Interesting Police Holster

[-db-]

This was made by Bianchi and that's all I know about it. Anyone ever seen one like this? It appears to hold a revolver, a set of cuffs and the attached pouch is either for a speedloaders(s) or a dump style (hard to tell from the photo), all of this in a single rig.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Mr. John Bianchi started out making holsters on his kitchen table while working as a city cop. By the time he retired and sold Bianchi International over 40,000,000 products went out the door! During the same time he bacame a Brigadier General in the reserves.

Quite a bit of history surrounding Mr. Bianchi, and I'm sure there are lots of interesting artifacts out there with his name on them.

 

[-db-]

Yes, I know he'd been in the business for quite awhile. I have his book, Blue Steel & Gun Leather, on my list of those to pick up soon. I'll get some better photos of this particular holster once I get it delivered here.

 

[-db-]

This is one neat rig. I got the holster today and found out it fits a 3" J-frame. I assume this was some kind of detective or off-duty/plainclothes setup.

I don't know what the loop below the dump pouch is for and it looks like I'm going to have to try to find a double female strap for up top to secure the gun (the loop at bottom doesn't work) although the fit is fairly snug without it.

 

[CW Spook]

Oooh...very nice. I've never seen anything quite like it.

 

[mjr]

Very cool. Looks like you shined it up quite a bit--what did you use?

 

[-db-]

Regular ol' Kiwi shoe polish.

 

[Gray Rider]

The loop looks like a an ordinary belt keeper; is it sewn below the dump pouch or just looped through the opening? Asking because if it's not sewn it may have just been put there by someone who didn't know what it's for.
On a related note I have a 3" Md 36 and would love to have this rig if you ever decide to sell it. You cleaned it up great.

 

[-db-]

Gray Rider, the keeper is just looped through, but I believe it might belong there for some reason as the lower slot for the dump pouch is cut larger than the upper slot with a sort of triangular shape, as if allowance was made for something else, narrow like the keeper, to hang there below the pouch. If it doesn't belong in that particular spot, it does belong with the holster in some capacity as it's the same leather, same snaps and same border marking. Everything matches perfectly, in other words.

 

[Iggy]

I been to 13 windmill pulls, a few goat ropin's and a hangin' and I ain't never seen nuthin' like that..

There's half a cow in that rig!!

 

[-db-]

Iggy, I've been looking everywhere on the internet for the past week or so and haven't been able to find anything like it anywhere. I would imagine it might be a custom one-off job Bianchi did.

 

[greif]

Could be used for an extra set of cuffs.

 

[TxShooter]

Way, way back when many departments still called their female officers "matrons" or "policewomen" and made them wear skirts instead of uniform trousers, Bianchi and other equipment companies produced leather purses with built-in or removable holsters, cuff cases, and in some cases makeup pouches. NYPD authorized the 3" M36 for females instead of the 4" M10 or Official Police that the males toted. If I had to guess, the slots and snap loop are to secure your insert inside the purse. I imagine it'd work equally as well inside a briefcase.

 

[-db-]

TxShooter, you may be onto something. The seller I got it from is located in upstate New York.

Look what I found:

 

[Jellybean]

Did you look inside the belt keeper for a cuff key?

It doesn't look like it was made for the outfit, it wouldn't be unusual for it to be made out of the same leather and snaps they had laying around. They did make concealed cuff keys in belt keepers in case an officer was handcuffed with his own cuffs and it would have been an easy addition to that outfit to always have a key on hand.

 

[-db-]

No cuff key. I think TxShooter is right. This was likely made for female NYPD officers. I'd bet RM Vivas would be able to verify this if he were to see this thread. Info here: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...s-w-guy-claimed-may-nyc-pd.html#post135655857

 

[SG-688]

TxShooter knows his holsters -- this is the insert for the Bianchi line of leather purses from the mid 1970's.

Hey, James!

 

[wyo-man]

My brother went to high school with John, but didn't hang out with him.........

wyo-man

 

[-db-]

I assume it was made to be worn on a belt, too, if wanted? I can't see any use for a dump pouch buried at the bottom of a purse.

 

[Joe Kent]

TxShooter, James you are the man! All my best,Joe.