Interesting Bit of Gun Leather History.....

[Arizona Cattleman]

I found this while searching on the net..
"A popular misconception among some Old West re-enactors and wardrobe experts is that everyone wore their gun-belts high on their waists and that the low slung gun is an invention of Hollywood.
  It is true that most frontier fighters did not walk around wearing extravagant buscadero rigs (holsters that hang from the bottom of the belt). The most famous being the one worn by Commodore Perry Owens , date from 1884. A recent find is the photo of the Flagstaff lawman, next to his horse. He also sports a buscadero. Later photos of Lt. Powhatan H. Clarke, who served farther south at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, and a buffalo soldier who served under Clarke in Arizona, also show this gun-belt style. All of these examples point to the low slung gun-belt possibly being an Arizona trend.
  What these photos also demonstrate is that some of our reverence for history is misplaced. We need to lighten up a bit regarding certain styles and gun usage. As it turns out, Hollywood got it right more often than we like to think."

[St. George]

Out of curiosity - who wrote this and where'd you find it?

Nothing like these 'new' photos appears in Rattenbury's 'Packing Iron' - except for that much-publicized rig used by Commodore Perry Owens in that studio portrait....

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Arizona Cattleman]

True West Magazine Site   http://www.truewestmagazine.com/stories/low_slung_guns/152/ 

AZ Cattleman

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy AC 

     Nice find AC, good picture, I've often thought it was funny no one thought of doing the low hung holster, it surely made for a much swifter draw, back in the 60's when I was very active in Quick Draw comp. if wearing a high ride holster would have been the quicker way to draw a gun, then you can bet they would have used it, it wasn't against any rules then, it just wasn't as efficient, and that was the bottom line.
    I realize you don't see this in Packing Iron, except at the end where hollywood started making western movies, but even with these old movies, they had to get the idea of the low swung holster some where, even a high ride holster on a very loose belt would give you this effect. Packing Iron, is a great book, but I don't think for a minute it stops there, there are still things that haven't shown up yet, and I always welcome new pictures and information when it does, it gets the mental juices flowing, was there a dated time for this picture ?

                        Thanks for posting AC, it's much apprecciated Pard

                                          Regards

                                   tEN wOLVES   
                               

[Arizona Cattleman]

No, and that would have cemented the validaty (SP) of the picture, it did come from Bob Boseabell.

AZ Cattleman

[Skeeter Lewis]

The holster seems to go through a slit in a regular belt. It's not a drop loop. I believe I've seen a couple of other examples. I'll see if I can find them.

[Kid Terico]

AZ Cattle thanks for the info. I know nothing I make is period correct except for a few are close but its nice that they did wear them way back. I guess they were copying ME.    KT

[Slowhand Bob]

I have seen pictures of the old CW riders who wore their guns quite low BUT it was done in the drape of the belt.  I actually do not think speed was often the highest priority in the design of ones belt and holster though.  Then as now, if we are playing at some sort of speed contest we might pick a rig based around speed but as soon as the contest is over we will immediately go back to something more practical.  But never be fooled into thinking that a high hip carry can not be extremely fast, we have more than a few SASS competetors who can beat the second hand on a timed draw.  Back when I was young there was a guy named Chic Gaylord who put on fast draw demos and he could do some amazing things with a waist high concealment holster.  

This photo is very interesting and what has been done here answered the problem of how to adapt a really wide belt to the smaller loop of the holster.  Anyway we try to explain this, by accident or design, it is a Buscadero styled belt.  The one thing that is conspicuously left out is that I see no provenance as relates to dating the photo.  This would be a must for dating this as a true predecessor to what is now currently claimed for the style.  If the wearer is identifiable then BB should have been able to bracket a supporting date somewhat???  Sometimes when we stake out a personal belief we do tend to try and make the science fit and I have seen Bob B throw a couple of one line blanket claims out that were in dispute of others who carried at least equal evidence to the contrary.      

[Kid Terico]

AZ it looks like they put a piece of leather through a slit in the belt and then attatched the holster to a slit in it. It would drop farther that way . Am I seeing this right? KT

[Arizona Cattleman]

Yes, here is a rig I made, that I cut and stiched slits in a 3" belt for the holsters.  I thought it was a unique idea, but I guess not...

Az Cattleman

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

    Will I guess the answer is still out on that date, Thanks for the heads up on BB, SHB, dates really help with pictures and topics, I know in the future when people pass on there belongings there will be, (MAYBE ) more pictures and old guns and trappings showing up, so we can all see and appreciate.

    AC, you did a nice job on your gun rig, those slits will help locking your holster in place.

               

                           tEN wOLVES 

[Arizona Cattleman]

Thanks TW, I will finally have two Uberti's to put in it next week.  I purchased a second Uberti Cattleman from Major 2 and it will arrive Mon.  Been restiching my Fathers scabard, and my fingers getting sore.  It had a machine stich very close together, and just removing the rotted old stiching was a chore.  I bet there are 500 stiches to use the saddle stich on.   Oh well, back at it.

AZ Cattleman

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

   Lucky you AC, that new gun will look right at home in that good looken rig of yours, take it easy on those fingers, sewing will do that too you, I've had many night I've spent with sore fingers.


                   tEN wOLVES 

[cowboywc]

Howdy
By what I see, this is not a buscadero rig. It is a vary wide belt someone cut a slot it and hung a loop holster on.
WC

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy
By what I see, this is not a buscadero rig. It is a vary wide belt someone cut a slot it and hung a loop holster on.
WC

    Howdy WC

        That could very well be, the pictures isn't clear enough for these old eyes to really make that out, but I'm sure it is a possibility.

                                           Thanks for chiming in Pard

                                               tEN wOLVES 

[Arizona Cattleman]

I think your right WC, I zoomed in and it looks like a very crude job, probably done by the cowboy himself.  Maybe he had a wide belt that wouldn't fit the holster, so he cut the slit, which looks pretty rough and a long slit as you can see it bend from the weight of th holster.  Even the bullet loops look pretty crude, again maybe the cowboy did it.

AZ Cattleman

[Kid Terico]

AZ dont feel alone I did the same thing. KT 

[St. George]

'Bunkhouse' rigs are pretty much one-of-a-kind things - not at all indicative of an emerging style - but of individual idiosyncracies and access to the harness shed.

Guys are continually trying to make 'their' equipment better and more comfortable...

BBB sells a magazine - it's in his best interest to create a reason to buy the next issue, and if it's controversy over something - so much the better, and provenance be damned.

Here's food for thought:

With the popularity of actual tintypes being what it is - and the old methods being followed like they are - it's only right to expect some 'previously undiscovered' photos appearing - 'just' like they have with Civil War soldiers' photos - all properly taken by photographers that know what they're about, but with modern models.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Marshal Deadwood]

KILLER RIG, TERICO !

You is one talented human bean !

MD

[JD Alan]

Wow Cattleman, maybe you better stick to non-controversial issues, like opinions on Obama or gun rights