I ordered a Galco Half Harness Shoulder Holster Rig from OpticsPlanet.com last week (see thread here) and received it yesterday.

I spend a lot of time each day seated – either in the truck, at my desk, or at meeting tables – and found it difficult and uncomfortable to conceal a firearm on my waist. Despite the critics of shoulder holsters, I anticipated it would be a great way to effectively conceal a handgun while wearing Cinch Jeans and a starched, tucked-in, button-up shirt.

My first impression of the rig is that it is well made and comfortable. I chose the half harness rig as I thought it would be the most concealable option. It fits well and is remarkably concealable as the following photos depict.

I am wearing the holster over an undershirt with the belt clip attached to the waistband of my drawers. Hey, it works…









The holster conceals quite well under this short sleeve shirt:







And equally so under this long sleeve shirt:







It’s not quite as concealable under a polo type shirt, but I doubt too many folks would recognize it:







It will take a little bit of time to get used to the handgun being there and I expect to toy with the positioning over a week or so to get it set in the best position possible.

All in all, I’m happy with my purchase and I expect this to become my daily carry strategy during work hours. Sure, shoulder holsters might not be the best option, but it allows me to follow Rule #2 of gunfights. I’d recommend giving them a try.

How quickly can you draw from that holster though? I don't know if that's really an issue. But I imagine that it really could be an issue.

From under a polo shirt, not that quickly.

However, I would argue that I can rip buttons off of a shirt and draw from that holster as quickly as anyone can untuck a shirt and draw from a tuckable IWB. And it's quite a bit faster than drawing from an ankle holster sitting in the top of my boots. Once the cover garment is out of the way, it's quite simple to draw from.

Besides, I really wasn't as concerned with drawing quickly as I was with having a firearm on me in general.

Nice setup. My CHL instructor used a similar holster but said he had to be careful when reaching above his head.

I use the smart carry system with deep concealment.

Granted, don't go looking at any Weekly Hottie threads while wearing it though.

www.smartcarry.com/

Sorry for the hijack.

worst hottie thread ever.

Good review Bonz....





... and thanks for the eye candy

Pleasantly surprised that this appears to work fairly well. I have a Galco Miami Classic shoulder holster rig, may have to give it a try underneath a button down shirt.

Man, you print BAD in that polo.

doesn't that kind of holster violate the most important safety rule of firearms: keep your gun pointed in a safe direction at all times.

no.

but these do:

obviously it is not pointing at the OP. But it has the potential to be pointing at surrounding people. Such as walking in a crowd. Essentially anyone standing behind him.

quote:

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Some gun "experts" decry the shoulder holster, claiming this carry method to be intrinsically unsafe and the draw innately slower than from a belt holster, and these arguments require a reasoned answer. These aficionados seem to be fond of citing anecdotes about users shooting themselves in the offside arm during the draw or during holstering of the gun. At the very least, they mention how drawing from a shoulder holster, or even carrying a weapon in a horizontal shoulder holster, constitutes a violation of "Rule 2" ("Never let the muzzle cover anything you're not willing to see destroyed", and these criticisms are not without some initial apparent merit. Some people do handle guns carelessly. Carrying a horizontally-oriented shoulder holster under your offside arm does have the gun muzzle pointing at people and things behind you. But (rhetorical question) will the gun go off by itself? Of course not, unless it's mechanically unsound, and who would knowingly carry such a defective weapon? Static carry is therefore an example of administrative weapon manipulation, while the 4 Cardinal Rules really relate to weapon handling, since the same "Rule 2" is broken whenever you store your gun or carry it boxed up in your car, as the muzzle is always pointing at something. It's a "straw man" argument. As for unintended discharging of the weapon while drawing or holstering, these errors are largely avoided by consistent and careful obedience to "Rule 3" ("Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target", that is, both of the usual criticisms of shoulder holster safety are TRAINING issues, not innate or unanswerable condemnations of that carry mode. Yet a further criticism pertains to the problem with the gun muzzle crossing ones' offside arm, or crossing persons on that side, during the draw. Such may be unavoidable, in fact, though with practice, the risk can be minimized, again by obedience to Rule 3. 'Nuff said.

- Source

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Another way you could improve access would be to remove some of the buttons and sew them on the other side of the shirt, then put Velcro behind it to give the appearance of it being buttoned up while wearing it.

minor concern: gravity. You are relying on a button (and maybe a little friction) working against gravity to prevent your gun from falling out of the holster.

Buttons can fail, whether through human error or equipment failure.

http://gtdist.com/ProductDetail.aspx?PartNumber=511-72188-XX

Or you could buy some of these and not have to sew. Gt's has a sale every year. I picked up a bunch of short sleeve tactical shirts for $15 a piece. The only down fall is they are pretty thick, making them warmer than a traditional shirt.

Too much printing for my tastes, but if you're happy with it then that's all that matters. Of course, I'm actually looking for a gun when I look at those pictures. I'd like to think I'd notice it if you walked into my office, but I might not.