Who Wears a Reverse-Draw Holster?

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CWL

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Anyone wear a reverse -draw holster? If so, why? What are the benefits?

I saw a gent at a class a few years back where he wore a reverse-draw holster. This is when you wear a lefty holster on your right side so the butt of the pistol points forward. I don't have a clue what the manual-at-arms would be in drawing a reversed gun.

All I remember is that he was a court investigator of some sort and licensed to carry, and he was a "serious dude" who was a really good shot. This was a multi-day course and he used both a G19 and a revolver of some sort during the class. While I noticed that he wore his guns butt-forward, I didn't get a chance to ask him why, nor did i get to see him draw on the line (it was a busy class, the best kind).

Anyone care to share if they also wear reversed, and what are the benefits?
 
The original intent of such holsters, I believe, was during the horse cavalry era, in which the primary weapon was the saber (worn on the left, cross-drawn by the right hand) and the secondary weapon was the revolver (worn on the right, cross-drawn by the left hand). Even after the saber became obsolete, the old cross-draw southpaw revolver holsters continued in service.

Why a right-handed shooter would prefer such a rig, I have no clue.
 
I'd be curios to see a strong hand draw under stress where he didn't point the pistol at himself.

The only benefit I could see is easier support hand cross draw. That is a very low likelihood value. Trading strong hand efficiency and safety away for that just doesn't make sense.
 
Are you sure he was not left-handed? It could be rather than a use a cross draw holster that would be forward of the the hip with the pistol butt pointed to the left, he wanted a more vertical carry for weapon retention facilitated by his right forearm being in or nearly in contact with the pistol. Could it be that he expect a strong possibility he may have to draw from a seated position?
 
When hunting I wear my Ruger Blackhawk butt forward on my left side for cross draw.

Benefits are A) Much more comfortable to sit carried in this manner and B) I can reach across my body and draw it without standing up or adjusting my seating at all.
 
Maybe he was a fan of the old 1950s westerns. There was at least one of the “Heros” (I don’t remember which one) who wore his pair of six shooters that way. I guess it works if you don’t mind sweeping your own let every time you draw. :eek:
 
I wear my holsters on the left side for a cross draw. I think you may be thinking in Old West terms of a shootout, which I am not concerned with because I am more concerned with comfort and accessibility. My wrist and elbow are no longer as flexible as they were 40 years ago so it is much easier for me to reach across and grasp the butt of the gun on my left side than it is to pull straight up on my right. I have not encountered any problems in gripping the butt and swinging the weapon out to shooting position at all. Try it, you may find it works for you, or you may not, but at least you will understand the mechanics of the cross draw. It is the same holster, just worn on the opposite side; besides my cell phone is already in a holster on my right side........
 
that is called "cavalry draw", or "twist draw". bobmcd explained the cavalry draw. wild bill hickock used two pistols, butt forward, either in holsters or in a sash tied around his waist. that method, whether one or two pistols, was called twist draw. different names for the same carry/draw method.

twist draw is currently used by some shooters in fast-draw contests.

murf
 
Chick Gaylord illustrated the high cavalry draw. He could get going pretty quickly. The low cavalry draw was a gimmick experimented with by fast draw shooters for a while.

I knew one guy here who carried that way; a southpaw who wore a right hand holster for the high cavalry draw. He was running a 1911 from Condition 2 because ambi safeties were hardly available at the time. "Is not safe, is GUN!"
 
There are a few advantages :

1. being able to easily draw while seated in, or getting in and out of a vehicle
2. less of a print under clothing
3. you can carry a much bigger frame pistol or revolver without feeling the bulk or snagging

The first time I ever saw it documented was in Ed's book

Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting

which goes to show that perhaps there really is nothing new under the sun.

He uses his back pocket, but on the belt it works just as well, probably better.

It's possible to IWB a 6" 357 revolver by keeping the barrel only under the belt. Because the barrel is long enough to be gripped firmly between your hip and the belt, the butt is forward, and you wear it slightly to the rear, there is virtually no print on clothing.

The method also works very well for the full size semi-autos, like 1911 and Glock 20.

Double bonus if you carry a compact.

It just takes a bit of practice to train the hand to remember what to do.
 
Calvary draw. I did it for a short while, but only due to an injury. I had injured my right wrist, making drawing and/or shooting with it nearly impossible. The holster I normally used at the time was a Bianchi Shadow that I normally carried on my right hip. It did have slots to use it as a cross draw. I put it on my left hip and practiced a bit with the technic. If I had a dedicatated left hand holster, I would have used that instead. My right hand was out of commision for about than a week, so if I had ordered one, it wouldn't have been there in time anyway.
I also changed from my Sig P220 .45 to my Sig P226 9mm during that time for the reduction in recoil.
 
A twist draw or cavalry draw isn't all that slow, wild bill even carried that way but it's a no go with a lot of the retention devices in use today
 
Seems it would be harder to snatch from behind, as well (the snatcher would have to twist it while pulling backward)
 
To each his own....................

Reaching across your body to grab your weapon, seems like a lot of wasted time to me.

I like it on the same side as my draw-hand.
 
More comfortable and easily accessible if I'm sitting in the car. Especially for a long period of time.
 
> sitting in the car

I'm glad I scrolled down before saying the same thing. Too many cars have obnoxious ledges, boxes, or handles on the doors that intrude into my seating space. A waistband holster would turn such cars from annoying to desperately miserable...
 
Sav .250 said:
To each his own....................

Reaching across your body to grab your weapon, seems like a lot of wasted time to me.

I like it on the same side as my draw-hand.
Click to expand...
That's not the discussion. You are thinking about cross draw holster.

I am talking about wearing the gun reversed on your strong side: so a right hander will wear a lefty holster on his right side. The butt points forward on his right hip. You will need to draw the gun that has been reversed, but still on your strong side.

I think that ease & comfort for car drives makes a lot of sense.
 
Fella's;

When hunting I routinely wear the pistol butt forward on the right side. That way it does not interfere with the rifle slung from the left shoulder.

900F
 
CWL wrote,
That's not the discussion. You are thinking about cross draw holster.
Click to expand...
Good thing I didn't comment before, as I was sure you were talking about cross draw and just used the wrong terminology, which I thought was odd for a guy with 6,000+ posts, so I withheld my comments.

I can't think of a scenario where I'd find a reverse-draw holster an advantage. I can easily see instances where a cross draw holster would be an advantage or even wearing a cross draw holster strong side forward of the hip, but reverse-draw, no.
 
RC;

Mr. D. Duck and his attorney, Michael The Rodent esq. want to know.

:D 900F
 
Milt Sparks HSR aka Hackathorn Special Revolver

MIlt named it after co-founder of the ISPC Ken Hackathorn
standard cant is muzzle forward - no longer made for
semi-autos. Some early ISPC competitors used them in
cross draw before the 180 deg. rule came about.

http://www.miltsparks.com/HSR.htm

I think it wass Guy Madison who had the brace of SAs
cross draw as a '50s hero. guess i'll google it.

I'd like an HSR for my revolver a 3" j-frame Model 60
 
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