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Does your holster and draw require you to shift your grip before you fire?

3K views 31 replies 25 participants last post by  thelaw 
#1 ·
I've seen a number of holsters on the market that impede the ability to grip the gun fully and correctly before you draw. I think a full shooting grip is pretty important.

I'm curious, when you draw from your holster, do you have to shift your grip before you fire? Looking at a number of youtube vids of some holsters you'll see this is pretty common.

The worst I've seen is drawing with your thumb wrapped around he rear of the slide and over the rear sight. You can imagine that if you fired early in a adrenaline filled response to a thread that you could likely shred your hand, break your thumb, or at the least drop the weapon.

-Clay
 
#2 ·
On most of my holsters no, but some pistols are smaller and in all the holsters I've tried thus far do not allow a completely full shooting grip before drawing. My bersa, and grendel are the worst two offenders of this.
 
#6 ·
I would agree that its probably more common on smaller handguns.

I guess that boils down to where you want to compromise. Carrying a weapons is always a compromise between many things; speed, accuracy, firepower, weight, concealability. Usually to excel in one area we have to compromise on some ohers (otherwise we would all carry ar15's).

just curious, what types of holsters do you use for your smaller guns and how are they carried?

Thanks for your comments!
Clay
 
#3 ·
I'll have to pay more attention to it, but truth be told - if I ever need my firearm in self defense I'm not too sure I'd notice what my grip was, or even be 100% sure I'd have a good grip before firing.

Just being honest... anyone can play 'Mr. Prepared', but only those who have had the unfortunate experience know for sure how they react.

For me, practicing my draw with the Smartcarry at the range just isn't something I feel comfortable doing, nor do I feel like getting the looks I'd get. :)
 
#4 ·
Thats definitely true, you never know how you are going to react until it actually happens. And I suppose I should have clarified because obviously deep concealment options like smart carry won't allow for as clean of a draw as IWB, OWB , and Shoulder holsters.

I guess the purpose of my post was to say that I think its an issue that people need to be concerned about especially when people are training to fire from positions of retention.

Of the many training aspects of self defense, I feel like drawing the weapon is one that we have the most control over. Yes, there may be extenuating circumstances like your body position (sitting, horizontal on the ground, standing) , proximity to the thread, etc, but generally speaking we have the ability to train on the draw without any traditional barriers of training at the range (simply because it can be done at home).

In my opinion, its important to have your draw down because if its muscle memory, its something you don't have to think about when the situation arises.

just my opinion of coarse,
Clay
 
#5 ·
With my GLOCK 19 and CBST with combat cut I can get a great one-handed grip on my pistol when drawing. Now in the heat of the moment I may need to adjust before I reach ideal firing grip which I likely won't have time to do. Generally I can get a solid grip when drawing. I think due to the concealability and size of todays carry guns and holsters getting a good grip is getting more and more difficult.
 
#8 ·
I see your point, Clay.

However, tactics also come into play. For example, my BUG is an LCP in a wallet holster in my right rear pocket. If I'm wearing jeans, it's there. The draw requires that I hook my middle finger around the grip and push back on the edge of the holster with my thumb before curling it into my paw. It doesn't sound very graceful. However, when you consider that I can casually hang my thumbs in both rear pockets while talking, it gives me a significant advantage of already having my hand on the firearm, without giving any cues. I can easily foresee a situation where the BUG could come into play a lot easier than my primary, and there isn't exactly a combat grip on that little bugger.

Although my primary always allows for a firm purchase on the grip. :wink:
 
#9 ·
I wear all my concealed carry guns in the same place all the time AIWB.

All my holsters are 0 degree cant.

When I draw there is no shifting of my hand on the grip of the firearm once purchase is made.

Handgun holster Belt Climbing harness Waist Gun accessory
Belt Climbing harness Fictional character Handgun holster Costume

click image to enlarge....

OS
 
#10 ·
Personally, a holster must exhibit five attributes for me to consider it viable for carrying a gun in the real world.

1) It must be made for the gun. The generic One Size Fits All/multiple guns are crap. Get a holster for the gun you are planning to carry. If it's not made for the gun, consistency goes all to hell.

2) It must cover the trigger guard. Yes, you can get your finger on the trigger faster when the the trigger guard is exposed. This is not a good thing.

3) It must mount rigidly to the belt. Consistency, again. If the holster moves side to side or up & down on the belt, you fight your gear before you ever get the gun in motion.

[These may seem 'commonsensical' but you'd be suprised.]

4) It must allow for a Full Firing Grip on the holstered gun. Consistency, again. You will shoot with the grip that you have. A suboptimal grip translates into suboptimal shooting. Obtaining a FFG prior to gun movement is critical.

5) It should remain open when the gun is removed. This supports reholstering. In most situations, this is not a huge deal. When it comes to working with the gun one handed, it is.
 
#13 ·
I have holsters that allow a full grip, and I also use holsters (deeper conceal) that don't. I can see why some are adamant that they don't use them. Either way, practice is the key. Most indoor ranges shun draw and shoot. Having discovered (unsupervised) outdoor ranges has totally changed my practice routine. Instead of standing there blowing mag after mag at the paper in the alley, I try to make every shot a realistic scenario. Outside, you can practice draw, prone, kneeled, off-hand, behind the back (joking), or from the car window (another good dry fire practice- get that piece out sitting in the driver's seat with a belt on and not sweep you or the passenger). I also had no idea how difficult off-hand shooting was. Now, I'm slightly less terrible at it, although I'll never win any left handed awards.
My deeper holsters (especially for the Glock 26 or a Smith 442) only allow two fingers. You learn to get your index finger out of the way, draw with your second and third finger, and then palm the weapon as you index along the slide or the frame. I don't know how to explain it any clearer, but it works. With my bobbed wheelies, I'm also cocking the hammer in this motion as well. The 1911'ers have no issue with thumb safeties on draw, I have no issue with throwing the piece into my hand or cocking a hammer. I don't feel that a full grip on draw is essential, but I won't argue against it either.
 
#14 ·
I need my true-EDC holster to be comfortable - for my anatomy and where I carry, that means that a bit of the "sweat shield" needs to cover the sharp corners of the gun. Does this get in the way of getting a "full firing/fighting grip?" It would, if I let it: but I specifically train to overcome this limitation (with blood: so much so that the knuckle of my thumb has a callous, where it first was a blister).

Do I consider this a failure of the holster or its design?

No - because for me, this holster allows for deep concealment and for true everyday comfortable wear - attributes without which would not make carrying a pistol viable for my personal needs and lifestyle.

I believe that a consistent "full fighting grip" is of tremendous importance.

So I train around the holster's limitations to achieve that full, dominant grip on the draw-stroke.
 
#15 ·
The only holster I have that impedes my grip is my Galco King Tuck when it is set to all the way down (low ride). For this reason I never use it in that position. If I can't get a firing grip, what is the point of having it?
 
#19 ·
If I can't get my full "combat" grip because of the holster, I get rid of it. The Crossbreed SuperTuck with Combat Cut works perfectly fine.
 
#22 ·
Most of my holsters are from Fist...a quality holster that allows one grip/draw that is ready for instant action.
 
#23 ·
All of my Pure Kustom Black Ops pros allow for a full combat grip. My High Noon shoulder holsters also allow for a full combat grip. I have one Fist OWB holster that also allows for a full combat grip. My Kholsters need to be trimmed - combat cut - to keep the backing leather from getting gripped. Once trimmed, they allow for a full combat grip. My SuperFly pocket holster allows for a full combat grip - once you have your hand behind the security pannel.

The above assumes that the adjustable holsters are properly adjusted.
 
#30 ·
One of the reasons I absolutely loathed the Safariland 070, my mandated duty holster for most of my police career, is because I had to shift my grip after the weapon cleared the holster, in order to properly grip an autopistol for best shooting results. (It functions OK for revolvers, as a proper firing grip is possible.) This was especially problematic with a 1911, as I had to shift my grip after clearing the holster, in order to completely depress the grip safety. I gave up carrying the 1911 while at work because of this factor, switching at first to the horribly thick Glock G22, then the acceptably-thick SIG P229. (After a certain date, if we gave up carrying our "grandfathered" duty pistols, we would have to start carrying one of the mandated double-stack .40s that the newer officers had to carry; I could not switch back to revolvers at that point.)

My current duty holster, the level three Safariland ALS design, allows a proper grip to be achieved from the beginning of the draw. (I am unsure of the exact model number.) I reckon my survivability quotient has gone up exponentially now; a more-secure holster, with a much smoother draw-stroke.

The holsters I use for concealed carry, on my own time, allow for a proper firing grip. I have been aware of this factor since
the mid-1980s, when I first started carrying. At that time, actually, many holsters did not cover the trigger guard, which left plenty of clearance for a proper grip. When it became trendy to cover the trigger guard, many holster makers, even some of the really skilled ones, did not understand this. Milt Sparks got it right, from the beginning, and every holster by G. Wm. Davis I bought or have seen shows that Mr. Davis got it right, too. I reckon I am dating myself; I bought my first Sparks and Davis holsters when those brands meant Mr. Sparks or Mr. Davis actually laid hands on the leather themselves.
 
#31 ·
I've never really noticed if it does or doesn't. I assume it doesn't since it's in my pocket. I just know where the gun is suppose to be in my hand when I fire it. I guess I am more concerned about target than anything else.

It's like what many of you posters have said....it takes practice and muscle memory.
 
#32 ·
All my OWB Kydex holsters are from Personal Security Systems and they all allow for full grip, of course. IWB Kydex is the Comp-Tac C-TAC, which also allows for full grip. When donning leather, it's a Milt Sparks or a Ryan Grizzle, also setup for full grip.

Someone mentioned a pocket holster before and if I understood them correctly, they had to use a finger to push down on the holster as they drew the weapon to make sure the holster didn't come out with the firearm. Might want to look into pocket holsters designed to stay in the pocket as you draw. The one I use (when I have no other choice) has a piece that literally hooks in my pocket and it won't let the holster come out. It's actually a pain in the butt to get it out at all so it works as designed!

Check your holsters. If you can't get a high grip on your firearm, while wrapping all your fingers around the grip and have to adjust once it clears the holsters you might want to try some different holsters. My two cents anyway.. :)
 
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