How to Wear a Gun Belt?

[MTT TL]

A Colt SAA was a very expensive firearm in the 1880's. About $16.75. A real cowboy would never have been able to afford one at $20 or $30 a month. Most real ranchers at the time did not allow firearms in the bunk houses anyway.

I see plenty of soldiers bringing home less than $2K a month go out and buy $1500 rifles. Cops too. Didn't say they were smart, just that they could. Soldiers are not allowed guns in the barracks either.

Guys what's the best way?

High and out of the way enough so that it does not interfere and move up when you take a seat. You will want to attach the gun belt to an inner belt that goes through your belt loops to keep it from moving around. The holster should have little/ no movement when drawing the pistol. This will require an attachment point fore and aft of the actual holster to the inner belt and one or two on the opposite side, likely near wherever you holster your knife.

Just looking for how to wear it once I get it and not look like a jackwagon.

Not sure, my 19th Century Style sense is not so good.

 

[Hawg]

High and out of the way enough so that it does not interfere and move up when you take a seat. You will want to attach the gun belt to an inner belt that goes through your belt loops to keep it from moving around. The holster should have little/ no movement when drawing the pistol. This will require an attachment point fore and aft of the actual holster to the inner belt and one or two on the opposite side, likely near wherever you holster your knife.

Never heard of such a thing.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Hawg - that sounds like a cop thing. We used to use keepers in front and behind the holster to keep it from shifting and to keep the holster in the same position. Don't think the cowboys had keepers though.

 

[Hawg]

Hawg - that sounds like a cop thing. We used to use keepers in front and behind the holster to keep it from shifting and to keep the holster in the same position. Don't think the cowboys had keepers though.

Part of it does but he's talking about attaching it to a regular belt but belt loops weren't popular until the 20's and before that pants didn't even come with them unless it was sportswear. That's why everybody wore suspenders. And yeah I know he's not trying to be historically correct. I'm just sayin.

 

[MTT TL]

Hawg - that sounds like a cop thing. We used to use keepers in front and behind the holster to keep it from shifting and to keep the holster in the same position. Don't think the cowboys had keepers though.

Cowboys had no such thing because belts were not commonly worn in the US till the 20th Century. Pants had a higher waist line and people wore suspenders. People also tended to run with a BMI well under 20 allowing for high waist to the pants. These days a cowboy shoot average runs well over 25.

He asked "best way"; I gave "best way". Like I said 19th Century Fashion is not something I know much about.

 

[5whiskey]

Hawg - that sounds like a cop thing. We used to use keepers in front and behind the holster to keep it from shifting and to keep the holster in the same position. Don't think the cowboys had keepers though.

We still do. A much older school cop, that's probably done the job since the late 80's or early 90's, described getting into a large brawl while on duty and the mob kept going for his gun. He eventually went to draw as it was getting to the point that things got out of hand, only to find out his pistol was pulled to the small of his back and slightly onto his left side (he's a righty). He had a high retention holster, apparently a new-fangled thing at the time, which might have save his life. No one could figure out how to draw his gun. Problem was, with the retention he couldn't either where it was on his body. He eventually "flashlighted" his way through the mob and got some help lol. He is the guy that taught me how to properly weave belt keepers between my under belt and belt loops when I was brand new. He swore by it.

 

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Why wear a holster? Cowmen~ toughs and those ~ punks who thought they were a small towns {misery} only wore belts w/ holsters in three directions.

Wild Bill Hickok wore a classy sash to sport the carry of his Navy 36s. Mr. Hickok surely was known country wide as individual who garnered respect for his shooting abilities. (well until he was nearly blinded by cataracts in both eyes that is.)
A cowardly Irish bushwhacking punk got the best of O'l Bill who was paying more attention to his holding Aces & Eights than the vengeful killer positioning himself behind O'l Bill on Aug 2nd 1876. Shame is: O'l Bill won the pot with that hand of cards he had but never got to spend his winnings. I assume the money won went towards Wild Bill's burial.

 

[DD4lifeusmc]

The movie Shane was shot near Jackson Hole Wyoming (north western corner Wyoming)
It is based on the Johnson county wars of 1889 to 1893


In fact most westerns were based on that real life event
Another good movie is Tom Horn another real life event from Wyoming

If you notice sitting a horse, you want to position the holster so the barrel does not force the butt up into your ribs or just under them.

other than that, whatever is most comfortable to you.
quickdraw artists today custom fit theirs for a smooth fast draw,
And it is sparks from the gunpowder that is popping the balloons at short distances not a bullet

 

[4V50 Gary]

5whiskey - eventually I used the Safariland SS III 070 triple retention holster. Two snaps and a push down to release. I also used keepers (one in front of holster, one behind it) so it was always where I needed it.

I always had guys practice with their holster so it became natural for them to draw from it. I even had range drills where they had to draw with their non-dominant hand. Now, I was flexible enough to draw from behind my back with my non-dominant hand. A lot of guys who didn't use keepers would pull the holster to the front so their non-dominant hand could reach it. Whatever worked.

One cop (not one of mine) didn't train enough when he and his partner got into a gunfight. He had a sharp pain in his crotch and figured he was hit. He crawled behind his car, still attempting to draw his firearm to get into the fight. After the fight was over, he found he was not hit after all. He failed to break a snap and so when he tugged on his gun, his keepers kept the holster in place. So, the upward pull resulted in his pants being pulled up into the crotch, causing that pain that convinced him he was hit.

Lesson: train with your equipment.

Now for cowboys, there wasn't much in the way of gunfights like we saw in the TV Westerns of the '50s-'60s or movies. Guns were tools to them. Certainly there were gunmen and killers (just like today), but it was rarely walk down mainstreet and then draw and shoot.