Saw this pic and thought I would share of a Constable in San Augustine, TX in 1939 with his S&W.
Picture taken by the storied photographer Russell Lee.

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Where we go one, we go all

It looks like he took his job seriously with quality hardware and leather goods...Being a lefty he kept his notebooks in his right hip pocket...I wonder where those grips are today?...Nice new fedora on his head too......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

The holster looks like Wolf & Klar's version of the Brill holster. The grips could be MOP steerheads (steer on the right panel). Could gun be a 3rd model 44? Right time, right place?

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Looks like might be nickel ?
Texans seemed pretty fond of nickel.

I love pics of old timer cops and their gear. Thanks for posting this one. That was state of the art stuff. Pretty minimalist by today's standard, seemingly.

Not to offend, but cops today have so much junk on their belts and uniforms to handle everything. This Constable, like many others of his day, had only his hands as pain compliance, impact weapon, subject control and less than lethal device. The only computer he had was between his ears. His uniform was very simple, but I'm sure everyone within sight recognized him as an officer from his mien alone. I don't see a radio...he likely handled most things by himself. There is a lot of valuable institutional knowledge and skills held by these old timers that are gone forever. A shame, actually.

Great picture! He definitely didn’t skimp on his equipment. Since he is from Texas, I would think that the holster is actually a Pre-Brill.
Larry

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

Here's Texas and New Mexico officers at the border near El Paso about the same period:

The current New Mexico State Police uniform looks pretty much the same.

The breeches are no longer bloused, and (the horror!) short sleeves are allowed.

I believe the motorcycle officers still wear the breeches with riding boots.

Yes, that's allowed.

I expect you're referring to the Kluge Bros version? Yes, regardless of the image's date, the Kluge had no maker's mark in the centre of the leather cuff and this image is the same. Correctly called a Kluge Scabbard by holstorians (known as such back in their day). ALL such were made in TX, none have ever been identified as made in any other of the (then) 48 States.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Many old-time po-leese in the humid South favored nickel revolvers. One factor was the rust resistance and the other was that officers wanted the bad guy to SEE the handgun if it were drawn.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The image in W&K's 1930 catalogue IS of a Brill, in the Kluge era; all the details match the early one (note the wide cuff, for example, and the oval left blank for the Brill stamp; catalogue stores had an aversion to promoting the individual makers of their products).

Jerry Campbell's 44 revolver is W&K engraved, as is Jelly Bryce's matching pistol, and Jerry's Brill is this wide-cuffed version, suggesting the two men shopped there (directly due south of OC where they were city detectives).

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Here is another maker and supplier of saddles, holsters, guns and a whole lot more. Padgittt Brothers, Dallas, TX. Not as well known in S&W collector circles as W&K but very well known in Texas going back to Civil War days.

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San Augustine County could get pretty rough back in the day.
East Texas Troubles - University of Oklahoma Press
I grew up not far from there. I never knew any of this until
I grew up. That photo shows someone who was equipped as well as he could be for the times.

I'm thinking a 4 inch K frame.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

This gun was owned by Tom Lebleu, Chief of Police, Seminole, TX in the early 1950's. Tom ordered three of them for his department and they were shipped November 21, 1952. Texas history.

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