{"id":1609,"date":"2023-11-08T19:58:45","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T19:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2023-11-08T19:58:45","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T19:58:45","slug":"ayoob-how-to-draw-from-a-shoulder-holster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1609","title":{"rendered":"Ayoob: How to Draw from a Shoulder Holster"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Massad Ayoob<\/a><\/p>\n

Learning how to draw from a shoulder holster is an important skill should you decided to conceal a firearm for self-defense in this way. In this article, concealed carry expert and firearms trainer Massad Ayoob talks about the shoulder holster as a viable method of safely carrying a gun for personal protection.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Do you know how to safely draw from a shoulder holster? Massad Ayoob explains the best way to do it. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

S<\/span>houlder holsters abound in real history: Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Eliot Ness and the real-life detective who worked the Zodiac case that inspired Steve McQueen to duplicate that cop\u2019s revolver in an upside-down rig. And of course, in fiction: Mike Hammer carried his .45 auto that way, Shell Scott his revolver and James Bond his pistols.<\/p>\n

But what about shoulder holsters today? Definitely not as trendy, but surely useful. For someone constantly seated behind a desk or a steering wheel, the shoulder rig is extremely accessible at speed. For women, ladies\u2019 fashion being what it is in the business world, the shoulder rig alleviates the need to wear a dress gun belt.<\/p>\n

\"carrying\n<\/picture>
The author\u2019s Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm rides here in a horizontal Galco shoulder system. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And for those of us with lower back or hip problems, the shoulder harness becomes an \u201corthopedic holster\u201d that takes the weight of a gun and spare magazine off the hips. Slip on a light jacket or similar garment to ensure your defensive gun is neatly concealed from view.<\/p>\n

Shoulder Holster Foundation<\/h2>\n

The leather \u201cshoulder system\u201d concept created circa 1969 by Richard Gallagher combined the holstered handgun on one side with spare ammo carrier and even handcuff carrier on the opposite. This not only \u201cbalanced the load\u201d but allowed one to \u201cshrug on\u201d everything one needed in a single movement.<\/p>\n

\"alien\n<\/picture>
Shown is the author\u2019s Alien Gear ShapeShifter rig<\/a> with his Springfield Armory Hellcat and the latest edition of the \u201cGun Digest Book of Concealed Carry\u201d. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This worked great for detectives who thought their desk drawer was their holster during routine duties but were subject to an emergency call-out at any moment. As a private citizen, consider: the exact same principle lets you \u201cshrug on\u201d everything you need (if you have flashlight and communications adjacent) when something scary goes bump in the night.<\/p>\n

[For additional equipment tips, also check out Home Defense Kit: Gear You Need<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

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Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Having discussed the Why and the When, let\u2019s look at the How of getting maximum performance out of shoulder holsters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Safety and Efficiency in the Draw<\/h2>\n

As with any cross-draw type movement, there is danger of sweeping the shooter beside you on an organized firing line such as range practice. If a right-handed student shows up with the shoulder rig they regularly carry, I\u2019ll put them on the far left of the line, and a similarly accoutered southpaw, on the far right.<\/p>\n

\"horizontal\n<\/picture>
When drawing from a horizontal shoulder holster, step back with gun-hand-side leg to blade body. The support arm rises in Najolia block as straight fingers knife in under the cover garment to grab pistol. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They will be required to blade their holster side toward the target. This minimizes the chance of their muzzle crossing a range officer behind them, a particular concern with horizontal shoulder holsters.<\/p>\n

\"horizontal\n<\/picture>
The pistol comes straight across chest, then the gun hand punches Hellcat straight toward the target as the support hand comes down behind the muzzle to take a two-hand grasp. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is also a danger of the muzzle crossing the wearer\u2019s own support arm on the draw. This risk is exacerbated by horizontal holster orientation. Accordingly, it is critical to\u00a0raise the gun arm above the muzzle\u2019s arc during the draw.\u00a0<\/em>The good news is that this also habituates the shooter to have the support arm in a blocking position in case of a close-range physical attack with a contact weapon.<\/p>\n

\"horizontal\n<\/picture>
This draw puts the shooter in a bladed position, making the Weaver stance<\/a> the fastest to assume. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some subtleties should be addressed. With the \u201cEliot Ness\u201d style holster, butt up and muzzle down, the support arm can be brought up and out to the side, bent and parallel to the ground, because the muzzle will clear the holster well below that level.<\/p>\n

\"drawing\n<\/picture>
The author\u00a0does not<\/em>\u00a0recommend using the support hand to move the cover garment when drawing from a vertical shoulder holster. Shown is a Bianchi X15 with a dummy training gun. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With such a holster, pull straight across the chest, not downward as seen in so many books and advertisements. That downward movement \u201cflags\u201d anyone behind you and on the holster side of you; it finishes with the gun too low to aim; and you have to slow your movement at the end of the draw or risk swinging past the target \u2014 all bad.<\/p>\n

\"drawing\n<\/picture>
When drawing from a vertical shoulder holster, blade the body to the target by dropping gun-hand-side leg to the rear. Raise the support elbow chest high and horizontal as shown while your gun hand knifes under garment to grasp your pistol. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Straight across the chest brings it to retention position\u00a0or\u00a0<\/em>line of sight very quickly. The horizontal arm keeps the support hand out of the way of the muzzle but allows it to take a two-hand hold much more quickly.<\/p>\n

\"drawing\n<\/picture>
Bring the defensive handgun straight across your torso instead of pulling down. Your support hand is in position for a defensive block if needed. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The great holster-maker and quick draw artist Chic Gaylord postulated that the horizontal carry was the fastest, and I can\u2019t argue otherwise. However, it generally requires a thumb-break safety strap which can eat up that time saving. The muzzle is also closer in line with the support arm, so I teach a Kerry Najolia block with horizontal rigs.<\/p>\n

\"drawing\n<\/picture>
Once the muzzle passes below the support arm, you can bring the support hand in behind the muzzle to take a two-hand grasp. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The support arm elbow comes up head high and forward, also a good blocking position. The great martial arts champion Graciela Casillas explains this type of block to her students with exquisite simplicity: \u201cRun your fingers through the hair on your temple, front to back. That movement\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0the block!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"drawing\n<\/picture>
The author has found that this vertical shoulder holster draw technique achieves maximum speed while maintaining safety. Image:\u00a0Gail Pepin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[Don\u2019t miss Ayoob\u2019s article on drawing with your support hand<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts on Wearing a Shoulder Holster<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In conclusion, the shoulder rig may be ideal for some people under all conditions, and useful to almost all under some conditions. It\u2019s worth having one in your \u201cholster wardrobe,\u201d along with of course the safest, most efficient techniques for accessing it.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n

Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n

Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t9mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Hellcat\u00ae <\/p>\n

Hellcat\u00ae Series<\/span><\/h3>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Gun\n<\/picture>\n <\/p>\n

Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry <\/h3>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Alien\n<\/picture>\n <\/p>\n

Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder Holster<\/span><\/h3>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Bianchi\n<\/picture>\n <\/p>\n

Bianchi Leather X-15 Vertical Shoulder Holster<\/span><\/h3>\n


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By Massad Ayoob Learning how to draw from a shoulder holster is an important skill should you decided to conceal a firearm for self-defense in this way. In this article, concealed carry expert and firearms trainer Massad Ayoob talks about the shoulder holster as a viable method of safely carrying a gun for personal protection.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}