chest holster or thigh

[biksz]

Which does people prefer get on easier with?

 

[Tom]

Which does people prefer get on easier with?

I don't recommend thigh holsters, they place weight on your thigh (bit obvious, but that's not a natural point to carry something) If its not tightly in place then it will also bounce around.
Somewhere there is a video of a mate with a drop leg pistol holster on one thigh and a drop leg pod pouch on his other thigh. As the game begins and everyone runs across the field - he waddles along.

Do bear in mind that unless its a .43" calibre paintball pistol that our pistols are bigger then many real life pistols. .68" is a large calibre

Hang it loose-ish and it will flap everywhere at anytime that you go faster then a gentle walk
Strap it up tight so it stays still and you lose circulation

What kind of holster you use depends on a few factors - How you use it, why you are carrying a pistol, balancing the ergonomics and space:


Cowboy style quick draw:
Stand straight and hang your arm down loose to your side. In the right place the pistol is at your hand, either high on your thigh or low slung from your belt - but that gives you a quick draw which is fine for a duel, not so good for in game

Vest mount:
An angled or straight holster on the front of a vest puts a pistol in a convenient place to reach and draw, and doesn't get in the way of most things - unless you want to crawl on your chest.

Classic belt holster:
A good balance between thigh and chest, and can be positioned at any point around your waist, still handy to draw.


But why are you carrying a pistol and how do you intend to use it?
Often people want to carry it as a sidearm, 'just in case'.
This means carrying extra weight that could be more paintballs - carrying more paintballs saves you running out in your main gun, practicing loading as you shoot saves you from being caught out with an empty hopper

If carrying a pistol as pistol play then its in your hand most of the time so you don't need a quick draw, just somewhere to put it when you want your hands free.

If youre carrying a pistol as a sidearm then check how secure it is in the holster and consider a lanyard. Its easy to not notice that it got tangled and dropped if it comes out loose - and its easy to do so even if there is a top clip on the holster. Its hard to not notice the weight on the end of a lanyard dragging along behind you.


On a safety matter - always remember when you are carrying a pistol. If you take off the condom / barrel bung on the way out then make sure you put it back on returning to the safe zone - its easy to forget when a pistol is in the holster.
I tend to tie a barrel bung to the bottom of my holster, this means I can attach the bung when holstered, and leave it in place - when I draw the pistol the bung is stopped by the holster and drops off the barrel (I still have to place it when I reholster - but I tend to use pistols as a main when doing so, but if I am carrying a pistol holstered and don't draw it then I dont forget to rebung it as I haven't 'unbunged' it)

 

[Tom]

Ps not to diss the potential joy of that bulky, pointless sidearm

One of my greatest paintball memories is the first time I used a pistol in game:

Defending the fort, sat down in the top of a tower facing the back door, I emptied my hopper just as the Marshall counted down the last seconds - I decided not to reach for a pot and reload (my pod belt laid down beside me)

In that moment 3 guys who had sneaked around the wall waiting outside the door burst in and looked straight at the unarmed tom with his empty gun on his knee

In a fraction of a second I grabbed the pistol at my side - pop pop pop

3 guys stopped each with a splat on their chests and the biggest grin in the world behind my goggles
And then everyone else had to listen to my tale in the pub that night