Drop leg holster

[Large Farva]

I have seen this on two occasions. First was a ride along, the deputy had a drop leg holster didn't have the bottom leg strap on. The second was at Rifle Gear when these two Huntington Beach officers came in to buy Hi-Cap mags for their service pistols. Each time I'd notice the holster moving all over the place when they would walk around. I'm curious, why do they wear them like that?

[IrishJoe3]

The leg strap is uncomfortable, and pulls down on the duty belt.

[Large Farva]

The leg strap is uncomfortable, and pulls down on the duty belt.

Interesting! How would you deal with all of the movement the holster is doing when your running on foot? Besides speaking of uncomfortable, both LEO were pretty heavy set especially the HBPD officer, not to bash on the fellow for all I know he could probably sprint the 40 yard dash under 4 seconds.

[Spanky8601]

In the old days.... the longer shank holster was set on a swivel which allowed the holster to moved on top of the leg while driving. The Hoyt break front swivel for revolvers was a LEO favorite in the 70-80s until the wide spread adoption of semi autos.

[Large Farva]

In the old days.... the longer shank holster was set on a swivel which allowed the holster to moved on top of the leg while driving. The Hoyt break front swivel for revolvers was a LEO favorite in the 70-80s until the wide spread adoption of semi autos.

Just looked up the shank holster. That looks really old haha The holster both LEO had kinda looked like it but without the swivel same weave pattern too. I though modern LE would have them just low enough to clear their gear with the leg strap not down near the knee.

[QXSOUP]

Part of the problem is that most LEO's i see wearing drop leg holsters wear them entirely too low. They were designed to get the pistol off the belt and at a more natural position. I see LEO's with the holster practically at their knee- it is supposed to be worn where your wrist naturally falls on your leg... on the upper thigh.

[WyattandDoc]

Interesting! How would you deal with all of the movement the holster is doing when your running on foot? Besides speaking of uncomfortable, both LEO were pretty heavy set especially the HBPD officer, not to bash on the fellow for all I know he could probably sprint the 40 yard dash under 4 seconds.

15 second or 2 fence rule.....which ever comes first.

[<IXOYE><]

I keep my straps on the looser side because when they are snug, the holster shifts from your outer thigh to your quad if you can picture that. It is a hassle to keep yanking it back to the thigh. Plus it bunches up my pants and I also hate that.

[M1NM]

Just like in the old westerns - they didn't tie them down until it was time to meet in the street at high noon.

[micro911]

In the old days.... the longer shank holster was set on a swivel which allowed the holster to moved on top of the leg while driving. The Hoyt break front swivel for revolvers was a LEO favorite in the 70-80s until the wide spread adoption of semi autos.

I still have my Hoyt holster for 6" revolver. :-)

I use a regular holster with about 2" drop, so I can draw my pistol with Surefire light a little bit easier. When I tried the regular shank holster, the light which extends a little bit beyond the muzzle keeps getting hung up on the holster.

[KD714]

Wait a minute were the holsters leather or tactical.
if it was leather there are no straps, its a swivel.
If it was a tactical holster with the straps removed I have no idea what those guys are thinking.

[bigger hammer]

I'm not a fan of drop leg holsters except for those folks who are carrying a long gun as their primary weapon. It was devised for those who are wearing a LBV or a heavy vest. A holster at belt level is not compatible with those, so the dropped holster came into popular use. It's not a fast draw holster by any means since it's rare that an officer will have his hands hanging loosely at his side when confronting suspects, but lots favor them because they "look cool."

I also hated low hanging holsters when I was working, due to the flopping around that they do in foot pursuits. They're more comfortable in the car, but I always thought that trading comfort for the ability to get my gun out in a hurry and always know exactly where it was, was mistake.

[OldSchool]

Drop leg holsters are too Hollywood for normal law enforcement use.
- chicks dig em
- dudes dig em
- airsofters dig em

but with a drop leg holster, I:
- can't run/chase anybody effectively
- can't draw from a seated position (vehicle)
- can't keep my pants up ALL day
- can't fight (hand to hand) or kick effectively
- can't understand why they are $150-$200 ...

the first time I ran down the street w/ a shotgun and drop leg setup was the last time.

the drop offset Safariland Duty holster setup is my savior.

[veeklog]

Uncomfortable driving with a drop leg holster, especially wearing all raid gear

[1911su16b870]

When you are wearing an entry team type ballistic armor, the drop leg moves the gun down below the bottom of that armor, so it is more comfortable in that situation.