Shoulder Holster Recommendations

[BillSWPA]

Given the criticality of the retention strap with a downward angled holster, I would not want one that is detachable. I would want it to be made as one piece with the rest of the holster. This would definitely make Galco my choice as between the two choices posted above.



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[TGS]

Since as a professional wearing business-type clothing I carry just behind the hip rather than AIWB, the 2-point uBEE Perry's are the ones that foul the draw for me, not the regular 3-point type (left and right front-lateral and central-posterior belt clips).

Ahh, that makes sense. I carry at 2:30-3 in a suit.

The Perry's suspenders in effect give you belt-level CCW concealment-access benefits combined with the back-relieving support of a shoulder rig.

Perfect way of putting it...….and even if "you" (the reader) do not feel back pain but carry a heavy loadout, it can still be a huge advantage for comfort because of how well supported your equipment is. It allows me to loosen my belt to a comfortable tension without having my pants fall down.

Regarding the Perry uBEE suspenders...

Does that model cause problems with holster placement for a strongside IWB/OWB holster?

I wear the suspenders reversed (clipping the belt from inside instead of outside) which allows me to place the clip right in between the holster body and belt slide/loop of the holster. I imagine this could be holster dependent, but it works fine with my RCS Phantom(?) and JRC OWB pancake. I imagine an RCS Perun would work even better.

ETA: No idea how it would work with IWB, but I'd danger not well. The suspenders are OWB, while your gun would be IWB...….

[SAWBONES]

Ahh, that makes sense. I carry at 2:30-3 in a suit.

With never any inadvertent sidearm exposure? I'd be afraid leaning forward would "show", and my environment is such that concealment is pretty much paramount.

...….and even if "you" (the reader) do not feel back pain but carry a heavy loadout, it can still be a huge advantage for comfort because of how well supported your equipment is. It allows me to loosen my belt to a comfortable tension without having my pants fall down.

Definitely a plus sometimes when peeing...

[HeavyDuty]

I might as well throw my limited experience in.

My reason for using a shoulder holster is a little different, but now that I blew out four discs I may be doing it more often. I mostly wear a shoulder holster when I’m driving my Miata (my ass is maximum width as it is, a belt gun is very uncomfortable.) For years it’s been a 442 in a Ken Null SKR, but lately I’ve been working with my G43 in a Safariland 7052 or 7053 horizontal ALS shoulder holster. I’m impressed with the Safariland so far, it works well for my purposes.

FWIW

[TGS]

With never any inadvertent sidearm exposure? I'd be afraid leaning forward would "show", and my environment is such that concealment is pretty much paramount.

If I'm wearing a suit, it's generally as LE business. Everyone knows we have guns regardless, so occasional exposure is fine as long as it's not some sort of embarrassing or otherwise unwanted display that would detract from our mission. When wearing suits on personal business (attending a wedding, dinner, etc) I haven't noticed it being overly exposed that would cause concern.

Carrying on or slightly forward of the hip is much easier to keep track of my weapon and defend it if necessary, too.

I haven't noticed it being a concealment problem to begin with...When wearing a suit (or untucked shirt) I actually think it conceals better at or just forward of the hip compared to behind the hip. Leaning forward is almost certainly more exposing if the gun is behind the hip, anyways, as the butt of the gun now becomes an apex that the garment has to drape over.

[03RN]

@JonInWA
If you pay shipping you can borrow this.
Attachment 28028

[03RN]

Attachment 28029

[JonInWA]

@JonInWA
If you pay shipping you can borrow this.
Attachment 28028

That's a huge offer-I assume the holster's for a Glock? I'll PM you.

Best, Jon

[JonInWA]

I don't know why I did not think to mention this earlier, and I don't know if it would help the OP.

However, for other people with back problems or other people who are simply in the business of carrying a lot of weight on their belt for extended periods of time, I strongly recommend looking into Perry suspenders. I personally wear the uBEE model, which essentially mimics an elastic shoulder holster harness system that Clips to each side of your belt. In addition to taking weight off of the hips and turning a gun belt and suspenders set up into what is essentially load-bearing equipment, it also allows me to mount equipment to it such as a tourniquet and my radio wires. Some people put other stuff on it, like a flashlight, small pocket knife (so it doesn't tear up their suit pocket), etc.

I have the more ubiqitous traditional 3-clip attachment Perry's too, and they also work well and are generally easier to work around equipment on your belt. However, those suspenders have a habit of wanting to come off my shoulders and need frequent readjusting in this regard, as well as my findings that I can foul my draw with the front right suspenders. Hence, I switched to the uBEE, which has the attachment points right at the two heaviest points on my belt: the gun on the right side, and between the double mag pouches and radio on the left.

Highly suggested. Perry's are extremely popular at my job for all of the above reasons, and while it might not help someone with a shoulder injury who can't easily reach their gun at 3 O'clock, I think they should be your first attempted solution if you have some ailment prior to making the big cash investment into a shoulder holster that has so many down sides and moves the gun from a position where you've spent a lifetime building reps and muscle memory.

Perry uBEE is here: http://perrysuspenders.com/2uborpesu.html

The suspenders are a great idea, and one that I similarly incorporated this year, choosing to go with the CCW ComfortSling http://www.ccwcomfortsling.com/. It's worked quite nicely, and I've used it for both regular carry and IDPA competition; they too also have a full suspender version.

My current issue leading towards the quest for a shoulder holster is not so much the weight of the gun, it's where the gun/holster rubs against the nerve in my lower back/hip. Hence the quest for the shoulder holster, hopefully for the short term. It's much worse with some holsters/guns than others, so finding the right combination for strong-side IWB/OWB carry is a bit of a trial-and-error work in progress.

O3RN's exceptionally generous offer to lend me his wide-strapped Miami Classic for Glocks will be a huge step in narrowing the field for me (as has been everyone's shared experience, suggestions and guidance-one of the outstanding features of the p-f community here).

Best, Jon

[Brian T]

Galco got back to me after 2 months. Their only WML capable holster wont work with my particular choice. They have no plans at all to expand their catalog to include WML equipped pistols. As I drive mostly at night, being without a WML is a no-go. While the RCS Phantom I am using now isnt the most comfortable, it's what I have.