Old Bianchi Holster Inquiry

1

1911rocks

New member
OK, if you're under, oh say about, 48 this may be lost on you, but give her a go anyway. :confused: In the 1980's, I believe it was Bianchi, created a holster that was very,very popular in IPSC. It was originally built for 1911's. Back then it was wheel guns or 1911s. It was a high carry, forward tilt, close to the body, break front, with an adjustable clamping action. obviously, in this time frame it was made of leather. This was a minimal coverage holster. I recall that the hammer, thumb safety were completely exposed. The trigger guard was enclosed. Not only was it quick for IPSC, but it was great for CCW. Okay, what was it called?:confused:

"There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result."

Sir Winston Churchil

I prefer to take Winston's word for it. 1911rocks
 
I was re-reading an old Guns & Ammo article on IPSC, from 1980, and it showed a holster similar to that, but with the muzzle raked forward. Did the holster have a conventional strap, which I suppose was used to hold the gun in the rig between stages? Did it ride low on the belt, with a leg strap? In a lot of ways, the holsters from the early days of IPSC were just as impractical as what's being used today.
 
Maybe

RickB:

As I think about it, :rolleyes:I think it could be forward tilt or rear tilt by changing some screws holding the belt strap. It was a high rise style. It had no thumb strap. In the early days,1970's - early 1980's there were a few custom IPSC holsters. In those days there were very few shooters who received corporate support, This was the Chapman, Foss, Seyfried years. Custom guns came out of Pachmayer & Behlert shops. Many of the holsters, guns, etc. were off the shelf. Optics hadn't shown up yet.
 
Are you sure it was leather? There was a small, plastic, open front holster out around then (late 70's early 80's), called the "Snick". Sounds like what your describing, just wasnt made of leather.
 
I knew I'd find it somewhere. :)

From my old copy of Mel Tappan's classic... "Survival Guns", which fell apart as I opened it I might add. :)

Its kind of hard to see, but this is the "Snick"

47b8dd35b3127cceb61e80dbc3f500000025100CYuWbdo5bsU
 
ElectricHellfire May have the answer

EH: That may be the puppy. :cool: Is there a picture? If not what year April edition of Guns? Thank you.
 
You're probably remembering the Chapman Hi Ride. I used one in IPSC in the late 80s early 90s. Still have it. Great holster. Very fast. They show up on Ebay once in awhile. The folks selling them usually are clueless as far as what it is for.
 
From your description, it sounds much closer to the original Bianchi Auto-Draw than either the Snick or the Champman Hi Ride. I credit it (along with body armor) for saving my life back in the day.

Denny
 
1911 Holster FS

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h234/huli35rem/dad021.jpg[/URL]40.00 shipped sorry wrong place
 
The Search is Over

First of all, thanks to all the people who helped. It is in fact the Chapman High Ride. Very, very fast also very concealable. Now, I've just got to find one. The Andrews Custom Leather Hybrid Saddle Style comes close, but comparatively speaking it's looks kind of bulky compared to the Chapman High Ride.
http://www.andrewsleather.com/
One thing that always astounds me is the need some manufacturers feel to take a great product, pretty much refined to practicality and then change or abandon the design just because someone internal to the company feels the need to make their mark. Thank God this hasn't occurred to the 1911 or Browning HP. I agree those designs have been co-opted, but not at the cost of doing away with the original design. Again thank you for all of your help.

"no one is smarter than all of us" Ken Blanchard:D
 
The Judge?

I'm still unsure about this holster matter. The holster I remember was a breakfront with no thumbreak or safety strap. Was the Chapman High Ride a breakfront?:confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top