70s-80s duty holster question

[4T5GUY]

I'm putting together a revolver rig for fun. Gonna run a 4 inch 19/66 and see if i can pass our current pistol qual with it.

I found a front break Tex Shoemaker in a junk store. It was $5.00 so I bought it not even knowing what it fit. My 66 no dash fits perfect.

I researched the history of them online and asked questions here. Red added a bunch of info.

If you want it I'd send it to you. It's still in pretty good shape and I will never use it.

PM or email me if you're interested.

Jim

 

[Sixgun100]

I started in 1983. In South Florida, the Bianchi Judge was quite popular. I used a Safariland Border Patrol style with a thumb snap and then switched to a Safariland Trooper model. Once auto pistols became the norm, the Safariland SS III was pretty standard.

 

[crows]

Does anyone know the make and model of this holster?

Unfortunately, no. I only have some pictures.

 

[Puller]

ADAM-12 reruns would be a good resource as well for late '60's and early '70's gear.

 

[w8lfter]

Okay I have a Safety Speed breakfront (well worn and needs a thorough cleaning), a #350 Hurricane (NOS), and a #2800 Judge. Question for the Bianchi guys. On the Judge are the cylinder cups covered in leather or bare metal? I have one side that is covered and the other bare, maybe my example is missing a piece?

 

[Ameshawki]

Does anyone know the make and model of this holster?

Lewis or it's Buchheimer equivalent. That style was common in the fifties. By the 70's it would have been pretty rare.

 

[URIT]

I used a Bianchi 27 Break Front for my S&W Model 19-4 four inch.

 

[adwjc]

Duty holsters

A popular in the mid to late 70s in our department was the DeSantis Speed Scabbard.
Bianchi,Safari land and G&G were common too.

 

[elpac3]

Early 70'si carried model 19in a safariland border patrol holster with Dropbox cartridge carriers. My rig had Velcro closures on the Dropbox and cuff case and a black snap on the holster. The belt was the L.A. pd style safariland Velcro belt system so there was no visible hardware

 

[LoboGunLeather]

ADAM-12 reruns would be a good resource as well for late '60's and early '70's gear.

Adam 12 featured the latest up-to-date goodies of the period, including clamshell holsters (popular with LAPD and CHP during that period). Probably would not be allowed on many ranges today because releasing the clamshell mechanism required inserting the trigger finger through the trigger guard, popping the hinged holster open and leaving the revolver in the hand with the finger on the trigger.

A major "NO-NO" since Glock and other striker-fired semi-autos without manual safety devices started taking over the LE market in the late 1980s. Unintentional discharges led to "Thou shalt not insert thy finger into the trigger guard until making the decision to fire thy weapon", and LE holsters having fully covered trigger guards.

This was not a big concern in the 1970s. We were trained to draw with finger inside the trigger guard. We also trained on "prepping" or "staging" the double-action trigger, basically pulling the trigger enough to revolve the cylinder and holding at that point during final sight alignment before applying the last bit of pressure to cause the hammer to fall (similar to the single-action mode of firing).

Difficult transition for many of us. Old habits are tough to overcome.

 

[turnerriver]

Does anyone know the make and model of this holster?

A number of makers made this style, as Ameshawki noted they weren't popular much past the 1950's and '60's.
I did check my Bucheimer catalogs and didn't find a look alike, Clark and Lewis were the most common of these. The Hoyt catalog cut is from a 1935 brochure.

Lewis and Clark holsters

Bucheimer and other makers offered this type of spring holster.

Regards,

 

[greenrunner]

I used a Safety Speed clamshell holster for my LAPD M67 for about 5 years, until they authorized semi-autos, from about 1981-86. That, IMO, was a great holster! Very lightweight -- I tried a Hoyt breakfront-drop holster for about a week and that thing weighed a ton, so I sold it. The clamshell also had a very fast draw. In particular, you could get your weapon out super fast while sitting in a car without any weird arm or shoulder movements that broadcast what you were doing. LAPD in 1981 had issued us non-drop breakfront holsters (Safarilands?) but I put mine aside as soon as I graduated the Academy. There were some other maker knockoff clamshells out there but IIRC LAPD outlawed those -- only the Safety Speed was authorized. The finger-in-the-trigger-guard thing that seems to freak out modern cops was no problem -- what freaks me out is cops today running around with those striker fired things, which I think are prevalent because some female cops and some men don't have the hand strength to fire a revolver or DA/SA handgun effectively.

 

[greenrunner]

Hopefully these photos come through.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Hopefully these photos come through.

That is the Safety Speed all right. Is that Daryl Gates?

 

[greenrunner]

Yes, that's Gates circa 1983 or 84.

 

[LazyH]

The model 19 Smolt I bought from a Sacramento County Deputy came with a Tex Shoemaker 75k6 break front holster. The same one shown above by 4T5guy but in 6".

 

[WardenRoss]

...This was not a big concern in the 1970s. We were trained to draw with finger inside the trigger guard. We also trained on "prepping" or "staging" the double-action trigger, basically pulling the trigger enough to revolve the cylinder and holding at that point during final sight alignment before applying the last bit of pressure to cause the hammer to fall (similar to the single-action mode of firing).

Difficult transition for many of us. Old habits are tough to overcome.

Glad you posted this as we were taught to draw the revolver with finger on the trigger. Extend both arms, hands meeting about chest level, with a slap and quick grip. Raise to eye level all while pulling the trigger. The revolver should fire when your arms stop at eye level. One quick and smooth motion.

But, we were forbidden from staging the cylinder. Big no-no. This was because guys would stage their revolver (unknowingly, under stress) when holding someone at gun point. ....Whoops! Pulled it a little too far....

Side story....about the time Glocks took over and the no-finger-on-trigger rule came out. I was shooting in a match at the academy with my SIG P220 and of course I shot it like I describe above, finger on trigger, long double-action, revolver like, first shot.

Range Officer saw me and ejected me screaming "FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER NUMB NUTS!" Think...R. Lee Ermey, Gunny.

Confusing times for me.


,

 

[lawandorder]

The cross draw holster posted by Sgt. Rock is made by Hoyt.