Safety Matters
How to Safely Use
a Shoulder Holster
By Kathy Jackson
Perhaps the most dangerous moment in any firearms class happens when new students
begin using their holsters for the first time. But even experienced shooters can
fall into some common safety pitfalls when using a holster. These pitfalls, and
techniques for avoiding them, are shown in the photo essay below.
Shoulder holster dangers
The Danger: The brachial artery in the upper arm can be at risk during the draw from a shoulder
holster and again during the reholstering process. An accidental discharge at this
point would very likely result in the shooter's death from rapid blood loss.
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How to stay safe: the basic draw
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The non-dominant hand slaps the dominant shoulder while the shooter lifts her elbow
high out of the way. At the same time, the dominant hand acquires a firing grip
on the gun with the finger far outside the trigger guard.
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The elbow remains elevated until the gun has cleared the area, then drops as the
non-dominant hand races to obtain a solid grip. Note that the entire area to the
left of the shooter will be swept; for this reason, you should always take the far-left
shooting position and make sure there's a solid backstop to that side during practice.
If this is not possible on your range, you can practice the shoulder holster drawstroke
with a dummy gun at home.
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The trigger finger should not go to the trigger until the sights are on target and
the decision to fire has been made. This necessary decision needn't slow you down,
since you can decide whether or not you will fire before you even begin to draw,
or at any point during the drawstroke.
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How to stay safe: the draw from concealment
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The fastest draw begins with the hand on the holstered gun. Note the arms are overlapped,
but not crossed. Although the dominant hand has already acquired a solid grip on
the gun underneath the cover garment, the finger is off the trigger and well away
from the trigger guard. If there is a retention snap, it may be unsnapped at this
point, or you can simply have your fingers in place to unsnap it immediately when
needed.
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As the dominant hand begins to retract the gun, the non-dominant hand moves to the
opposite shoulder and the shooter begins lifting her elbow at the same time.
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To avoid crossing the brachial artery, the non-dominant elbow lifts high out of
the way during the drawstroke. In very close quarters, this same basic motion could
easily become an elbow jab to create distance.
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As the gun passes the point of the elbow, the elbow drops and the non-dominant hand
comes forward to join the gun hand. Note that the gun has swept everyone and everything
to the shooter's left during the draw. This is unavoidable during an actual encounter,
but during practice, every possible step should be taken to avoid endangering others.
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The hands join near the midline as the gun is moving forward. Take care that the
non-dominant hand does not travel ahead of the gun during this step.
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The decision to fire has been made, so the finger is on the trigger as soon as the
sights align on target. If the shooter did not intend to fire immediately, the finger
would remain alongside the frame rather than on the trigger.
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Except where otherwise noted, all articles and images on
this web site © 2006-2009 by Kathy Jackson. For permission to quote, please
contact author.
All photos by Bob Jackson.
No photographers or authors were endangered during the creation of this article.
The yellow plastic training barrel shown in the photos, which rendered the firearm
inert and unable to fire, cost approximately $15 and was purchased from Blade-Tech
Industries in Tacoma.
Blade-Tech Industries
2506 104th Street Court South
Building H
Lakewood, WA 98499
Phone: (877) 331-5793
Website: www.blade-tech.com
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