I started out wearing a black basket weave Sam Browne rig with a Jordan style holster like the one pictured above only with a 12 cartridge loop loader around about 1967. Actually, the very first rig had an old Buchiemer holster that fit a 38/44 S&W with a five inch barrel. Soon as I could, I owned a Model 19 and a Jordan style holster. (wish I had that old 38/44 today! ... it was a dandy with lots of pretty honest wear but it was a shooter!)

Living on the far eastern side of NM, I had occasion to have contact with a Texas Ranger or two and I was always envious of the rigs they wore and the guns they carried. Those were above my pay grade for sure, especially after buying that M19 and holster on the embarrassment plan and paying them off at a few dollars per month. I have seen many such holsters as those shown in this post, and I can say with a practiced eye that I may have seen a few as nice as these, but I've never seen any that were any better! Just seeing them brings back many fond memories and faces to me. In fact, seeing Dave's picture above puts me in mind of several lawmen who were older than I at the time I put on a badge and gun and for many years afterward. Good ... very good .... men all, and mentors for me and men whose examples were worth more to me than they will ever know.

If that's a current picture of Dave up above, then I'm guessing that he and I are very close to the same year model!!! It's done my heart a big piece of good to see these holsters and remember the memories they bring to my mind. Great work, Dave. I salute you. Good leather has always been a thing for me, and wearing it polished and shining was always a big deal. Some guys wore flanky old cheap stuff (maybe that's all they could afford, but they could have afforded some polish!!) that looked like they'd been dragging it behind their howl car for several miles. I wonder why they didn't generate the kind of respect that lawmen as pictured above did??? Pretty obvious, isn't it? Thanks for your service, Dave, and I hope you can continue to build a few of these good holster for a long time to come. Vaya con Dios!!!

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So long ... Ken