View Full Version : Ankle carry, strong or weak hand?
Which side do you prefer to ankle carry a backup pistol, strong or weak hand?
Which side do you prefer to ankle carry a backup pistol, strong or weak hand?
Depends.
Sometimes, both.
Right handed, inside of left leg. I prefer to NOT carry on the ankle if at all possible.
John Fettes
10-13-08, 11:46
Right handed, inside of left leg.
+ 1.
John
Right handed, inside of left leg.
I carried that way for years when it was all I could get away with.
Although I could see some rationale for carrying support side. (righ handed shooter, inside of right leg)
VooDoo6Actual
10-13-08, 11:55
Depends,
Tactics evolve as the mission changes....
Typically, it's a BUG anyways...
BUT generally, Inside weak leg.
HolyRoller
10-13-08, 12:02
One more vote for inboard on the support-side leg.
I have an ankle rig, think it's by Gould & Goodrich, that laces into my boot and it's worked well so far. It ain't going nowhere and it's quite comfortable, taking care of the two biggest problems with ankle rigs. I've gone running in it for a mile or so and everything stayed in place. Even then, I only keep the snub there there because with all the stuff on duty belts these days, it's hard to get to my support-side front pocket. With a Taser, it's just about impossible.
theJanitor
10-13-08, 16:35
inside weak leg
I prefer to NOT carry on the ankle if at all possible.
Why so?
Why so?
I'll give my opinion..
It's infinitely slower than waist level carry. And you're typically carrying a much smaller gun.
It's better than nothing, but not as good as strong side conventional holster carry.
I'll give my opinion..
It's infinitely slower than waist level carry. And you're typically carrying a much smaller gun.
It's better than nothing, but not as good as strong side conventional holster carry.
Fair enough, I was just thinking that this would be more of a back up to your primary carry. But since I have never carried in a ankle holster I was just courious
John Fettes
10-13-08, 17:19
Blasters in ankle rigs are miles away when you are standing. When seated in a car they may be more accessible than a belt or uniform duty rig. I heard a war story of a NYPD cop years ago, who was saved because of the easier/faster access to his second gun in an ankle rig while seated in a radio car.
John
inside weak leg
+1, just what I was thinking
Why so?
As a citizen, it is not as big of a deal. Demi pointed out the obvious drawbacks.
As an LEO, this is the most common method of BUG carry.
Years ago I had to back track a co-workers foot pursuit of a fugitve and find his scratched and dinged S&W 640 in the back of a shady strip mall at night after it popped out of an Unkle Mikes rig and slid on the asphalt.
Just last week I had a car full of bangers in a stolen car with a stolen XD45. I had to yank one of the tirds from the car and hold him in an arm-bar with a foot in his back while keeping his other homie at gun point until back up arrived. My legs were exposed to his free hand. Nice to have my BUG snug and in MY control in that situation, not on my ankle. Did I mention two had fled and this was in a busy parking lot? Chaos.
As a cop, when are you most likely to need a BUG? Gun grab, primary failure, wounded strong hand, dropped primary...it happens. I would think at an "oh shit" moment, bending down to get your BUG is not the healthiest thing to do. Personally, I am a huge advocate of carrying BUG that use the same mags as your duty gun (G17/26, G22/27, MP40/40C, etc). That is a big chunk on your ankle.
One recent scenario that comes to mind was when one of our officers was ambushed by a sucidal tweeker. "Tweek" attacked him and they went to the ground. Tweek grabs officers gun. Officer rolls onto the gun, trapping it into the holster. Now no one uses it. This newer officer (kick ass officer) did not did not have a BUG. Thankfully the officer prevailed. Tweek's intent was to take the officers gun, kill him, then go shoot his drug dealer. It would have been feasible to access a BUG in a vest holster (though very difficult).
Criminals all know about the ankle holster. In a high risk situation, our commands and actions usually end with bad guy on the ground, yes around our feet. They train for this in prisons and jails. Be compliant, earn trust, then attack. Think of a BUG as life insurance. An ankle holster is better than nothing, but it calls for special consideration and awareness when packing one to avoid it being taken and to safely access it.
These are just my opinions based on my experience.
These are just my opinions based on my experience.
Sounds like well thought out opinions. As I stated earlier, I have never carried in that fashion,your reasons are well stated. Thanks for your response it gives me something to think about.
I've never been a fan of ankle carry. Oscar just added a whole new list of reasons why.
But if you are going to carry there, you need to assess which hand you think is likely to be grabbing for the gun and then choose your position accordingly.
I keep my BUG in my left front pocket. A major reason I carry a BUG at all is because reality has taught us that people often get shot in the hand during gun fights. Therefore, a likely reason I need to go to the BUG is that my primary pistol hit the dirt when my right hand took a disabling wound.
The upside to ankle is that you can get a larger pistol (relatively) than you can with the pocket gun.
Everything is a trade off, but.... with the ankle rig, I can have my G27 with 9 or 10 rounds of 40 over a light weight snubby with maybe 5 or 6 rounds of .38 spl.
I can't practically stuff a G27/G26 in my front pocket. On the other hand, the front pocket may be the better place to have a pistol.
Consider putting your G26/G27 on your belt behind your spare mag.
Consider putting your G26/G27 on your belt behind your spare mag.
In my case I was carrying a G27 on the ankle as a primary where I could not have a belt holster.
Face_N_The_Crowd
10-14-08, 10:57
Question for LE - do your ankle rigs have retention?
Sidewinder6
10-14-08, 11:25
Oscar makes good points. I can only add how difficult the bunny hop is during the draw. Really gets things off to a bad start.
I can only add how difficult the bunny hop is during the draw. Really gets things off to a bad start.
Reminds me of the saying " it is hard to look cool or tough when you are on the ground looking up".;)
Sidewinder6
10-14-08, 14:35
Once you see it happen, they can never escape the bulletin board cartoons and the hazing. Often accompanied by great lyrics ( or hysteronics) depending on your angle of view. Still, it ain't funny when it is going down.
What is a holster one could use to mount the j frame to a 2.25" duty belt?
HolyRoller
10-16-08, 11:55
Face_n_the_Crowd, a couple answers:
My ankle rig has a thumbbreak. It's good for retention and might slow down an attempted snatch just long enough to do something about it.
I only wear it in uniform and I don't worry about it printing. People aren't usually looking down there anyway.
Those who want to know what is the BEST place for a gun, among belt, pocket, or ankle, I adopt the opinion of General Adolf Galland, commander of all Luftwaffe fighters for much of WW2. When asked whether he preferred guns mounted in the wings, or over the engine synchronized to miss the propeller blades, or between the engine cylinder banks and firing through the prop hub, he answered:
BETTER ALL THREE.
ArmatusCivis91
10-16-08, 12:35
Strong hand
motorcopm4
10-17-08, 06:28
I carry IWB off duty and most of the time the outside of my right leg for ankle carry being right handed, have you ever tried to pull a weapon from your ankle laying on your back?We train like this, Its pretty hard on the inside of your leg
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