Movie or Real

[TexasToby]

Is this an authenic design of the 1800's or for movies and TV? Looks like a pre buscadero style. Saw Clarlton Heston as Bill Cody in the movie "Pony Express" and Buck Cannon in "The High Chareral" wear holsters like this.

[TexasToby]

The top part goes over the waist belt and back down the backside for the backside of the holster to go thru. This pic was taken from the TV while it was in the pause mode.

[Trailrider]

Not saying such a rig NEVER existed prior to the 20th Century, but that is "pure Hollywood"!

[St. George]

Rather than look to the 'John Ford Reference Library' - get a copy of Rattenbury's 'Packing Iron'.

It'll give you an excellent timeline for gun leather.

Scouts Out!

[Massive]

Currently that book seems to be out of print.  I had one on order most of last year.  I just missed a copy at a regular price of 15 buck on Amazon.ca.  The current prices on .com are 125-158.  Ebay, 165.

[TexasToby]

I do have a copy of that and I looked all thru it and I saw no holster like this one. The cowboys that wanted a low slung holster just had a longer belt. I did see one that was extended up enough that the tip of the butt on his revolver was at the top of the bend that goes over the belt.

[Slowhand Bob]

Toby, the closest thing I have seen to the modern Busky holsters actually used in the old west was something worn by Commodore Owen Perry.  That one was an early attempt at creating something similar, though I think for different reasons than some sort of fast-draw rig.

That holster drop accessory or drop panels have been around, in one form or another for some time.  At one time I made a couple or few of them and even had one or two sites saved that also sold ones that looked exactly like your picture.  For many years during the Hollywood cowboy era most of us actually thought the Buscadero Rigs were period correct and 'cowboy' practical!

   

[Cliff Fendley]

Toby, the closest thing I have seen to the modern Busky holsters actually used in the old west was something worn by Commodore Owen Perry.  That one was an early attempt at creating something similar, though I think for different reasons than some sort of fast-draw rig.

That holster drop accessory or drop panels have been around, in one form or another for some time.  At one time I made a couple or few of them and even had one or two sites saved that also sold ones that looked exactly like your picture.  For many years during the Hollywood cowboy era most of us actually thought the Buscadero Rigs were period correct and 'cowboy' practical!

   

This myth continues and people are still being mislead by this photo of Commodore Perry Owen.

The photo of Perry Owen can not and should not be used as an example of how gun holsters were designed or worn in the "real" old west.

That photo is one that was discussed and studied during my gun leather seminar at the NCOWS 2012 convention. We had a huge blown up view on the projector.

The holster in the photo of Perry Owen was not designed nor worn the way the photo shows. If you look at a large clear picture you can obviously see that it is a simple mexican loop holster that has been taken apart and the skirt tucked up under the belt. He is covering the part of the skirt above the belt and holding the holster with his hand. You can see the suntanning marks on the holster body where the loops of the skirt have protected it from the sun.

That is strictly a posed photo, probably done in order to show off the wide cartridge belt, however it could be what gave the hollywood designers the idea for a buscadaro rig.

Either way that holster was not originally designed nor had it been worn in the way the photo indicates. The sun tan marks on the holster body prove the holster had been worn in a normal mexican loop fashion.

[David Carrico]

Nice observations on that holster, Cliff. I never noticed that.

[St. George]

Thanks for revisiting that - it saved me from cutting and pasting.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Cliff Fendley]

I read so many blogs and articles that use that photo as some sort of representation of a buscadero but there are things that stand out in that photo that make it so obvious as to what it really is.

First we have the lighter lines on the holster body where it has been protected from oil, sun, and other darkening effects.

It is a lined holster and the lining stops on the back side of the skirt short of the loops typical of lined mexican loop holsters of the period.

Had that holster been attached to the belt in a fashion as shown the maker would have extended the lining another inch up under the belt to give it a more finished look and eliminated the need to do the extra stitch across the skirt just to hold the lining.

Then in clear photos you can see what appears to be part of the skirt wrinkled above the belt under his hand. Indicating the skirt is slid up under the belt and he is covering it and possibly keeping the holster from sliding to the floor by holding it with his hand. His hand appears to be awkwardly but deliberate in it's positioning in the photo.

A piece of lace hangs over from behind the belt making me think he possible used it to tie the skirt to the holster body hence the hole in the bottom of the holster body. either that or the hole is to let out water etc but because the wide belt may have not let the holster body "lock" into the skirt slots firmly he may have tied them together.

[ChuckBurrows]

Cliff - I'm not gonna argue but I have seen the actual original photo (It's in Albuquerque. NM IIRC) and cannot quite agree on some of your observations because in so many of the copies the details are somewhat distorted ( which surprised me a bit). Now while the COP holster may not be an early buscadero, just a few years later than the CPO photo we have bonafide images of men such as the Arizona Rangers wearing very similar rigs (yes they are post 1900).

Secondly while again not 19th Century there are at least two photos of Texas Rangers of circa 1900-1910 wearing what is basically a buscadero rig with a slot in the belt (not a dropped slot though) through which a Mexican loop style holster is worn so while it may not be PC for pre-1900, but the style is not just a Hollywood invention - I know at least one of those images is in this book: "Guns and the Gunfighters"
http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Gunfighters-Ammo/dp/0517371545

IMO this style of belt holster came about due to those LEO's who were looking for a way to keep there handguns in place for a better more secure draw and was not just a Holly wood affectation...Although they sure took in in that direction....

[GunClick Rick]

But they are not practical too much draw in my opinion,ida done shot ya with my high rider=====o

[ChuckBurrows]

Rick - I'm not talking about the real low slung buscaderos but rather a failry high ride that is locked in one spot on the belt - the drop is no more than the Border Patrol style holster that the late Bill Jordan helped developed and used successfully in gun fights......

[KidTerico]

Cliff thanks for all the GOOD  information. KT

[GunClick Rick]

Something like this..??

https://www.wmbrownholster.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=13&products_id=40&zenid=plhi707jdqjd0t4jcml5loe0r2

[Cliff Fendley]

I've seen some pretty clear photos of the CPO photo and stand by my assessment. It just offers too many indications that it was modified.

Why would someone stop the lining just short of the belt? His hand placement in the photo. The obvious coloration from where the loops have been.

If CPO actually wore that rig in that manner it was not designed that way and he modified or had it modified. I can't imagine riding a horse like that so I say photo op.

I don't argue similar rigs came along shortly after but that was early 20th century and early ranger and border patrol rigs did not carry the holster nearly as low as the CPO photo.

I consider early 20th century work of Tom Threepersons and SD Myers as the predecessor to the Bill Jordan holster. None of which I have seen really emulate the photo of CPO.

[GunClick Rick]

You fellers go up to the Longbranch and see the post

The clouds were awsome this evening! Then listen..

If ya want to that is.I will delete this in awhile.Take a little break.

[Slowhand Bob]

Anything that comes about now will be conjecture, unless someone finds a better photo or a written physical description.  The best images I have seen were blown up from either books or web images and lost very much in the transitions.  My take, based on some in depth scientific guessing has always been that Perry simply jury rigged existing equipment to meet his personal needs.  The only real encounter that I am familiar with indicates that perhaps he was more a rifleman than a pistolero.  The holstered pistol is placed in a secondary position, much like the now popular drop panel holsters worn by some military and/or THREE GUN COMPETITION shooters of today.  Whether it was oriented 'butt forward' for x-draw or reverse draw I do not know BUT neither would work for the best or or fastest presentation of his pistol BUT it is well out of the way for any work to be done with the rifle.  In addition to dropping the holstered pistol away from interfering with his supply of rifle ammunition he is also not covering ammunition with the popular loop om most holsters of the day.  My real guess is that he cut most of the skirt from a standard Mexican Loop Holster and had the remaining portion of the skirt laid under the belt and sewn in place there.  Based on his appearance, is it possible that he was mimicking WBH and settled on a reverse draw for that simple reason?  In reality his most famous gun fight actually exceeded the deeds of almost all of the most popular gunfighters of the old west.   

[Skeeter Lewis]

Cliff - you're absolutely right. Some time ago I took this picture to show Perry's arrangement:
(It's not sewn in: his left hand covers the skirt where it emerges above the belt.)