Why Ankle Holsters are a Great Option for Concealed Carry
BY Herschel Smith
3 years ago
Absurd and useless. Those are the words I would’ve used to describe ankle holsters—before I started rocking one. If you are inexperienced with them, you probably imagine having to drop to your strong-side knee, pulling up your pant cuff and drawing the pistol. That doesn’t sound terribly efficient and it’s difficult to envision many scenarios where you’d have that kind of leisure.
In point of fact, though, an ankle holster is very often the best way to carry in a variety of scenarios, particularly those in which you’d be seated.
Let’s say you have an office job in which you’re sitting at your desk all morning. Then you drive to a restaurant to meet a friend for lunch. Afterward, you hop back in your car and return to work. Nothing strange or infrequent about that, yet it demonstrates the utility of a good ankle holster. Seated at a desk, the holster can be accessed without your getting up or rocking or having to worry about clearing your chair’s armrest. (Also, if seeking to maintain discretion while carrying in an office, few carry methods are as discreet as an ankle holster.)
In the car on the way to and from the restaurant, if needed you can access your gun without having to lean hard to the side or worry about clearing the seatbelt. Assuming you drive an automatic transmission, an ankle rig is also a faster draw than from a glove box, console or onboard gun vault, one you can make without taking your eyes off the threat or the road.
I don’t disagree with all of that, but I still disagree with the title of the article. Time to presentation is slower when you have to pull up your pant leg, and we all know it.
I say that as one who ankle carries often.
On December 8, 2021 at 6:49 am, Red in OleVirginny said:
I like ankle carry as well – but it’s for my 3rd gun. I have my primary w/several spare mags, my Redneck Reload (2nd gun) and usually a Beretta Tomcat or Ruger LCP for ankle carry.
I enjoy the blog – thanks for your hard work.
Best Regards,
Red in OleVirginny
On December 8, 2021 at 10:02 am, ExpatNJ said:
Herschel wrote:
“Time to presentation is slower when you have to pull up your pant leg …”.
What if a Defender wears shorts?
I would be concerned about Defenders with lower-extremity circulation-problems (PAD [Peripheral Arterial Disease], Venous Statis/Insufficiency, Cellullitis, etc). Strapping-on what is essentially an ankle-weight could worsen these conditions.
On December 8, 2021 at 10:03 am, James said:
Sorry, that link did not seem to work right.
On December 8, 2021 at 12:50 pm, Herschel Smith said:
It works for me. Sorry, there’s nothing more I can do.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/why-ankle-holsters-are-a-great-option-for-concealed-carry/
On December 8, 2021 at 3:03 pm, Dan said:
Always have a gun and if ankle carry is all you’ve got, it has to do. Probably the worst way, but whatever. It makes a little more sense for a second gun. The article fails to mention that is near impossible to conceal an ankle gun when sitting. Alone in a car, no problem, but be very careful sitting in public. If you don’t care if made, why the hell would you carry on your ankle? Also, forget boots, most jeans, shorts, etc. And you will walk funny. And, I am old and stiff. Me getting to an ankle gun is so slow to be comical.
On December 8, 2021 at 4:32 pm, Levi Garrett said:
I remember hearing Clint Smith say that he often ankle-carried a backup gun (revolver?) in the event that he ended up on the ground in a fight.
On December 8, 2021 at 6:00 pm, Daniel K Day said:
ExpatNJ: Do you wear boots with high ruffles to conceal the ankle gun when you’re rocking shorts? Otherwise, that sounds like open carry.