modify Galco lefthanded shoulder holster

[SmilinJim]

A guy at work got a Galco lefthanded shoulder holster at a gun show at a 'good price'. He only has the holster and he is not left handed so he asked me to modify it to a right handed belt clip. See photos. My question for the holster guys is... the thumb break now unsnaps away from his body whereas before it unsnapped towards his body. I would think it should break away in all circumstances. Can anyone shed a little light for me. I'm doing him another from scratch need a little feedback.

Keep on Smilin

Jim

[Jordan]

Don't know that much yet but it would seem to me it may not make much difference other than slowing the draw process until he got used to how the snap is located. I think that a snap strap was implemented more to secure the weapon on duty holsters and to help prevent assailants from easily removing it. It also protects the body from pinches and such from the hammer area of the weapon. It would be alot harder to unsnap if you have to reach around the backside against the body, plus that would give the officer more time to stop the removal. Just speculating at this point.

[Randy Cornelius]

I have a couple things to say about this project. As a full time police officer I would never use a belt clip to secure a weapon of any kind. I have seen these things come off the belt and you have the holster and all in your hand instead of just the weapon. Put a good leather keeper or belt loop of some type to secure the weapon to your belt. The metal clips I have seen pop off or come unattached at the mose unoportune moments. Much to the embassesment of the wearer.

If he wanted a right hand holster he should have bought a right hand holster. With that said I understand that friends what you to do some stuff that you would not do on a regular basis. I think that instead of having the thumb break backwards I would just cut the whole thing off and leave it an open top.

By looking at your picture of the holster after you have attached the metal clip it looks like you have it canted to the rear. If carring on the strong side you should have a forward cant for several reasons. When sitting, the gun butt is vertical with a rear cant the gun butt would be pointed down where you could not access it. It is a nature drawing motion with the movement of the wrist.

Talk him into buying a new custom made holster from you.....

Randy

[SmilinJim]

I don't like the clips either, but ... and this will be a cross draw. He wants to wear it on the left side and draw from the right that's the reason for the cant being backwards. But still have the question ... what is the proper way for the thumb break to operate? If you are righthanded and wearing a holster on the right side should the thumb press the break into your body to release? Does that provide more resistance to opening the snap? Or should the thumb press the snap to the outside of the body and therefore have less resistance? The majority of the holsters I have done have either had no snap retainers, western style, or had a over the top strap and snap or a flap. I work in the woods alot and I prefer a flap holster. I don't do fast draws, mostly for snakes. I've actually caught more and released than shot. But back to the thumb break. I have no personal experience with this type of retainer. What is the proper way to install one?

Jim

[Mike Craw]

Hey SmilinJim!

Without going over the same ground as Randy, I'll add my 30+ years of wearing a gun everyday in law enforcement and my experience as a holster maker and firearms instructor. Your instincts are correct, the thumb break should operate the other way. Your friend is causing himself all sorts of problems trying to save a little money. If he is used to carrying a firearm, he has strong "muscle memory" already ingrained as to how the retention devices work, and under stress he will revert to his old habits. If he does, that backward thumb break may be the difference between winning and losing the most important contest.

Randy is also correct about what I would term "the requirement" of getting rid of that metal belt clip and securely sewing on a belt loop. A metal belt clip is terrible idea on a combat holster, from relaibility of drawing in a gunfight to weapon retention in a scuffle.

We don't even want to get into the age old debate about an open-top cross-draw safety for the officer. I don't know of any departments that use, or allow their officers to use, cross-draw holsters without at least one retention device.

All in all, I'd say the money your friend saved on that holster is about equal to the money he would have saved on a pair of size 7 boots if he wears a size 9! Randy's right, make him a proper holster.

Mike

[K-Man]

Actually, while the belt clip pictured is one of the more notorious for not holding the holster/gun securely, there are metal belt clips available that literally take two hands to get the holster off the belt in the traditional way. They surely won't come off/fail in a jerk/grab situation. The down side to most metal clips is that they tend to be the "one size fits all" application. Oftentimes this lends to allowing the holster to slide around on or "rock" on the belt. You need to match up and properly fit either the metal clip or belt loop to the size of belt, i.e., 1.5" clip for 1.5" belt.

YMMV.

Edited November 16, 2007 by K-Man