How Should A Leather Shoulder Holster Fit?

How Should A Leather Shoulder Holster Fit You?

How should a leather shoulder holster fit you? It should fit well enough for you to carry it comfortably over the course of a day. So long as the holster carries the pistol securely, is comfortable enough to use, and allows the pistol to be drawn from the holster without issue...you're good to go.

Except...it isn't that simple.

There are certain things you're looking for in a shoulder holster fit that will tell you right away whether or not you've got a good fit, and especially a good fit for concealed carry. Thing about shoulder holsters is there's a lot less wiggle room compared to IWB holsters. They're either right or they aren't.

And how can you tell if the fit is right? Let's go over the aspects of fit that you really want to pay attention to.

Get An Adjustable Leather Shoulder Holster Or Get One Tailored

What turns so many people off from a leather shoulder holster is buying one that doesn't fit them correctly. What causes that to happen is that many shoulder holsters are made to be "one size fits all."

The issue with anything that's one size fits all is that it's more like "this size doesn't really fit anyone specifically but fits some people sort of okay." That leads to a less-than perfect fit, and thus the leather shoulder holster is quickly consigned to the Holster Drawer Of Shame.

This leaves you with two options when it comes to buying a shoulder holster.

You can either buy an adjustable shoulder holster, or you can get fitted for one and purchase a shoulder holster that's tailored for you.

The former is easily ordered and, while not cheap, is at least reasonably affordable within the realm of leather goods as a whole and also within the leather holster space. Getting a leather IWB or OWB from one of the old-school fightin' leather companies isn't terribly cheap.

The latter, however, is just flat-out expensive. You can save a little money by finding an overseas maker (there are a few European outfits that specialize in tailored leather shoulder holsters) but you aren't going to save much and the shipping is going to eat up a lot of your savings.

It's up to you, but the best thing you can do is to get a shoulder holster that's adjustable, so that way you can dial in the fit.

How Should A Leather Shoulder Holster Fit?

There are a few things you should take note of immediately when it comes to how a leather shoulder holster fits, as they are more or less instant indicators that it doesn't fit correctly.

The straps of the shoulder holster should be snug on your shoulders but shouldn't be tight. They should allow for relatively uninhibited movement of the arms. Obviously, you're wearing a harness on your shoulders; it's not as if it will never feel as if it isn't there. It's more that the presence of the harness shouldn't get in the way.

It should neither flop nor constrict; the harness of the shoulder holster should be relatively neutral.

As to the holster itself, the holster should sit in a location that doesn't cause discomfort or inhibit the motion of the arm. What some people find is that it sits too high under the arm for comfort, almost jutting into the armpit. That isn't pleasant.

If your leather shoulder holster also includes a magazine carrier or a second holster for use as a double shoulder holster, the same idea applies.

For many people, the ideal ride position for the pistol will be about halfway between the belt and the armpit, so the pistol shouldn't ideally sit higher than the ribs just below the chest. Granted, what feels comfortable is going to depend on you; you're going to be the best judge of where the holster feels most comfortable to ride.

Depending on your exact dimensions, your holster may or may not be in this position naturally.

These two aspects of fitment are critical. If the straps aren't comfortable and don't move with you, the holster isn't going to be comfortable to wear.

If the gun rides in an awkward position, the holster is going to be uncomfortable to carry with and will furthermore be awkward to draw from. And if you can't easily get the gun out if you need to in an emergency, it defeats the purpose of the venture to start with.