I had a buddy once. We'd met briefly at a party at a friend's apartment back in '69 while I was home on leave from this place I was so glad to get away from. Something clicked between us, and we kept in touch over the next year while I rode out my last year with Uncle Sam.

We got together a lot after that. Became fast friends. Our girlfriends and future wives got along great. My buddy and I had discovered we had a lot in common. We both liked fast cars, nice clothes, pretty girls, beer, films, and Mexican food (the spicier, the better). More importantly, we both liked Old Model Ruger single-actions, spaghetti westerns, camping and hiking in our beautiful North Carolina mountains, and hunting. We liked Old West history and vintage photographs. Yeah, I hunted back then, but I wasn't all that dedicated to it, and I no longer do it. But we watched the Leone films until we had lines memorized. We saw The Wild Bunch so many times, I even learned some rudimentary Spanish just so I could tell what the Mexicans were saying. And we wanted to be Butch Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh.

We built a shooting range in the woods out behind his house. We loaded and reloaded our own ammo...we spent weekends loading and shooting while our girlfriends shopped and did girl stuff. We were pretty much inseparable back then.

Our heroes were Keith, Skelton, Askins, O'Connor, and even George Nonte (remember him?). We didn't care much for Jeff Cooper then, but that did come later. We read books on the Old West and did quick draw stuff with our Rugers and wax bullets.

We both bought the same Rugers. The Old Model .357s and we bought our Super Blackhawks on the same day at the same place. And we were thrilled when Ruger came out with the Blackhawk in .45 Colt! Just had to have one of those, too.

About '74 or '75, we'd heard you could hunt wild boar with handguns up at this place in Tennessee. I think we'd read about it in Guns & Ammo.

So I loaded up some stupid hot loads for our .44s, and off we went to the mountains of Tennessee. I honestly can't remember how I did those loads...all I remember is that I used some sort of Speer hollowpoint and a dangerous amount of 2400. I do remember I only loaded twelve of the things to take with us...six for me, six for my buddy. They were not pleasant to shoot.

It was so cold on the day of the hunt, the shutter in my camera froze up. I warmed it up inside my coat and managed to get just four shots of the hunt.

My scanner's broken, so I can't post the photos here. But I got my boar with my .44 at approximately 60 yards, a one-shot kill. It had to have been pure luck, cause I was so winded (beer and cigarettes are not a good mixture to train on) from running up the side of that damn mountain, I could hardly hold the gun steady. The guy I was with...guess you could call him my "guide"...kept whispering, "Shoot 'im, shoot that hog! What you waitin' on!" I wanted to whop that ol' boy up side his head with that seven-and-a-half-inch barrel, I tell you what, cause that pig must've heard him and started to run. He was about three steps from a dead run when I got him.

Oh, and it really is true that when you're all excited and cranked up with adrenaline, you don't hear the shot. If I was stupid enough to fire that load today (never mind that I wouldn't even make that load today) without ear protection, I'd probably destroy what's left of my hearing.

Anyway, I carried my Ruger back then in a Safariland rig exactly like this one. I'd special ordered it, and carried it everywhere...up and down the Blue Ridge, all through Pisgah National Forest, and down into Linville Gorge. Back then, you could specify the number of cartridge loops and get the holster to fit the belt exactly instead of the more common practice of using the fold-over belt loop with the strap and buckle. The holster and belt were suede-lined, just like this one. Over a year or so ago, I decided I wanted to recreate my old Safariland rig. It took me a good while to find this belt and holster in this condition. All the holsters I found were the fold-over loop kind, and they had the retention strap instead of the hammer thong like my old one had...and the belts in my size with cartridge loops were extremely hard to find. I'd been looking on and off for this belt for over a year. Finally found the holster right here on this forum, and stumbled across the belt, minus its buckle, in a box at a flea market. My hunt was over. My .44 back then didn't have the factory brass grip frame like this one, but this is the same pair of old Jay Scott grips that were on it in '75.

So to sort of wind down this little story, I put some stuff from the seventies together and made this photograph to sort of stay in touch with my past. I'd been turning this composition over and over in my head for as long as I'd been hunting the belt and holster. If you were interested in old Rugers back then and liked outdoor stuff and shooting and cowboy movies, then maybe this photo will bring back some good memories of your own bygone days.

This photograph is also sort of an "In Memorium" photograph.

My friend Chris is gone, having passed away several years ago. It feels really strange to have outlived him.



"The Belle of the Ranch" cowgirl photograph on the vintage postcard is copyright 1908 by George B. Cornish of Arkansas City, Kansas

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Thanks for a great post. Brought back a lot
of memories.

Thanks for sharing a great story and pic.

Ah, for the old days. Thanks

Living your dream and desires congrats.

I just purchased two SA RUGERS need to stay in touch with the SA history.

I'll lift a glass any time to the old days, old guns, and old friends.

I spent a good bit of time making the photograph. I shot at least ten different versions, and the more I shot, the more I remembered. It took longer than I'd anticipated, because I kept stopping to reminisce.

I could have written a lot more, but, well...I just didn't.

I'm pleased that it brought back some memories for you.

I won't spend the time identifying how many points our histories share but my 1974-5 included an Old Model .41 Magnum Ruger and more than enough beer and cigarettes. Great story, great photo and a great rig- thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver

We did the same hunt (with handguns only), a place about
an hour south of Knoxville.
Tellico Junction.
I carried a Contender in .357 Maximum
My buddy carried a Redhawk .44 mag
You don't realize how out of shape you are until you
try keeping up with the dogs and the guides down
there going up those mountains after a hog.
Nice tribute sir. And beautiful SA

Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

Most everyone on this forum has a story and it would be more interesting to read them than another thread about the IL !

That's the place! That's where we were!! What a coincidence, huh?

Ain't that the truth?!? Funny thing, I thought I was in shape. Sure did hurt to learn different.

Oh, and we didn't have dogs. We just kept tramping up and down the hills until we found some pigs. We saw a few of those multi-colored razorbacks, too, but didn't even shoot at any of them.

It's interesting. I'm sure there are quite a few of us of a certain age whose histories converge at certain time periods, no matter what part of the country we're from or where we live. We just don't realize it until someone tells a story or just mentions something, some little detail. Then we'll think, "Hey, I remember that!" or "I was there back then." or "That sounds like me!" Glad you like the story and photo.

Thanks to everyone so far who has taken the time to read my little story and comment on it. As I mentioned earlier, hope it brings back some pleasant memories for you.

Hog hunting in Tenn. doesn't exist like that any longer. Wild hogs are no long game animals, they are considered pests to be eradicated. They have spread to 85 of our 90-something counties. There are no seasons for them, closest thing is they may be shot by deer hunters on public lands during the season and by small game hunters after deer seasons. Landowners can get (I think free) exemptions to kill them year round by just about any means. Each landowner can designate "helpers?". Commerical hunting operations are no longer allowed, but there are strict hog hunting rules by TWRA. I can't type well enough to explain it all. Everything is explained in the new Hog Hunting Regulations In Tennessee in TWRA web site if you want to look it up. I guess we all need to hang onto good time memories, cause they are a lot harder to come by nowadays. BTW, I have a 7 1/2" Ruger SBH I bought new in 1978, have killed a few deer and blown up a lot of organic matter and water jugs with it, love it. My son lived in Knoxville from 1996 till 2013, spent good bit of time out there, beautiful country. Cades Cove is my favorite. Be safe.

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Just a shooter

Thanks for the heartwarming story and I'm so sorry for the loss of your best friend, but he lives on in your memories & your heart.
R.I.P. Chris.......

I still have my Safariland Model 43 holster, bought at a gunshop in Chaleston SC in 1973. It is black and for a 4 5/8" Blackhawk. Mine was the Old Model .45 Colt. I also have a tan holster in 4 5/8" that I found on eBay..

No longer have the Blackhawk. A "friend" borrowed it, pawned it and didn't redeem it.

I was running around the hills near Auburn, Alabama in that time period with my college buddies, reloading ammo in the evenings when I should have been studying.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I also went on a handgun hunt for Wild Boar at Tellico Junction. The
year was 1973 and I carried a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt and my
buddy used a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag. We both got a hog and
watching my hunting buddy put his hog down and out with his first
shot at about 75 yds convinced me to sell my 4 5/8" .45 and buy my
Super which I still have. Looking back I should have kept the .45 when
I bought the .44. I really believe those skinny "guides" got a lot of
fun out of running us out of shape hunters up and down those hills
down there.

My first .357 was an "Old Model" Ruger Blackhawk. I started reloading
to feed it. I used it as a house gun for a while, in small game hunting,
and on deer hunts as backup to a 16 gauge shotgun.

Have another with an auxiliary cylinder in 9mm now, as well as a
"New Model" in .41 Magnum.

Had lots of fun with those guns over the years.

Back then, Safariland and Bianchi made the holsters that I liked. I didn't know anything about Myres, Brauer Brothers, and other older makers back then.

Safariland was innovative in the 70s, too. They came out with that Safariland Sight Track for their holsters, and I loved their suede lining. I've been partial to suede lined holsters ever since.

Those old 4-5/8" #43 Safariland holsters are hard to find these days. Hope you never sell it. I passed on buying one several months ago, and still regret it. Matter of fact, I don't know which is harder to find...the holster, or the 4-5/8" Old Model Ruger .45, itself.

I have another old #43 for the 7.5-inch revolvers, and an old #42 as well. They're great old holsters, even though I may end up selling them soon.

Mine, too! I bought mine at a shop in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in late 1969 when I was stationed there for my last year in the service. I remember they had a new Browning Hi-Power in the case for sale, too, wanted $112 for it. I went with the Ruger because it was cheaper and more powerful.

Good post - sure brought back memories for me.
In the Summer 1974 I started at my first real job (other than farmwork), at a LGS in Raleigh, NC. I idolized the other, knowledgeable older guys working there.

One, Doug, was about 3-4 years older than me and really loved to backpack and camp. Late Fall that year (or next, not sure) we obtained Wilderness Entry permits for Linville Gorge. We were backpacking and bear hunting. IIRC, it was to be a 4 day trip.

At the time, having quite modest budgets, we each carried well-used Ruger Security Six 4" .357's. Handloads were some insane powder charge behind the magic bullet at the time, the Sierra 150 gr. JHC.

Being so young, it was the first time I'd spent days with a real gun on my side.
No, never saw any bears. We actually got a bunch of snow dumped on us and became a mite confused trying to hike out.
Finally finding his truck parked along side the road was wonderful.
As I recall, when we stopped in Boone, NC on the ride back home, we each spent about $10 on burgers at Hardee's. That would have been ALOT of food back then.

Thanks for your memories and helping me dredge mine up.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

love the story and the brassy. I have one in 45 Colt and several other SA Rugers. great guns.

I have a friend much like yours. We have known each other for almost 35 years. Neither of us is looking forward to outliving the other but he is my brother in every way but blood.