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Old 07-13-2015, 05:38 AM
Yournamehere Yournamehere is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 912
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Shoulder holsters are good for driving and bad for about everything else.
Of most concern is the design. You have to worry about proper fitting to your body, as well as wearing generous attire to properly conceal it.
Most quality models have the gun pointing outward, so you'll be muzzling everyone around you when you walk around with it holstered, and when you draw the gun. You also have the potential to muzzle your support arm as you draw if you don't train extensively. Just as well, most quality shoulder holster options don't offer passive retention models, meaning you will be stuck with an active retention holster and have to fumble with a button to get your gun out. This, combined with the awkward angle of the draw and the leather makeup of the holster makes for a far more complicated draw than waist or other systems. Leather has also fallen by the wayside as a holster material because of its limited lifespan and tendency to retain water and particulate, and the common quality shoulder rigs are leather. A hot Texas climate will amplify all the negative feelings of the design as well.

They are likely to be worse on your back than a waistband holster or other option too. Think about it, you are now taking the weight of your gun and spare ammunition and supporting them with your shoulders and back instead of your belt around your waist/hips. You also have to tack on the weight of the overall rig as opposed to just the holster/carrier, and the pressure that the rig exerts, which could be quite a bit if the rig is tight as it ought to be.

I can see how a cop would like one since they are probably in a car all day and they don't really need to worry about concealment, but they are usually a bad option for concealed carriers, especially in hot states. I've toyed with buying a Galco Miami Classic II a couple of times just to have the option, but I always change my mind because it's just not a useful product, and at its price point I could buy a lot of other stuff that would work much better or be more fun. Suffice it to say, I personally don't recommend shoulder holsters whatsoever if the goal is legitimate concealed carry.
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