I was curious why some handguns have them. My 327 has one and I know the 337 has one. Do people use them for lanyards?

I was curious because I have a couple with loops for lanyards. Thanks.

One purpose of the lanyard is to keep the gun from becoming lost or damaged if it falls out of the holster. It also helps keep the pistol from being taken by an unauthorized person.

AFAIK they were originally for cavalry and then later horse and motorcycle cops so that if they lost their grip or needed their hands quicly they wouldn't lose the gun. Same for a rough ride or potholes -- keeps the gun from going overboard from an open or loose holster.

Now, why they are on the ultralight J frames I'm not sure. Perhaps you can attach a lifeline to it so that the gun keeps you afloat until you get rescued.

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NRA Life Member

You know when you have to do you business in a public restroom and there is no flat surface to lay your gun on?

This used to be a major problem at the S&W factory, where to put the gun? In your pulled down clothing? On the floor? Leave it in the holster and let it pull over and touch the floor? Not to mention being visible to all those people looking under the stall to see if it is occupied!

Well almost all of the stalls have a coat hook, and that was noticed by J. Harold, one of the esteemed gun designers at the factory. As he was just looking through the SCS&W for inspiration on how to make the old new again, and had just gotten to the picture of the .45 Hand Ejector U. S. Army - Model 1917 he had a flash of brilliance.

Coat hook, lanyard loop, what a perfect match.

Although not pushed as a selling point for lanyard loop equipped guns it has since become a welcome relief for those owners as they no longer have the dilemma of where to put their gun as they do their daily business.

And now you know.

bob

wear a shoulder holster,,problem solved in the potty room

I like the late, great Col Jeff Cooper's response to query of what a lanyard and loop were for. He said that if you weapon was taken from you, the lanyard gives a convenient place to yank it back.

They also leave an extra nice and deep dent, in the event that you feel the need to pistol whip your assailant.

Actually, according to Mypoedia, they are there because the Lanyard Guild lobbied for legislation requiring lanyard pins on gun frames. This was to save the children (and the lanyard industry, which was concerned about where the buggy whip industry was heading).

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NRA Life Member

I have done a lot of back packing in bear country. In a small back packing tent or three walled shelter, a lanyard looped around your wrist will keep the pistol or revolver from getting "lost" in your bedding (I prefer revolvers in this context for obvious reasons, but a pistol with a loaded magazine but none in the chamber can work well, also).

FWIW
Dale53

When recreating over water, where the gun may be irretrievably lost, I sometimes put my pistol on a lanyard...

Yep, go out on a float trip and get your boat turned over by a submerged tree!! I came up sputtering and my gun was not in the holster but the idiot strap tied on to the gun kept it on me. I will use a lanyard retention strap onto the back of my belt.

Tie it to your horse. You own a horse don't you?

Yea, I don't have a horse either so I tie mine to the lawn mower....

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You guys make me chuckle, another reason I like this forum so much.

Say you are in bear country. Your 500 Bear Killer gun is tied to your horse. Suddenly a bear jumps out of the bushes and spooks your horse.

You get dumped off your mount, and that nag departs for the next county with your artillery.

At least the bear won't get hurt....................................

You do not tie it to your horse. You tie it to yourself.

My two cents

"Tie it to your horse. You own a horse don't you?"

Nope, got something better.

A mule!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I have several guns with lanyard rings. I use them when riding my 4-wheeler. (kinda like a modern horse?).

I've also experimented with wearing one of my SC/TI AirLites around my neck when walking or jogging in the neiborhood.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Hey Mulie,

What kind of reception you gettin' with that dish?

I have a son's Model 10 which had the lanyard installed by NYPD gunsmiths only after he got into Highway and had to qualify on Harleys.

The obvious use for a lanyard is to retain the gun if it falls in a boat or from a tree stand in deer hunting, or when climbing a steep mountain. Someone already mentioned finding the gun in the dark, in your bedding.

But the RCMP still wear them on state occasions and the rig does look nice (and traditional) with the white lanyard. I think they still use the old flap holsters then, too.

Do any Canadian members know for sure?

I have a S&W Model 10 that NYPD gunsmiths installed a lanyard loop on-its an ex-Highway gun.

And yourself to the horse, I believe, if you follow the appropriate OSHA riding-in-bear-country protocols.

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David Wilson

As a beginning canoeist (if there is such a word) out on a lake in Minnesota, I wish I had known about them.

Thankfully, I was a young fellow then, and an expert and powerful swimmer. The pistol survived the incident - but one of my shoes did not. Though I am sure I was in much more danger than I realized, all I had on my mind was getting pistol - and canoe - safely to shore.

I have a friend who makes a trip to Alaska now and then, where bears (big ones) are known to be "curious" about tents. He is adamant that his revolver has a lanyard.

Good history, thanks.
In real life, it doesn't work out so well. You could fill a truck with all the guns left behind in washrooms by off duty cops.

My technique, which has served me well for 30 years, is to wear a belt holster that either has a thumb break, or is tight enough to hold the gun if turned upside down. Preferably, both. In fact, those are the requirements of my department. When taking a dump, I keep my trousers up around my knees and casually lay my arm over the gun. That covers it pretty well and I don't need to worry about leaving it behind or not being able to reach it if someone tries a "smash and grab" with the stall door.

It's a funny subject until you leave your gun behind, I'm told.

US Military Police used to use lanyards all the time, as did the horse cavalry. Interestingly enough the MPs lanyards were attached to a loop on the butt of the 45, the cav guys had lanyards that attached to a loop on the bottom of the magazine. I guess you could lose the gun but keep the mag!
If you remember all the 1917 45 ACP military revolvers had lanyard loops for the same reason, the MPs and the Cavalry. I do not recall any other US troops using the lanyards-anyone else??????
I do know that the British NCOs and Officers who were issued sidearms used lanyards with dress and battle dress uniforms. That usage by the Brits goes way back to at least the 19th century when revolvers were first issued.

When I attended the police academy years ago the instructors were down on all Smith and Wesson 9mm's as being unreliable and unsafe. This was in 1979 just a couple years after the Model 59 began wide spread usage in California. At the time some were using the 59 as a spray-o-matic and not concentrating on shot placement. The instructors as a joke presented me with a lanyard with the instructions to use it with my Mdl 59 and in the event it jammed I could turn it into a slungshot and still defend myself. They ate a bit of crow when I out shot their darling boy in the El Presidente shoot.

As a side note I asked my brother was in the Marines about using the lanyard. He said that he used one in Vietnam during two tours. His first tour was as an M60 gunner and his second as what he called an S-2 Scout. He added that in a couple of close quarters situations it proved worth using because he was able to retrieve his .45 and 'put and end to the fight.'
Pretty good recommendation in my book.

I actually use the coat hooks in a stall when I am forced to use public facilities. No, not with a lanyard; simply hang my gun on the hook via the trigger guard. Very safe/secure. Grip ends are heavier than the barrel ends so they hang inverted and one need not touch the trigger.

Be safe.

My organization issued Model 10's with lanyard rings affixed. Yes; lanyards, too.

They were primarily for personnel assigned to motorcycle and equine units.

Be safe.

If your handgun has one, it's mighty convenient to use in the woods to hang your gun around your neck from while your "indisposed" in the Z position?
You know, in that place where Bears also do the same thing in?

One guy did that with a cocked & locked 1911.
Unfortunately, the thumb safety got disengaged somehow.
When he went to remove the gun from the hook, his hand naturally depressed the grip safety.
The coat hook, like most, had a slight curve to it; so he lifted the gun slightly as he was taking it off the hook.
Just enough to bump the trigger, BANG!
Recoil jumped the gun back in his hand and he automatically pushed forward, BANG! again.
And then a third time!
All the other cops came running, ready to kill someone; they "knew" that 3 quick shots had to be a gunfight instead of an accident.
Fortunately, no injuries. Well, no VISIBLE injuries.