For the outdoorsman, holsters for carrying hunting handguns in the field are as personal as the guns themselves. Several factors can weigh in when you’re choosing the right holster for field carry. One is gun size. The holster carrying my short-barreled single-action revolver will differ from the one securing a larger, scoped revolver or Thompson/Center Contender.
Another factor is the method of hunting to be done. The hunter riding horseback after a pack of hounds hot on a mountain lion’s trail might need a different rig than the tree stand hunter.
Weather can dictate how we wear our particular handgun on a given day, as well. On a clear, sunny day we might go with a good belt holster, but on a cold day of drizzle or a sky laden with low-hanging clouds intent on spitting snow, slip our gun into a neat shoulder or chest rig under our coat.
The last factor, and one we want to try to avoid if at all possible, is budget. No good will come from carrying a gun in a cheap, ill-fitting holster. I swore off using such gear many years ago when I jumped a narrow creek and promptly baptized my .44 six-gun.
Do yourself and your handguns a favor, always invest in the best holster money can buy. You won’t regret it and they will last you a long, long time. The holsters discussed in this article are highly recommended.
Belt Holster
The strong side belt holster is a good way of wearing a handgun, especially one with barrel lengths of 4 to 5.5 inches. Some will find wearing a belt gun cumbersome and fight gravity all day long with saggy britches. First, make sure your pants belt is wide and thick enough to support the weight of a holstered gun.
Wearing an actual gun belt or cartridge belt is another sound choice for wearing a holstered gun. Buckled over the waist, on top of a pants belt, or slightly below it, a wide gun belt of 2-5 to 3 inches in width helps distribute the weight of the gun.
A little trick to help keep the belt from riding up when sitting or kneeling is to slip the gun belt under a sheathed knife worn on the pants belt. You can also do what the folks of law enforcement have done for many decades: use belt keepers to connect your pants belt to the gun belt, which makes it all wear better.
Cross Draw
The same applications of the strong-side belt holster can be used for the cross-draw holster. The cross-draw is a viable option for longer-barreled guns and a good choice for the stand hunter and most other hunting situations.
It has advantages over some carry methods, especially if a lot of sitting or riding is to be done. With the appropriate cant, the cross-draw holster can be worn forward of the support side hip bone and remain out of the way while performing tasks in the field and remain clear of the rifle that is slung over the strong-side shoulder.
The quality Bianchi holster pictured here is a good option for carrying a handgun, even my long-barreled S&W Model 29.
Chest Rigs
The chest rig is an excellent method of carry for the handgunner. Big guns, little guns, scoped or iron sighted, they all work in a good chest rig. The design evenly distributes the weight of the gun, making for comfortable carry all day long. Safariland or Bianchi don’t offer chest rig options for wheelguns, so these are the chest rigs I’d suggest.
I have two different versions of Barranti Leather Company’s chest rigs. The Northwest Hunter rig is made of quality leather and is simply worn by hanging the padded strap over the strong side shoulder. This rig works really well and is a handy way of comfortably carrying a handgun.
The other rig is the Ridge Runner. This chest rig is fastened around the torso by a nylon strap attached to a synthetic buckle clip, the handgun is worn snuggly in the center of the chest. My personal rig pictured here was a prototype. The final version that is currently en route to field test on safari will have pieces of elastic incorporated onto the straps that will fit snuggly, yet give a little as needed, making the Ridge Runner even more comfortable to the wearer.
While reviewing and hunting with the S&W Model 350, I decided I wanted to scope the big revolver in order to get the full potential out of the flat-shooting 350 Legend cartridge.
Gunfighters INC’s Kenai Scoped Hunter Rig was the perfect choice to carry this gun to the field. The holster body is made of Kydex and the revolver firmly “clicks-in” when holstering. A synthetic flap is then pulled over the scope and secured by an elastic cord to a hook on the holster body. This holds the revolver tightly, even for jogging, and can easily be zipped up under a jacket when the weather turns bad. Simply Rugged Holsters also has a good chest rig for the traditionalist wanting to stay with all-leather gear.
Shoulder Holster
The shoulder holster is a good choice for keeping a hunting handgun out of the weather where it can ride under a coat or jacket and remain free of rain and snow.
While this article is aimed at (uh, pun intended) holsters for handgun hunters, I’d like to add that this is a good option for concealed carry, especially in cool weather when a vest or jacket can be worn, and the shoulder holster is excellent for the gun toter who is seated or traveling.
I had read descriptions of the shoulder rig tiring the wearer’s shoulders after many hours of use. Personally, I find it quite comfortable. Bianchi’s Model X15 is a solid option for this style of carry. This particular holster carries the gun vertically. The Model X16 allows for horizontal carry.
Holsters for Specialty Pistols
Over time, we handgunners tend to accumulate a box (okay, maybe a really BIG box!) of holsters. Some are used often and kept handy, while others are set aside because they aren’t quite right for our needs. In the end, we settle down with our favorites.
These holsters listed above are some of the ones I have come to rely on when heading out to the brush. They work for me and I am comfortable wearing them and comforted by having my guns in them.
