Jeff Quinn Gunblast.com : Tailgunner Review

Jeff Quinn www.gunblast.com
March 17th, 2004

With most of the nation now allowing its citizens to actually exercise their God-given right to self protection as guaranteed in the Constitution, more people are looking into the best ways to carry a handgun concealed. Concealment of the weapon of choice is a very important factor. While some states allow the open carry of a handgun, most frown upon people carrying their weapon out in the open for all to see. Also, from a tactical standpoint, it is best if everyone does not know that you are going heeled until the firearm is actually needed to resolve a particular social situation. Those of us who carried in violation of state laws for many years are aware of the need to be certain that the weapon is concealed, but many who have just started packing have a somewhat careless attitude about the concealment aspect, since they have a permit to carry. This attitude could not only jeopardize their permit, but could get them killed. It is very important to keep the fact that you are packing a secret from the bottom feeders in our society, and to not unduly upset the congregation at the local church picnic.here are many good concealment holsters on the market, and most will suffice for the purpose. However, some are better than others. Two of the best are the subject of this article, and are made by High Noon Holsters in Tarpon Springs, Florida. High Noon produces several styles of holsters, from either cowhide or horsehide, to fit just about any concealed carry need.

The holsters reviewed here represent two of the most popular ways to carry a concealed handgun. The first is their Tail Gunner, which carries the firearm inside the pants. The inside holster system is a very good way to conceal a medium to large sized weapon, allowing the lines of the clothing to very effectively hide the gun. There are many of the nylon clip-on cheap inside holsters available on the market, and they are nearly worthless. The high quality inside the pants holster was developed by Bruce Nelson many years ago and marketed extensively by Milt Sparks. The Tail Gunner is an improvement on Nelson's tried and true Summer Special design.

While the cheap nylon inside the pants holsters will carry a gun, they allow it to shift around while carrying, and you pretty much have to unfasten your pants to re-holster the weapon. If you cinch your belt down tight enough to keep the gun from shifting, then your pants can fall down after you remove the gun, which can be quite embarrassing. The Tail Gunner is a totally different holster. It is built from quality stiff horsehide that securely holds the weapon, while allowing easy one-hand re-holstering of the weapon. The horsehide is rough-side-out, which helps to keep the holster from shifting. That which separates the Tail Gunner from other high quality inside the pants holsters is what High Noon calls the stabilizer wing. The wing is a section of leather to the rear of the holster which serves to hold the butt of the gun in tighter against the body, aiding both concealment and stability.

Another feature of the Tail Gunner that I especially like is the slide guard, which is an extension of leather that keeps the slide and rear sight from contact with the wearer's skin. If you have ever carried a gun inside your waistband, you know what I am talking about. The slide guard is a great feature that prevents the gun from cutting the skin, and protects the gun's finish from wear and corrosion.

The Tail Gunner also has a tension adjustment screw to regulate the tightness of the holster on the gun, and replaceable belt straps to accommodate various belt widths. The belt straps are available in tan or black finishes.

One of my favorite features of the Tail Gunner is the sewn in plastic molded sight track. It effectively prevents the sight from scraping away the leather, and protects the sight from wear. It should be a feature on everyone's concealment holsters, but it is not. It is a great idea, and it works.