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Old June 10, 2015, 08:46 PM   #1
manowar
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Holster Issues

I just ordered 3 holsters from El Paso for my: 2nd gen Colt 2nd Dragoon that Mike is goonerizing, Uberti 1860 Army and 1861 Navy, I am right handed, and ordered all right handed.

But I probably should have ordered left handed to be able to carry the calvary style, i.e. backwards, no?

These are all plain "Califonian" holsters, but I was pleased to see that the floral carved El Paso Slim Jim I ordered 30 years ago for a Ruger Bisley also fits my 1851 London beautifully.
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Old June 10, 2015, 09:50 PM   #2
4V50 Gary
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A right hand holster worn on the left side is naturally conducive to a twist draw.
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Old June 10, 2015, 10:57 PM   #3
manowar
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Yeah, but with the left hand! I'm right handed, and so if I want to draw the pistol in this manner I should wear left handed holsters on my right side, no?
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Old June 11, 2015, 12:49 AM   #4
DoubleDeuce 1
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I'm confused... You're right handed and you want to draw right handed on the strong side ( right side ), or cross draw from the left side?

Maybe you should call El Paso and ask them some questions before it gets too late.
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Old June 11, 2015, 02:14 AM   #5
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You see what Gary and DoubleDuece mean by "twist" or "cross" draw? To me a twist is really awkward. Cross draw...not so much, you can kinda see the grip in front of your belly. Mine sticks out like the bumper on an old Buick!
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Old June 11, 2015, 08:08 AM   #6
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After having owned a right (strong) side holster for a while I've come to realize it's more Hollywood than practical for a B/P shooter. I'm thinking of getting a plain old left side cross draw to replace it with.

Even with my modern revolver, which is usually only carried when in the woods with a rifle, the left side is becoming more & more attractive to prevent the 2 bashing into each other.
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Old June 11, 2015, 09:47 AM   #7
DoubleDeuce 1
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There is also the twist draw, strong side carry with the butt of the revolver forward. Are you planning on carrying extra caps, powder and ball on the belt too?

For me, I would think of the weight of the revolver and where it would hang on the belt and on me. I would like the loop on the holster fairly wide so the weight of the revolver is distributed a little more across the top of the gun belt and not twist or rock around. I would also consider having a regular gun belt with an extra bit of leather sewn onto the back side of the belt where the holster would ride. The extra bit of leather could extend around the side of your body. That would help with the weight distribution and prevent a lot of stretching of the belt. Then if I carry extra ammunition, I'd place that on the belt for comfort and ease of reaching. Depending on the type of activity I would be engaging in while wearing the holster, I might not have a tie down thong.

Will the holster be lined or unlined?

Mostly I would choose comfort and ease of use for me.
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Old June 11, 2015, 07:09 PM   #8
manowar
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OK, I will explain what I am aiming for: THE CAVALRY DRAW (TWIST)

The pistols are holstered with the butts sticking out forward. The hand reaches in a twist when drawing the pistols out of the holsters and bringing them up to bear.

Mike Beliveau (duelist1954) shows this type of carry and execution in his videos.

I am right-handed. I goofed in that I ordered my holsters right hand strong side. Wearing the pistol in this manner the butt HAS to be pointing BACKWARDS and so must be drawn in an upright fashion.

It is SLIGHTLY true that if I wore a right hand holster on my left side it could be considered cross draw, HOWEVER, because the holsters are all straight drop to draw a pistol from them in a cross draw fashion would be more than a little unwieldy, I would think. Both of my cross-draw holsters I own and use, while worn on the left side, are canted toward the right. This permits a much easier extraction of the firearm.

As suggested above, I just might give El Paso a call tomorrow and see if it's not to late to make some changes to my order. Three Hundred Bucks is a lot to pay for a mistake!
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Old June 11, 2015, 10:59 PM   #9
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I carry my '75 Remington in a Cavalry twist draw (i.e. firearm holstered on my right hip, butt forward, and drawn with the right hand) very fast, smooth, and very efficient with that 7.5 inch barrel.

Manowar, I don't blame you for anting to carry your six-guns that way. The only way I want to carry mine too!
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Old June 12, 2015, 12:33 PM   #10
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Trum4n1208 - So did that mean you had to order a LEFT side holster to wear on your right side to allow you to wear it with the butt forward?
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Old June 12, 2015, 02:04 PM   #11
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Yes, that is exactly what you have to do.
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Old June 12, 2015, 05:24 PM   #12
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All thie "twisting" is making me think of Chubbie Checkers!

A right hand holster can easily be worn on the left for
"cross draw" - especially if the loop is larger than the width of the belt - and most California style holsters had a belt loop long enough to do ti - and most "Mexican style" loop holsters with a skirt allow for that as well.

Cavalry holsters (left hand) were worn on the right for a reason. Not for a 'twist draw" with the right hand although I'm sure a lot of troopers did draw that way. The holster was worn on the right side, butt forward so that the pistol could drawn with the left hand and the saber drawn with the right hand.

Too much Hollywood . . . . wear it the way that is most comfortable "for you", whether it be on the strong side or cross draw. I'm sure our forefathers wore theirs for the same reasons . . what worked best for them. A right handed holster moved to the left at about 11 o'clock is a very comfortable way to carry on horseback - plus the pistol is easily accessible by reaching down rather than reaching back to the strong side.

I make holsters, etc. as a hobby and have made many California style holsters. For mine, I'm right handed so I make them right handed . . . but usually wear the holster on the left at 11 o"clock. The belt loop on the holster is sufficient, even on a wider belt of 2" to 3" so that it can be "canted" with the butt forward a tad. It's a lot easier to draw the long barrel with my right hand reaching across than it is to reach back on my strong side and pull the long barrel out, even with the holster canted forward.

If you're wearing your holster in the woods and plinking . . . I doubt that the birds and squirrels are going to pay that much attention . . .
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Old June 12, 2015, 06:56 PM   #13
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I believe that the cavalry method of wearing the issue flap holster on the right side with the butt forward was an accommodation for using a saber in the right hand. If the revolver needed to be drawn also, the butt-forward was conducive to drawing with the left hand. If the saber was not in the right hand and the trooper needed to draw with his right hand, then the fact that the butt was forward was less of a burden to twist-draw than what would have been for the left hand to twist-draw. Nevertheless, nowadays, most of us do our gun handling dismounted so there is little reason to carry butt-forward on the right side. I too make my own holsters and like full-flap for woods rambling...and I also slide my full-flap, right handed holsters over to about 11:00 on the left side (lift the flap with the left hand, draw with the right). It just seems more convenient for me there.
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Old June 14, 2015, 06:24 PM   #14
manowar
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Bedbugbilly and dahermit - By the time I called El Paso the leather was already cut so I couldn't make any changes (damn they're fast!). I was bemoaning the loss of cant because they are all straight drop but THANKS letting me in on the fact that the loop will supply some cant for crossdraw. The loop on all 3 is 3" so that's a fair amount. One question: 11:00

When figuring this out, is 12:00 dead center your belly button and natural firearm? That would make sense because 11 would push it just in front of the hip bone.

You can be sure that dragoon will be carried this way!

Thanks to all
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Old June 16, 2015, 07:29 AM   #15
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Golly, you guys are right about the cavalry with their sabres in their right hands. I'm starting to think about the infantry or artillery officers and whether their holster was the same one (which makes sense for purposes of logistics).
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