Drop leg holsters - Aren't they only used when your body armor does not allow a belt carry?

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geologist

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I know it's TV fiction but I think that drop leg holsters only make realistic sense if your body armor precludes the use of a waist belt rig with your pistol on it.

Drop leg holsters unless they are very good quality and fitted very well to your body have to interfere with your ability to run and running (away from danger especially.....) is important in serious social interactions...........

They do look cool and I suppose that's why non armored characters in movies, TV and video games wear them.
 
Thunderhog said:
I’ve seen a few Armoured Car Guards wearing drop leg, tactical type holsters.

Apparently it’s for bad backs, as it takes the weight and strain off the mid-section.
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That would sound logical to me, but I wouldn't think two pounds would make much difference.
Unless maybe the person is in such bad condition that they would soon need a wheel chair.

I'll guess that any armored car guys that leg carry a gun are doing so for fun. To appear to be cool, dangerous operators.
 
Maybe it's my inexperience with holsters but, I don't like how high it sits on my hip. I wonder if a drop holster would feel more comfortable.
My arm keeps hitting it when I walk, maybe I need something other than a blade tek.
 
WilliamM said:
Maybe it's my inexperience with holsters but, I don't like how high it sits on my hip. I wonder if a drop holster would feel more comfortable.
My arm keeps hitting it when I walk, maybe I need something other than a blade tek.
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You could try the low ride Safariland belt loop and mount your holster on that.
 
For six months in AFG I wore the issue Bianchi drop leg holster. My work was indoors in chairs, and sometimes I rode in a civilian vehicles. Until you've worn a fullsize handgun every waking hour, it is hard to imagine how noticeable the weight, the heft and the imbalance it imposes.

For example, I don't wear my pants cinched tight. I wear a t-shirt tucked in and my belt tight enough to hold my pants above my hips. In warm weather a tight belt and the extra weight began to chafe. The drop leg redistributes the weight off a narrow surface on the waist to the thigh. Second, a proper holster holds the handgun firmly. If it is on the belt, the butt droops as it snags on things like seat backs and arm rests. (I know, I know, REMF problems.) The Canadian combat shirt hangs long and it covers the holster. Between drawstrings, buttons open or fastened, stuff in pockets, and a natural drape, hoicking the shirt hem over a holster gets uncomfortable after a while. Therefore, I found that as imperfect the Low Cost Bidder Bianchi is, I could carry the pistol on my leg and unconsciously roll it 90-deg from the side of my leg to sitting on top quite comfortably.
 
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Cocked&Locked said:
That would sound logical to me, but I wouldn't think two pounds would make much difference.
Unless maybe the person is in such bad condition that they would soon need a wheel chair.

I'll guess that any armored car guys that leg carry a gun are doing so for fun. To appear to be cool, dangerous operators.
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A belt full of gear including 3 high cap mags is quite heavy. Peace officers use belt suspenders under the duty vest if the duty belt bothers their back or hips. Can't imagine anyone that uses the pistol as their primary weapon wanting to use a leg holster.... If a rifle is your primary then maybe a different story
 
I could be wrong, but I think both the rider and the pistol would fair much better falling off that horse if the pistol was worn on the belt.
 
My 0.02$…

Speaking from my time in Afghanistan, the drop leg (hip extender) made sense when you had the combination of body armour worn over the original combat shirt (my last tour was 2006/07 before the OTW shirts were issued) which draped down to cover your hip pockets. Made it virtually impossible to carry a pistol on your belt in a normal configuration. It was also a heck of allot easier to draw when you’re seated in a G-Wagon or standing in a LAV hatch.

As some mention, the front of your vest makes sense, but that wasn’t an option with the non-modular CAF issued tactical vest from the era, unless you put your pistol in one of the mag pouches, which was a super slow draw as the pistol was essentially oriented straight up and down and basically under your chin. If for any reason you needed to drop your tactical vest to perform a task, climb in an AFV hatch etc, you’re without it.

Running with them on your leg sux. Many got lost due to the Bianci being design for the Beretta 92F and not the Browning HP. I modified mine to get rid of the stupid flap cover and replaced it with a strap that was 100 times more secure.

Yours truly in the middle and much younger than now :) and yes that up-armoured humvee met up with an IED
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The material they are made from must be compatable with the pants you wear. Otherwise it is a constant issue. I wore one for years. Matching pants to holster is a must. Gun retention wasn't a huge issue but it is a concern. Definitely takes the heat off your waist if you have a heavy duty belt.
 
Lots of canadian departments wear them. Parks Canada, DFO, RCMP, CO services. Some for Due to back and hip injuries some, if they wear back packs or ride horses like Parks Canada, some for tactical reasons. If you have hip injuries due to many years wearing a standard duty belt (also know as sam brown sydrome) then a load bearing vest and thigh rig can keep you in the field.
 
Thunderhog said:
Including the two tighties from the above picture!……LOL….:)

Or I hope those are both chicks!….:)
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Yes those are two girls from The Last Of Us and their holsters are specially adapted to horseback riding. In the series, people are always out riding patrols looking for trouble that might threaten their post-apocalypse settlement, so it makes sense for them to have those holsters.
 
Big Bad said:
Yes those are two girls from The Last Of Us and their holsters are specially adapted to horseback riding. In the series, people are always out riding patrols looking for trouble that might threaten their post-apocalypse settlement, so it makes sense for them to have those holsters.
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I'd carry a rifle for that job..................................
 
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