October
30
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“The Thigh’s The Limit” – Why Thigh Holsters Kinda, Sorta Suck.
Quite awhile ago we started a discussion on different types of carry methods, in particular those most useful for concealed carry. I figured CCW was probably the most applicable place to start, since most of us don’t really have much of a need for duty, competition, or other sort of overt carry system. It’s just not… all that practical.
But tonight, I’m going to hop on my soap box for a little bit and get it out there: thigh holsters kinda suck. But for the sake of the readership, I guess let’s vet this one out a little bit.
Thigh holsters are a type of exposed pistol holster that are meant to be worn outside of the pant leg on the upper, outside thigh area. They were made popular originally by Western style movies and “cowboys” who were seen wearing what were essentially leather sheaths for their Colt Single Action Army revolver. The idea was that the thigh set-up made it faster to “quick draw” revolvers. In reality though, most Western Americans probably carried their sidearms in belt style holsters.
Fast forward around 150 years and things have changed a little. Modern thigh rigs are set up to carry pistols on a drop plate that is usually constructed of polymer and secured by elastic bands and buckles. In our post 9/11, OIF, and OEF culture, the use of thigh rigs has exploded in both military and law enforcement. Originally the idea was the the thigh rig would allow the use to still draw their sidearm while wearing heavy armor plates, a task that is much more difficult when a belt holster would be obstructed by the armor or kit. It was only a natural extension that eventually the trend would continue into the civilian shooting world. My kick here: does the drop leg/thigh rig holster really benefit the uniformed patrol officer? Probably not, unless their wearing plates, which isn’t that common. There are certainly more benefits to a traditional duty holster, but I digress.
Ah my first thigh rig. I hated that they forced us to wear these.
But there are a few serious problems that the thigh rig presents that makes many experienced shooters simply shrug them off or avoid them when considered for serious use. The first is proper fit. When I first was introduced to the thigh holster, it was a Coyote Tan SERPA rig from BLACKHAWK designed to carry my issued M-9. When I slapped it on the platoon sergeant looked at me like an idiot and then immediately corrected me. I was doing what almost everyone else new to thigh rigs does: wear it too low. If I recall correctly, the SSgt told me “this top strap should be pushing your nuts around. Hike that thing up.” Wearing a thigh rig too log makes it loose fitting causing rotation and movement of the holster, which isn’t a good thing when having to move, run, or draw the pistol consistently at all (so pretty much ever). So if you have to wear a thigh rig, make sure it’s like a new Marines hair: high and tight. This will kinda, sorta help minimize the next two major problems.
Way too low… and it just looks weird, not going to lie.
The next major issue with thigh rigs is that they don’t allow for consistent hand placement during the draw if the shooter is moving at all. It’s simple body mechanics: your waist line doesn’t move, but your legs do. If you step off the line of attack and draw from a belt holster, the gun won’t have moved from it’s relative location from your hand. But if you do the same with a thigh rig, it will have shifted several inches either direction depending on which way you stepped. If you fall to the ground, a belt holster will keep the gun in the same relative position, but again not necessarily so for a thigh rig. You legs move independent of your center, your waist doesn’t. Sure you can train around this, but it’s just another issue that other systems don’t have.
One of the last concerns with thigh rigs is accessibility. When in a standing position the handgun is pretty accessible, even when wearing armor – a big advantage. But take a seat in your vehicle and things change rapidly. When in a seated position, even a proper fitting thigh rig forces the user to draw the weapon horizontally into the back rest of the seat. This is no simple task, considering your draw elbow will be impeded by your seat back. A belt mounted or chest mounted system is much more useful in this situation since the drawing arm is not hampered by any physical structures of the vehicle.
Now that’s not to say thigh rigs are without their merit. Like we said before, it can be a good thing to use if you have heavy armor or equipment that would otherwise prevent you from using a belt holster. But even then, could you chest mount it? The thigh holster looks cool and has it’s place, but it might not be as great as we all thought. Weigh it into your needs for concealment, vehicle use, arm positioning, and movement requirements and decide if it’s the best option. If it’s not, simply disregard it.
The one rig that I would soundly recommend from limited personal use is the Safariland Rogers thigh rig. Designed by Bill Rogers, it’s got one low strap to keep things comfortable (and off your boys) and a flexible, wing-like mounting loop that forces the user to keep the holster high. This design keeps the holster relatively stable and helps reduce movement of the holster from use and user motion, keeping the draw stroke relatively consistent.
SS/SR,
-Z
The AR-t of War 