How to Safely Use
a Belt Holster

The non-dominant palm anchors flat on the belly button while the dominant hand acquires a firing grip on the gun, with the trigger finger far outside the trigger guard.

As soon as the muzzle has cleared the holster, the shooter drops her elbow and the muzzle immediately aligns with the target even before the gun is raised. The sooner the muzzle is aligned with the target, the sooner the shooter can accurately fire from body index positions.

The shooter's hands join at the midline, with the non-dominant hand coming from alongside or behind the gun as the hands meet. Do not allow the non-dominant hand to cross in front of the muzzle as the hand races to join the gun.

If the decision to fire has been made, the finger moves to the trigger. If the decision to fire has not yet been made, the trigger finger indexes alongside the frame.

Cover garment should be flung far out of the way while non-dominant hand anchors to belly button.

The dominant hand must move quickly to the gun to avoid cover garment rebound. If the garment rebounds before the hand is on the gun, dangerous entanglements can result.

Danger: If you ordinarily carry in a collapsible holster, it's safest to place the gun into it before putting the holster on your belt, because it is very difficult to open the mouth of a collapsed holster on the belt and place the gun in it without muzzling the non-dominant hand. Range practice with such a holster? Not worth the risk. Purchase a stiff-mouthed holster for practice.

Danger: Before reholstering, tuck loose clothing out of the way so it does not become entangled with the firearm and holster. If any resistance is felt during the reholstering sequence, stop immediately. Check for obstacles before continuing.

Danger: The classic pattern for a reholstering-related unintentional discharge involves a negligent trigger finger and too much speed. The gun fires the moment the mouth of the holster meets the shooter's knuckle, especially inevitable if the shooter compounds her negligence by moving quickly. There is rarely or never any need to reholster in a hurry. Practice deliberately slowing down and changing mental gears before you reholster, taking time to be sure your trigger finger is where it ought to be.

Danger: Crooking the wrist while reholstering aims the muzzle of the gun directly into the core of the shooter's body. An unintentional discharge at this point would be very, very ugly.

Keep your wrist straight when reholstering, especially if you have difficulty locating the mouth of your IWB holster. This helps you avoid muzzling straight into your torso.

When adapting to a new holster or carry position, there is nothing wrong with looking the gun into the holster. Later, you will want to holster by feel alone -- but there's no harm in using your eyes during the early part of the familiarization process, and it is somewhat safer.

To safely reholster, tuck the cover garment firmly into the armpit and pin it there with your upper arm. Keep the non-dominant palm anchored to the belly button to avoid the natural temptation to move it in front of the holster (and the gun's muzzle). Maintain a firing grip on the gun, but keep the trigger finger far outside the trigger guard. Placing the thumb on the back of the slide may hold a Glock-type firearm firmly in battery while the gun enters a stiff holster; in other firearms types, similar thumb placement may allow the shooter to sense or prevent hammer movement.

Always move slowly when reholstering. There is no reason to hurry, and there are plenty of reasons to slow down.