How popular was "Cross Draw" in the old west ?
Old West Cross Draw
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racoonbeast
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I have no real idea. But, it seems to me that it should have been fairly popular.
Despite what we might read or see on TV, I don't think that a pending gun fight was on everyone's mind every minute of the day, nor was there serious concern over saving tenths of second getting one's gun out. At least not with the average guy. Someone wearing a gun on his belt on his strong side a lot who is involved in activities is going to find it in frequently in his way. At the very least, it becomes annoying. Just as folks today find it easier to get their gun out while seated in their car if carrying is cross draw, folks riding horses and sitting on saddles would find it the same.
I suspect that it might have been more popular than we will ever know.
Despite what we might read or see on TV, I don't think that a pending gun fight was on everyone's mind every minute of the day, nor was there serious concern over saving tenths of second getting one's gun out. At least not with the average guy. Someone wearing a gun on his belt on his strong side a lot who is involved in activities is going to find it in frequently in his way. At the very least, it becomes annoying. Just as folks today find it easier to get their gun out while seated in their car if carrying is cross draw, folks riding horses and sitting on saddles would find it the same.
I suspect that it might have been more popular than we will ever know.
THE PILGRIM
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John Slaughter had a mean reputation. When he got on a horse and went after a bad guy, he often returned saying "Couldn't find him." The bad guy was usually never heard from again.
His son became a police officer in Phoenix and lived one door down the street from us when I was a boy. I went to school with Texas Jack's grandson, also named John.
John
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Except for Doc Holliday's super fast cross draw there weren't really too many quick draw experts back in the day - lots of killers but very few fastest gun in the West types. I'd guesstimate cross draw was at least as popular as any other method.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsJFrwLl6HU[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsJFrwLl6HU[/ame]
It was very popular to wear pistols with the grips facing front and the muzzles to the rear. You see it a lot in period photos. It would seem like a pretty awkward draw, where you twist your hand to point away from your body to draw. You see this typified in the photo of "Wild Bill" Hickok (attached). So this is technically not "cross draw", but somewhat the same style of carry.
Why did they do it? My guess would be that this would be a very comfortable way to carry the popular long barrel black powder revolvers while riding a horse. Barrels of 7.5" were the primary size in the percussion era, and it carried forward in the cartridge era, likely because black powder needs as much barrel as possible to burn because of its slow burn rates. When you get to smokeless powder, shorter barrels can be used effectively.
Why did they do it? My guess would be that this would be a very comfortable way to carry the popular long barrel black powder revolvers while riding a horse. Barrels of 7.5" were the primary size in the percussion era, and it carried forward in the cartridge era, likely because black powder needs as much barrel as possible to burn because of its slow burn rates. When you get to smokeless powder, shorter barrels can be used effectively.
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John Patrick
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I've read that cavalry style holsters were carried butt forward, for several reasons, to allow the sword, thought to be the "primary" weapon, to be drawn without interference by the revolver butt, so it could be drawn by the off hand if required, or if the sword was lost it could be drawn by the strong hand.
Both the Union and Confederacy used butt forward cavalry holsters.
I suppose the cavalry style butt forward carry continued because they were comfortable on a horse, plentiful and just habit.
Here's a video of a guy drawing from cavalry style holsters. [ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w5P-fcifBNE[/ame]
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rednichols
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Certainly I dunno if the crossdraw was popular, or not, in the late 19th century. I do know that we can't rely on period images, generally, about where the revolver was carried on the belt because all of the subject's weapons were shifted into view for the photographer. Sometimes to great extremes such as this Texas Ranger of the early 20th century whose left handed Brill has been shifted 'round to his right side. Then his SA rotated in the holster to show it off. His rifle was in the way of the holstered revolver otherwise:
The cavalry draw was created for cavalrymen: the sabre was always worn on the left and it was his primary weapon when up close. The revolver had as many as six shots but the sabre an endless number of 'kill shots'. So the revolver was carried on the right side and twisted 'round so that it could be drawn with either hand, esp if the officer was wounded at his left arm.
The famed Sam Browne belt was invented for a cavalry officer of that name, when his left arm was severed at the shoulder in battle mid-19th century. A true Sam Browne includes a shoulder strap across the chest.
The cavalry draw was created for cavalrymen: the sabre was always worn on the left and it was his primary weapon when up close. The revolver had as many as six shots but the sabre an endless number of 'kill shots'. So the revolver was carried on the right side and twisted 'round so that it could be drawn with either hand, esp if the officer was wounded at his left arm.
The famed Sam Browne belt was invented for a cavalry officer of that name, when his left arm was severed at the shoulder in battle mid-19th century. A true Sam Browne includes a shoulder strap across the chest.
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THE PILGRIM
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S&WIowegan
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Lonesome Dove
Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call both wore their hoglegs on the left side butts forward. They wore them all the way from south Texas to north Montana. That's good enough authority for me.
Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call both wore their hoglegs on the left side butts forward. They wore them all the way from south Texas to north Montana. That's good enough authority for me.
In real life many men who carried handguns while on horseback had angled crossdraw holsters for easy of withdrawal while seated in the saddle. When you ride a horse, you will find yourself unloaded from the horse at the worst possible time. This style of holster makes a sudden impact with the ground less likely to break ribs. Being thrown from a horse is the reason that sheath knives were not worn on the belt at a ground impact will often get you impaled with your own knife. When I fish or wander in big bear country, I carry a 6" model 29 in a modified Hunter brand holster, modified to position it in an angled forward crossdraw. Being right-handed I can now operate machinery, fishing poles, axes etc. without continually bumping into my handgun.
LoboGunLeather
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My older brother was a Colorado State Patrolman starting in the late 1950s (after several years as a city police officer), worked motorcycle patrol and in automobile patrol. Standard issue until the late 1970s was a Colt Python 4" .357 revolver with cross-draw holster. Very comfortable for getting in and out of vehicles, riding the motorcycle, etc.
In his later career working as a plain-clothes investigator he carried a 4" .38 Spl. Smith & Wesson Combat Masterpiece in a cross-draw holster, frequently with a Browning .380 in his pocket. Retired 2001.
Kenneth L. Childress, 1933 - 2018. RIP. Mom was very proud of you and the rest of us miss you.
In his later career working as a plain-clothes investigator he carried a 4" .38 Spl. Smith & Wesson Combat Masterpiece in a cross-draw holster, frequently with a Browning .380 in his pocket. Retired 2001.
Kenneth L. Childress, 1933 - 2018. RIP. Mom was very proud of you and the rest of us miss you.
I heard but cannot confirm that one drawback with crossdraw is it provided easy for an aggressive person to access the officer's gun to use against the officer. However, in those days when stopped by an officer you were requested to sit in the patrol car as you were getting a ticket. Crossdraw would make it difficult for someone seated to your right to access your handgun.
StrawHat
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That image of James B Hickok is a posed studio shot, not likely what he actually used on the street.
Kevin
ExRanger714
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It's just a thought but. . .
The way I got it was that cross-draw (or butt forward on left side) isn't as likely to result in a gun falling from a holster when you step up on a horse (or motorcycle, for that matter) from the proper on, or left, side as when you sweep your right leg up and over the cantle.
In the same vein, when you saddle a horse from the left (proper) side a stirrup bow is not likely to fall off the horn (where you hang the stirrup for convenience so you can reach the cinch easily) and strike the hammer potentially damaging the gun or, if it's a SAA loaded with six, less likely to shoot you down your leg when it hit said hammer. If you saddle from the off (right) side the horn-hung stirrup is perfectly lined up to hit your pistol.
Since reins are typically held in the left hand while mounted the angle of the right leg makes it hard to get a long barrel un-holstered but it's easy in a reach across draw.
Your mileage may vary.
The way I got it was that cross-draw (or butt forward on left side) isn't as likely to result in a gun falling from a holster when you step up on a horse (or motorcycle, for that matter) from the proper on, or left, side as when you sweep your right leg up and over the cantle.
In the same vein, when you saddle a horse from the left (proper) side a stirrup bow is not likely to fall off the horn (where you hang the stirrup for convenience so you can reach the cinch easily) and strike the hammer potentially damaging the gun or, if it's a SAA loaded with six, less likely to shoot you down your leg when it hit said hammer. If you saddle from the off (right) side the horn-hung stirrup is perfectly lined up to hit your pistol.
Since reins are typically held in the left hand while mounted the angle of the right leg makes it hard to get a long barrel un-holstered but it's easy in a reach across draw.
Your mileage may vary.
Don't know about the "Old West" but for riding a 4-wheeler ..... it's a Bianchi 111 Cyclone crossdraw holster for me! 
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