Gun Journalist Reviews Our Newest Chest Holster

If you are a large person, finding a good shoulder holster rig is hard.

The rig has to wrap around your chest for one. Then, you have to be able to reach around to grab and pull the gun from the holster. It has to be comfortable at the same time.

It ain't easy being big.

The idea of a chest holster never occurred to me until I saw the rigs at Tucker Gunleather. The chest holster lets you put your gun in something similar to a shoulder rig, but the gun sits on your chest.

It looks a lot like a Sam Browne belt and functions much the same way. The bottom strap, going around the middle has two adjustment buckles and two side release buckles. The one going over the shoulder has one side release buckle and one adjustment buckle.

If you are larger than me, adding a short length of web belt is easy enough. As I'm still on a weight loss plan (down 70 pounds), I will not add an extra belt. Besides which, I still had several more inches of adjustment for the picture and the rig as you see it on me was comfortable.

The shoulder strap can go over the shoulder so it hangs straight down or crosses over the chest like the Sam Browne.

I'm still figuring which way I prefer to wear. I believe the crossover is best. While wearing the shoulder strap straight, it tended to slip. The idea behind this rig is to hold the gun securely, not slip.

Also, the shoulder belt is sewn on to cross over the chest.

Carrying

This rig keeps the gun out of the way. I shouldered a shotgun as if I was not wearing the holster. I carried an AR on a two or one-point sling easily.

I can position the gun in slightly different places on my chest.

Because it slings across the chest, there's no hip holster to stick out. Again, large people know this problem. A hip holster sticking out means settling into a chair often takes some maneuvering.

The picture show a Smith & Wesson 4" .357 as the carry gun. It will easily hold a longer barrel. I put a 10" Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Mag and 16" Heritage .22 LR revolver in the holster and both drew easily.

Both long-barrelled wheelguns have an extractor along the barrel so the gun would not seat. This is not a fault of the holster. I ordered one for a revolver in which the cylinder swings out to reload, like my S&W.

Tucker has a long list of custom-molded revolver holsters.

Because the straps are web belts, adding speed loader holsters, magazine holsters or other gear is easy.

Use

I've carried sidearms for years when I hunt and other places. More than once, a cheap hip holster let me down. The gun popped out and I had to go back to get it.

This chest rig is ideal for a hunter. The gun is right up front. Limbs, vines and other vampire bushes cannot sneak up and strip the gun out of the holster. Anything that snags your chest is going to take more than twisting hips to get loose.

In the past, I intentionally did not carry the .357 as often as I wanted to because I did not have a carry rig I was comfortable with.

That changes immediately.

Another thing I like about this rig, which is decidedly not politically correct, is saltwater fishing. This rig is an excellent way to carry a stainless steel gun to dispatch the occasional stingray, shark or other fish that is a bit too aggressive to put in the boat.

A .38 to the head takes the fight out of every fish I can imagine. Fishermen in Alaska use a bang stick with a .410 to dispatch big halibut before bringing them on board. Next trip to the coast will see me pack this one.

I'm not a quick draw expert, but this draws faster than a shoulder rig.

If you are looking for a shoulder rig but can’t find one that fits you, give the Tucker chest rig a try.