The shoulder holster is an iconic holster that is often associated with the mob, cops in the Mami PD, WWII and everything in between. I grew up watching the movies about the wild days of the 1920’s and 30’s with the pin striped suit vest, fedora, Cuban cigar, and of course, the shoulder holster carrying an M1911.
Regardless of what image comes to mind when the shoulder holster is brought up, most everyone pictures someone from an older time. I call those the legendary days, when innovation, style and practicality were merged into one simple, yet elegant product that would rival even today’s best innovations.
When it comes to holsters, we have witnessed a new breed take the gun industry by storm. What used to be an all-leather world turned to polymer, neoprene, kydex and retention-based holsters that firmly mount on your side, thigh, and inside the waist. They can interchange the mounting bracket so one holster can be used for multiple carry options.
Being a Sheriff, I often use these newer holsters, and a level three retention holster is extremely important to have while in uniform out patrolling the streets. Law enforcement also wear body armor, making a shoulder holster not feasible in some cases, so we turned completely to the world of plastics. And don’t get me wrong, there are some great holsters now that make carrying your sidearm much easier. But let’s face it, while great for tactical operations, these holsters are not as aesthetically satisfying as they used to be. But why can’t there be room for both?
Why can’t we carry a gun today in the same class and style that used to be so common? I have used a shoulder holster for years when off duty, or just working in the office, but in the land of cops, they are not as common as they used to be. But we often find that after the “new” wears off and we come down from the high of an invention that we thought had to replace everything else, we start to realize that sometimes we have forgotten the beauty in some of the older and more simple products. The shoulder holster is one of these and I wonder, can it make a comeback?
Vertical vs Horizontal
The first dilemma when choosing a shoulder holster is deciding if you should carry your gun vertically or horizontally. The horizontal carry is the easiest way to draw your gun. Your hand can get a good grip on your gun and can be very quick to draw. The issue, however, is that the barrel of your gun is pointing behind you, meaning everyone that stands behind you has a loaded gun pointing at them. This causes some to carry the gun without a round in the chamber.
The vertical holster on the other hand caries the gun with the barrel pointing down. This makes it easy to conceal under your arm and safe to carry loaded, but is not as comfortable or fast when drawing it from the holster. This problem may have been solved with the rotating holster that can accomplish both at the same time.
The Vertical Roto Shoulder holster
For those who have not heard of the rotating system on a shoulder holster, it has been around for a while and is a vertical shoulder holster that has a latch (much like a thumb break) that once released, tilts down into a horizontal position for drawing the gun. With this system you get the best of both worlds.
I first saw the rotating shoulder holster design on a Cardini shoulder rig, but the strap that held it up was Velcro and did not feel very secure to me. I then found the Roto Shoulder holster from Craft Holsters that uses the same design but has a good metal snap that can be easily broken when drawing the gun. This system makes it very easy to draw and re-holster the gun but still carry in a vertical position.
The leather and the custom fitting
When ordering my Craft shoulder holster, I chose the brown leather (black was also an option) with gold lettering. When my holster arrived, the dark brown coloring of the leather was excellent and the monogram was well-centered on the holster with the gold standing out just enough to be noticed, but not too much. On their website, Craft Holsters say their holsters are made of Italian leather with German stitching and boast a five-year full replacement warranty for any issues with the holster.
Out of the package, it was a very tight fit and did not draw without some tugging on the holster. They do this on purpose as they want the holster to fit each gun perfectly. According to the added instruction manual that comes with the holster, you can simply use a little denatured alcohol on the inside of the holster, place your gun in a thin plastic bag, and fit it to the holster. Let it dry overnight and you will have a holster that could not fit your gun any better.
Is it right for you?
I have used both vertical and horizontal shoulder holster for years and Galco, Bianchi, Cardini, Massimo and others have all made some good shoulder rigs for the price. So regardless of the style or options you want on a shoulder holster, there are lots of benefits to having one. Perfect for concealed carry with a jacket or coat and very classy with a dress shirt when carrying in the open. They are also a very good choice when you will be doing a lot of driving or sitting down as they are easy to draw from that position. There is always a need for side holsters, but a shoulder holster is definitely a nice addition if you want to step back in time and remember why the legendary days were so cool.
