I do not like paddle holsters for normal carry. For me, they’re too loose and do not conceal well. That said, I do have a handful of paddle holsters, all for plinking pistols. Paddles are usually snug and compact and protect the trigger. That makes them easy to throw in a backpack, or wear in the field where I’m not concerned about concealability.

 

I suppose if I was in LE, or perhaps needed to take my gun off, and put it on repeatedly throughout the day, I could see a use for a paddle holster.

However, I don't think they are as stabile and secure as a belt holster, and...

The only real downside I see is it doesn't conceal as well as other holsters.

Without a trailing loop, as found on a Nelson #1 Professional/Avenger or pancake, they just aren't going to conceal very well. If I'm giving up that concealment, I'd just choose something like the Sparks 1AT, Davis Gunsite Omega, or the kydex equivalents such as a Blade-Tech SRB, or Comp-Tac International.

Edit to add: they have a lot of "mechanism" on them. Usually, that makes them more expensive, and an expense for something I don't need.

 

I have not used a paddle holster since I retired (for the first time) in 2008. But I wore one with my Glock 23 working in the detective bureau for about 15 years prior to that. Put my gun and holster on and off many times a day and very much like it. Since then, I have had no desire to get one or use one for my 1911’s. Policy did not allow me to carry a 1911 back then, on or off duty.

Paddle holsters are a personal item that may or may not work depending on circumstances.

 

I have been carrying since 1967. Have about any holster around. Best for heavy N frame is 3 slot yaqui slide or pancake on a strong belt. For 1911 also, but this can go well also with a btwb "Sticky" pouch that needs no clip and is nonslip. If you can manage these heavy boys, anything else will be gravy under a cover garment. I love paddles for "J" frames or my Colt defender .45, but most anything else rides too high and flops around. For open carry I wear the same and also anything I like and don't mind a little rain on. Fobus paddles work on some of my guns, but others either stick in the holster or come out with the gun. Concealment Express paddle is good for my Springfield Hellcat and also my Defender. We the people holsters.com is good for my Glock 30s, but is not made as strong as Fobus, but stays in place better. If one gun or retention system starts to bother me, I switch out to something else for awhile♡.

 

Yes safariland als and galco speedmaster that looks exactly like the tan one in op.
But as james said they dont conceal. Will need an extra lg overshirt for that.
I like how it can be removed without unthreading a belt

 

I use a fobus paddle with my 1911 as a range holster. My range is in my backyard . For ccw I use a pancake holster

 

No, they stick out too far.

 

I love paddle holsters when I don't want to wear a belt. I've got a Fobus for most of my handguns.
I usually use a leather pancake.

 

I used to carry a Sig P239 in a Fobus paddle holster. Something about that combination and my body shape concealed extremely well. I have a Vedder paddle holster for one of my Steyrs, but that does not conceal at all. That one is only suitable for range use because it sticks out so far from my body.

 

So I just wore the Safariland for a few hours with my Steel frame Wilson. It was fairly comfortable & offered good concealment. I wear pretty big shirts, so I don't usually have a problem with concealment. A nice feature of that holster is it is made to also fit my Beretta Centurion or CZ75 if I want to carry either of those.

 

I dug through my holster drawer when I saw your post. I do have one... for a gun I don’t and never had! (I have no clue how I ever ended up with this holster)

I believe this thumb break paddle holster is for a Beretta 92. If anyone wants it... I’ll send it to you free (lower 48 please). Just PM me your address.

I would like to try a paddle holster... I should pick one of my carry guns and order one for it. I’ll pay attention to posts in this thread to get ideas.

Here’s the freebie

 

Just ordered a Fobus for my Sig P365X romeozero (I currently carry it IWB in a kydex holster... easy on easy off)

Thought I’d give a paddle holster a try just to see how it will work

Even with the optic, it will fit this Fobus

 

I've twice witnessed shooters draw their paddle holster along with the gun. Unexpected things can happen under any circumstances, but I prefer the holster to be firmly attached to the belt.

 

Nope, they stick out too far, the few OWB holsters I own are the Pancake type.

 

OWB = Pancake, IWB = Summer Special, Range/Training = Silent Thunder

 

I've tried just two paddle holsters and I hated both. Too easy for the holster to come off with your gun still inside the holster during quick drawing of your hand gun. Also, as you already mentioned, it isn't concealable as a regular belt holster that pulls the gun closer into your body. I prefer an OWB belt holster for concealment, comfort, and speed/ease of drawing the weapon. Almost all IWB holsters I have found to be uncomfortable, except for the StealthGear Ventcore IWB holster that combines a half shell kydex outer part that holds the gun in place and a ventilated padding that rides up against your body making it very comfortable and helps against sweat during hot days.

Of course a good pistol belt makes a lot of difference between comfort and speed/ease of drawing the weapon for self defense. I use a 5.11 Apex Gunner's belt. Best belt (besides the Liger belt by Maxpedition) for carrying a full size all steel hand gun all day on your hip, regardless whether you use IWB or OWB holsters. Plus, they are slim and fit in with casual clothes or with suits for formal occasions. My Apex Gunner's belt is made of B10 coated webbing and has 1,500 lbs of tensile strength. It's a synthetic material so it won't deform, mold, mildew, or rot like leather most definitely will. Especially if you wear your belt all the time in cold and hot, humid days. It's clearly superior to leather belts.

Oh, and years ago when they first came out, I bought a Fobus paddle holster for my Sig Stainless Elite P229 .40. I tightened my belt so the holster was super snug and wouldn't come out with my pistol. I practiced fast drawing my pistol and after several draws I broke that holster. It was brand new. The soft plastic split design (two sides of the holster riveted together) broke loose several of the rivets. It was a cheap holster that was cheaply made.

 

I've tried just two paddle holsters and I hated both. Too easy for the holster to come off with your gun still inside the holster during quick drawing of your hand gun.

@INV136, I had the opposite situation with an old (late 70's?) Safariland paddle holster for my BHP. Once the paddle was inside my pants, you could not move it. I had to loosen my belt, and unbutton my jeans to get it out! The paddle has a soft black rubber coating that worked well. I have not carried my BHP in about 20 years but that was my experience. Oh, and that holster also has a belt loop if you wanted to take the paddle off. Danny

 

I use a Safariland ALS paddle for to and from work. No carrying inside the facility of course. At least we have lockers provided.
Anywho...

The ALS does a pretty decent job of concealing for me with a large shirt-rides pretty close to my body. It is quite secure and doesn't come off the belt unless I'm taking it off. I would not want it for anything that had a need for serious retention though. It does have an easily intuitive retention lever that I like for the realities of a paddle.
I also just received a Garrity paddle for my BHP. I haven't been able to really try it out yet though. I like how it has a loop with one way snap on the leading edge of the holster. It has no retention though, just the fit of the holster. In my limited wearing of it though, it has been comfortable and rides close to my body. I could have ordered a thumb break but I don't see the need when I'm out and about and concealed.
All in all, I agree with the above statements of not as good at concealing compared to a pancake style for OWB or especially an IWB. I personally don't care for Fobus or Serpa, but recognize that they do answer a need.

 

More concealable, but still easy on/easy off options

Ritchie CQ-QR Close quarter-quick release (cq-qr) - Product Details

Sparks Axiom Axiom | Milt Sparks Holsters

Aholster belt holster Belt Aholster - AHolster Company

Garrett STX with leather loops Silent Thunder STX with Leather Belt Loops (OWB)

 

More concealable, but still easy on/easy off options

Garrett STX with leather loops Silent Thunder STX with Leather Belt Loops (OWB)

I like the leather lined Kydex of the Garrett STX.

 

Nope

 

My Glock 30s .45 rides well in a fobus paddle between 3 and 4 O'clock. Had to buy a drawerfful to find it. If I put it past 4 it acts like all the others. Meaning either comes out with the holster, or will not exit the holster. Fobus is the only brand that has a paddle big enough to support and distribute the weight well enough not to flop around. I believe if the manufacturer made all these paddles wider, more into your body at the top, and especially 2" lower on the belt, they would make good open carry holsters. For my Springfield Hellcat, Concealment Express does perfect, for a light cover garment. The only full sized gun solution is a 3 loop pancake. A S&W model 29 .44 is fine, but a 1911 is lighter and flatter. Only other I can stand, but not all day is a "Sticky" pouch btwb. For open carry Blackhawk makes a really good, much bigger paddle with index finger release. My Springfield XDm .45 rides well in it...but townies look askance at it. So I save it for hunting, fishing, etc.

 

Carried a G27 with a Fobus paddle from 2005 until just a couple months ago. Never had a single issue with concealing, retention, nor did I ever experience a situation where the paddle holster didn't stay secure when I drew my Glock. It was super comfortable and easy to conceal simply by wearing shirts that I did not tuck. I've retired the G27 (for now?) and am trying a number of different AIWB rigs with both a G19 w/TLR-7A and a Staccato C2 DPO Tactical w/ Holosun 507C X2 Green + TLR-7A.

 

Or do they just work best for taller people (I'm almost 6'4")?
...

Not long ago, something of a paddle-genre holster was my go-to for errand-running days. If plans included lots of mounts/dismounts for in-and-out of the car, I'd take a Comp-Tac "Infidel". Never before thought of it as a paddle, but the belt clip is like a narrow, tight paddle. The "Infidel" lost a lot of ground to a Milt Sparks "Criterion": the magnetic snaps make it nearly as easy and inconspicuous to mount/dismount as the "Infidel. Changing my B.U.G. from a Keltec "3AT" to a S&W 638 pretty well ended mounting/dismounting the main battery. COVID-RXN greatly reduced errands. "Infidel" pretty nearly abandoned.

 

I have a Galco paddle I like really well.

 

I vote for Galco paddle holsters, too. I have one for my 1911's and one for my Beretta 92 (also fits my SIGs). They get used a lot. I prefer a pancake holster or a shoulder holster, but my paddle holsters get a lot of use.

 

I have a few and do occasionally wear one. My wife loves hers and mostly carries her model 36 in one.

 

Paddle holsters, like most designs, have pluses and minuses. Most of these have been covered in the above posts.

I had to dig through a couple of storage totes to find one of my old Tex Shoemaker paddles. At the time I really liked the design. After digging it out and putting it on my belt for a few hours this morning, I still do.

First, it is not a warm weather concealment rig. But, it works well enough underneath a bulky winter cover garment. It is EZ-ON and EZ-OFF. The single snap-loop secures it to the belt. No need to worry about the holster coming off the belt when drawing your pistol. The single-loop makes the holster easy to shift, or float, along the belt, and rock forward/rearward, which can have some benefits when having to draw from an awkward position. It is comfortable to wear while standing or sitting. But, it does not tuck the pistol's butt into the torso, and does not give a consistent presentation of the butt when acquiring a combat grip.

Of course the Shoemaker is long out of production. The closest available equivalent would be the Kramer MSP:

MSP Paddle Gun Holster

This holster was designed in the '90s as a collaboration with the Michigan State Police range officers, for issue to their plainclothes personnel. MSP has for many years enjoyed a reputation as a progressive, trendsetting, law enforcement agency. After more than a year-and-a-half of extensive...

www.kramerleather.com

I've tried a couple of "polymer" paddles and did not find them comfortable. Anyway, here's a couple of pics of one of the old Shoemakers:

 

Fobus evolution model 365ND arrived today. Quite comfy at 3:00 and good retention. Handles my Sig P365X with optic very well.

My first paddle holster and am pleased. I do have a thick leather holster belt so it (the holster) stays put when I draw.