Holsters 101
(12 Photos)
If you think there's a wide variety of handguns to choose from these days, wait until you get a load of all the holsters and retention systems folks have devised for carrying them. While it's not possible to review every option on the market, here is an introduction to some of the more common holster types available.
Posted by: B. Gil Horman
Small-of-the-Back Holsters
This holster moves a pistol from the strong-side hip around to the back of the body near the spine. It’s a holster style often seen in police and detective TV shows and movies. Shown here is the comfortable El Paso Saddlery Back Slide, featuring an adjustable tension screw and reinforced back flap.
The primary advantage of small-of-the back carry is the elimination of the strong-side bump produced by hip holsters. And, like the strong-side holster, it works well with a variety of pistol sizes. The disadvantage of these holsters is the increased arch of motion required to draw a handgun and align it with a target. This extended arch may result in the pistol “muzzling” the shooters body as it travels around. It's important to practice with this style of holster to ensure that the muzzle does not cover anything you don't want to shoot.
