Some officers perfected a method where the gun was placed against the outer shell and held in place by the thumb, as the fingers pushed the clamshell together against the side of the leg, but this could be difficult to execute when the other hand was busy controlling a suspect, and impossible to do on the move. They certainly make the cows happy. Classic Mike! 1945) operated out of Montebello, California, and became the giant in the clamshell holster business, producing them into the early 1990s. Dont discount the police officers in California because of the politics of the State they work in. Attached to this polycarbonate spine was a pocket for the gun that was made from a Kydex and leather laminate. The design required the user to put his finger into the trigger guard to release the gun, which led to some negligent discharges when officers fumbled the draw. After seeing him have to fiddle around with it to re-holster, I came to the conclusion it was a useless design for LEOs. As a result, the American Tactical recently announced the company will offer two new bolt-action rifle systems from Black Creek Labs. - Cicero, 60 B.C. Grove Gun Shop Product Details. Please see the website at: http://www.vintagelacoppers.org, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Sixguns By Keith. The department let me carry it until I retired, our senior Sgt. It was sexy, and reeked of the gunfighter mystique. Second, as Jordan noted, the closed muzzle imparted more drag on the barrel in the finishing moves of the draw, which could cause overshooting and alignment errors. Even with agencies that issued everything, the revolver was where the most predominant form of personalization took place. Thank you so much for sharing it with us! The Jewett family married into the Stanroy family, and a collaboration resulted in Stanroy-marked clamshells that competed with Safety Speed. Pre-Owned. Back in the 1970s and 80s, many a small city department, and even many less affluent county sheriffs departments, you bought your own sidearm and leather. Got days off, the unwanted kind.4 months later got called back up to see the sergeant and offered a job.as long as I promised not to shoot anything else there! The MSRP starts at $110. Glad to have you here, and THANK YOU for your 15 years of service during a dangerous era for LE. He also wrote the "Tactical Analysis" column at Police1.com for 8 years. 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Ace. Thanks for the article. Dang eliminator, your making me feel old with the clam shell comment. It hardly seems appropriate to carry one in a lizard holster. Some of the Model 27 improvements over the Berns-Martin were subtle, but there was one aspect of the design which marked a radical changethe Model 27 was designed for mass production. Vintage Leather Police Swivel Holster NostalgicProductions (150) $65.00 FREE shipping Sig Sauer P365 XL - Wee Deluxe IWB Holster - LEFT Hand Draw Hybrid Single Swivel Clip with Mod 4clip CelticHolsters $69.95 FREE shipping Vintage Hume Plain Black Leather Old Police Snap Swivel Gun Holster for S&W K Frame Models 10 11 12 15 19 64 65 66 67 68 4" Operating the safety strap was a motion that took some time, and the officer could not establish his grip to draw the gun until this step was complete. Upon introduction, the Judge holster immediately became standard issue on the California Highway Patrol, which issued it along with the newly-adopted Model 67 and Model 68 revolvers. Dont repeat this (Ill deny I was there), but there is a shrine in his house dedicated to the Lee Enfield rifles, and to the Webley and Smith & Wesson revolvers. In contrast, with Jewetts design, the shooter established a normal grip on the gun and punched the hidden button with the fingertip almost simultaneously, at which point the gun could be rotated into the firing position without first having to draw it upwards. The Swivel Drop Leg Holster is the latest addition to the QDS (quick disconnect system) ecosystem. After some years of little luck I tried this new-fangled Ebay. No hangups at all. Prescott, AZ. I have a good source to help me find some . The leather and thermoplastic laminate used in Rogers holster designs was a significant accomplishment and the process of creating, using, and shaping the laminate to create a custom-fitted duty holster (protected by U.S. Patent number 4,340,437, issued 20 Jul 1982) was one of Rogers key contributions to the industry. On other designs, the upper edges of the leather cutout (where the rear edge of the cylinder would contact) could become worn with time, and lose their ability to resist an upward drawing movement. Im in the home stretch of law enforcement now so its probably going to be my last Duty Belt. It seems that Ive never met a copper outside of California who used a clamshell on duty. Opens in a new window or tab. To help overcome this weakness, some enterprising officers (and later, manufacturers)peened the rivet and installeda cotter pin to prevent a separation. For more information, visit blackhawk.com or call 800-379-1732. Combining speed with security. These holsters are available for a broad range of firearms, and they are customizable for duty belt size, color and light/laser attachments. Klarna. Thank you for the point out to AE Nelson Leather Company! I saw a swivel holster on an old rerun of Andy Griffith the other day. But I carried a high rise , no swivel, clamshell with my M66 4 inch, really fast, worked great with LOTS of training! As low as $102.99. Im not sure, but I think your holster is for a 4 S&W N-frame revolver. LUITON Radio Shoulder Harness Holster Chest Holder Universal Vest Rig for Police Firefighter Two Way Radio Search Rescue Essentials 570 $21 99 $26.99 A double shoulder holster with adjustable straps to be worn over or under jackets. The effective requirement to reholster with two hands was a big weakness of the clamshell. Lots of officers wanted that holster when I retired but I still have it. Saved my life one day when a bad guy surprised me on a porch with a 12ga shotgun. Besides, they had panache. See our pictures and if you have any questions please call Justin or Ben at Olde West (530)243-8334. and manufacturers. Ill still be carrying firearms though for the rest of my life and Ill be coming back to Ted Blocker Holsters so theyll ride in the best. Their uniforms are somewhat unique in that they don't wear shoulder patches; however, their traffic officers wear them. Black Leather. Only the top draws remain, and theyre usually made of synthetics,like those that Rogers ushered in. Required fields are marked *. One of the hallmarks of Adam-12 was that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) worked very closely with Universal Studios to ensure that the program was technically accurate. The most obvious was a fast and unobstructed presentation of the gun. CopsPlus Police Supply. Original Item: Made of heavy black leather construction. Those were the Days. The Safariland 6285CHP holster was designed for the California Highway Patrol. Blocker makes quality stuff, it's just the nature of the holster. Hoffman and Sons holster company also manufactured clamshell holsters beginning around 1936, out of Arlington, California, and there was a host of others that joined them. Fabulous quality. Glad you enjoyed it. But it wasnt just a slick show for the tube. Vintage Holster German Police Swivel Pivot Walther P5/P9 Black Leather RH Pre-Owned $19.99 sgsdepot (19,221) 99.7% Buy It Now +$6.00 shipping 8 watchers Sponsored Vintage JAY PEE NY Police Duty Holster For 4" Model 10 Revolver Swivel NYPD Pen Brand New $154.00 jmar8944 (7,138) 99.9% Buy It Now +$8.30 shipping 2 watchers Sponsored Sit down and have a look aroundI think youll find lots more to like here at RevolverGuy. Even with both of these features engaged, an officer can draw the duty gun quickly. It is not fast however. Wish I had kept the weapon and the holster. Vtg Black Leather Police Swivel Holster - B18 34 C $20.57 0 bids C $24.70 shipping 6d 16h Akar Scorpion OWB Kydex Gun Holster W/Quick Belt Clips Fits Girsan Mc28 C $39.51 Was: C $49.39 C $41.17 shipping or Best Offer 15 watching Vintage Police Sam Brown Leather Belt Holster Shoulder Strap 1950s Crump C $172.88 C $40.63 shipping or Best Offer In comparison, the Bianchi Model 27 was produced using tooling and methods that allowed for mass production. Only difference was he switched to a S&W 357 Magnum- Next one wasnt going to prison. That service pistol could be the focus of an attack should things go sideways. Countless officers owe their livesat least in partto this holster. I was a cop in San Francisco, 80-87. Actually too great early on for me, with one of those accidental discharges after drawing.I was conducting a requested (dumb ass on my part) demonstration, how quick it was, and popped a round off.I did turn away from personnel for safety you know.of course.duh.you know, do not point at anything youre not willing to destroy!.Well I was willing to destroy the chest freezer in our helicopter detail office, and almost did so! It featured a reverse cant and the thing was designed so the gun came straight out the holster. We wont see the likes of it again. In Jewetts design, the pouch which held the gun was split into two halves along the front seam, which were joined at the rear by a powerful flat spring that was biased to open the halves in butterfly fashion. Wow, thank you! We all had nick names it was a street cop thing. Justin. Black leather with wear. This is a big part of the reason that these holsters were disapproved for duty use in the CHP by the early 1960s. That holster was issued by a lot of agencies and not a bad design. $70.79 USD. I had no idea that the clamshell holster was still being used by some officers in the early years of the 21st Century! Industries (located in Dulce, New Mexico), had the notable distinction of producing clamshells for the LAPD under contract, beginning in the late 1960s. I started carrying a clam shell in 1970. Malloy and Reed may have brought these clever holsters into the public consciousness in the early 70s, but the clamshell holster story goes back much further. 1965. Because the gun was left unsupported by the holster when the clamshell opened up, there was a tendency for the trigger finger to grip the trigger in an attempt to keep the gun from falling, especially if a proper grip had not been achieved before the release button was activated. This didnt happen very fast. Hopefully hell become a regular and share some of his experience in these pages. . The two halves of the clamshell were shaped on the inside to fit the gun tightly, so that when the clamshell was locked closed, it would be extremely difficult-practically impossibleto pull the gun out the top of the holster. Great holster though. Thanks, Mike, I have a question about my 1962 revolver. The holsters can also be had in a variety of colors other than black to match a tactical teams uniforms. To hold the halves closed, the 2800 incorporated a pair of powerful springs that started behind the cylinder, running up and over it on each side, then down the length of the leading edge, to the very bottom. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. The trigger guard pocket of the Berns-Martin (and later Model 27) was a solid safety feature, but often interfered with obtaining a proper grip on the gun. I was in a few shootings in my career and it always worked like a charm, when we were qualifying no one could beat me on the draw. I can remember guys practicing quick draws in front of the mirror in the police locker room. Then later, the desk jockeys at the Office decided they hadnt impaired the street guys enough, so they came up with a mandatory issue, a Tex Shoemaker (sp?) While Ive never been a fan of the holsters that had an opening on the entire front section of the holster, the design did lead to some development of hybrid breakfront/top draw rigs. After carrying my issue Sig in my issue safety holster I became nostalgic for the breakfronts of my youth and started a search for a Bianchi 27. From my experience in working with many officers from many states California police officers are some of the best trained and competent officers around. North Hollywood, CA. Dang I remember when they were the hottest thing on the street. Back in 1973, former FBI agent and police instructor Bill Rogers started designing and building some excellent duty holsters that incorporated improved retention capabilities. It sold well in the United States, but it was the selection of the BOSS as the standard issue holster for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and all the provincial and territorial police departments in Canada, which kept Rogers in the holster business. Vintage Police Swivel 38 Cal Revolver Leather Holster $53.81 Buy It Now or Best Offer See Details Vintage BRIDLE Leather Jay-Pee SAM BROWNE Belt Size 36 !! Free Shipping on Orders Over $99! If the leather is dry, make sure to use a little neatsfoot oil to preserve it. It looks like they wear plain black, polished leather with nickel (silver) snaps or plain black with velcro. . Safety Speed also produced that one. It has nothing to do with Ted Blocker etc. It uses an ALS to help secure the gun, and it also has an optional Sentry system. The MSRP starts at $97. I am currently cleaning out my parents house. I never had to draw my gun prematurely as the clam shell was so fast that it was as if I always had my gun out.