Holster for a .357 mag "deer revolver"

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If I was going out with the idea of hunting deer with a .357 and I didn't reload then I'd go for the Buffalo Bore 180's. They hit very hard and penetration is about as good as you'll get. I wouldn't use them as a steady diet in a 686 but it'll stand up to the occasional cylinderful just fine.

To keep on track of a holster thread, I personally use a Bianchi "Black Widow" belt slide for my GP-100. Minimalist as it gets and protecting the weapon is up to me but that's ok.

For my Blackhawks, Simply Rugged is the best I've used. No nonsense and not what you'd call beautiful but functional. They'll make them for whatever you may have.
 
Bumpity bump

I'm not wanting to let this thread go archival just yet, so I'm waking it up from a week or so of slumber.

(Actually, I'm considering putting a thread down in "hunting" to point to this one, since I'm looking for what could be a "hunting" holster, or at least one that could be worn in a hunting camp. I don't know what proportion of members that spend most of their time in "hunting" might also visit "revolvers"...)

I've read some good suggestions in here so far - I've got a few top contenders for a 4" 686 so far that several of you have recommended.

Right now, I'm leaning mostly towards shoulder or chest holsters. (Really like the look of the Simply Rugged options there, plus a couple of others.) But I'm not ruling out a belt holster.

But I'm still betting there's more out there to be learned about this holster project. So, I'm going to try to keep this one on the radar screen for a while longer, see if new surfers will find it and lend some more suggestions.

I've also got another question.

I'm realizing that I may be missing something. When I think "belt holster", I think of an OWB that fits onto my pants belt. For me, that's less interesting for a 686 sized revolver. As a fairly thin guy, that's just seems like too much weight to put onto my pants, even with a good gun belt and a holster snugged up nice and tight. (I could be wrong, and will test before I buy.)

(This may be a naive question, but I gotta ask.)

Do any of you carry (or know of rigs that would allow carry of) larger revolvers on a separate belt from the one on your pants, in addition to your pants belt? That is, more "old west style" (for lack of a better term), a designated gun belt with holster (either integrated with the belt, or that one could add an OWB to) that's worn over the regular belt.

That way, a pants belt could hold up the pants, and the gun belt just has gun duty.

Admittedly for me, that probably won't work since I want one to carry with a pack having a waist belt, but I'm still curious.

I'm also beginning to explore options for attaching such an OWB directly to the waist belt of a larger day pack. Such waist belts are large, padded, and are worn tight since they carry most of the weight of the pack.

It's not ideal, cause putting on and taking the pack off could be a bother with 40 oz of gun hanging on the belt.

Still, I'm considering all the options.

As always, opinions welcome.

Nem
 
The Ruger holster is a good choice... you might take a little time to browse gun stores (not chain stores) and often times you can find used holsters that might be just what your looking for...one person's trash is another's treasure... Oh, I thought I might post a link to a thread you may have already read from over on the Firingline web page entitled Bubba vs. Ballistics- Why the 357 gets no respect.....A good read from Paco Kelly is reprinted there... When you take a big buck or doe with that .357 post pictures if you can and tell us all about it
Brett
 
I hunt with a rifle OFTEN carried african style barrel down, and I use a dedicated cross draw western sort of gun belt.

On my gunbelt is a knife and a pouch with a spare rifle mag, a bandanna and a compass.

I also wear a fanny pack with all my survival gear over that.

I have a seperate belt for my pants.

Trailrider Products makes some really cool utility/hunting holsters that would work fine.

http://www.gunfighter.com/trailrider/tr_holster.html

He made mine anyway! 1863 pattern
crossdraw... the angle on the holster keeps it out of the way.
 

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I hunt with a rifle OFTEN carried african style barrel down,
and I use a dedicated cross draw western sort of gun belt.

On my gunbelt is a knife and a pouch with
a spare rifle mag, a bandanna and a compass.
Click to expand...
Now we're getting somewhere.

So the cross draw doesn't interfere with the african carried rifle?

Rhetorical. I can see that it doesn't.

Makes sense to me. Good system.

Still, the problem i see for my particular toolkit is
carrying that cross draw isn't completely compatable with
the day and a half pack, at least when the cross draw
is on it's own belt, which may interfere with the pack's waist belt.

YMMV.

Dang, this is an interesting exercise in optimizing handgun carry.
 
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I've found I'm usually carrying too much stuff... only really GOOD reason for a backpack is to haul a jacket I don't feel like wearing and a camelback or canteen.

But the fanny pack usually hi-rides my hips while the gun belt sits a bit lower. My hunting knife rides behind the holster, my spare rifle mag on my 2 o'clock.

It's not the most comfortable thing (a long day hiking at a good pace will leave me happy to take the belt off) but it works.
 
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I have a low-budget suggestion:

I'm realizing that I may be missing something. When I think "belt holster", I think of an OWB that fits onto my pants belt. For me, that's less interesting for a 686 sized revolver. As a fairly thin guy, that's just seems like too much weight to put onto my pants, even with a good gun belt and a holster snugged up nice and tight. (I could be wrong, and will test before I buy.)

(This may be a naive question, but I gotta ask.)

Do any of you carry (or know of rigs that would allow carry of) larger revolvers on a separate belt from the one on your pants, in addition to your pants belt? That is, more "old west style" (for lack of a better term), a designated gun belt with holster (either integrated with the belt, or that one could add an OWB to) that's worn over the regular belt.

That way, a pants belt could hold up the pants, and the gun belt just has gun duty.

Admittedly for me, that probably won't work since I want one to carry with a pack having a waist belt, but I'm still curious.
Click to expand...

Nem-870, have you considered the possibility of using a LE-surplus duty holster & gunbelt? Since you're shopping for a 4" 686, there should be plenty of old duty holsters floating around. As long as you don't mind rooting around in "bargain bins" of used holsters at gunshops and gunstores, you can probably find a perfectly serviceable rig for maybe $30 total(estimate: $10 holster, $10 belt, $10 double speedloader pouch).

Uniformed LEO's almost universally wear a 1.5"-1.75" belt through the loops on their trousers, and the 2"-2.5"-wide gunbelt on top, secured with "keepers" - basically short straps that snap around both belts to prevent shifting. Their duty holsters are suspended from the gunbelt by a shank of leather-covered steel or plastic, with a tunnel for the gunbelt at the top - this causes the gun's butt to ride at or just below belt level, and around 1" out from your side - which should be enough space for the waist-belt on your pack. Some holster makers call this a "jacket-slot," as it is meant to allow a uniform jacket worn in cold weather to secure snugly at the waist while leaving the gun butt fully exposed for a quick draw.

Weight of the rig shouldn't be that much of an issue, since you're not gonna lumber yourself down with cuffs, radio, OC, Taser, and all the other junk cops schlep on their duty belts - just the holster and maybe a spare ammo carrier oughta do you just fine. Besides, the width of the gunbelt helps distribute that weight a lot more comfortably. If you want, though, they even make suspenders to spread the load around even more: www.botac.com/pesuor.html
http://www.michaelsoforegon.com/adtemplate.asp?invky=7805618&catky=&subcatky1=&subcatky2=
 
Besides, the width of the gunbelt helps distribute that weight a lot more comfortably.
Click to expand...
Kor, overall, good suggestions.

And that statement alone helps me understand the relevance of "gunbelt".

I've often read, "You must have a good gunbelt for your holster."

But it never sank in until you wrote that.
A good gunbelt helps distribute all that weight around the body.

Add your explanation of "jacket slot" (interesting concept), and it's good info.

Makes sense to me.

I'll confess that I'm not much into searching bargain bins.
Such bins are filled with what others rejected.
I'd usually rather just buy something new that works.
(My time, mostly professional these days, is pretty valuable to me.
Not being arrogant there, just acknowledging my priorities.)

Thanks for your contribution to this discussion. Very thought provoking.

Nem
 
N-870;

I can vouch for the importance of a true "gunbelt" in carrying. What Kor is referring to is a "duty" belt. Others have mentioned the need for a gunbelt, and were referring to a CC belt. They are pricey, but worth every penny. Not only are they good, stiff belts, but they are made, generally, of high quality leather.

One of the advantages of the chest holster I pointed out is that it doesn't need an additional belt to support it correctly.

-John
 
I'll confess that I'm not much into searching bargain bins.
Such bins are filled with what others rejected.
I'd usually rather just buy something new that works.
(My time, mostly professional these days, is pretty valuable to me.
Not being arrogant there, just acknowledging my priorities.)
Click to expand...

Nem-870, while I understand your point, in this case I think it's a bit fallacious; the only reason these "rejected" holsters are in bargain bins is because LE agencies have transitioned from revolvers to semi-auto pistols for their duty sidearms, and often the old holsters were sold to a firearms distributor along with the old guns as a package deal. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, quite a few were never actually issued but kept as spares or for future new-hires, and by and large these duty holsters were built so solidly that they probably still have decades worth of use still in them. If you'd rather spend a little time on-line instead of even more time in the bargain bins, I'm sure you could find this sort of gear on Ebay or the For Sale listings of your favorite gun-forums. (Apologies for re-iterating wcwhitey's advice given previously.)

John C's point regarding "gunbelt" vs. "duty belt" is correct, but the basic principle remains the same - a wide, stiff belt carries the weight of a gun and ammo more comfortably than a thin, narrow belt. Honestly, the 2" duty belt and the modern(post-1970's) duty holster are actually the result of an evolutionary process of trial, error and development focused on allowing a police officer to comfortably wear a 2+lb. duty gun for an 8+hour shift(sometimes spent completely on foot, walking a beat) while still being able to quickly draw that gun at need.

Not trying to "hard-sell" you on a used duty rig, 'cuz I've sure got no dog in this fight, nor do I stand to make a dime - it just seems like an inexpensive and logical solution to the problem of carrying a heavy revolver on foot over long distances...
 
This is what I started using this year. I found it inexpensive durable and very comfortable to wear with quick access and an extra 6 rounds handy.

Another reason I like it, is that my 5.5 inch Redhawk fits well as does my .41 mag Ruger Blackhawk, and my Smith 28 in 4".

Normally I prefer leather, and make a lot of my own holsters. But for rugged use this is hard to beat.

93229_ts.jpg
 
Bear41, is that a Simply Rugged Grizzly Tuff?

(I'm pretty sure, but just checking. I don't know if others make such a thing.)

So, here's a question: how adjustable are those straps?
Would they adjust down to fit a smaller person fairly easily?
 
FYI, there's an interesting new thread in Revolvers that is relevant to this one, even though it's addressing a subset of the concept addressed in this thread.

Specifically, the new thread is exploring ways to attach a holster for a large handgun to a backpack waist belt, but still be usable as a traditional OWB.

Still, it may be of interest to some, and some subscribers to this thread may have some ideas to contribute, so I thought I'd update this one.

Nem
 
111_l.jpg
this is what I used for strongside carry with my 686 6" when also hunting with a long gun. It's a Bianchi Cyclone. It worked well and hung low enough as not to interfere with rifle draw. A Warden here in Wisconsin recommended I cut the end off to prevent gettin' nailed for concealed carry. Apparently if your vest or coat covers the top of your gun (accidentally or not) and there is no part of the gun exposed, here in Wisconsin(since we have Gov Doyle) you can be charged with carrying concealed. Cuttin' the tip of your holster and exposing the end of the barrel keeps you legal.
 
I could just kick myself...

I'm also beginning to explore options for attaching such an OWB directly to the waist belt of a larger day pack. Such waist belts are large, padded, and are worn tight since they carry most of the weight of the pack.
Click to expand...

Nem-870, I shoulda remembered the Wilderness Safepacker:

http://thewilderness.com/catalog/pr...id=18&osCsid=bb990fab96882749a16a19387f6e2ad1

I have no excuse, as I actually open-carried with a Safepacker for almost 3 years before AZ got CCW. :eek: :banghead:

The webpage even says the holster is designed to wrap around the waistbelt of a backpack. The belt loop runs the full height of the holster(as much as 11-1/4") and is very broad, but is kept thin and stiff with a plastic stiffener insert, and is secured around the body of the holster with BOTH Velcro and a Fastex buckle. The holster itself is VERY sturdily constructed and VERY well-padded, it was designed for LE Mountain Search & Rescue use after all. The design is also relatively low-profile in that the weapon is totally enveloped by the holster, which itself is square and not "gun-shaped."

The only downsides are that the draw is somewhat slower than a more conventional thumb-break or open-top holster, and the Safepacker is not made for longer-barreled hunting handguns - but IS available for a 4" S&W 686 like yours.
 
Nematucyst-870
I use a 357 for deer hunting in MS where the deer are small. I have a great hoster for my 686+. It is a Bianchi International. Check it out.
 
I just got this beauty from Mike Harlow Gun Leather. He is also making a matching sheath for my hunting knife. Quick service - great quality! The strap keeps the hammer from moving at all - I pulled as hard as I could on the trigger and hammer and it won't budge.
www.harlowholsters.com

HarlowHolsters.jpg
 
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