Hip or Drop Leg Holster?

[Slono]

Title says it all.

I'm wondering which one is better for all around use. I was thinking of getting a MOLLE design one so I can stick it on a leg rig or use it on a belt, interchangeably. The only down side is that I'd have to buy a leg rig and if one is better than the other I may as well stick to one instead of spending extra cash to be flexible.

So:

Drop leg, or Hip?

[pusangani]

kinda depends on your playing style too, if you are crawling around alot and whatnot

[Slono]

Well I'm a pistol guy - probably not the ideal for combat, especially in a real situation where a guy with a rifle would slaughter your ass if you were just carrying a pistol - and I'm only planning on playing in CQB for now. I may branch off to outdoor fields later on.

[theguy]

I have both a drop leg and a belt mounted holster.

I play outdoors, so maybe my advice won't be as helpfull to you.

I find, in situations where i need my pistol, having it belt mounted is more practical, and easier to draw quickly, however, i find my belt mounted holster sometimes gets in the way, so i usually play with a drop-leg.

[Slono]

Hm. Are leg drops a mobility hindrance assuming you are USING the pistol? So basically is an empty leg drop holster (but with 1 mag in the extra pouch) annoying to run around with?

*Off topic*:Have you been on the field at Bingeman's? I was just there at the water park with some friends and it was hella fun, and I noticed the paintball field but didn't know it was used for airsoft as well.

[six4]

Being a pistol user,,sometimes as a primary,, I found drop legs to be a huge hinderance when running,or low crawling. Not to mention how much faster the drop leg gets filled with dirt most of the time due low crawling and such. So I use a hip holster. However,,compare this using a serpa or safariland holster and its a whole differant game entirely. For these types I would run drop leg simply because I have been up against this style of rig many times and by the time Ive drawn my pistol,even unclipped and sitting loose, I have been shot before I can even draw! It all boils down to what works for the user.

[13Fido13]

Get a serpa holster. Use the belt mounting or dropleg mounting whenever you decide you want too. Get a feel for it.

[theguy]

Originally Posted by Slono

Hm. Are leg drops a mobility hindrance assuming you are USING the pistol? So basically is an empty leg drop holster (but with 1 mag in the extra pouch) annoying to run around with?

*Off topic*:Have you been on the field at Bingeman's? I was just there at the water park with some friends and it was hella fun, and I noticed the paintball field but didn't know it was used for airsoft as well.

again, I think its all oppinion.

The last game i went to, i forgot part of my drop leg, so i had my pistol mounted somewhere in my vest, I didn't really notice it as much, and i felt like running was less of an issue.

Also, yea, thats flagraiders, theres a game every other tuesday night and soemtimes on weekends too

[coach]

I use uncle mikes on the belt, a universal drop leg and a BHI drop leg. just depends what type of game I'm playing. I change my configurations often.

if you get a molle universal holster, get a molle drop leg panel/platform.

[AngelusNex]

I've been running with a drop leg with minimal issues for years.... but I'm thinking of switching to a belt holster as my drop leg always, eventually, when the straps warm up from my body heat, gets loose and starts spinning forward when i drop prone. Though that's only after a few hours of playing. And NEVER carry a mag in the pouch attached to the holster, if the mag pouch is attached to the retention rig, that's ok, but not if it's set off from your leg(danger of loosing mag and much more likely to spin on your leg)

[heikis]

one option is to mount the holster on your chest. i find it really comfortable.

[m102404]

I find a waist/belt holster tucked back a bit (sort of rides just above my wallet...maybe a bit more forward) to be pretty comfortable...but it really depends on what other rig/stuff you're running.

With a "light" chest rig (i.e. RRV)...there's room in the back/side portion to be able to reach/draw if I need to go to my secondary.

In a "heavy" rig (i.e. CIRAS)...the mobility and clearance isn't enough (for me) to reach naturally and draw the pistol from the belt. It'll be a drop leg for that one.

I'm not sure about others...but either you'd want the pistol sitting low and out of the way enough so you don't jam it into your gut/side when you twist/turn/rotate your torso around.

A leg "drop" rig...shouldn't be so low on your thigh that it's hard to reach. It should be as high up as possible and only "dropped" enough so that the pistol can clear the rig that you're wearing. Usually that means that the top of the pistol is right around the level of your front pockets on your pants. To me...it seems retarded when guys have to bend over to reach their pistols in their drop legs.

A buddy tried the MOLLE holster on the side panel of the rig. Unless you set it up cross draw, it's kind of hard to reach to your side and clear the pistol. At least for me...my arm/shoulder isn't flexible enough. Position your unloaded pistol on your side and try to draw upwards...then move it a bit more to the front of your ribcage and draw again. Easier on the front.

I tried the Blackhawk Serpa Strike plate (molle plate) on the front bib of a rig. It works, it's fast. But I was running a single point sling and the sling would get caught in the handle of the pistol grip. Not exactly great for when you need to transition to your secondary and what you just let go (rifle on sling) is blocking your path to it. I'm sure that different slings/stuff might help...I just didn't want to mess with what I was comfortable with. Having a cocked and locked 1911/2011 pointed at your weak side arm when holstered really made me nervous. It shouldn't go off as you bumble through the bush...but you never know about mechanical safeties right? Didn't worry with a decocked 226 type pistol though.

The one thing I didn't like about putting the pistol/mags in the front (i.e. on bib, in a front pouch, forward mounted molle on rig) was laying in the muck with it. More than once we were laying in swampy depressions and I was thinking..."this can't be good for my gas pistol".

Don't forget about positioning your pistol mags. Having an extra mag on your drop leg is near impractical to get to in a real hurry. Putting them up front will jam them into whatever you're leaning against. Not putting a flap over them...and they'll fall out in the field.

Have fun, best of luck finding a rig. Get out to some games and ask the guys what they're running and how they like it.

Tys

[Roughneck]

I've gone through several different holsters over the years, here's my experience:

Drop legs are great in CQB are when you don't crawl through the brush too much. They all seem to move around on my leg and even when hooked up to a good belt, they never stay at the right height. I've tried many drop legs, and the only one I've found that's worth a damn is the Seals Action Gear universal.

I have a molle pistol holster that I placed on the side of my LBV, directly under my right arm (I'm right handed). The draw was a little long, but with practice I got used to it. The only real problem was re-holstering took quite a bit of effort, I now use it to hold a second pistol if the day/game/scenerio calls for it. Cross draw is out of the question for me as I crawl/lay prone a lot and would damage the pistol.

I tried a drop leg Serpa, but ran into the same issue of the holster moving around too much on my leg. I've since gone back to the Serpa but now I have it on a belt placed at my hip. Works great so far.. I also keep mags on the front of my vest.. no issues there at all.

EDIT: The next best thing to a Serpa in my opinion is my belt mounted leather WWII holster for my 1911. Protects the pistol and draws/returns are quick. A little hot water to form it to the pistol and you're all set. Looks bad ass old school too!
Hope that helps.

[Aegiis]

I'm running a Blackhawk dropleg, but after a dive in a ditch (and a 3 hours cleanup job afterwards), I moved it higher near the hip.

I'm now looking to go Serpa too, either on the first line or on the vest, depending if its outdoor or indoor.

And I never run a magazine in the holster's mag pouch, simply because the rig is on my left leg (You guessed, I'm a south paw) and going for a mag change with your right hand trying to reach your left thigh while being engaged or just trying to keep eye contact on the opposition is not fast nor easy.

Run mag pouches on your belt, on your opposite side from the firing one, faster, easier. I find that mag pouches for pistols on vests usually end up to high on the chest for them to be pratical, I use them for secondary items like a pen, a cigar, flashlight, kill glowstick, etc.

Having the holster and the mags on the belt also means that , for any reasons, if I want to ditch the vest, I don't need to transfer the mags, they're already in place.

My 2 cents

[Brian McIlmoyle]

We see drop leg rigs in use more and more often in the real world.. as guys load more and more armour and gear on the upper body a belt holster becomes impractical.

The likelyhood that they will find themselves prone and crawling in a semi urban environment reduces the liabilities of a drop leg rig.

But this is AS .. so there are different issues

1. Everyone I know that has ever lost a pistol or found it full of sand/ mud when they went for it ... was running a drop leg rig

2. most people wear their grop leg rigs too low.. the pistol grip should be at or just below the hip socket This way the grip is at a stationary point on the body in motion and you can always find it.

Personally.. I wear drop leg rigs for CQB But never in the field .. I typically wear a belt holster with a flap retention, ( oldschool CF issue ) on my first line. or I put my sidearm in my most right most mag pocket on my chest rig.
Mags for the pistol go on the first line.. with one at easy access on the second line.

Sometime when I run a heavy assault Chest rig ( warlord ) Ill put the sidearm ( a compact single stack pistol ) in the rear side zip pouch .. it stays put there.. and I'm a zip and a clutch from shots downrange.