The hawkeyed newshounds at MSNBC caught this travesty at a recent town hall protest in Portsmouth, NH:
I know, I’m thinking it too: Why on earth was that guy wearing his sidearm in a drop-leg holster? I didn’t see an all over plate carrier on him? And it was adjusted way too low. Putting your gun that low makes it harder to reach than it should be. The top leg strap should be snug on your crotch.
Look, if you’re not wearing a plate, put the gun on your belt. It’s easier to get to and retain.
I didn’t get a good look at the rig, but it had the air of gun show special about it. If you must have a drop-leg holster, look into a Safariland 6004. The SLS hood is a much better retention system than a simple strap. They even have models that will accommodate a sidearm with a mounted flashlight.
That was the important issue, but apparently the pansies at MSNBC were distracted by the fact that he was there at all. Hey you fucking j-school commies, it’s New Hampshire! You should have been surprised if he didn’t have a gun!
MSNBC is staffed by a bunch of cockless, unAmerican cowards who are as ignorant about personal weaponry as Tom Cruise is about vagina.
Atom Smasher | 12-Aug-09 at 10:15 am | Permalink
“MSNBC is staffed by a bunch of cockless, unAmerican cowards who are as ignorant about personal weaponry as Tom Cruise is about vagina.”
It sings. :) And I kept thinking the same thing when I saw it:
a) If you want the speed draw low rise, why not go with a single action cowboy gun which you’re going to point-shoot anyway? For Weaver-stance-ish two-handed shooting I would think you’d want a pistol holster no lower than your pocketline to bring it full up faster.
b) “Why did I bring a gun to a political rally, Mr. Matthews? Why for the same reason you bring your mouth everywhere you go: I can, it’s a protected right, and no one really seems to mind.”
Caleb | 12-Aug-09 at 10:40 am | Permalink
PDB, at times like this I fucking love you you big Canadian bastard.
A 3rd Gen Smith in a crappy drop leg holster? Who does he think he is, Will Smith from Bad Boys?
Breda | 12-Aug-09 at 10:57 am | Permalink
Now I want to find a teaparty protest where I can open carry…because I CAN.
RAH | 12-Aug-09 at 11:04 am | Permalink
What is a plate carrier you mentioned? I like drop leg holsters but do not know much about them.
aczarnowski | 12-Aug-09 at 11:08 am | Permalink
He’s clearly not wearing blue pants with a slim yellow strip at the seam. And that’s not a broom handle Mauser.
Worst Han Solo impression ever.
mike w. | 12-Aug-09 at 11:24 am | Permalink
Doesn’t matter that this guy was never a threat to Obama (or anyone else for that matter) yet the liberal media can’t help but flip it’s lid at the sight of a GUN!
Someone choosing to exercize their 1st and 2nd Amendment rights at the same time! How dare he!
Tam | 12-Aug-09 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
Okay, so the guy was obviously smack in the middle of the Venn diagram where the circles for “mall ninja” and “wookie suiter” overlap, but it was maybe worth it to see the total pants-wetting hysteria on the part of the “journalists”.
You’d have thought he had a tank of saber-toothed sharks with nuclear bombs and laser beams strapped to them, not a POS value-line S&W auto.
Michael | 12-Aug-09 at 1:16 pm | Permalink
My only response to MSNBC is….AND?
It amazes me how MSNBC got into such a tizzy over a man exercising his right according to the 2nd Amendment and New Hampshire law. Yet if this was about free speech, they would have reacted in the opposite manner.
A right is a right, doesn’t matter if it is free speech or privacy, or carrying a gun.
They just showed their true colors and hysteria over an object.
pdb | 12-Aug-09 at 2:43 pm | Permalink
What is a plate carrier you mentioned? I like drop leg holsters but do not know much about them.
I hate to say it, but if you’re interested in a chest rig / plate carrier setup you should probably give BLACKHAWK!! a look. Despite being made in Vietnam, their stuff is well stitched, reasonably priced and comes with a lifetime warranty.
The … *sigh* … Commando Recon Harness looks like a good place to start if you’re rolling with an AR.
I also own some Tactical Tailor stuff and it’s great, but I don’t have any experience with their chest rigs.
Tam | 12-Aug-09 at 3:00 pm | Permalink
“Despite being made in Vietnam…”
PDB, your info there is sooo 2004.
(Pop Quiz: When the ChiComs bought A Certain Down-Home US Nylon Company, what Tacticool US Nylon Company moved into their old plant in Idaho?)
I don’t run around telling people you live in Canada, just because you used to. :p
Caleb | 12-Aug-09 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
You only hate to say it because “Blackhawk” is a summoning word for me to come in here, typing in all caps and yelling “SERPA” left and right.
And Tam’s right, Blackhawk stuff isn’t made in ‘Nam any more than Para’s guns are made in Canada (officially as of Feb ‘09, anyway).
Tam | 12-Aug-09 at 3:38 pm | Permalink
“…typing in all caps…”
And exclamation points. Can’t forget the exclamation points. And explosions.
I really meant to ask about that ghey ad agency they use…
Caleb | 12-Aug-09 at 4:59 pm | Permalink
All they should do is show that video of Todd Jarrett doing presentations in 0.79 seconds from a Serpa holster with A-zone hits, and then add the tagline: “you suck. Todd doesn’t suck. Todd uses Blackhawk.”
Doc Merlin | 12-Aug-09 at 5:42 pm | Permalink
Hrmm, if i’m in heavy armor, i’d rather have the gun on my chest than in a low leg holster. Also the low holster is more comfortable for some situations.
ravenshrike | 12-Aug-09 at 10:55 pm | Permalink
The answer is quite simple. He watched Farscape one too many times. The main character uses some sort of plasma pulse pistol and always carries it around in a drop-leg holster.
Tam | 13-Aug-09 at 6:06 am | Permalink
I wonder how many people who have drop-leg rigs in their “bugout SHTF mall ninja” kit have actually spent a whole day wearing one. You know, getting in and out of vehicles. Going through doorways. Sitting in chairs to eat. Hiking a mile or two (who am I kidding? The average mall ninja looks like he’d stroke out if he had to hike further than the distance from his car to the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut.)
Roberta X | 13-Aug-09 at 6:34 am | Permalink
Yeah, holster non-tactical, ::shrug::.
…I note that MSNBC says “…the gun is registered to him…” That’s odd, I don’t think NH has a gun registry any more than does my own Indiana.
Tam | 13-Aug-09 at 6:39 am | Permalink
No, holster stupid and sub-optimal, but, hey, it’s a free country. You can put a bean up your nose if you want to.
Caleb | 13-Aug-09 at 6:41 am | Permalink
I like chest rigs for tacticool stuff.
pdb | 13-Aug-09 at 8:20 am | Permalink
Pop Quiz: When the ChiComs bought A Certain Down-Home US Nylon Company, what Tacticool US Nylon Company moved into their old plant in Idaho?
In the future, I’ll just shoot you an email copy of my posts so you can fact-check them in advance. It’ll save us both some work!
All they should do is show that video of Todd Jarrett doing presentations in 0.79 seconds from a Serpa holster…
Will they also show Todd shooting himself in the leg because that fucking stupid retention button puts your finger IN the trigger guard if you don’t draw absolutely correctly? I wouldn’t carry in a Serpa on a dare.
Tam | 13-Aug-09 at 8:58 am | Permalink
Dude, I obviously need to put more of those smiley face thingies in my posts.
Tam | 13-Aug-09 at 9:00 am | Permalink
Safety issues aside, any holster that sports stick-on fake carbon fiber decals offends me on general principles. It’s like having some 17 year old’s ‘92 Civic Si strapped to your hip, only minus the fart can.
pdb | 13-Aug-09 at 9:14 am | Permalink
Dude, I obviously need to put more of those smiley face thingies in my posts.
Me too, apparently.
:) :) :)
Caleb | 13-Aug-09 at 9:27 am | Permalink
Todd wouldn’t shoot himself in the leg. I’m also not Todd Jarrett, so I don’t carry in a Serpa. What can I say, pushing buttons next to the trigger makes me nervous.
I should note that if you carry a 1911, then the danger of an ND with a Serpa is ameliorated by the fact that you don’t knock the thumb safety off until the gun is level. But I sure as hell wouldn’t carry a striker fired pistol in a SERPA, no way.
aczarnowski | 13-Aug-09 at 11:15 am | Permalink
i’d rather have the gun on my chest than in a low leg holster
So would a lot of guys:
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003486.html
But who makes a MOLLE compatible holster that doesn’t double the cost of the carrier, allows for a cross draw cant, yet actually, you know, holds the pistol? I didn’t add a drop-leg to my zombie apocalypse bag, but I’m having a hard time finding a good alternative.
Tomcatshanger | 13-Aug-09 at 11:35 am | Permalink
Isn’t relying on a safety so you don’t shoot yourself not an ideal setup?
Caleb | 13-Aug-09 at 11:37 am | Permalink
Well yeah, that’s also why I keep my goddamn snot-hook off the bangswitch.
Tomcatshanger | 13-Aug-09 at 11:42 am | Permalink
As a mall ninja wanna be, I never liked the chest holsters. It’s like cross draw, but from an even more funky position, asking you to sweep your self and lots of your friends during the draw.
Why not a false belt on the bottom of the holster so you can move your favorite holster from your hip to the same basic location on the armor and then back?
Tomcatshanger | 13-Aug-09 at 11:42 am | Permalink
And hell, if you use something like this:
http://www.comp-tac.com/product_info.php?products_id=48
it should be fairly stable.
Tomcatshanger | 13-Aug-09 at 1:47 pm | Permalink
Doh, make that
“Why not a false belt on the bottom of the plate carrier”
aczarnowski | 13-Aug-09 at 5:04 pm | Permalink
“Why not a false belt on the bottom of the plate carrier”
Because there’s nothing to act in tension against the draw stroke.
Is there a carrier that runs low enough to mount an OWB holster without being low enough to cramp movement? Probably not universally. We all don’t all have the same torso lengths.
Tam | 13-Aug-09 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
pdb | 14-Aug-09 at 7:58 am | Permalink
Is there a carrier that runs low enough to mount an OWB holster without being low enough to cramp movement? Probably not universally. We all don’t all have the same torso lengths.
The HSGI Popper and the Tactical Tailor MAV are two that I know of that are cut high enough to safely use a belt holster. Other low profile rigs might work too.
Having a long torso helps. If it doesn’t work for you, look into a war bag like this.
aczarnowski | 14-Aug-09 at 8:45 am | Permalink
I can vouch for that 5.11 bag. Walked several miles with it the other day and it was pretty overloaded. Works very well in its niche, especially for the money.
The only downside is the mag flaps aren’t long enough for PMAGs to fit double up. USGI steels only if you want six on tap. Oh, and it’s right hander specific so you southpaws are SOL again.
As for rigs, my Eagle chest rig is also high enough to run a holster on the belt. That’s how I mostly solved my load out needs. The thigh holster guys are usually also the full on plate carrier guys. With that kind of upper body load, I can’t think of a carrier that would allow OWB on the pant’s belt.
Caleb | 14-Aug-09 at 9:28 am | Permalink
We seriously have people that carry those bags on a daily basis?
pdb | 14-Aug-09 at 2:11 pm | Permalink
No, it’s more of a trunk gun thing.
aczarnowski | 14-Aug-09 at 3:32 pm | Permalink
We seriously have people that carry those bags on a daily basis?
It’s just a handy way to keep everything together for the AR and I wanted to test it out. I’m no Gecko45.
I was going to check over a piece of hunting land my brother owns and figured I’d do some shooting while I was up there. Not a lot of opportunity for rifle work where I live, so I take it when I can get it. The car I had that weekend won’t make the last couple miles of minimum maintenance road, so a hike was in order. *shrug*
CounterClckWise | 17-Aug-09 at 12:15 pm | Permalink
“Have I mentioned that the above sentence is composed of 23% cake and 77% win?”
Tam, you made a mistake in your math and missed the 10% of awesomeness.
me | 22-Aug-09 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
Maybe he thought he might need to reach it while driving? Conventional hip holsters don’t work so well while seated.