I'm sure this subject has been done before but I searched and got nothing.

So now that I have a PC on the way, I'm thinking about what crap to hang all over it.

For guys that have a chest mounted holster, do you like it? What holsters do you have? Pros and Cons to having one?
And guys that don't, are there reasons?

I think I want one and can't think of an obvious downside.

The only pro to a chest mounted holster is if you are driving a vehicle. I’ve used one there a few times.

The cons are that it gets in the way of shooting your primary, your draw to first shot time will actually be slower, and as soon as you clear the holster, your pistol is pointing sideways at who knows what, possibly your support arm.

I use the Safariland holsters with the QLS mounting options on a mid ride on my belt.
When I was overseas I learned that the side holster for a pistol was a joke when it came to deploying it rapidly while in a vehicle so we started putting a QLS adapter plate on or PC's.

Out of the trucks the pistol is where it belongs on my side. In the trucks and moving the holster and pistol was moved to the PC for the ability to get on the gun faster.

Except for that I never found the pistol on a plate carrier to work for me. Heavy, cumbersome, and off balance.

The only real application for chest-mounted pistols is the ability to draw it while sitting down in a vehicle. Everything else about chest-mounted pistols sucks. It interferes with everything. Unless you're filling a role that involves spending almost all of your time sitting in a vehicle, like being a vehicle driver on a deployment, you should probably avoid chest-mounting a pistol.

I definitely see a pattern here...

Only useful when sitting in an armored vehicle while controlling a CROWS outside the wire

Other advantages of a chest mounted holster are:
-they make for a slightly more compact package (when they were developing doctrine for house to house fighting after Iraq invasion i remember it being a factor, made for a sleeker entry)
-you have the pistol in a more controllable place, more easily defended if someone should try to grab it (again, part of the doctrine developed for deployment on Iraqi streets)
-You can don and doff it altogether with the plate carrier in a single package (you have to decide if it is good for youy or not)

Should you choose to chest mount the pistol you should try to mitigate unnatural drawing motion that can be alleviated with offseting the holster to the weak side, mounting at the right height and if possible using a more compact pistol than a service size one (it made day and night difference to me trying to draw our Beretta 92 or drawing a Glock 19). Also develop a safe way of drawing, without risk of covering with muzzle something you don't want shot.

I still use holster mounted to my Second line carrier for military training because it fits my needs better than a belt mounted holster. Not chest mounted, but most of the time vertically mounted. The few times i go to the range i use a belt holster, which is the most natural and quick way of using a pistol.

This.
I have a QD adaptor on both belt & PC, handgun goes to PC only when in a vehicle.

Tomac

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In general, I'd say no to the chest mounted holster.  But, if you have a special purpose for it, then go for it.

I use a Safariland 7TS light bearing holster on my PC mounted up high on the chest (though pointing down, mounted near where a mag shingle would go would be better if you have the space).  I use it for home defense; if I wake up in the middle of the night to a break-in, all I have to do is throw on my plate carrier and holster the pistol.  This way I have good retention on the gun with quick draw via the ALS mechanism, extra pistol mags, ifak, and whatever else I want, all by throwing on the carrier.  You can be very well equipped in a matter of seconds without having to think about it.  For that purpose, it makes a ton of sense.   But I'd definitely rip the holster off (QLS system attached to a molle fork adapter) if I was doing anything outside the home, ESPECIALLY since TX doesn't recognize the right to carry pistols openly via any method other than shoulder or belt holster (weird...  dumb...)

Well let me ask this, how is it mounting a holster to the carrier on the side under my arm? At first glance it looks like it would be too high and awkward to draw, but I have seen a few pictures of people doing it.

Its not a must have, but I would like to have a way to keep a pistol on the carrier so there's less stuff I have to grab and put on. The real correct answer would probly be to get a battle belt but they 'spensive.

Con: Slow and awkward draw and adds weight to an already heavy plate carrier

Pro: Great for a fast reaction home defense setup. Just toss on your PC and you have everything you need. No need to mess with a battle belt or trying to secure a paddle holster if its 3am and youre in your boxer or if sleep in your birthday suit

Depends on the plate carrier. The cummerbund on my Crye SPC sits very high and is almost impossible to draw. I also have a RBAV-AF that has soft armor and extends down much lower and is more comfortable to draw from the cummerbund.

Right now my setup is to have the pistol in a paddle holster in my safe. Put the PC on, open safe, grab pistol and slip over belt/pants, then grab rifle. Because I have kids all of the firearms have to stay in the safe so it doesnt really save me any time to put it on my PC, I still have to grab it from the safe, I can either holster it on my PC or holster it on my hip. It would be different if I could leave the pistol loaded and attached to my PC.

I run G-code gear and can move my holster to the belt or chest in moments...   Yes it works great for truck work.  Plus i have converted all my holsters over to G-code so I can run any set up without changing gear.   This is an old photo as I have upgraded all my gear...   But you get the idea.

for civilian use (where you don't have an NCO to kill you upon seeing the abomination I'm about to suggest) use a normal holster and if you want it easier to get to in a vehicle move the pistol from the normal holster to a normal bungie-retention AR mag pouch on the vest. Pistols fit nicely and a bungee retention with a pull tab is easy to remove but won't let the gun fly around in a scuffle. Sounds ghetto but it works. You can shove the mag that was in that pouch in pocket temporarily until you get out, then replace the pistol in it's holster and put the mag back in it's pouch.

Maybe Keep a mag pouch empty on your carrier if you really need your pistol there.

That is ghetto but that sounds awesome.

The carrier I ordered just came in today so I can start setting stuff up and experimenting.

crye approved.