1911 Shoulder Rig

[JoshDuvall]

Wanted to post some pictures of a shoulder holster I made for a customer for some honest critiques. I have to give design credit to Particle (not trying in anyway to steal your patterns or designs or anything it's just the only way this rig kept coming into mind as I was building it and I thank you for the inspiration.) The back side of the mag holder came out just a little wavy when I was pushing mags into it to mold it. Anyway any help and pointers are appreciated.

[Denster]

General craftsmanship looks pretty good Josh. Just a couple of things to consider. I think I would have gone with lighter hardware and leather for the support system. Also a shoulder rig without a positive retention device like a thumb break always makes me kind of nervous.

[rccolt45]

That looks great. I would buy it if you made two changes.

1. Needs a retention device

2. IMO the cant is wrong. I think it would conceal better if the muzzle pointed up and the grip down.

Other wise ain't nothing wrong with it.

[JoshDuvall]

Thanks for the reply guys...

The cant was off at first but after a slight adjustment to the straps and when the customer put his arms down it evened out and it sits straight horizontal (I just didn't get a chance to take pictures before he came to pick it up). The only reason it doesn't have a retention strap is because the customer specifically asked to leave it off, thats why I kinda fought with the design in my head. I wore it for a day or two with my personal gun to make sure it rode well in the holster and I shook the holster around and upside down with a pistol and full mag in it and I do feel like the retention is solid enough the gun isn't going anywhere (hopefully thats the same case a year or so from now).

And I do agree with you Denster I wish I would have used some lighter hardware for the support system but luckily that is something I can always change if the customer decides he doesn't like it later.

[dmr400]

Hmmm...you're more of a betting man than I am I wonder what I would do in that situation, I'm not sure I'd not put a retention device on. Craftsmanship looks very nice to me though. Guy must be a better loader than I am a shooter, 3 mags plus one in the gun! Minimum 28 rounds assuming it's not an officers model...he's serious

[Tac]

Nice craftsmanship!

DMR400.... Brother, when was the last time you were in a gun fight where having too much ammunition was a bad thing?

[darkelf]

Having carried a couple of different shoulder rigs in my 31 years in Law Enforcement, I can say my personnal choice would be for a little thinner leather on the straps and most definately a retention strap on the holster. I have personnaly witnessed a detective from my agency wearing the oldstyle verticle holster ( Dirty Harry style) approach the witness stand to be sworn in and while taking the seat to testify, bent over to adjust his pants and a cocked and locked Colt .45 hit the floor. Got real quite in the courtroom suddenly. Without some positive way of securing the weapon your inviting disaster. For a law enforcement type it is difficult to reholster a weapon in a shoulder rig, snap the holster and control a suspect at the same time. An old firearms instructor once told me that one thing a cop always brings to a domestic, barfight or any confrontation is a means to cause harm, his sidearm and it is in his best interest to maintain security of that weapon at all times. Same goes for the mag pouches, some type of restraining device to keep them in place would be helpful. Does you no good to grab for reload and find that you've lost them.

Nice workmanship on the rig!!

[katsass]

Having carried a couple of different shoulder rigs in my 31 years in Law Enforcement, I can say my personnal choice would be for a little thinner leather on the straps and most definately a retention strap on the holster. I have personnaly witnessed a detective from my agency wearing the oldstyle verticle holster ( Dirty Harry style) approach the witness stand to be sworn in and while taking the seat to testify, bent over to adjust his pants and a cocked and locked Colt .45 hit the floor. Got real quite in the courtroom suddenly. Without some positive way of securing the weapon your inviting disaster. For a law enforcement type it is difficult to reholster a weapon in a shoulder rig, snap the holster and control a suspect at the same time. An old firearms instructor once told me that one thing a cop always brings to a domestic, barfight or any confrontation is a means to cause harm, his sidearm and it is in his best interest to maintain security of that weapon at all times. Same goes for the mag pouches, some type of restraining device to keep them in place would be helpful. Does you no good to grab for reload and find that you've lost them.

Nice workmanship on the rig!!

Josh, can't find fault in your workmanship at all, but as darkelf mentions (as others) a shoulder rig needs SECURE retention of some sort. Back when.....in the 70's, I wore an original Hoyt vertical shoulder rig for a S&W M-19 which only had a spring steel clamp around the cylinder for retention. I damn near lost the shooter on one occasion and promptly put a strap on the thing. In the 90's, had a friend and co-worker that, on an aerial search over one of our desert dry lake-beds, leaned out of a chopper and lost his 3" .357 mag. He was wearing a similar vertical shoulder rig with no retention strap. About two weeks later an older gal wandered into a local sub-station with his gun in a paper bag. The rigs look neat and all that, but in my experience, they aren't that comfy for protracted periods of wear, and as darkelf says, aren't that easy to work with. For the majority of my 35 yrs as a LEO I wore my weapons in a fairly high and tight strong side rig...most with a thumb break. JMHO Mike

[Bondurant]

Something to think about. If you use welded steel d-rings and o-rings with heavy leather around your upper body it can be used against you as a dog collar in a struggle. In a wreck of any kind you will be hung up and need to be cut free with a knife.

Making things heavy duty can be a good thing but if you have ever been around when a cowboy was hung up on anything it will leave you thinking about getting away from stuff. One guy I know went down and had his gold wedding band sliced so it would come off in a wreck without ripping his finger off. Just the same I see guys putting titanium wedding rings on, it makes me very uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Weapon Retention is an entire subject to itself. The only time you ever want a weapon or ammo coming out of a holster is exactly when you want it coming out, not any other time.

[Jaymack]

Something to think about. If you use welded steel d-rings and o-rings with heavy leather around your upper body it can be used against you as a dog collar in a struggle. In a wreck of any kind you will be hung up and need to be cut free with a knife.

Making things heavy duty can be a good thing but if you have ever been around when a cowboy was hung up on anything it will leave you thinking about getting away from stuff. One guy I know went down and had his gold wedding band sliced so it would come off in a wreck without ripping his finger off. Just the same I see guys putting titanium wedding rings on, it makes me very uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Weapon Retention is an entire subject to itself. The only time you ever want a weapon or ammo coming out of a holster is exactly when you want it coming out, not any other time.

If I have a .45 and 4 clips of ammo, it's not likely that anybody is going to use my shoulder holster against me!!!

BTW Beautiful work on your rig Josh!

Edited June 22, 2010 by Jaymack

[Bondurant]

If I have a .45 and 4 clips of ammo, it's not likely that anybody is going to use my shoulder holster against me!!!

BTW Beautiful work on your rig Josh!

Having a firearm, accessing, discharging, hitting your target, stopping a determined/high BG, ending a fight, then doing the paperwork is a unpredictable process. The "I have a gun, I win" attitude is one that gets people killed.

[katsass]

Having a firearm, accessing, discharging, hitting your target, stopping a determined/high BG, ending a fight, then doing the paperwork is a unpredictable process. The "I have a gun, I win" attitude is one that gets people killed.

AMEN brother!! In the late 60's, when I started in law enforcement, it was very startling to find that a BG, standing 7 yards from me, could arm himself with a toad sticker, get to me and get that sticker into me before my reaction time and subsequent response with a firearm, could succesfully deter him. The uninitiated may believe that this is BS, however, all of the law enforcement agencies I am aware of teach this, show practical examples of this, and reenforce the fact through periodic training. A person may be quick a lightening and slicker that snot with his shooter when on the range and ready, but on the street, when it gets down and dirty....instantly..... it's a whole different game! JMHO Mike

Edited June 23, 2010 by katsass

[BigRiverLeather]

For those of you in the know, if one were to use lighter leather for the harness, what weight is a good weight to use? Also, would you make it a little wider where it goes over the shoulders?

[Jaymack]

Having a firearm, accessing, discharging, hitting your target, stopping a determined/high BG, ending a fight, then doing the paperwork is a unpredictable process. The "I have a gun, I win" attitude is one that gets people killed.

Thanks for the advice officer bob, but my comment was purely to acknowledge the 3 clips on his shoulder holster. What advice do you have on a holster to prevent you from being hung up or a BG using it as a dog collar? Any thickness of leather or nylon would have to be cut if you got hung up, and I haven’t seen a breakaway holster yet. If it could break away, wouldn’t then the determined/high BG have your gun?