BUG Options

[60167]

Hello

I'm new here, although I've been lurking for quite some time. I'm a three-year city cop and I'm totally outclassed by the other members here. I can only hope to one day contribute to the level of discourse that this forum provides.

I've been carrying a back up gun for the last two years. We're issued M&P .40's and I carry a Shield .40 either on my ankle or on my vest. I'm at a bit of a quandary as to what the optimum location is.

I bang the gun into the door frame of my patrol car if it's on my ankle. My pant leg also rides up, and reveals the gun most times I get out of the car. My left knee starts to feel sore after several weeks of carrying on my ankle.

However I have quick access to my gun, especially when seated. It's also easy to re-holster from that location.


I have a difficult time accessing my gun quickly if it's in a vest holster (cheapo Uncle Mikes with a thumb break). I also have to remove my gun every time I take an arrestee into the jail. Re-holstering is a problem because I have to fight the elastic vest strap that goes over the holster.

However the gun stays concealed, and it is much more comfortable to carry this way for extended periods.


My questions are:

Where do you carry? What holster do you use? I noticed another member mentioned the use of AIWB under the duty belt. Are there options I am not considering?

Policy dictates the gun must be concealed and I must have retention (thumb break).


Thanks for your help.

60167

[jnc36rcpd]

I've pretty much resigned myself to vest carry. I use the DeSantis version of the Uncle Mike's vest holster, but so not use the strap. Of course, that option goes out the window if we go to polo shirts or I transition to an outer vest carrier. I have tried ankle carry in a DeSantis Apache rig, but have similar issues to yours. The pain in the knee would make ankle carry a definite no-go. I have just over three decades more time on the street than you and, trust me on this, you definitely don't want to damage your knees more than you have to.

Since you need a thumb-break, I assume pocket carry is out. You might look at the BUG Pocket (www.bugpocket.com) or the 10-24 holster (www.10-24products.com). While both products strain the definition of thumb-break, I would think they are within policy. Of course, neither product will work with an exterior carrier or polo shirt and you probably won't be able to use a hard trauma plate. While I've never seen one in the wild, the Arrestling gun carrier (www.arrestling.com.) might be an option. Lastly, while out of production, you might be able to locate a Bianchi Tranzit holster which might be somewhat easier to present and reholster from than the vest holster.

Good luck and be safe.

[ST911]

Regular ankle carrier here, LE/CCW context, Js and G26s. I also ankle carried a Shield 9mm when I gave that gun a try.

Not banging the gun getting in and out of the car is just picking and practicing the motions that work.

Wear a counterweight on the other leg. Extra mags, tourniquet, etc close to the same weight as your gun. When you walk, climb stairs, etc you are probably throwing or dragging the leg you're wearing the gun on and that can create issues. If you were going to be a dedicated ankle carrier, it would also be worth a consultation fee to have a physical therapist take a look at how you walk to see if there are better body mechanics you could be doing in general.

Vest carry didn't work for me. Slow, awkward, prone to gun fumbling. Watching other cops, it doesn't work as well as most think it does.

Have your pants hemmed 1-2" longer. You can tweak slope so it doesn't look as sloppy but the extra length is helpful.

I also favor 6" boots for duty use, a variety of reasons, including easier ankle carry.

[Chuck Haggard]

Over the years I've carried guns as large as the Colt DS, S&W 6906, and Glock 26s and 27s via ankle carry. A good holster is key to comfort.

As Skintop noted, getting the pants altered slightly helps a great deal with concealment. That said, I can't do a BUG that heavy anymore and had to go back to my 642 for ankle carry after decades of wearing heavier BUGs.

Vest carry never worked for me due to my build, I'm already barrel chested, adding a gun makes me barrel chested with a goiter.


There were guys on my job using the vest mounted carriers like the BUG pocket and 10-24 holster, the guys doing so like that option.

[David Armstrong]

To go somewhat with Chuck, I have never been comfortable carrying anything heavier than a Smith Airweight of some kind in an ankle rig. I did and do prefer pocket carry for the BUG, but given the policy that is probably out. I know one officer who had a velcro patch attached to his pocket for security, might check with the powers that be to see if that would meet the requirements for them.

[60167]

Thanks for your help. I think I may look into the 10-24 to see how that works.

[LSP552]

You can add me to the list that ended up being limited by weight on the ankle to an Airweight. I really tried to live with a Glock 26 when carrying a 34/17 but ultimately couldn't make it work.

I vest carried also, but ended up preferring the 642 on the ankle. I had a hard time drawing from a vest holster at speed, and it was even more difficult using just my off-side hand. In cooler weather, the Airweight went into the off-side jacket pocket. Depending on your uniform, the off-side pants pocket might be an option also for an Airweight.

I'm sorry, but I don't have any Shield specific experience or holster info.

[41magfan]

During the 14 years I was in uniform, and I actually carried two contingency guns; one accessible to my weak-hand, and one that would likely pass a cursory search should I find myself in the most untenable of circumstances.

I flirted with ankle carry (an Airweight hammerless J-Frame of some iteration) on and off for years but it was never a mainstay for me personally. In defense of that carry method however, a LE acquaintance of mine is probably alive today due solely to his practice of ankle carry. He was the target of an unprovoked ambush when a guy stuck a SG barrel through the window of his patrol car and shot him in the face. As he went down in the seat on his strong side to avoid the muzzle for a possible follow-up shot, his ankle gun was the only gun accessible to him. He was able to draw and fire a 6-shot .38 revolver rather blindly in the direction of his attacker, striking him several times.

If I were starting over today, I'd carry a couple of Ruger LCP's in the same strategic locations.

[L-2]

I've got similar experiences/responses:
-never noticed/felt an ankle problem due to an ankle-carried BUG
-~20 years on and now retired but still a sworn "Reserve"
-carry a J-frame S&W 642 or Glock 26, but have carried a Glock 27 and even a Glock 19 at times.
-I use the standard buttons on my shirt, no zippers, which would make it easier to rip open the shirt, should I be vest carrying
-the heavier Glock 27/26 didn't work as well for me on the ankle. There was just too much weight trying to constantly rotate around my ankle when moving. Vest carry became the norm for those guns
-I haven't noticed banging the ankle gun when exiting the vehicles but did hook the grip on the G27, jumping over a fence, which pulled my BUG right out of the holster dropping it to the ground (we don't have a thumbstrap requirement but can now see how it'd be useful).
-the pants riding above the ankle gun is something to correct or watch for exiting the vehicle each time. It's almost like ensuring your fly isn't open

[Lost River]

When I worked uniform patrol, I settled on ankle carry. Most of my career it's been an airweight J Frame.

Vest carry simply does not work for me.

One thing to consider is if you are rolling with a suspect, fighting for your gun, vest carry is almost impossible to access, if the BG manages to get you in the mount position. Depending on body type and leg length, you more often than not can reach an ankle rig.

The other benefit is when seated in your patrol vehicle and an unknown person approaches you, it's pretty easy to slide the j frame snubby out of the ankle rig and discreetly cover the person, versus drawing from a strong side seated position, where it's pretty obvious that you are drawing a gun.

For uniformed work, if I could not carry an ankle rig, I'd use a weak side non descript type leather pouch with a flap to carry my BUG.