I recall an article by Phil Spangenberger in G&A years ago in which he noted people generally wore more clothes back then, plus the cut was a bit different from what we are used. A man's suit would have been a frock coat, which went down to the knees-think of a modern overcoat. Hence concealing
a full size revolver was easier. Then there's Doc Holliday with his sawed-off
shotgun concealed under his duster.
I have read of John Wesley Hardin's vest with two leather lined pockets for his Colt .41s (has anyone ever seen it, or at least a picture or a reproduction?). In general, we can say that concealment was quite a bit easier back.
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