Step Dad's CHP duty rig, Model 19 and obvious explanation as to why a trigger shoe

[ABPOS]

My Step Dad was a California Highway Patrolman in the late 60
s early 70's. Some of you know all this already but I'm just briefly giving an overview. He was from what my step brother tells me a traffic cop and also worked as an engineer on a project for steam engined powered patrol cars. Or something like that. I saw a newsclipping once with his picture in it. If I ever see that one again I'll post it up.

Obviously you can see why trigger shoes weren't an issue with holstering for him. His gun had some farrants on it, that had some kind of clear poly finish on them and it also had a trigger shoe. I'll see if I can find a pic of it when I first got it from my Mom after he passed. This is the first time I've posted a pic of his duty rig. I also forgot to add to the pic, he had this speedloader that held 6 rounds but it was all rubber. You inserted the rounds in the cylinder and ripped it off of the rounds because it was flexible enough that once they were seated in the cylinder it would slip off the rims. You had to kind of pry it on an angle. I can dig that out later and show you guys.

Did any of you ever use one like that?

Is his Holster worth money? I don't think I'll sell it, but I'm not sure I'll ever need it. I might keep it with it for sentimental sake. But just curious. Of course if the price is right. LOL.

 

[armorer951]

Holstering is not the only safety issue concerning trigger shoes. The device can also become loose, and subsequently migrate up or down in position on the trigger, turning the gun into a paper weight. Not one of those things you want to have happen when things go south.

Because of these and other issues, most police departments, including mine, banned officers from using them way back in the 60's. Very dangerous indeed.

 

[jbtrucker]

loader is a speed strip , I have a couple made by Bianchi but have never used them.

 

[AZretired]

Beautiful gun with a nice story to it. Of you plan on shooting it I would try it with out the trigger shoe.

 

[Doug M.]

My recollection, and it is vague, is that there was a device that held 6 rounds in a circle like other speed loaders, but was rubber as described; it was not the same as a speed strip.

I recall reading a lot about trigger shoes as a "no-go" in the mid-70s. They were essentially a means by which the perceived trigger weight was spread across more of the finger, giving the impression of less resistance. As noted, they were determined to be unsafe and banned by most agencies quite a long time ago. If you keep the gun and gear only for sentimental value and a display, ok, but if you intend to use it (and why not, it's a nice revolver), I would remove the trigger shoe and put it away as a memento.

 

[ABPOS]

loader is a speed strip , I have a couple made by Bianchi but have never used them.

I'm sure that was confusing. Yes, the rig would've held speed strips. But he did have a circular one that worked in a similar manner but it was a softer rubber. Worked like new circular ones but like a speedstrip in it was flexible and ripped off the rounds once you seated them in the cylinder. I'll get a pic of it.

Also, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was pro trigger shoes. I took it off as soon as I got it. (that's why the first 3 pics don't have it on there. I just cleaned it today). There was a debate going on in another thread the other day and I have no problem with people who want to use them, but I also buy into the issues with them and don't want to use one. Plus it makes it feel wonky to me. I just meant obviously with this rig you wouldn't worry about the trigger being pulled when holstering by the holster itself. Now if someone had bad trigger discipline, that would be an issue. I also don't really understand these types of holsters but there have been some guys on here that seem to be OK with them.

To each his own. We all do things differently. Whatever works for you.

 

[Jellybean]

The speedloader your describing sounds like the ones made by Dade. I have one but have never carried it on duty.

The trigger shoes were permissible on my first PD, and several guys used them and claimed they were great. I had heard about the issues with them slipping before I stared and avoided them. I did like wider triggers and installed a wider smooth combat trigger on my first model 19.

As for the holster with an exposed trigger guard, that was the only style I would ever use for duty. They were very common back then and training was very different back then too.

 

[cmj8591]

I came on just before the modern speed loaders came into vogue. I started with the Bianchi speed strips in my dump boxes. I think they were a stop gap measure until the speed loaders we all know and love today made their way into the system. I remember having the dump boxes and one speed loader on my belt once we could get them. 6 in the gun and 18 on the belt. I had a 4" 19 that was slick as grease with a really great set of S&W combats. It rode in a S&W safety holster on a Don Hume river belt with two sets of handcuffs in an open holder, a Buck 110 knife in a leather carrier, a night stick ring and the old Iron Claw (How many know what that was!). Man, that rig was coolest and I wore it like I was a character in a Wambaugh book! After about 6 months, I found out why most of the older guys had Pachmyers. Between getting in and out of the car and rolling around on the ground with bad guys, those grips looked ragged. I gave into the rubber and never used anything else until we went to autos with polymer grips. Your dad had a soft spot for that duty rig weather he was a gun guy or not. He bet his life on it every day he went to work. It became a part of him just like it does for all of us who wear one in that job. It was with him for everything he did. It has seen things that are beyond the understanding of the average person. Now you are the steward. Oil it up, polish the leather and put it away until the next steward comes along and you can pass on the story and the tools. It is a great way to honor your dad. I hope, as all of us do who had the responsibility of wearing a duty rig, that when my time comes to lay down my hammer, someone does that for me.

 

[KEN L]

The speedloader he is describing is not a Dade speedloader, those were used in Magnum Force by the motor cops. I know, cause that's what inspired me to carry them. The one he is describing is a much earlier design which, like he says, is made completely of a soft flexible rubber material. Can't remember who made them, but were definitely "old school".

 

[Marc1911]

i believe the speedloader you are referring to is the Hunt\pachmayr quickloader. It was made of soft neoprene and you inserted the rounds into the cylinder and then peeled the loader off the cartridge case.

They were common for about 8 to 10 years and then tell out of favor when the dade and hks style came out. I have one somewhere, along with an old dade speedloader.

Blast from the Past: Popular Police Speedloaders of the 1970s - RevolverGuy.Com

 

[KEN L]

i believe the speedloader you are referring to is the Hunt\pachmayr quickloader. It was made of soft neoprene and you inserted the rounds into the cylinder and then peeled the loader off the cartridge case.

They were common for about 8 to 10 years and then tell out of favor when the dade and hks style came out. I have one somewhere, along with an old dade speedloader.

Blast from the Past: Popular Police Speedloaders of the 1970s - RevolverGuy.Com

Very interesting! I had forgotten about some of those.

 

[K Frame Keith]

Bianchi speed strips were and still are an excellent way to carry spare revolver reloads in a pocket or drop box. I carried two speed strips in drop boxes behind my holster and two HKS speed loaders in front (I'm left handed) for a total of 30 rounds.

 

[Eddietruett]

The speedloader he is describing is not a Dade speedloader, those were used in Magnum Force by the motor cops. I know, cause that's what inspired me to carry them. The one he is describing is a much earlier design which, like he says, is made completely of a soft flexible rubber material. Can't remember who made them, but were definitely "old school".

I have several of these somewhere and mine were sold by Safariland. I ordered a few before internet days and when they came I I thought something was missing. Call to Safariland got me the explanation that they were ripped off. Didn't work that well.

 

[Texas Star]

What brand is the holster? Could we see the front?

 

[ABPOS]

What brand is the holster? Could we see the front?

I was thinking I should look for info on it somewhere.... I'll try to get more pics soon.

What oil does one put on a holster like this?

 

[Nightowl]

The speedloader you are describing was made by Safarliand. Chronologically they were made after the strip loaders and pretty much replaced them. They had a metal insert in the center which corresponded to a post made into the speedloader holder. The speedloader was inserted into the holder and the post inserted into the metal center of the speedloader. Pushing the center of the speedloader released it from the carrier.
They did not peel off well when dry, but if the loaders were sprayed regularly with silicone spray, they peeled off rather easily! We carried this version beginning in 1975. They were replaced with the speedloader which became known as the Comp l with the small center knob. (The Comp l Safariland is still the best speedloader made, at least in my mind. I still use the three I bought when they first came out.) I believe I still have a couple laying around somewhere.

 

[Jellybean]

Thanks for the fact check on my brain fart guys. I checked my box-o-loaders and mine is a "Hunt". Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for the link.

I studied the "Newhall Incident" closely, even though information seemed a little slow getting here. It was a pivotal moment in police training, although not always for the better.

I usually carried Safariland speedloaders after reading about a test between them and the HKS models where they were placed in a can and run through a paint shaker. The HKS lost several rounds while the Safariland didn't lose any. After having a Safariland loader fly apart after hitting the pavement I was a little concerned but still preferred them due to the way they operated. I have a bunch of each and wouldn't have a problem using either brand.

I don't know if it's the best thing to use, but I oiled mine with mink oil. If they got scuffed up I would use shoe dye. I never cared for basketweave and don't know if they would be any different.

Does the thumb strap cover the hammer or does it always sit like that?

 

[Texas Star]

I was thinking I should look for info on it somewhere.... I'll try to get more pics soon.

What oil does one put on a holster like this?

NO OIL! Kiwi brand shoe polish. Maybe saddle soap, if really needed, then dry and use Kiwi.

Oils like neatsfoot and mink oil soften the leather and may affect shape. And duty holsters are not made of leather tanned to require oils; they're meant to be polished.

Unlike one poster above, I do prefer basketweave stamping. It never affected my ability to maintain such holsters with Kiwi polish.

I'm speaking from the standpoint of someone who wore holsters to work for about 30 years. Longer, really, counting my four years in the USAF.

 

[ABPOS]

Thanks guys. Yeah Jellybean, I just didn't snap it up. It's kind of dry and didn't want to mess with it. But the straps snap over the hammer.

Shoe polish eh? I think we have some around here.

 

[elpac3]

The speedloader in question was indeed made by Safariland. I carried one in 1975. The loader was silicone rubber and secured the rounds by the rim inside the rubber. The ones I have (still) had no type of insert in the loader itself. The was a post inside the belt carrier that sat in the center of the loader when holstered in the belt carrier. Rounds were inserted into the revolver then you rolled the loader to strip off the rounds. The advantage of this design was you could load the revolver from any orientation as opposed to the current designs that rely on gravity. There were no moving parts to the loader itself so there was nothing to break. This was around the same time HKS came out with their loaders with the twist knob which had the reputation of dropping rounds as you extracted the loader from the belt pouch and required a vertical orientation of the gun to allow the rounds to drop into the cylinder.

The other loader on the market at the same time was the second six loader which was plastic and had a push ring that you used to seat the rounds into the cylinder, again having the advantage that you could load horizontally. The drawback with the second six was they were fragile and did not really hold the rounds very secure and would dump rounds if you dropped them on the pavement or other hard surface.