CHIC GAYLORD

crazyphil · #1 09-16-2017, 06:12 PM

Here, on the left, is a Chic Gaylord Combat Speed Scabbard I
bought here on the forum from Lewel. Who, by the way,
handled the transaction quickly, efficiently, and was a pleasure
to deal with.

He called it a Chic Gaylord "style" holster, but I thought it looked
like the real McCoy, so I pounced on it.

-db-, who is quite expert at identifying maker's work, agreed
thinking also that it is a Gaylord. After paying the seller I asked
if he would mind sending a photo of the back, and he graciously
obliged. He also sent the photo to Red Nichols because I value
Red's input. The back is shown 2nd from left.

3rd from left is the back of the small radical canted J Frame
Gaylord holster that I got from turnerriver a while back. The
"stitch signature" convinced me that it is the real deal.

Here are some interesting characteristics of Chic Gaylord
holsters from Red Nichols:
The big pocket between the barrel & welt is so the
barrel can swing during the draw.
The hollow bucket rivet.
The stitch pattern.
The welt stitched upside down.
No maker mark. Chic's impact stamp didn't work
worth a dam.
Heavy nylon parachute thread, that no one else
was using at the time.

4th from left is Chic's friend, Lefty Lewis of Bell-Charter-Oak,
rendition of the Gaylord Combat Speed Scabbard.

5th from left is by Seventrees. Do you think maybe Paris
Theodore was "influenced" by Chic's holster?

rednichols · #2 09-17-2017, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyphil

Do you think maybe Paris
Theodore was "influenced" by Chic's holster?

Perhaps you're being facetious, because we know that Paris actually worked for Chic; and he acknowledged in a 1968 interview that he copied Chic's products :-).

rednichols · #3 09-17-2017, 06:00 AM

Say, that reminds me; John Bianchi was heavily influenced by Chic Gaylord, who was the big banana in the '50s and '60s. Here's Chic, who originated the pose with as many pistols as possible; and John's that came much, much later:

a gaylord reveal preceded bianchi (1).JPG this image is incredibly small; I have a larger one around here somewhere (from the magazine it appeared in).

a gaylord reveal preceded bianchi (2).jpg

All the guns in both pics are even in the same place!

crazyphil · #4 09-17-2017, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rednichols

Perhaps you're being facetious, because we know that Paris actually worked for Chic; and he acknowledged in a 1968 interview that he copied Chic's products :-).

Your right. I was being facetious.

crazyphil · #5 09-17-2017, 07:29 AM

Only negative I can find with the newly acquired Chic Gaylord, and also
the previous smaller Chic Gaylord, is that they were made to fit a maximum
belt width of 1 & 1/4". I remember back in the 1950s and
1960s the belts were quite narrow. I do happen to have an older
Uncle Mike gunbelt that is one and a quarter so it fits the belt loop
of both Chic Gaylords just right.

Fortunately I just lost over 40 pounds, so my older belts fit now.

crazyphil · #6 09-18-2017, 01:50 AM

Sorry about the not so good photo of the Chic Gaylord holster that I
posted above. I'm still a student photographer. Here is one I just took
that is a little bit better.

crazyphil · #7 09-18-2017, 04:53 AM

Not trying to belabor the point, but I do need the photo taking practice.
One significant difference: Gaylord, on the left, is quite radically canted,
while Seventrees, on the right, is neutral.

crazyphil · #8 09-18-2017, 07:43 AM

And here's another one just for practice:
Chic Gaylord Combat Speed Scabbard on left with my Model 29.
Seventrees in the middle with my Model 19.
Lefty Lewis (Bell-Charter-Oak) at right with my Model 67.
Lefty's replica is pretty darn close.

Obviously the Gaylord holster was made for an N Frame.
The other 2 for K Frames.

Texas Star · #9 09-19-2017, 04:47 AM

Thanks for the added pictures. Always wanted Gaylord and Seventrees holsters and never felt I could afford one.
I remember browsing the Seventrees catalog in class in college, pretending to listen to the prof's lecture.

I have a copy of Gaylord's 1960 book, Handgunner's Guide. It is very informative. In it, Gaylord said that a senior S&W rep told him that new Model 10's were being made of a new and stronger steel. I haven't seen that elsewhere, and believe it's one reason why they began numbering models. But they didn't want people to think older guns were weak, so didn't publicize this.