Shoulder Holsters: Beyond The Mystique

Guns Magazine, August, 1999 by Massad Ayoob

More Myths

Myth: The shoulder holster presents the gun toward an opponent who wants to grab it, and you can't retain control of your weapon.

Reality: I learned this retention technique from master police defensive tactics instructor and gunfight veteran, Terry Campbell of Ohio. As the offending hand comes in on the gun in your armpit, bring your holster-side arm up across your chest, as if the forearm and thorax were scissors blades. This traps the offending hand.

If his right hand has reached for your left armpit, pivot hard right. This hyperextends his arm. Your gun hand comes in across your chest to secure the firearm, and you continue your pivot.

Nothing's 100 percent, but I'd ballpark this technique as 75 percent likely to snap the offender's wrist when done at full speed, and 99 percent likely to peel his hand off your gun.

If it's his left hand going for your left armpit, do the same initial movement. If his arm is straight, you can break it at the elbow with a forearm strike done with the free arm, or employ a rolling armlock. Vice versa for southpaws, of course.

A shoulder holster is, by its nature, very well protected from a grab from behind. In one famous shooting, a U.S. marshal and his partner were taken at gunpoint by two gang members trying to rescue the prisoner they were escorting.

They first shook down marshal Mike Thompson and, surprised to find no gun on his hip, pawed him until they touched the shoulder rig in which he was carrying his 2" Smith & Wesson Model 66. At that point, the marshal spun and drew, killing both gang members with well-directed .357 hollowpoints from his Combat Magnum, thereby regaining control of his prisoner.

Special Needs

As already noted, the shoulder holster comes into its own for the person who can expect to be seated when the stimulus to draw begins, or may need to have his hand on his gun inconspicuously at times, as in the folded arms position.

Remember the TV series "Barney Miller," about a squad of NYPD etectives? If you catch the reruns, you'll note the only cop who wore a shoulder holster was the aging Detective Fish, who had to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes.

This is reflective of reality. All of us who carry guns in public have dealt with this matter. When you have to frequently drop your drawers at work, whether you're Detective Fish or President Clinton, a shoulder holster is the logical place to have your gun.

Many armed citizens carry a gun only when they think they'll need it. Sadly, the same is true of many sworn police officers in administrative or investigative plainclothes assignments. If their desk drawer is their usual "holster," a shoulder system of the type Rick Gallagher popularized allows them to don everything they'll need -- handgun, spare ammo, handcuffs, etc. -- when they receive their call to arms.

While someone with this mindset won't be ready for surprise assaults, they'll at least be able to quickly gear up when they have early warning, and "something is better than nothing." The same holds true for the armed citizen: a rig like this ready near the bedside makes sense when the burglar alarm goes off.