoughts, questions, criticisms, and critiques. I'd like to make this into something that could meet the needs of all the guys like me who wear cowboy boots!

[mashaffer]

Need a Popcorn emoticon here. Watching with baited breath.

mike

[Grant D]

Would it work with work boots? such as wolverines??
I'd be interested if it would. I carry mine occasionaly in a ankle holster,but usually in my hip pocket in a Galco pocket holster.
( can't wear cowboy boots all day any more, to hard on these old feet lol )

[buck460XVR]

Sumpthin on this order?

[scottycoyote]

i always wear my pants legs on the outside of my cowboy boots. Having fairly thick calves there would be no way i could get my pants up over my boot to access a gun, or if i could it would take way too long. If you had your pants tucked down in your boots, seems like it would make it pretty easy for anyone to see the gun if they are standing near you. Now maybe if it was just for a bug it would make sense, but i dont see it working for me as a primary carry method, but maybe im missing something

[DasGuy]

People still wear cowboy boots?

[buck460XVR]

People still wear cowboy boots?

Yeah, but most of 'em ain't cowboys.

[hoytinak]

I wear Red Wing work boots quite a bit and might be interested if it'd work with those as well.

buck460XVR, what holster is that pic you posted?

[hylysly]

If you had your pants tucked down in your boots, seems like it would make it pretty easy for anyone to see the gun if they are standing near you.

The gun and holster are OUTSIDE the boot. And my jeans are OVER the boot and gun, NOT tucked in.

[hylysly]

Now maybe if it was just for a bug it would make sense

I bought the 380 as a BUG. However, the success in the way this holster came out provides such fast accessibility to the gun that I could see it as a primary option for some.

The barrel tip sits 2 inches above the bottom of my pant leg. That means my left hand pulls my pant leg 6-7 inches up and that FULLY exposes the gun to my right hand. When I first touch the gun, it is with a MASTER GRIP from the start while drawing.

I do NOT have to get my pant leg higher than my boot.
I do NOT have to reach down into my boot.
I do NOT have to adjust my grip after removing the gun from the holster.
I have been practicing and timing a draw (always with an unloaded weapon) and I average 1.1 seconds, standing to standing and pointing a gun.

Overall, the adjustable ride height would allow for wearing the gun even lower on the boot, but would require a longer pant leg. Or taller boots could still wear the holster with full support all the way down near the ankle, rather than being restricted to a mount near the very top of the boot.

The holster gives the versatility of wearing the gun anywhere on the outside of the boot. High or low, on the inside, outside, front, back, or outside of your leg...or anywhere in between. It would be the wearer's preference and could be adjusted easily for each pair of pants or boots it is worn with. If you have a big calf, then you might wear the gun lower to avoid printing.

Leg size and gun size will determine if the gun will be concealed or not. Little revolvers obviously have a wider midsection - but I see them working (based on the fit I have now, and where I have room to give). Longer grips and mag extensions would press out into the pant leg more, but adjusting carry angle could help with this too.

I carry a G19 in an IWB holster at 4 o'clock. The G19 would never fit in the boot holster without printing, but I think that goes without saying.

[hylysly]

I am also playing with different leather colors on the outside of the holster... this will give some camouflage to the tip of the holster should your pant leg ride up... assuming you match the color of the holster to the boot.

[hylysly]

@buck460XVR

That looks like a regular calf/ankle holster. Something like that is where I started my design, but I focused on being able to ANCHOR the holster to the boot without rotation or sag, and without physically modifying the boot itself.

@ Guys with work boots (redwings and wolverines)

There is one thing that all cowboy boots have, and in my experience only SOME work boots have: a LACK of laces. These "pull-on" type boots are the ones that this holster works for.

[grumpa72]

And we are waiting for photos because ... ?

[buck460XVR]

buck460XVR, what holster is that pic you posted?

It works well with my S&W 637........


Boot Holster

[kraigwy]

I were cowboy boots, I like the ideal of a boot holster, or would have if I was younger.

Now I'm old and slow, if I had to bend over, get the gun, and stand back up, I'd be so slow the bandit would have time to reload the shells he was going to shoot me with.

So I'll stick to carrying in my pocket where I can get to it without bending over.

However, for you younger, more agil folks, I think its a good ideal. I've seen a lot of ankle holsters that allow the gun to peak out the bottom of the pant leg, cant happen with boot holsters.

I may not be a cowboy, but I've been known to keep a cow or two.

[buck460XVR]

kraigway............sorry, but first thing I thought of was "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!". But then, I'm old too.

[kraigwy]

Nah, what you cant see in the picture is a water tank being filled, I'm just being lazy.

Wifey took the picture so show people how hard I work.

[nhsmoker]

I'd like to see pictures. I sometimes wear cowboy boots and an lcp is one of my carry options. let's see what ya got.

[jreXD9]

Pictures? Maybe he's building a camera next.....

[Ben Towe]

People still wear cowboy boots?*

You mean there are people who don't?!?

[kraigwy]

Its not that there arn't any cowboys left, its just you can't see the from the road.

It truth, most cowboys carry their guns in their saddle bags.