Carrying saddle- & western guns, anyone?

I grew up in the northern Rocky Mountains / Northwestern US ...and in the 50's and 60's growing up / I often carried a S&W revolver in either a 4" or 6" barrel in a western tooled leather style holster /with a thumb strap ...on a cartridge belt tooled to match ( the rig had been in the family for a long time ) and I still have it.

I carried a revolver in that rig out hiking, fishing or camping -- or when I was hunting big game it was a backup gun ....../ later on, in the 70's and 80's I switched to a shoulder holster - especially fishing and hiking ( get the gun up out of the way ) vs on my belt.

We rode horses a little bit ( I'm not a big horse guy )- big game hunting to get to remote camp areas / and we had saddle scabbards for our rifles / but we carried our handguns on our cartridge belts in holsters.
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Today, I still have over 20 S&W revolvers ...in .22 / .38 spl / a lot of .357 mag / and a few .44 mag...and I still shoot them a lot at my local range...but I'm more of a city boy now / if I carry a S&W K frame ( .357 mag in a 4" ) I use a modern Kramer leather, with forward FBI tilt ...on my belt...but I don't carry them much vs the 1911 platform that I prefer for carry. The "western" rig ...is going to be passed down to a younger buddy that wants it ..and a couple of K frames that fit it...

no horses at home anymore - just a couple of big SUV's ..../ way less care and way easier on my butt and my back ...:D
 
If I'm out in the woods just kicking around for fun I might carry my Vaquero in an old buscadero rig. It is rare that I have that much free time so most of the time I carry an appropriate off duty gun in a hip holster.
 
there are pommel (spelling) holsters. they have been used in many movies and I am guessing they were around in the old west.
 
Oh my goodness, please try not to ruin it for everybody!!

The western quickdraw holster is more of a production of the movies than real life. Most of the holsters actually used in the "old west" were plain flap-type holsters (many military surplus from the thousands brought home after the War of Northern Aggression).
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:D:):p
 
In almost all Wyoming towns, a firearm may be carried in an open holster, or slung over your shoulder, without breaking the law. It is perfectly legal, most places in the State.

As for the open country, anyplace is O.K. to carry a gun, and recommended in most, for critters and such!

A Concealed Firearm, requires a non resident to have a permit. Residents can carry concealed or open without a permit.

Also, if you ever visit Wyoming and stop at a gas station, ask the fella filling up his truck at the next pump to see his "truck gun"! Most people will pull something out from under the seat and start a conversation with you. We love to talk guns and Freedom!
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guess Wyoming's the state to go for me, then. Is anyway missing on my list so far...
 
guess Wyoming's the state to go for me, then. Is anyway missing on my list so far...
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It is not just some Western states that have open carry. Michigan has no law against it (legal therefore), although I personally have only seen one instance of a person exercising open carry here. So, it is not common although I and lots of other people exercise concealed carry.
 
My fave horseback rig is the BH FT .44 Spl in its Simply Rugged Sourdough holster, although flavor of the day can go at any time. The Buckmark sees a lot of saddle time during squirrel season. But overall the SR40c sees more saddle time than all the others combined. No actual western rigs, they wouldn't match the rest of my rig anyhow. Besides, I ride for the go, not the show.

I mostly OC but if stopping to a store or riding into town I'll flip my shirt over it. A horse and rider get too much attention as it is around here, usually being mistaken for a cowboy ;).

My pistols are never attached to the horse / saddle. Too easy for a loaded gun to fall into the wrong hands should (and they do) an accident occur. The downfall of having your gun on you is landing on it when the unplanned dismounts occur. Both myself and my guns have been damaged in this manner.
 
"...a six-gun rigged in a saddle holster or a Western-style hip holster...So, do some of you - lucky folk, at least gun-wise spoken - still carry that way?"

When I bought a gun specifically to carry all the time I wanted it to be like the guns Gene and Roy carry, and Paladin, and Cheyenne and Hondo and all the rest who rode the Code of the West. To me the most important attribute of these irons is that they get carried, always. When Randolf Scott and Joel McCrea rode the high country they didn't leave their smokewagons in their hotel room. But there is no open carry in Florida and in the summer concealing a Single Action Army is a whole art form in itself. So odd as it seems the Smith & Wesson 442 Airweight is my Colt and 38 Special is my 45 and my pocket is my hand tooled border rig. Adapt and overcome.
 
My pistols are never attached to the horse / saddle. Too easy for a loaded gun to fall into the wrong hands should (and they do) an accident occur. The downfall of having your gun on you is landing on it when the unplanned dismounts occur. Both myself and my guns have been damaged in this manner.
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treg, I have a hip that still bothers me from landing on my pistol.
If I was to carry again on my belt I would most likely look at a cross draw rig placing the gun in front of me.
Right now I'm comfortable keeping mine on my saddle.

The mare I have now is in my opinion the best horse I've ever owned, very quick and athletic.
She has put me in the dirt a few times, bucked off twice when I first started riding her , the other few times she just flat spun out from under me, she's a cat.

However, if for some reason my backside gets dislodged from the saddle she never leaves me.
She stands there looking at me like she's thinking, ok old man you going to lay there all day or are you going to get back in the saddle.

I feel keeping my handgun on my saddle is really no different then if I had a rifle in a scabbard on my saddle.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
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Here's a picture of my rig.
When setting the saddle the gun's just the right distance for my hand to naturally reach.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
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I don't ride horses but the guns I carry are usually six shooters in leather holsters and lever action rifles. I don't mind modern firearms but my cowboy weaponry will handle anything I'm likely to encounter. Plus, since the odds of ever "needing" it are so small I may as well carry something I actually enjoy.
 
Hi simon,

Lots of opinions as you have found. The saddle holster originated primarily becuase early revolvers were too heavy to carry easily on the belt. Go to a military museum and you see the evolution of the holsters.

One BIG issue with a saddle-mounted pistol is if you get tossed by the horse, you have lost your weapon until you recover the horse. So I carry on a web belt that has my knife, spare ammo and whatnot.

Plus, if you tie up your horse, your weapon is available to anyone who walks by. I prefer to keep my weapon with me when I am out.
 
cool stuff. I really like the image of the old West, even cliché as it may be...
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yep - get yourself a duster, a brace of S/A revolvers, a lever action rifle and a rabbit ear side by side & enjoy!!!
 
HunterCustoms, I may have to try that rear cinch rig. Well done sir
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mk70ss, thank you.

On my rig I placed some spacers at the bottom (muzzle) end of my holster to keep the muzzle of the gun from pointing at my horse.

Where the gun's at on my saddle it keeps it out of my way but it's very handy if I need it.

I've had my mare from a slow walk in timber and brush so thick we could hardly get through it, to a flat out full tilt boogie get there now run in wide open country when need be, so far I've had no issues with my pistol where it's at on my saddle.

I will say I had another mare that I would not have carried my gun on the saddle, if she put you in the dirt she would go home without you, the mare in the picture is not like that, she's never left me stranded.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
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