I was never a cop, but I was a rent-a-cop for a while, so I enjoy
the old leather. Thought you might enjoy it too. Might bring
back a memory or two?

Left to Right:

The iconic Jordan Border Patrol. This one by Hume.
Shown with my S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum.

Buchiemer-Clark Patrolman 37A size 34. Shown with my
S&W Model 67 Combat Masterpiece.

Bianchi's #27, Bianchi belt, and speed loader pouches.
Shown with Model 19.

Bianchi #2800 "The Judge". Shown with Model 67.

Safariland's #200 "Top Gun" shown with my 1911
Colt's Gold Cup.

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In Omnia Paratus

Thanks for these photos .That is a cool rig .I remember seeing cops wear the swivel type holsters back in the day when they walked beat patrolls in my hometown. One of my dads captains carried a combat masterpiece it was nickel with stag grips and a Tyler T in a basket weave rig.That was a fancy set up back then .

Nice leather gear and guns. Brings back some good memories.

Back in the 'Good Ol' Days'



.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

That sap shows a bit of wear on the business side?

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In Omnia Paratus

I tried the Jordan style holster but found it poked into the seat pushing my gun belt up. I settled on the Safariland believe model 29 , a high rise with a slight forward tilt and thumb snap.

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SWCA 1932 SWHF 135

Love that set up it is cool.I asked my dad once about his leather thing what is was for.He said well son every once in a while I run across one of them bad dudes you hear about on tv .I said yes sir the people with bad attitudes ( that’s what he told me criminals were ) .He said right son well “a tap or two with this will adjust their attitude “ .Then he said hold out your fist .I did .He tapped me on the knuckle just a little and said now think if I did that real hard on your noggin .I just laughed and said yes sir .He said and yes sir is what them bad dudes say to.I always get a kick out of seeing the old school stuff it reminds me of the days when my mom my grandma me and my brother could walk right by the projects in our home town at dusk dark and not even think about someone bothering you.Now you best be armed there even in the day time .

The old days were more fun and I am glad I was around then.

T'was a sad day when the Sheriff said the "black jacks" had to go away. Political correctness seemed to be the reasoning. When used properly with vigor they were quite effective.

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SWCA LM#2190 SWHF#414

T'was a sad day when the Sheriff said the "black jacks" had to go away.

Don't forget "The Iron Claw".

weighted leather gloves were very effective in days gone by. Another effective non deadly weapon that police lost in the 1970s.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

I graduated my academy in 1990 with a model 15 sitting in a Judge resting on my hip. I still have them both. Thanks for the memory and the smile.

I graduated from the police academy in 1972 with a S&W model 19 that I was required to pay for myself. I was issued a Sam Brown belt, and a flap holster that can best be described as made from chicken hide. We had to purchase handcuffs, handcuff case, cartridge loops and ammo.

We were proud to be police officers and we did this for the princely sum of $ 505.00 a month, take home. We had regular partners that became brothers and knew that we could crush crime and solve all the problems in our beat, if only we tried hard enough.

Reality set in a few years later and we became the older, wiser street cop that understood the reality of the job and did the best we could to deal with it. I loved the challenge and the call that required you to ride to the sound of the guns.

Thanks for taking me down memory lane one more time.

U.S.A.F. Security Police 1983 and then some...

I was honored to not only wear my father's, "Air Police" badge (they never noticed) but also his Jordan holster.

I was/am tall enough that it didn't hit the seat in the car hard enough to bother me.

I can still remember the stiffness and smell of that old rig.

I still use the same belt keepers at the range with a nylon rig. (I carry deep concealed at work these days.)

My old revolver set-up. All leather gear by Australian leather company called Hellweg.

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My late dad's issued Model 66 with an early 2k serial number.
B.T. Crump Jordan style holster, Convoy blackjack, aluminum knuckles, S&W Airweight handcuffs.
The gun wears a set of grips I sent my Dad from Thailand in 1974.

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John

I used a Model 10-5 in “contract” leather, some Brauer Brothers, some Courtlandt Bootjack (JAY-PEE), some Bucheimer.

The JAY-PEE stuff wasn’t as bad as people thought, and they were and are nice people there. Did you know that JAY-PEE is phonetic for the owner’s initials, John Parlante?

Brings back memories.

We were issued the Bianchi #27 for our issued 586's after an incident when an officer lost his gun in a scuffle with a deranged male. The male was able to grab the gun and fire off all six rounds. No one was hit, but one round went through the back window of a car at a stop light. The knee-jerk reaction by the administration was to issue the Bianchi #27 to all road patrol. The prior issue was the Jordan Border Patrol and we suspect the officer in question did not have the strap secured over the gun.

Anyway, everyone hated the Bianchi 27. The Chief wrote a directive explaining the choice and stating that he was assured the #27 was the "Cadillac" of holsters. Almost immediately, one smart alec (I know him quite well) went to the local Cadillac dealership and got a Cadillac emblem and mounted it to the holster. The Chief was not amused. But, a short while later, other styles of security holsters were approved. The Cadillac emblem was then proudly displayed on the union bulletin board.

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Tony

I believe the model 27 did have some problems. That is why the
2800 "Judge" came to be. If Red Nichols reads this perhaps he
will explain it. I think he designed "The Judge".

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In Omnia Paratus

My Sam Brown belt and gear came from Dehner’s in Omaha. We had to buy it ourselves. Our original pay was $646.50/month. My Dad spent hours spit-shining his leather. So I bought mine in a Corfam, a shiny miracle product that could be shined with a spritz of lemon Pledge. It has a swivel holster with 6 ammo loops. After awhile, I replaced that with a high rise Safariland while in uniform and then later a Galco Jackass rig after promotion to Detective. I carried a Model 59 in the shoulder holster or a 2 1/2 19 in a pancake holster from Galco. My original Dehners rig hangs on the wall in my man cave. Unfortunately it, my original hat, and my Second Chance vest were damaged by a house fire a few years ago.

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

I used a mixture of black basket weave Safariland and Bianchi leather. Still good leather today but the only problem that I have had is the fact that the Sam Browne belt has a case of closet shrink over the last 49 years.

My Frisbee holster from the mid 1960s. S&W Model 10 with a SIX INCH barrel. Couldn't draw that if you were seated in the squad car. No pic, but still have a very solid cherry nightstick we carried too.

Lost it somewhere in the past 50+ years but the holster also had a leather leg strap.

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686+, 351PD, Governor, M&P

I recently found this SMITH & WESSON B501 size 34 Safety Holster with the PAT. # 3,942,692 stamped on the back. It must have been made just before S&W got out of the holster business in the early 1980s. That design was one of the allowed revolver holsters for my Police Dept. in the later 1980s but I only ever saw them with the GOULD AND GOODRICH name on them.




A very good holster design!

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Gun Safety is no accident.

Your Dad knew what the best blackjack was---CONVOY !

My first cop leather came from "SaSO" company in Texas.

I wish I had my dad's old duty gear, but it disappeared before I inherited anything. I remember him carrying in a Jordan style rig for many years. Then the department went to a highride Safariland rig. I do have the Ball holster he had made for his Colt snubbie that he carried in CID.

I started with the Bianchi mdl 350 Hurricane for my mdl 66. When we finally were authorized to carry an auto loader (S&W 1086) we went to what I think was a Gould & Goodrich rig that most despised as too complicated. We finally got admin to allow Safariland model 70 level III holsters. With a new chief, our carry options for both guns & holsters opened up. I was one of the 1st here to carry BLACKHAWK on patrol & that's still my rig.

Ah yes. Quality leather gear, nothing is better in my book. Not as easy to maintain but always my favorite.
Plastic guns with plastic holsters are just not the same.

I was issued both the Don Hume and the swivel w/the 12 loops for my Model 15. Nobody liked the swivel much b/c the thing would beat you to death in a foot chase (holding the holster only slowed me down and I was slow enough to begin with). Thanks for the memories!

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I wore a Judge and before that the older break front that you have a photo of. Always a S&W 19, 66 or 686. I started in 1979.

I have a drawer full of saps of every size and weighted gloves. Those are just collectors stuff that I never carried on the street.

I ended my career with a 1911 carried in a Ted Blocker holster.

They don't make holsters or cops like that anymore. Thank you for bringing back memories.

Started my carrier in ‘68 and carried a blackjack for the first 10 - 12 years before my agency prohibited them. It was retired but I still have it put away in a drawer w/old holsters and ammo carriers from my detective days.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Back in the late 1980's or early 1990's at one of the semi annual police firearms instructor updates our State of NH Police Instructor Cert. The Captain showed us one of these Safariland Holsters with the word if you get one please practice using it often. It had 2 hidden snaps that had to be released and the pistol moved to the rear slightly before drawing. It was top of the line but since our department designated what holster we could use I was not interested. I recently found this nice specimen for a cheap price and I brought it home.







I am long beyond the use of a police duty belt with all the wonderful things my much younger current officers carry now. Note the 2 allen screws on the top of the belt loop that holds the holster in place on the duty belt.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

With my M19 & later M66, I carried in a hi ride Bianchi 5BHL. Standing easy, my forearm covered the grips. I recall a crowd control detail... one of the guys had the swivel fail. Lost the holster and weapon... a spectator returned them gingerly to the OIC (Officer In Charge)... I'm sure there were repercussions.

When I went to the M645, I went to a Safariland security holster.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

The Hi Gloss Corfam version of this was issued to us at Wackenhut Security along with S&W Model 64s. The M64s were the first MIM and 3 piece barrel, but before the locks put on.

I've used that 070 Safariland since 1992 anytime I carried an auto as armed security and reserve officer. I wish they would offer it in the M&P 2.0 and H&K VP9 models.

Many anxious moments. A lot of memories about the good ole days.
(Model 10-5 nickel, no name holster both Department issued 1969.).

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One item that hung off my gun belt from the late 1970s through the 1980s was the PR-24 Police Baton. It was a very effective tool for the Police Officer. My only problem with it was that the 24" Baton could not be worn while seated in a cruiser. If you were expecting trouble it could be grabbed and put on your belt. Unfortunately a number of time when I was not expecting trouble, I found it and the Stick with an extension was back in my cruiser. I for one was happy when we were issued the collapsible baton which was always on my belt.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

This thread having popped up again reminded me to have a look at what Safariland still calls holsters; the company replaced the diecut and folded (like leather) Kydex holsters in favor of injection molding and I wondered if they had continued to 'line' them by overmolding a leather lining in place.

Had a look; nope. And it didn't take any amount of brain torque to figure out that what they're molding it from, which they call SafariSeven ("Hey, Bill, nobody will ever figure out what it is from the name!), would be a Nylon 7 (vs the Nylon 6 that we're all familiar with).

In their literature the company makes the statement that it is nonabrasive and proprietary. Nylon 7 has been available since the early 1960s though and of course, like all components molded from Nylon (which is called a polyamide) it is non abrasive, and high impact, too. And cheap.

As for the 070, my hat is off to Bill Rogers for persuading tens of thousands of men and women to carry their pistols in that thing. Pop one snap with the usual thumb, then pop a second snap with not the usual finger (so usually left unsnapped by the officers), then pull backwards on the grip, then pull the pistol up out of the holster, then push it forward to the target. THAT, took serious persuasive abilities. Now, after you've chased own the crim, holster your pistol by reversing all those steps :-).

I chatted with a street copy a few decades ago about his and he had no idea what it was or who made it but said it took LOTS of practice to learn how. And we all know that street cops LOVE to practice (not).

It was done first, and more easily used, by Hoyt with this swivel holster; this example is from Hoyt's El Monte period which was 1940s, 1950s, 1960s:

1 el monte hoyt (1).JPG 1 el monte hoyt (2).jpg

Internal recesses keep the revolver from coming out the top, an internal spring keeps the rear (in this case) of the holster closed, a thumb snap in the McGivern style (tab on the outside vs next to the wearer). Notice that the swivel function has been made inoperative, which would've been necessary to be able to draw backwards. Funny that, Bill Rogers didn't disclose this prior art to the patent examiner.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

You guys are making me jealous with all the cool gear....and stories!

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Stay protected my friends.

yes the good old days. no mace, stun guns, collapsible baton, computers, only a sixgun, night stick, and a radio that might work. picture 12/80

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In 1968 my duty belt had a revolver, 12 extra rounds in loops on a swivel holster, cuffs & a baton. The radio was in the car (portables were available in the early ‘70s) and a blackjack was in my back pocket, on my gun side, b/c I often forgot to take the baton when I got out of the car.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I took the oath in the early 80s. I was issued a S&W M19 and leather gear for the academy. I forget the maker but it was a Jordan style holster with strap. The academy range instructor was a “bully with a badge” and talked about the suicide strap on my holster and how it was too slow compared to the thumb snap on his holster. He ordered me to the line to demonstrate how much faster he could draw with his holster. After six consecutive losses, he stepped back to watch how I drew the revolver. He said I was cheating by sweeping the strap with my forefinger as I made the draw!

After the academy I was issued a Jordan style but with a thumb snap. I laughed. But I used it.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

"Bully with a badge" Seeing a number of those in my 40 years, I know that a number of departments temporality got their problem children out of their hair for a few months or more by assigning them to the Police Academy as instructors for a period of time. Some learned a bit before getting back to their own departments.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

I will have to disagree, this was a terrible design. Pull forward then up? Too slow. Much preferred my Safariland thumb break Border Patrol.

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Support your Police, & NRA

Haha I remember this stuff. I started out in 1985 with a 4" S&W 686 in a Bianchi Hurricane and two HKS speed-loaders. I remember the Judge was popular then and the thumb-snap / breakfront style pretty much ruled at that time.

LOL, I remember those days... No cell phones, no pagers, no computers. Only the Sgt had a taser and it was the old flashlight shaped style. I went in service with 18 rds of .38 special, mace and a baton. The 870 in the car had 4 rds of 00 buck in it.

Yes, the radio was hit and miss on whether it worked the entire shift.

Don't know where you got your dates from, but just before I graduated from the Police Academy in 1978 I was issued a full set of leather, including a Border Patrol style holster made by S&W. So they were making holsters since at least 1978.

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Support your Police, & NRA

The Safariland 070 is the hands down, without a doubt, the finest duty holster ever made. Very secure and very fast. Most cops were too dumb and lazy to use the "hidden snap" but the hidden snap was the best thing about the holster. I broke in with the 070 in 1996 and we have since moved on to "better" but truth is nothing before or since was better for the uniformed cop.

Also, broke in the business on the pr24. From 96-00 it was the only baton allowed. What a fantastic tool. Once again most cops were too dumb and/or lazy to actually learn how to use it. It required a small amount of athleticism to use well but oh my did it work well. The expandable that replaced it 20yrs ago is useless in my experience for everything except smacking an aggressive dog in the noggin.

Before any gets excited about my "dumb and lazy" comments I challenge you to train cops and not feel the same way. The high skilled officers are/were a pleasure to train and work with but the slugs not so much. The business has changed a lot in my career.

But I love these classic duty rigs. When I was new we had a few revolver hold outs in the department. All old guys. All of them had the attitude of "not using one of those automatics" lol "those things will get you killed". A few still carried saps even though they were not allowed but they didn't call them saps. I can't get in to that here.

Funny thing, those old farts were all damn good policemen. They knew the handgun meant next to nothing in the big scheme of things. I'm blessed to have known some of those guys.

It was around 1983 that Smith & Wesson stopped making holsters. At that time they were making Distributors buy their holsters (not wanted) in order to get more S&W handguns (wanted badly). My gun shop owner happened to be at one big distributors when the announcement came. The Distributor had thousands of now obsolete S&W Holsters on his shelves. The gun shop owner made a deal to buy all the S&W holsters he had at a great price. When the gun shop closed some 25 years later there were still a pile of new S&W holsters in stock but he had already made back his investment x3 or x4. Gould & Goodrich Bought the S&W Holster Business.

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Gun Safety is no accident.

The thing is when you work for a department that has rules as to what holster to use there is no choice as what you want to use. I believe in strong security as I arrived at a crime where the Perp. was walking my Sargent across the road with the Sargent's Revolver pointed at the Sargent's head. Fortunately the Perp. ran instead of shooting. The revolver had been taken from the Sargent's fast draw holster during a struggle with 2 defendants. The Holster rules came soon after.

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Gun Safety is no accident.