A couple of weeks ago, my son and I spent an afternoon at our deer lease trying to hunt feral hogs. We were both carrying long guns - .308 caliber rifles, and Model 638 revolver in my off-side front pant's pocket. At the last moment, I decided to carry my 4.0 inch barreled Ruger Security Six revolver as back-up. I brought along a leather IWB holster that I intended to carry the Ruger in.

Unfortunately, once we got to the lease and started gearing up, I discovered the holster would not be suitable for use in the field as the snaps for the holster would not stay snapped once the revolver was placed in the holster. I ended up just putting the pistol in my rear pant's pocket, which wasn't optimal, but it worked.

Once I returned home, I decided to buy a simple nylon holster for use in the field. Though more holster than I had planned on, I found a NIB Don Hume holster for $18.00. The holster was a factory second, but I have yet to discover any cosmetic flaws in it.

What I do find surprising is the weight of the holster and pistol combined. I was carrying the unloaded revolver around the house using a standard Instructor Belt. I wasn't carrying anything else on the belt, but it didn't take long to notice the weight of the revolver and holster. While not excessive, it made me wonder how noticeable this weight would be at the end of a shift - especially along with the weight of other equipment worn on the gun belt.

To all of you LEOs who carried a medium framed revolver on duty - a very sincere "Thank you" for your service.

Regards,

Dave

Attached Images

	Ruger SS Hume holster #1.jpg (82.8 KB, 110 views)
	Ruger SS with Hume holster #2.jpg (78.0 KB, 86 views)

Dont forget the old motorola brick radio on the other side with a backup somewhere in between,cuffs,ammo etc..even at 35 or 40 years old, the weight could really make itself known.

I see a fair number of LEO's applying for disability retirement.

The second most common issue, aside from hearing loss, is back problems from carrying a pistol (including Tupperware) along with the other stuff on an equipment belt.

With the right belt it's not bad. I carry a Ruger GP100 Match Champion now and then. I don't find it any worse than the 1911.

With the right belt I barely notice it.

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Freedom isn't free.

^^^^^^^^ Yes, this. Bianchi's River Belt or the equivalent from El Paso Saddlery make good gun belts. My Ruger GP-100 is heavier than your Security-Six, but the weight is barely noticed with a good belt and holster.


Your holster selection suggests that you are very naïve about good gun leather. You have a place to hunt and to open carry. ??


Learn about and buy better holsters and belts. It's worth the effort and safer than carrying the gun in your back pocket. For crying out loud...I kept waiting for you to say the gun had fallen from your pocket and been damaged. Or that you'd fallen and YOU were damaged.

My duty belt loadout back then, from the left side front going around to the right front: two speedloaders of .38 +P, Cold Steel push dagger, belt keeper, Motorola brick, pr. of hinged cuffs, keeper, Buck lite folder in horizontal holster (middle of back), pr. of chained cuffs to right of the Buck, S&W Mod. 10 (keeper on each side of holster), two rounds of 00 buck and a beeper. After they issued pepper spray, I had to relocate the dagger so it went to my boot. Add to that soft body armor and a .380 Grendel with a spare mag strapped to the armor.

Jumped more than one fence wearing all that gear. Also learned not to take directions from helo pilots. Apparently at night, on the FLIR, dirt paths and creeks look exactly alike.

The load wasn't too bad if you were riding in a cruiser or on a motorcycle, even when I was carrying a model 58. But if you were walking a beat it kept you slim and trim. Did I mention I've had both knees replaced?

More than a few of us old badge pushers walk a little slanchwise and it ain't on account of our politics.

I don't know how today's LEO carry all of the stuff they do on their belts.. I din't have a fraction of that and still lean a leetle to the right.

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Eccentric old coot

You guys are bringing back lots of memories!! Not all of them bad, either. But I had forgotten how the weight of all that stuff got progressively heavier over the course of the shift. The old Motorola weighed at least as much as the loaded handgun (in my case, a 66 no dash), and as chopshopcop points out, there was a lot of other hardware hanging off of our belts.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

And then there were the incidentals..4 cell kel-lite,sap,door wedge,dimes to call the station,key for this and key for that,..I was ecstatic when they came out with the plastic whistle..really lightened the load.

We never went to a plastic whistle!!! We had the Acme, made in England, I think, and nickle plate for the patrolmen, and brass for the Sgt.s and up (you know, the "brass").

Plastic!! That would have reduced the load!!!

What really reduced the load was moving to plainclothes. Went from the 4" model 66 to the 2 1/2" 66, and dropped a lot of the hardware also.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Coming soon, a new thread about police whistles.

When I started in 82, it was a S&W 686, double speed loader case, radio, cuffs, and 4 cell mag light that doubled as my baton.

When I retired in 09 it was a Sig P229, Taser, radio, cell phone, collapsible baton, 2 sets of cuffs, 3 mag pouch, OC spray, multi tool, and Nitride glove pouch.

Had they thrown anything else at me to hang on my belt, I would have needed to gain 20 pounds so I could wear a larger belt.

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Hold my beer and watch this!

In less than an hour, I will buckle on a duty belt holding 2 double speedloader pouches, 1 thumb break duty holster containing a 4" S&W Model 686-6, S&W handcuffs, a flashlight, a Motorola brick, OC spray, an ASP baton, and a G26 Taser®. Add to that a Spyderco, my wallet, work keys, personal keys, 2" S&W Model 12-2, S&W Model 642-2, 2 speed strips, concealable body armor with a trauma plate, and the weight starts to add up. Oh, yeah; I'm 64 and spend less than 3 hours a day at my desk.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

With time the load of issued equipment you were required to carry increased. Thankfully(?) my waistline was able to keep pace!

Some of the newcomers would have to wrap the belt around their waist two or three times in order to accommodate all the 'essentials.'

A couple of years ago the Department began to issue load bearing vests to help spread the weight and save a few backs...

Just another aspect of cop life us civvies will never even imagine.
A big thank you to all out there shakin' their bacon!

We carried a Model 15, 12 spare rounds in dump pouches, cuffs and a stick on a thick/wide leather duty belt. We got belt radios after I had about 10 years on the job and to this day I have pain in my left hip where the gun rode for 30 years. As a detective I carried a Colt DS, six extra rounds & cuffs on my thin pants belt.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Why would you need a backup revolver while carrying .308 rifles?

Better yet.. why do you need the .308's?

Just hunt with a revolver!

S&W model 629(no dash), 8 3/8" barrel, Galco(then Jackass Leather) holster... picture taken about 35 years ago.. rig still used!

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Nationality: Confederate

I was back in the good ol days.. Model 58, 2 speed loaders, handcuffs.

Some of us had a flat sap in the pocket in the leg of our uniform pants. We were issued a LAPD whuppin' stick, but we didn't carry it. Some of us had a 5 cell Maglite flashlight, but again, we didn't carry it on us.

We kept hearin' rumors about those hand held radio things, but we had to depend on the loud speaker under the hood of the car if we were outside of it.

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Eccentric old coot

Oh that flash light with 4 d cell batteries.
Today we get more light from two AA and it wont break a toe if you drop it.

My primary flashlight uses 4 AAA batteries and produces 320 lumens. My ink pen has another little LED flashlight at the other end from the pen! The wonders of modern technology!

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

That flashlight thing is probably a good idea, too, as we can hit a bad guy over the head with our little AAA battery light, and he wouldn't even notice, let alone sue us!!! A lot of guys got in trouble in the old days, using those Maglights to conk bad guys over the noggin!! Usually effective, but frowned on by the courts!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

When I started in the mid 70's, I had a dual speed loader pouch, Bianchi B 27 holster holding a Model 66, cuff case, and a Gerber folding knife and pouch, A PR 24 in a baton ring was on my left side, a large S&W Mace dispenser (it rarely worked on bad guys but always worked on fellow cops). A few years later I ditched the department mandated mace dispenser, added another vertical dual speed loader pouch and a portable radio in a leather case. My 66 was replaced by a 686 in a Hoyt holster.

When I retired 2005 my belt was reinforced nylon with a latex glove pouch, a 1911 in a Safariland security holster, two cuff cases (one below each kidcney), a nylon radio case with a 1/2 the weight Motorola, a Surefire small flashlight pouch with light, OC pouch and dispenser, collapsable baton, and a triple mag pouch.

I always carried a backup in the form of a Walther PPK 380 or a Smith Model38 and later a 642. The back ups had at least one reload.