holster

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A handgun holster is a device used worn to hold, or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use.

Basic functions of a holster

Holsters are generally designed to offer protection to the handgun, secure retention, and ready access. The need for ready access is often at odds with the need for security and protection, so the user must decide what his/her individual needs are. Choosing the right balance can be very important, especially in the case of a defensive weapon holster, where failure to access the weapon quickly, or damage or loss of the weapon due to insufficient retention or protection could result in the user's death or serious injury.

Holsters are generally designed to be used with one hand, allowing the object to be removed and/or replaced with the same hand. To be able to return an item to a holster one-handed, the holster must be made from stiff material that holds its shape, so that the holster won't collapse when the object is no longer inside to give it support.

Holsters are generally attached to a person's belt or waistband, or clipped to another article of clothing. Some holsters, such as ankle holsters, have integrated support. Other holsters may fit inside a pocket, to add stability and protection to the handgun, keeping it more reliably secure and accessible than if it were in the pocket alone.

Holsters are generally in a location where they can be readily accessible, such as near the waist, chest, behind the back, at the ankle, inside the pants, or upper thighs of the user.

Materials

Since holsters are best made from fairly stiff yet tough materials, there are a limited number of common choices. The traditional material, particularly for handgun holsters, is leather. Leather has an attractive appearance, and can be found dyed in many colors and/or embossed with elaborate designs for cosmetic reasons.

Ballistic nylon is another common fabric for holsters, as it is stiff, wear resistant, and thick enough to provide protection.

Molded plastics, such as Kydex, are also popular, due to their low cost and robustness.

Firearms holsters

A pistol holster for Browning HP

Holster designs for firearms cover a wide range of shapes, materials, and retention/release mechanisms, from simple leather pouches hanging from a belt to highly protective holsters with flaps that cover the entire handgun, to highly adjustable competition holsters that hold the handgun at a precise position and release instantly with the right pressure. The wide range of types indicates the highly varied circumstances in which holsters are used, and the varying preferences of the users.

Categories of firearms holster use

Holsters can be divided into four broad categories by use: duty holsters, worn by uniformed peace officers and security personnel; tactical holsters, worn by military, security, and law enforcement personnel in certain situations; concealment holsters, worn by plainclothes peace officers and private persons; and sporting holsters, worn for shooting sports and hunting.

Duty holsters are designed to be carried openly, so concealment is not an issue, but retention and appearance are. Duty holsters can be made of leather (plain, basketweave, or glossy), nylon, or plastic; they are designed to be attached to a duty belt, and worn on the dominant side. Duty holsters are generally only found for service and compact size handguns, as there is no reason to carry a subcompact handgun unless concealment is needed. The Berns-Martin is one example of a high-security revolver duty holster.

The primary characteristic that often distinguishes duty holsters from all other holster designs is retention. Modern law enforcement duty holsters are available with varying levels of retention security (i.e. Level I, Level II, Level II+, Level III, etc.); some security features are passive (such as retention screws, decoy straps, and Safariland's SLS hood guard accessory), while others are active and require deliberate manipulation by the officer during the draw (such as traditional thumbreak snaps, Safariland's SLS system and SLS Sentry accessory). While a higher level of retention will make it more difficult for a suspect to snatch a holstered handgun away from an officer, it may also reduce the speed and ease with which an officer may draw his handgun (especially if the security features are active and not passive). Therefore, when selecting a duty holster, an officer may be forced to select a balance of speed and retention that he/she is comfortable with.

Tactical/Military holsters are usually made of nylon or plastic. They may be made in a camouflage pattern to match the wearer's uniform. They are often of a drop-leg design. Some military holsters still use the old flap design (also referred to as a "suicide" or "widow maker" holster), which is cumbersome and slow on the draw, but provides greater protection for the holstered firearm against the elements.

It should be noted that there is some overlap between duty holsters, tactical holsters, and military holsters. Weapon retention is generally nowhere as paramount a consideration in military use as it is in law enforcement due to the differences in their work environments.

A horsehide pocket holster with a Taurus Millennium PT145

Concealment holsters are designed to be easily concealed, as well as lightweight and unobtrusive; they are generally designed for subcompact and compact handguns, since they are easier to conceal.

Concealment holsters are designed to be worn under clothing (such as on the belt under a coat, under pants in an ankle holster, or in a trouser pocket). Since the holster is held close to the body, comfort is important, and concealment holsters often have broad surfaces in contact with the user's body, to distribute the pressure across a wider area and prevent abrasion of the skin. Protecting the handgun from the user's perspiration is often an important consideration in such carry locations.

Often the outside of the holster is broader, to help break up the outline of the handgun and prevent printing, where the outline of the gun can be seen through clothing. For pocket holsters, the external flat side is often the side with a nap, or rougher surface, to hold the holster in place when drawing the pistol.

"Sporting" holsters cover the widest range, from holsters with maximum access for Fast Draw shooting, to highly adjustable holsters used in IPSC and pin shooting, to old-fashioned holsters used in Cowboy Action Shooting such as the Bridgeport rig, to high retention, maximum protection holsters used for handgun hunting, to simple holsters used to hold a handgun while out plinking. Like any sporting equipment, sporting holsters evolve to maximize the benefits given the rules of the game, where applicable, so the competitive sports have the most specialized holsters.

Holsters for hunting tend to be unique, as they are designed to carry the largest handguns, and often must make allowances for telescopic sights. The largest handguns are often carried in holsters that are slung across the shoulder, and removed from the body before the handgun is drawn. Slow access is acceptable in this case because the handgun is not expected to be used for defensive purposes.

Categories by method of wearing

Popular holster types are:

• Outside the waistband (OWB) or belt holsters, are most commonly used by police and military, and by citizens who choose to Open carry. Belt holsters can be worn relatively high and close to the body, slightly behind the hip bone ("4:00 position"), and can be concealed under a long, untucked shirt or jacket.
• Inside the waistband (IWB) holsters, which clip or mount to a belt and allow one to securely holster the weapon inside the pants. Some IWB holsters give the wearer the option of tucking a shirt over the firearm and holster.
• Shoulder holsters consist of two straps connected in a manner similar to a backpack, with the actual holster mounted to a strap on the right or the left side. Shoulder holsters are designed to position the handgun: 1. in a vertical position, with the barrel pointed generally toward the ground; 2. in a vertical position, with the barrel pointed generally upward; 3. in a horizontal position, with the barrel pointed generally behind the wearer.
• The "belly band" holster is a wide elastic belt with a built-in holster, usually worn under a untucked shirt, to facilitate access. There are various types, worn at the belt line or higher, with the gun placement anywhere from in front to under the armpit. In order to remain in place, a belly band must be extremely tight; this is generally uncomfortable - it is comparable to wearing a girdle.
• Pocket holsters are used for very small weapons, such as a back-up gun or a mousegun.
• Small of Back holsters place the weapon directly over the center of the back, allowing for even large handguns to be carried with little printing. While both comfortable and stylish, should the wearer fall onto the weapon (such as in a close quarters fight) serious spinal injury (including paralysis) may occur. For this reason, in recent times many police departments in the US have disallowed any equipment, gun, handcuffs, etc, to be worn in this position.
• Groin holsters place the handgun mostly below the waistline around the 12:00 position. There are no body movement restrictions and very few clothing restrictions with this holster type.
• Thigh holsters are a popular military and police item that holds the sidearm on the leg right where the hand naturally hangs, making for a relatively fast draw. Early U.S. cavalry units used these in the early 1900s with a leather thong strapping it to the leg. Modern ones often use a drop leg PALS grid with a modular holster attached. Often with buckles for quick release. Police and military members personnel these when a bulky vest makes belt carry impractical.
• Ankle holsters offer excellent concealment and are used often by law enforcement officials who wish to carry a secondary weapon to back up their primary firearm.
• Chest holsters can be attached to MOLLE compatible vests and chest carriers. Like shoulder holsters, chest holsters are often easier to draw from than belt holsters when the operator is seated inside a vehicle.

Other, specialized types of holsters are designed to be mounted inside briefcases, day planners, purses and filofaxes, or even articles of clothing.

When choosing a holster for a firearm, factors of interest include:

• Safety - a well designed holster will provide protection to the handgun during insertion into or removal from the holster or while being carried that will: 1. prevent accidental trigger movement; 2. prevent accidental disengagement of the safety mechanism; 3. prevent forward or rearward movement of the hammer. These features will vary greatly as applicable to the action of the handgun. The safety features of a holster very much require that the holster be engineered and designed for each specific manufacture and model of handgun.
• Retention - a holster designed with retention in mind will help prevent a gun from being removed from the holster by anyone other than the person wearing it. Modern duty holsters have multiple hidden retention devices to this end. Frequently, retentive holsters are custom designed for a specific model of gun.
• Concealment - it is often desirable not to alert other people of one's being armed. A carefully designed and worn holster can make a gun virtually invisible. Almost all concealment holsters are designed to be worn with a covering garment that is part of the wearer's everyday attire.
• Comfort - ability to wear a gun for an extended period without excessive discomfort.
• Finish - a well designed holster should not snag a pistol or excessively abrade its finish.
• Draw ease - practical shooting holsters allow a gun to be presented quickly, but drawing ease is often compromised in concealed carry
• Durability - ability to withstand abuse and long-term usage without mechanical failure or impaired performance
• Ease of reholster - a rigid holster will allow a gun to be returned to it with one hand, while a flexible one may collapse after the gun is drawn, requiring the use of both hands to reholster.
• Adjustability - a holster that provides for the adjustment of gun cant and position can aid in both comfort or concealment.
• Price - modern holsters for a $500 handgun can cost $20 to $200. Some users will require multiple holster types per gun, while others may prefer a generic holster for carrying multiple gun types.

See also

Look up holster in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Kydex
• Bianchi International
• Police duty belt
• Paddle holster

External links

• Police Policy Studies Council article on choosing a duty holster
• Del Fatti Leather list of questions to answer when choosing a holster
• Common gun holster examples explaining the purpose of the different style firearm holsters on the market.
• Holster list of questions to answer when choosing a holster market.