Making a shoulder holster work for me.

[boattail]

I normally carry OWB under an untucked T shirt with a pancake holster. My main carry gun is a SP101 2 1/4" 357 magnum. I have a large custom made grip on the gun to fit my hands. I also carry two spare speed loaders on my belt in metal spring clips. The clips are slim and not bulky. This system works great for me. The issue I am having is a wardrobe change has now been brought into the mix. I now need to wear a snap front western shirt tucked into my jeans with a belt. IWB carry is not an option due to how I wear my pants and what I am doing while I carry.

I bought a leather shoulder holster that hangs the gun horizontally with the muzzle slightly tipped down. I needed the butt to be facing forward in order for me to be able to reach it with my bad / stiff shoulders. The system came with a double speed loader pouch on the right that is an integral part of the system. I spent a few hours assembling, adjusting, and messing with it. The system came with tie downs to your belt and those are shown as optional to use. Using the tie downs means your shirt has to be under the holster rig and tucked in. I'm not looking for a cover garment type of wear. I need this to go under my shirt only. Also using the tie downs locks all your clothes together and makes bathroom breaks a huge hassle if in a hurry. Those tie downs will be eliminated.

First hurdle to overcome was my custom grip did not fit the holster. I can use it but the thumb strap cannot be used properly. The gun won't fall out but the strap has to go over the top behind the hammer and not the grip making it loose. The fix was to put a different grip on it that I already had. Not a deal breaker and I may be able to fix that issue later.

Second hurdle is the speed loader pouch is way too bulky. It is in the way of your arm and prints horribly no matter how you adjust it. Since the pouch is part of the system it cannot be taken off without losing the two points to attach the shoulder straps. My solution will be to make a substitute for the pouches. It will allow the straps to attach and be flat and weighted to offset the weight of the gun. I will then go back to a dump pouch on my belt for one reload and not carry the two speed loaders. Again, not a deal breaker. I might be able to attach my spring clips to this new part as well.....more designing needs to happen.

My next thoughts are going to be making the system as minimal as I can. Since my big grips will not fit, the ammo pouches are too big, and I need to remake a part- why not make this thing more invisible. I am now digging through my stash of stuff looking for a hunk of material to make the replacement part with.

I will take some photos as I put this together and show how it works.....ugh, I hate having to change things up. Getting my grip back on will be first priority once I get it all working.

[G-forceJunkie]

I would pocket carry a smaller revolver with small boot grips, say a S&W 642. Offset the pocket bulge with my phone or wallet in the opposite front pocket or a couple of speed strip loaders and wear the loosest fit jean possable.

[boattail]

IMG_6910.jpg I cannot have a phone in my pocket, or a gun for that matter. I wear Wranglers that fit snug around my waist. Also this set up is to get the gun off my hip or lower than my hip. I can have small flat knives and car keys in my pocket and that is it.

So, I made an adapter piece to eliminate the pouch holder. While my adapter worked as intended this set up just will not work for my intended purposes. I can make this work under a coat or a flannel shirt and rig it up as designed to hook to my belt. Making it work under a western shirt all by itself is not going to work. Even with the small grip installed it looks like I have a tumor. I spent more time adjusting and getting the gun under my arm but nothing stays put for very long. I also wanted to wear this on my skin and having that leather bit in your arm pit is not going to work out for sweating or comfort.

The only way for this to work well is over a tucked in shirt and under an outer garment and attached to the belt on both

i dress like this above and need to conceal my firearm… not so easy…
( not me in the photo)

[G-forceJunkie]

Small auto in a Sneaky Pete holster? NAA Mini revolver on a neck lanyard? Ankle holster?

[boattail]

Those would work to be able to carry but I need horse power from my firearm. My next move will be trying to get an IWB holster to work. I’m going to keep the shoulder rig for now as it may work in winter when I can put on more clothes.

[oddball]

I love my shoulder holster system, though I only use it 4-5 months out of the year, and also road trips since it is 3X more comfortable than a belt holster while driving. I use an Andrews Monarch rig (crossdraw), and the design of it is really remarkable, very minimal and easy to put on and off. No belt straps.



I carry a G43 and two spare mags. Quite comfortable and with my setup, doesn't really print even though I don't care too much about that here in Texas. Sam Andrews hand makes these, the downside is he takes a long time; mine took maybe 7 months. But worth it.

[Fjold]

Shoulder rigs are not made for medium and large frame revolvers. I carried a 1911 in a shoulder rig many, many years ago (gun and shoulder holster were mandatory), I don't think that I could've done that with a revolver larger than a K frame. Flat magazines were also a heck of a lot easier to carry than speed loaders.

[Rumblemonkey]

I recognize you don't want to change things up, but...I have a Kahr PM40, that is very small and hides well in a Galco shoulder holster. I understand that many will scoff at this, but it is a way to conceal a larger punch EDC. Snappy, yes! Just a thought- I have a SP101 2 1/2" too, and have tried some vertical shoulder holsters, to no avail. G26, P365, or a Kahr PM9 are also all doable, but I get it, you don't want to make drastic changes! I have a .22 Magnum derringer too, I suppose an ankle holster would do it, wicked little round! Good luck, too bad there is not a way to strap the derringer in your hat!

[socal m1 shooter]

[...] My main carry gun is a SP101 2 1/4" 357 magnum. I have a large custom made grip on the gun to fit my hands. I also carry two spare speed loaders on my belt in metal spring clips. The clips are slim and not bulky. This system works great for me. The issue I am having is a wardrobe change has now been brought into the mix. I now need to wear a snap front western shirt tucked into my jeans with a belt. IWB carry is not an option due to how I wear my pants and what I am doing while I carry.

I bought a leather shoulder holster that hangs the gun horizontally with the muzzle slightly tipped down. I needed the butt to be facing forward in order for me to be able to reach it with my bad / stiff shoulders. The system came with a double speed loader pouch on the right that is an integral part of the system. I spent a few hours assembling, adjusting, and messing with it. The system came with tie downs to your belt and those are shown as optional to use. [...]

Pictures could be helpful.

Not to hijack the thread but I would really like to see pics/read more about those grips. The SP101 can be unpleasant to shoot.

More or less like the poster quoted below, I occasionally carry (an H&K P2KSK) in a shoulder holster, and have found it is great for driving (particularly long drives), or when the cover garment permits it. In my case I use a Galco MCII, and they do make one for revolvers, including he SP101. That MCII balances, more or less, with two mags on one side and the pistol on the other. Considering the price I would maybe prefer more than assurances that it will fit well.

Their fitment info states

MCII118 also fits the following guns:
CHARTER ARMS BULLDOG PUG .44 2 1/2", PROFESSIONAL | COLT AGENT REVOLVER, COBRA 2" (PRE-2017), DETECTIVE SPECIAL 2" | HERITAGE ROSCOE 2" | KIMBER K6S 2", K6S 3", K6S 4" COMBAT | RUGER SP101 2 1/4", SP101 2 1/4" SPURLESS HAMMER, SP101 3" | TAURUS 327 2", 605 2", 606 2", 85 2", 85 TITANIUM 2", 856 2", 856 3", 85CH 2", 94 2"

If you are not in a rush, you might save a search on eBay and see if you can score one cheap.

Depending on your body geometry, a shoulder holster could be really good or really not good. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

But I will say, I did carry my P2KSK in the Galco on a long summer drive with a generously cut short-sleeved shirt and though I felt like I was blatantly obvious, I went in crowded places with it and if anyone thought I was printing, I never noticed.

I love my shoulder holster system, though I only use it 4-5 months out of the year, and also road trips since it is 3X more comfortable than a belt holster while driving. I use an Andrews Monarch rig (crossdraw), and the design of it is really remarkable, very minimal and easy to put on and off. No belt straps.

It can be much more comfortable for long hours behind the wheel, and likewise, only works for me about 4-5 months out of the year, tops.

OP it might be worth paying for a holster at a high-end place like Kramer, Andrews, or others.

[boattail]

Pictures could be helpful.

Not to hijack the thread but I would really like to see pics/read more about those grips. The SP101 can be unpleasant to shoot.

More or less like the poster quoted below, I occasionally carry (an H&K P2KSK) in a shoulder holster, and have found it is great for driving (particularly long drives), or when the cover garment permits it. In my case I use a Galco MCII, and they do make one for revolvers, including he SP101. That MCII balances, more or less, with two mags on one side and the pistol on the other. Considering the price I would maybe prefer more than assurances that it will fit well.

Their fitment info states



If you are not in a rush, you might save a search on eBay and see if you can score one cheap.

Depending on your body geometry, a shoulder holster could be really good or really not good. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

But I will say, I did carry my P2KSK in the Galco on a long summer drive with a generously cut short-sleeved shirt and though I felt like I was blatantly obvious, I went in crowded places with it and if anyone thought I was printing, I never noticed.



It can be much more comfortable for long hours behind the wheel, and likewise, only works for me about 4-5 months out of the year, tops.

OP it might be worth paying for a holster at a high-end place like Kramer, Andrews, or others.

Here are my custom grips. Now, I did not have these on when trying the shoulder holster. I used very small grips just to try and get the gun tucked in.

I don't have thick hands or fingers...just larger length than most. A female shooter , 6'2", loved these grips and shot this gun well. These grips tame the SP101 in my hands so full house 158g loads can be shot all day.

Last photo is my King Cobra with the same sized home made grips.
IMG_0743.jpg IMG_0742.jpg IMG_0733.jpg

[boattail]

The SP101 was brutal to shoot with the stock grips and full house loads. I needed the grips to fill my hand. Same with the Colt, thin grips did not work for my grip. The SP 101 and Colt have had lots of work done on them by me. The Ruger has been smoothed on all external edges, the cylinder has had the front rounded and smoothed at the flutes and the entire front edge. With the crane open all the internal edges up front were smoothed so you don't cut your hand whacking the ejector rod to release rounds. The chamber mouths have been chamfered, the hammer spur was rounded and smoothed so it does not eat shirts, trigger edges and trigger guard edges smoothed. I smoothed the ramp that the cylinder detent ball rides on in the frame, It has lighter springs installed except trigger spring is stock. Pull weight is reduced but not too much, it will light off small rifle primers. Hammer has been shimmed in frame to keep it centered as well. Front sight painted orange on the ramp, and rear notch back side painted black. Grips are relieved for Safariland comp 1 speed loaders. The gun is just how I want it.

The Colt was supposed to be a more refined better shooting copy of the Ruger. That gun was horrible when new. Thin grips, cylinder release was sticky and rough, ejection rod tip sharp and stuck in the crane after a hard push, tight chambers won't drop out cases, and the crane could push forward and jump the detent in the frame, cylinder to frame clearance when cylinder is open is very tight and speed loaders don't align very well, side plate screws came loose....lots of little things wrong but it shoots lights out. I shimmed the crane screw to fix the cylinder pushing forward, I smoothed out the cylinder release, I solved the sharp ejector rod issue by attaching a hollowed out .204 flat based bullet jacket onto the rod, I put thread lock on the side plate screws, and I made those grips. I cannot/ won't solve the tight chamber issue and close tolerance issue for speed loaders so the Colt got grips that fit my wife and she shoots 38's in it. I determined it does not cut it as a ccw gun for me.