Holstering at night AIWB

[justintime]

So from a couple of low light shoots/classes/ and shooting at night out on the ranch I have discovered that holstering can be pretty sketchy. This was particularly evident during a low light class when it was raining and in the cold so there were lots of layers involved.

I've noted that using a high powered flashlight is not super awesome or useful in re-holstering and it is very difficult to see if there is anything in the path of the holster like clothing exc... I've resulted in a small led light for now but for high volume stuff it sucks and if for some reason I don't have it... I realize if you only pull the gun out rarely night this is less of an issue but still...

I've thought about using glow in the dark paint to help aid in this situation but I don't see that working, I've also talked to kydex people about producing a glow in the dark kydex and gotten no responses. What is everyone else doing for reholstering at night? The tda guns and the gadget obviously would help and I've used high vis colors but they don't seem to totally do it.

[orionz06]

A really bright holster helps a ton. My schtick is the lime green/toxic green but it really does help.

I suspect some of the luminous paint could be used inside a holster. If you really were high speed a small red LED keychain light on a retractor clipped to the belt works too. All that said, I have never been in 100% dark, always had some ambient that combined with the green worked for me.

[JMS]

Practice tactile, for it's own sake, and for those instances where you've no other choice.

Off hand gathers up cover garment(s)....a LOT of the cover garment(s)...., holds on to it (them), then use the last 2-3 fingers of that hand to sweep the mouth of the holster to ensure it's clear. If it's not clear, gather more, repeat as required. Then S-L-O-W-L-Y reholster.

I understand how you feel. This past December was the 4th night-specific class evolution I've attended carrying AIWB. It was raining fishhooks and hammer-handles, and I'd accidentally brought a shell garment about as unsuitable for AIWB as can be had, compared to what I usually wear. Zippered, not made of anything resembling stretch material, it's skirt extended past the point of my hip, and the zipper wasn't a 2-way.

Cold as a brass monkey, rural setting with no city light pollution + rainy/overcast (i.e., darker than the inside of a boot), wrong clothes -- moving with deliberation and care goes a long way. One should weigh which is gonna pay more dividends...a procedural control measure, or a material control measure. Both work.

[sheriffoconee]

Why do folks want to reholster a handgun in a hurry?

[justintime]

It's not about doing it in a hurry but under some conditions it can be very difficult to do in general. More about setting yourself up for success and removing as much risk of shooting yourself as possible. By all means if one were perfectly safe and careful we wouldn't have to consider things like the gadget either yet it is still important to many people. I would argue that people that take extra precautions reholstering are not doing it in order to reholstering faster lol.

I could see if you were in a self defense situation and you needed to reholster while under stress or while your free hand is busy then giving yourself more opportunity for success wouldn't be a bad thing.

[justintime]

Practice tactile, for it's own sake, and for those instances where you've no other choice.

Off hand gathers up cover garment(s)....a LOT of the cover garment(s)...., holds on to it (them), then use the last 2-3 fingers of that hand to sweep the mouth of the holster to ensure it's clear. If it's not clear, gather more, repeat as required. Then S-L-O-W-L-Y reholster.

I understand how you feel. This past December was the 4th night-specific class evolution I've attended carrying AIWB. It was raining fishhooks and hammer-handles, and I'd accidentally brought a shell garment about as unsuitable for AIWB as can be had, compared to what I usually wear. Zippered, not made of anything resembling stretch material, it's skirt extended past the point of my hip, and the zipper wasn't a 2-way.

Cold as a brass monkey, rural setting with no city light pollution + rainy/overcast (i.e., darker than the inside of a boot), wrong clothes -- moving with deliberation and care goes a long way. One should weigh which is gonna pay more dividends...a procedural control measure, or a material control measure. Both work.

That sounds exactly like the scenario I'm talking about. One situation had set up two lights pointing back towards us to simulate headlights of a car to make it even harder to see. I'm looking for procedural control and material control combined I think. While clearing the holster with your hand is fine I still would like to be able to visually inspect it too.

[GJM]

It is a lot easier with a pistol that has a hammer.

[Casual Friday]

While not AIWB, just regular ol' IWB, support hand grabs the clothing and moves it high and outta the way. I angle the muzzle away from my leg and use my thumb to sweep the inside of the holster checking for obstruction, then reholster.

[LSP972]

Yesterday, I did an examination of a Glock 19 that one of my former students used to punch a hole in her right calf muscle last week.

She was participating in a routine qual course. It was cold, she was wearing two layers of outerwear, and part of said outerwear got into the trigger guard while she was re-holstering... bang.

A RSO was actually looking right at her when it happened; she did not have her finger anywhere near the trigger.

I remember this gal quite well. She's a nurse, hired by the Attorney General's Office to work in that agency's Prescription Drug Fraud Unit. She was... well... exceptional, for a starting-from-scratch female. Not trying to sound sexist there; facts are facts. My point is, she's a quick study, took to the training like a duck to water, and actually out-performed most of the male students in that 40-hour class; both in manipulations, presentations, and accuracy. They're telling me her work performance in the ensuing six years has been stellar, and she's re-qualified annually with no issues whatsover.

The pistol is a bone-stock G19 with a "five pound" (no mark) connector; the same one she went through her initial training with. The trigger breaks @ 5.75 pounds. So no skimmer trigger or other Tactical Timmy shenanigans in that area.

Moral of the story... another point for external hammer guns, in my book. You guys carrying striker pistols AIWB... you're much braver than I.

.

[GJM]

Bruce Gray on appendix carry:

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc...5280085943/p/2