Backcountry pistol holster options

[Triple BB]

We were charged one time by a grizz in the Thorofare. I had my spray on my hip. My guide already had his pistol out and started firing at the bear as he closed in. I was layered up with jackets. By the time I finally got my spray out, the bear had turned and was headed back into the trees. Glad I saw this thread as I recently picked up a G20 in 10mm. If you've never been charged by a bear, you don't realize how quick they can cover a short distance. I'll be getting one of these chest holsters...

 

[timeless61]

I had a razco for many days in the field, but ended up with a lost pistol on a bear packout. I've been happy with my Hosking holster. Has a removable retention strap. Can be as custom as you want and at a reasonable price. http://www.hoskingholsters.com/

I wear it under an FHF without issue. I do have a WML on my pistol.

I use a razco as I prefer having my pistol on my chest. Sometimes you drop your pack on a stalk or sit down for lunch and end up wandering off to talk to a man about a horse. Binos rarely come off so niether does my pistol and I like it that way.
I have had it drop out of the razco so now I use one of those rubber coated, twisty things that loops over the back of the pistol so it cannot be pulled put by snagging brush. Keeps it secure but allows quick access in case you need to draw.

Two that had Razco retention issues. Do they just not have great retention? When I use Safariland or others I have never given retention a second thought. Are Razco not adjustable? I wanted to get one for bottom of bino harness but sounds like better to stick with the Kenai.

 

[southpa]

Two that had Razco retention issues. Do they just not have great retention? When I use Safariland or others I have never given retention a second thought. Are Razco not adjustable? I wanted to get one for bottom of bunk harness but sounds like better to stick with the Kenai.

Love my razco. Fit is exact with no slop or wiggle/play. They just do not have a strap/retention apparatus. Brush can snag and pull the pistol if you're not paying attention. I mitigated it with an easy fix. I'll try and post a pic later

 

[DanWyo]

Two that had Razco retention issues. Do they just not have great retention? When I use Safariland or others I have never given retention a second thought. Are Razco not adjustable? I wanted to get one for bottom of bino harness but sounds like better to stick with the Kenai.

I went with a Hosking chest holster and retention strap. I don't recommend the razco.

 

[DPMShunter]

I have used a hill people gear heavy recon kit bag with their binocular bucket for a few years now. I love the fact I can have my gun fully covered but still get it into action very fast. I can also carry all the gear I need to survive if I get separated from my backpack for some reason.

 

[.gacton]

This

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Level 3 tactical locking holster so if you are climbing a tree, running, etc, it's not falling out. Your trigger finger touches the release and it's out and ready to fire. Strapped to your thigh, it's ready to draw, but not in your way. I would alternate in the magazine the 10mm extreme defender. There's a video on Youtube and both rounds will penetrate AR500 steel plate for a vest, the defender does more internal damage.

I have one of these and love it, but did notice one issue. No matter how I had it adjusted, my rifle was constantly bumping the pistol. I had the rifle slung, using trekking poles as we walked. Otherwise it's great.

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

I just picked up an Alaska Guide Creations holster for my little .22 WMR finisher. Seems like a promising option with some mounting versatility to a waist belt or pack belt.

 

[Rhino Hunter]

I have a FHF bino harness. Razco makes a chest holster that hangs off of the bottom of the FHF bino harness. They look pretty sweet.

Razco Bino Harness Holster | FHF Gear

FHF Gear and Razco have teamed up to bring you a new and improved edition of our favorite chest holster that attaches easily to all of our foundation pieces.

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[Bowhunter#18]

I run a Bullseye paddle holster with my Glock 29. It works perfect on my pack and slides off very easily to transfer to my hip when I drop my pack. If you don't think it is important believe me. I was the only guy in camp with my pistol on my hip when we were cooking supper one evening in elk camp last year. We had a cat stalk up 5 feet behind me when my buddy started screaming in my face at the cat crouching behind me. I was the only one with gun and a cat with ears penned back trying to figure out who to chew on first. Believe me it's a hole different type of adrenaline when it won't leave and just stands there staring at you. One gun was on his pack in the truck and the other was laying on his bag in the tent. I use the same holster in Alaska for a float hunt and it worked perfectly on that trip also.

 

[coopsdaddy]

Ivory holster for my g20.Goes from pack belt to belt quickly.

 

[Davyalabama]

I feel that chest holsters are a cool concept that don't pan out as well in real world use unless you have a very small footprint gun. ... Any kind of gun with a full sized or longer barrel is going to be a pain to draw from it. Think about trying to pull a gun either horizontally or diagonally off your chest and have the barrel clear the holster, then add the range of motion restriction of having a pack on. Agreed.

Depending on what brand of bino harness you carry there are attachment options, but that puts even more pressure/weight on your thoracic cavity which, for me, makes it harder to breathe while hiking or doing other strenuous activity. Agreed

There are plenty of holsters out there which are compatible with Safariland's QLS system or G-Code's RTI system which allow you to unclip holsters and move them between different platforms. I would put one female portion on your pack belt, and carry another on a paddle or something that could quickly slip onto your belt. Then just transfer the holster to either one depending on what you are doing. Agreed

Personally for me, I like the Safariland system for retention and with minimal practice the thumb rides the release, trigger finger rides the rail and out it comes. If you have a longer coat, which with the amount of walking I wouldn't see why one would, but if you do this, one could run a tactical thigh holster. I run one of these a lot during the season. I guess with the amount of time I have spent with one of these, it just makes sense to me to keep running what works for me.