Vincerama Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I've found dropped/offset holsters are comfortable to draw from... the gun is right near your relaxed and. However, I'm starting to wonder if that's really the best way to wear a holster. For one thing, surrender-positions hands can grab a grip that is above the belt faster, for another, maybe your hand positioning is better if the gun comes out of a higher holster, since your arms are already bent, ready to pivot the gun, etc. ALso the grip is above the belt so no belt to get in the way of your draw stroke. And lastly, in "real life", you wouldn't really ever wear a dropped holster unless you were a movie cowboy, right? I mean, a concealed gun would always have the grip above the belt. Thoughts? And yes, I know it's a personal preference, but I'm wondering about technical points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 For all the reasons you mentioned I'd say no to a dropped / offset holster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamboo Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 For Steel Challenge I re-tooled my holster rig and am recycling an old Safariland 008 which has the grip riding a little above the belt line. I always liked the draw from that holster and right now I think it's position gives me a more consistent draw for Steel Challenge stuff. We'll see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I've played around with holster heights, holsters like the Safariland, CR and Ernie Hill race holsters give you a fair amount of room to move the holster up and down, aside from finding a spot where the hand can naturally and comfortably get a full grip on the gun I don't find the height makes and appreciable difference in time. I even run my Safariland 6004 as high as I can get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincerama Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 I guess trying different setups is part of the game. I started off with a nylon Uncle Mikes universal holster and a nylon belt so I had to reach very high to unholster the gun and also lean left! So when I tried a dropped/offset bladetech, I was sold on it so all my holsters were DOH, but I'm reconsidering. Luckily the Drop/offset hanger is removable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Mitch Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Try a BOSS holster hanger and holster. Unreal what a step up it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyB Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Using a BladeTech dropped offset holster for my 2011 then going to a race holster. Before setting up the race holster for low draw and being new to me, I just did some dry firing. About 5 draws in, I noticed something was different, and I liked it. To me it seemed drawing from a higher position, there was less momentum bringing the gun up giving me more control and that's the way it has stayed since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcobean Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 As long as the butt of the gun is above the top of your belt, and the inside most portion of the gun is within 2" of the inside of your belt, you're "rules compliant". From a simple physics standpoint, whatever gets you to a firing grip the fastest, with the smallest amount of upper body movement (i.e. the only thing that moves are your arms, not your shoulders, hips or torso), then whatever works for you is what you should do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) I think an offset holster positioned fairly high is the way to go. I use the Ernie hill guga Ribas race holster in the highest position. Edited November 5, 2015 by Garmil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincerama Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Try a BOSS holster hanger and holster. Unreal what a step up it is Isn't the BOSS similar to a bladetech DOH, but with less cant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjw Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) I am not a movie cowboy. I wear a drop leg every day at work. was going to offer 20 yrs of experience using them . but u seem to already know it all. and answered ur own question. jjw p.s. wear almost the exact same set up for 3 gun. been doing that since 1995 also. even more rigid. Edited November 10, 2015 by jjw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatJones Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Try a BOSS holster hanger and holster. Unreal what a step up it is Isn't the BOSS similar to a bladetech DOH, but with less cant? Not even close. The dropped/offset lowers the gun and provides for a straight drop or an FBI cant. The boss hanger is adjustable to a wide variety of heights and just about any cant you can imagine.The boss lets you put the holster where you want it, the DOH puts the holster in one specific location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincerama Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 I am not a movie cowboy. I wear a drop leg every day at work. was going to offer 20 yrs of experience using them . but u seem to already know it all. and answered ur own question. jjw p.s. wear almost the exact same set up for 3 gun. been doing that since 1995 also. even more rigid. Hmm, I didn't mean to offend anyone with the Movie Cowboy comment. Just a leftover sentiment from SASS shooting where Buscadero rigs (which I did some research into) was mentioned as not really being used by working cowboys, but created by Hollywood for fast draw duels. And of course, by all means I want to hear your thoughts on it, nobody knows everything. I only present points so that people can confirm or refute them, I want to hear your opinion on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doellemite Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 +1 on the BOSS hanger. I ran a DOH for quite a while, and like you, questioned whether it was the best way to go. After I bought the BOSS hanger, I timed my draws/target acquisition at different holster heights to find the fastest and most comfortable setting. I don't really take concealed carry into consideration because then I'd start to question whether I should run stages with my shirt untucked ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Well, the drop leg is very tacticool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_Sweeney Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Try a BOSS holster hanger and holster. Unreal what a step up it is. I've run one - I wasn't as impressed with it as I should have been. Seemed to hold the holster where it would twist the belt on the draw stroke and "trap" the pistol. I'm waiting on another holster to come in and I'll give it one more shot before writing it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 For me it is about getting the gun as low as legally possible for the division I'm in and getting the gun away from my body. Gun gets up too high and I feel like I'm drawing into my armpit. Getting the gun away from my body allows me to clear my muffintop without the gun rubbing the side of my stomach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I don't know much about math or physics, although I majored in applied math. It seems to me that the lower the holster is, the further you have to raise the heavy gun up before you can see the sights and shoot. OTOH, with a lower holster, your hand has to move less to gain a grip on the gun initially (from hands at sides), so sometimes that can feel more controlled. In the empirical world of scientific testing, my draw is the same speed from hands at sides no matter where I put the gun, and from surrender it's faster to have it higher. I would do your own testing if you are not good at math and physics, or just not a trusting soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I use whatever the rules allow for whatever competition I am in. I currently do not have a CCW so that doesn't factor into my reasoning at all. I am in the minority in that I am not impressed with the BOSS hanger and most injection molded holsters connected to it. But it is my opinion, not fact. A majority of draws are "hands at sides" of some version or another. I want the pistol in my hand then as fast as possible. Take for example a table or barrel start t hopefully prove a point. What do you move closest to the gun when it is starting out of the holster? Your hands. You don't move your head closer to the gun so that you have a shorter trip for the gun from the table to your eyes. I'd posit that getting your hand on the gun faster is worth more over the course of a draw than having the gun higher on your belt so that it's a shorter trip to your eyes. This also helps prove why for maybe surrender draws you might like it higher. But until an idpa or uspsa starts 75% of their stages from a surrender position, I'll stick to a DOH if allowed by the rules. (knowing that I didn't speak to Steel Challenge, 3 gun and other competitions that would use a pistol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I'd posit that getting your hand on the gun faster is worth more over the course of a draw than having the gun higher on your belt so that it's a shorter trip to your eyes. why posit? why not actually test and determine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 because i don't have the question the op does, i'm happy with my holster and my draw mechanics. i do enough "guess, check and refine" stuff with the timer already, no need to add this in as well. in a teasing tone-why don't you do it? (and if you have done it already, cool!) OP wants our opinions on an equipment choice for "better/faster draw". my opinion is for a DOH. the software solution is lots and lots of reps doing it properly, again in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) OP wants our opinions on an equipment choice for "better/faster draw". my opinion is for a DOH. the software solution is lots and lots of reps doing it properly, again in my opinion. Excellent point. I suspect for most people the difference would be negligible anyway, but differences in anatomy or type of matches may make a difference. For some folks it is more awkward drawing the gun from a higher position, but for folks who shoot alot of steel challenge it may make sense to start with the gun h igher. fwiw, I have tested, since I shoot both production and SS, and there was no difference in draw times that I could detect, so I stopped worrying about it and focused on other components of the draw, such as raising my shoulders up a bit, and relaxing my forearms and hands before the beep. Edited March 22, 2016 by motosapiens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) I think the doh really shine for people with long arms and short torsos. Otherwise they would be drawing into their armpit. If you need to cant your upper body to clear the holster (and it isn't a technique issue), then the drop is going to benefit you. Edited March 22, 2016 by b1gcountry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrswanson1 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I've been told thigh rigs are not legal for USPSA or IDPA. But they are legal for 3GN matches. I prefer DOH and thigh rigs as my shoulder doesn't appreciate being rotated like it has to with a high ride holster. I have used both DOH and thigh rigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 thigh rigs are operator as f*#(. Who cares if they are slower or faster. Ain't no one got time for that. Operate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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