An Alfonsos Rig from the “Leather Slap” Era

[JayCeeNC]

Jeff Cooper, Eldon Carl, Jack Weaver, Ray Chapman, and Thell Reed, among others, started the Southwest Combat League in the late 1950s in Big Bear, CA., with the “Leather Slap” competitions.
Here is a typical rig used in those competitions, made by Alfonsos Leather shop in Hollywood, CA., for the .45 Government Model.
(A friend brought this to a local gun show this weekend and I snapped some pics with my phone. Not high quality, but good enough to see the details.)

The huge hip pad area is metal lined leather. The back plate is attached to the holster by yellow cords.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

This is the first Alfonso of this fast draw type I’ve ever seen for a 1911. This and another model were probably the most used fast draw holsters for SAAs. there sure is a ton of engineering with the complicated way these were made.

 

[rednichols]

Very nice. Look again, though, Alfonso Pineda spelled his name with an 'f' not a 'ph' .

He was well known for sprinkling his sets with swivel holster hardware, as giant rivets (which is actually all they are; we used to 'head' the skinny end over a large washer to keep it all together on a swivel holster).

Alfonso was from Argentina then Nicaragua, arrived in USA in 1957 and promptly went to work for Arvo Ojala to replace Andy Anderson there (who himself had been hired away by Arvo from Ed Bohlin). The Three Aces all had come to Hollywood to become actors. All three had very, very short gunleather careers; Arvo won a lawsuit against Ed but lost a big one to Andy and had to leave California altogether; returning in '68. Andy had strokes and an earthquake, so done by '72.

'Leatherslaps', they were called, started precisely in 1956 with Jeff Cooper at the helm for 4th of July celebrations at Big Bear Lake in California. All types of pistols were used and with live ammo; unlike fast draw that had shifted from live ammo to 'make a loud noise really fast' using blanks. These morphed into the Southwest Pistol League (SWPL) using only the 1911 -- remember these chaps were all ex-military WWII etc. and adapting war surplus was part of that; and IPSC evolved from that; and then Bill Rogers suborned IPSC to form USPSA.

Well done on your capturing these images . I've an Anderson 'open front' myself; Alfonso was the only other maker because they were outlawed in 1970 before Milt Sparks arrived in '72 (no, not '69 as his company claims) to take the market that Andy had been forced to leave behind, with copies of AA's sets.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

My friend Jim Martin was great friends with Alfonso and Rodd Reddwing. And lots of other long gone gun guys. Just the other day when discussing his old S&W .44 Special he said he was shooting it in the late 50s or early 60s and Jack Weaver asked if he could give him a few pointers on shooting DA as Jim was a Colt SAA fast draw champ. Forgot if it was Big Bear, though. Jim also made Andy Anderson’s and James Drury’s “Big Iron” long butt SAA grips. He said when he shot with Weaver, Cooper, and those guys they would shoot against each other live ammo in a drawing and you might compete with a Colt SA next to a guy with a 1911 and another with a K-38. He said those contests were especially fun. I gobble up all that gun history like candy.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Very nice. Look again, though, Alfonso Pineda spelled his name with an 'f' not a 'ph' ..

Noted and corrected!

 

[SG-688]

Both Cooper and Eldon Carl used the OP's holster in black. Many pictures in Guns & Ammo.

 

[SWTIM255]

Another that I had, but forgot to show you at the show. Spoke with John about it when he was in my booth at SHOT in 2012. Got it from Dan Denaheys (1st memebr of the Knife Guild) son, said his dad was given it by Jeff Cooper, and that it was the 1st comp holster Bianchi made and John gave it to Jeff. ( John unfortunately, did not remember it)

 

[JayCeeNC]

Tim, thanks for showing the Bianchi holster here, and for letting me photograph the Alfonsos rig.
You definitely have some interesting leather!

 

[rednichols]

Another that I had, but forgot to show you at the show. Spoke with John about it when he was in my booth at SHOT in 2012. Got it from Dan Denaheys (1st memebr of the Knife Guild) son, said his dad was given it by Jeff Cooper, and that it was the 1st comp holster Bianchi made and John gave it to Jeff. ( John unfortunately, did not remember it)

I recall when it appeared on eBay as Jeff's holster. I knew Dan Dennehy back in the day; and he made a pair of 'round' knives for me and for John with antler handle on mine and ivory on JB's. Dan at that time was trying to make a go of the ambidextrous slide stop to pair up with our friend Armand Swenson's ambidextrous thumb safety.

Oddly, the fly off strap -- which is credited to Eldon Carl -- on that example is a left hand strap (which doesn't make it 'not original', perhaps Jeff specified it that way for himself). As produced by the factory it looked like this page from JB's 1963 catalog:



Be aware that, although the 1911 was carried 'cocked and locked' prior, this image represents perhaps the first time a holster catalog image showed it; and that's only relevant because the image is a warranty that this is a safe carry method; and that was not at all the understanding in the early '60s.

 

[turnerriver]

The only Eldon Carl marked holster I’ve ever owned, I’ve enjoyed reading about all those guys for as long as I can remember. Note the Velcro strip sewn along the top of the belt loop.
Thanks for posting this, John.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[SG-688]

The only Eldon Carl marked holster I’ve ever owned, ....
Regards,
turnerriver

Made by Triple K.

Described in the December, 1971 Guns magazine in an article by James Mason, pictured for a 1911 in a June, 1973 article, and featured in Mason's book Combat Handgun Shooting published by Charles C. Thomas.

PDF on the way.

 

[rednichols]

Made by Triple K.

Described in the December, 1971 Guns magazine in an article by James Mason, pictured for a 1911 in a June, 1973 article, and featured in Mason's book Combat Handgun Shooting published by Charles C. Thomas.

PDF on the way.

Mason ghost-wrote Blue Steel and Gunleather. I wrote chunks of it as well.

 

[Jason Burton]

Very cool old rig from Alfonso's! I have a older Alfonso's set as well, pictured here above a Sparks 120 rig.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Nice rigs, Jason.
Honored that after 15 years here one of your first posts was to this thread!
Nice website you have. Many of us here have a great affinity for the Government Model.

 

[les.b]

Yeah, Jason!! Wonderful website, and beautiful work. Stop by more often!!

BTW...I bookmarked your website for future reference. Thanks for sharing it with us. As John said, plenty of us are 1911 aficionados.

Best Regards, Les