The Gun Counter

This is a relatively inexpensive leather shoulder holster. Cabela's had it listed at about $75 but with shipping and an instate sales tax added it totaled about $93. I've seen them advertised as high as $127 before shipping. It is pretty plain Jane. No lining, no custom boning. The stitching is adequate but does not have the details of the high dollar holsters. It is not below the adjoining surface for instance. I think the leather for the holster and two magazine carrier is in the 7 to 8 oz. range. Dimensionally it runs from 0.144 to o.125. The harness is apparently suede with what I think is a thin synthetic layer on the outward face. I'm not sure. Dimensions at 0.080. The hardware is brass. The snaps and the for the mag carrier and the holster thumb strap are sturdy and secure. It uses brass Chicago screws for the harness adjustment. The front part of the harness is riveted in a fixed position between two leather disks. The two rear pieces of the harness swivel on the spider. I was somewhat leary but it did work out.

Now for the fun part. Triple K makes these things a bit on the undersize. For instance the magazine carrier was flat as a pancake and when I first looked at it I was sure they'd sent the wrong mag carrier. The numbers on the carrier where right though. The holster was also unreasonably tight. The reviews on the Cabela sight had reported that stuffing and stretching where necessary with some models. The one I dealt with was for the Glock 17 and 19 size frame which was also for my Glock 31. I decided to heck with it and went old school.
I soaked the the holster and carrier in hot water. Greased up the pistol and mags with Lee case lube (no petroleum products and leaves basically a bees wax residue).

I could then work the pistol and mags into the leather to the point where the snaps could close with out strain. I massaged the pistol holder a bit to give more grip in the trigger guard area and made sure the front sight wouldn't drag on anything. After setting for about 24 hours, the pistol could be withdrawn smoothly, and loaded mags would drop free as the snaps were undone.

The holster is designed hold the pistol horizontally and the mags upside down vertically with no belt straps. Since I'm short waisted, I had to crank the harness up fairly high but the holster and mag carrier were stable and didn't swing out. I'm not wide through the shoulders but I'm deep enough through the upper torso that the holster conceals the G31 adequately under my motorcycle jacket. Some of you larger guys would have no problems with the fuller frame pistols like a G34 or G35.

Basically I feel that I bought a partially completed holster kit, but I'm OK with it so far.

Thy Wisdom as been recorded in the Book of Armaments

A coworker recently got his CCW permit, and wants to carry a Glock (27, I think), a .40 compact, in a shoulder holster. I asked at the range about one, and was told they don't approve of shoulder holsters as a general thing, which is why they don't sell them. They said shoulder holsters tend to muzzle sweep/cover other people. Comments?

FYI for almost the same price, you can get a miami classic from shopholsters.com (LA police gear's holster site.)

Yes shoulder holsters are unpopular with trainers and gun ranges. They have liability concerns and they don't necessarily give a crap about you surviving on the street.
It will be noted that they are still sold though. Ever wonder why?

The pistol can be drawn while sitting down. or belted in. When you take a dump you don't have to mess with your pistol or holster. You don't have to wear over size pants to make room for an IWB. If you are on a motorcycle it is quicker access win you wear a jacket. It is less likely to print when you have a short jacket on and you are sitting on a bike. It puts your pistol and two spare mags into one rig that is fairly handy to put on. Given a jacket for concealment and depending on your body build, you can carry a full size pistol and two mags with more comfort than a lot of the alternatives.
I wrote the review on the product that I bought. If you can find a better one cheaper, go for it.
Just don't get screwed on the tax or shipping and handling.

From now on no more equipment reviews to be posted from me.

Hey, Toad;

I found it useful, because I don't have a lot of experience with shoulder holsters, and since I've (a.) quit smoking, and (b.) been too sick to exercise much, the pants that used to tolerate an IWB now barely tolerate my portly butt, so I've been looking at shoulder rigs, and your review gave some good information. I might not rush out and buy one of them, but at least now I'll have a valid reason for making that decision.

Thanks for taking the time to post the info.

No offense meant, Toad, I simply wanted to hear about any downside. The CCW guy I mentioned wants one specifically for riding a motorcycle, btw.

+1 on what Toad wrote about the advantages of a shoulder holster. Over time I've come to wear my Miami Classic more often than my Ted Blocker IWB.

My only caveat is that it be a quality holster, such as the Miami Classic, or based on Toad's review, the Triple K. I most specifically do not include the $40-50 generic nylon rigs sold at most gun shows. I bought one in the early 80's and the pain of that experience made it 20 years before I tried another one (and spent the money for a good one this time).

The price Toad paid for the Triple K comes in about $100 less than the Miami Classic, but then I didn't have to fit it the way he did. When money is tight, spending the time to do that work would make sense if I needed to purchase another.

Thanks for the review!

(and OBTW, as I am apparently the designated Wiki Pimp, here's my review of the Galco)

Ditto on cheapo nylon ones. I like my Galco Jackass rig and wear it anytime I wear a jacket that I won't be taking off in public just about.

The whole muzzle covering other folks only applies if you pull the trigger while it's in your armpit. I say meh...

Toad,
A very useful review. Gives an idea of what to look for and helps in making a "how much is your time worth" type purchasing decision.