A container for weapons that are always at hand
Cavalry holsters, Syria, XNUMXth century. Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- How do you find, Monsieur de Malicorne, these pistol holsters?
With the air of a connoisseur, he looked at the holsters and said without hesitation:
“Too heavy, Count.
“You see,” de Guiche turned to the saddler, “this gentleman,
a man of taste finds them heavy. What did I just tell you?
"Vicomte de Brazhelon" (part 1) A. Dumas
With the air of a connoisseur, he looked at the holsters and said without hesitation:
“Too heavy, Count.
“You see,” de Guiche turned to the saddler, “this gentleman,
a man of taste finds them heavy. What did I just tell you?
"Vicomte de Brazhelon" (part 1) A. Dumas
stories about weapons. For seven whole years, here at VO, my materials on various small arms were published. But ... nothing was said about the "capacities" for storing or wearing it, that is, about holsters. And recently one of the readers of VO was found who pointed out this circumstance. Indeed, this topic is very interesting. And all this attracts, and this material has become the result of this interest, in which all story holsters for pistols and revolvers from the very beginning of their appearance.
German Reiter, middle of the 650th century. Pay attention to the holster to the left of his saddle and the handle of the pistol sticking out of it, inserted pommel forward. Such carrying of weapons in cavalry holsters was not accidental, but was dictated by the peculiarity of the rider's landing. He often had to rise in the stirrups, and in this case, the handles facing the "apple" back would create a certain inconvenience for the rider. Rice. from the book: V. Vuksic, Z. Grbasic. Cavalry. The history of fighting elite 1914BC-AD1994. L.: Cassell, 101. P. XNUMX
The word holster itself is of Turkish origin and can mean "case" and "quiver". In Russia, holsters were also called olsters, olstryads and ingots until the reign of Alexander I, who ordered holsters to be called ... holsters. It went from him, although in itself this belonging to firearms appeared much earlier, namely at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Appeared along with the cavalry of the pistols - cuirassiers and reiters.
Pistol holster of the XNUMXth century from the collection of the Historical Museum of Tbilisi
How cavalry holsters were arranged can be judged, for example, by two Turkish holsters from the collection of the British Royal Arsenal. Each of them has a long symmetrical shape, tapering from a flat elliptical section to a rounded one at the muzzle end. Backrests in plain red leather with three loops for attaching to the saddle. The front side is covered with blue velvet embroidered with silver thread with twigs and swirls of foliage, decorated with round plates of gilded silver. Under the main flap is a pouch with its own flap covering a pocket for five rounds. A long braided cord with a tassel at the end hangs down in front, and another similar one hangs on the side. At the bottom there is a hole for the barrel.
Pair of holsters 1771–1799 from the Royal Arsenal at Leeds. Dimensions: length of each holster 430 mm, top width 165 mm. Each holster weighs 0,475 kg
However, these holsters are not quite typical, since they have a valve that completely closes them from above. But usually cavalry holsters of the XVI-XVII centuries. they didn’t have such a valve, but were open from above, so that it would be more convenient to grab the pistols.
French musketeer 1660 with pistol holsters at the saddle. Rice. from the book: V. Vuksic, Z. Grbasic. Cavalry. The history of fighting elite 650BC-AD1914. L.: Cassell, 1994. P. 127
Cavalry holsters, similar to those shown in the previous picture, from the collection of the Landzeughaus in Graz, Austria
It should be noted that the improvement of handguns did not lead to any noticeable changes in the design of the holster. Throughout the XNUMXth century and most of the XNUMXth century, holsters for pistols, first wheeled and later flintlocks, were the property of the cavalry.
The infantrymen, if they had pistols with them, then wore them - firstly, plugging them into the belt or on the shoulder strap of the cartridge bag. To do this, a special bracket was made on the left of the pistol (there was a flintlock on the right!), And it was for this bracket that the pistol was hooked to the belt. Secondly, leather loops were used on the sling and on the belt. They included the barrel of a pistol, but, naturally, it could not advance further than a flintlock through such a loop. Such loops were always located in front, so that the pistol (or pistols, if there were several) was always at hand.
Austrian cuirassier 1710 Fig. from the book: V. Vuksic, Z. Grbasic. Cavalry. The history of fighting elite 650BC-AD1914. L.: Cassell, 1994. P. 161
As for the cavalry, the holsters for pistols were attached to the front pommel of the saddle for a very long time. In particular, in the era of the Napoleonic Wars, they began to sew a cloth valve on the outside and depict on it the same monogram as on the back corner of the saddle cloth.
Note that in the East, similar saddle holsters were also used for as long as in Europe. Here, for example, is a Turkish saddle with two holsters from 1800–1830. from the collection of the Duke of York. Royal Arsenal, Leeds
Holsters for riders have long been made by saddlers, as they were sewn together with the saddle and finished in the same style. That is, both the saddle and both holsters made up the saddle set. Therefore, it is not surprising that the nobles who bought saddles with holsters for service in the royal cavalry were concerned about their weight, and they tried to reduce it in every possible way so as not to force the horse to carry an extra load, which was already rather big, and the horse did not add agility in any way.
Holsters and saddle pads of the Saxon cavalry guards, 1812. It was with them "on the field in the rye" that our cuirassiers met during the battle of Borodino and the battle at the Semenovsky ravine. Rice. from the book: V. Vuksic, Z. Grbasic. Cavalry. The history of fighting elite 650BC-AD1914. L.: Cassell, 1994. P. 191
The appearance of capsule revolvers, the same famous Colts, led to the birth of holsters, which were no longer worn on the pommel of the saddle, but on the belt so that they were always at hand and could provide the owner of two such revolvers with the opportunity to fire 10-12 shots in a matter of seconds . Having more than two revolvers, however, became difficult, both due to their high cost and significant weight.
Texas Ranger 1861. Pay attention to the handle of the revolver. She, by tradition, looks forward, although the rider has a belt. Moreover, on the belt on the left, so that it would be convenient to snatch the revolver from the holster with the right hand! Rice. from the book: V. Vuksic, Z. Grbasic. Cavalry. The history of fighting elite 650BC-AD1914. L.: Cassell, 1994. P. 203
In the army, however, other holsters became widespread, already with a valve that closed the revolver inside. We can see such holsters in many photographs of the American Civil War period. But there were a lot of types of holsters at that time, in fact, every revolver had its own holster!
American trooper 1861–1865 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Semi-closed holster for the American revolver "Colt-Buntline" 1873. On the left is a belt pouch for cartridges for it with the emblem of the American army
Open holster for Smith & Wesson double action revolver. A finger cutout allows you to grab a revolver from it and immediately fire a shot.
Since the skins at the disposal of the same cowboys were in abundance, very often they made their own holsters, and of the most whimsical design.
Here is one of these cowboys, and the text that accompanies this photo is revealing: “As the settler invades cattle country more and more, the cowboy and the romance of his vocation are rapidly approaching the point where they will exist only on the silver screen. and in the Wild West Show,” from an April 1916 report. United States. Photo by Franklin Price Knott, National Geographic Fix»
It should already be noted here that one of the most important functions of the holster is to cover the trigger. The fact is that many owners of short-barreled firearms previously preferred and now prefer to carry it with a cartridge in the chamber in order to immediately use it if necessary. Although considered dangerous by some, virtually all modern handguns are designed to be carried this way, as modern handguns are equipped with safety catches that prevent accidental firing before the trigger is pulled.
Pistol "Mauser" M1910 caliber 6,35 mm ...
... and a semi-closed holster for concealed carry
However, even for this not too large pistol, a wooden butt holster was also developed. That's even how!
And this is a leather belt holster for the Mauser M1910 pistol in 6,35 mm caliber. Photo Morphy Auctions
The risk of an accidental shot is also reduced by the use of a holster that blocks access to the trigger. Holsters specifically designed for each given model of firearm work best in this regard. Holsters that are made of stiffer materials also provide better protection against tampering with the trigger of a holstered pistol or revolver.
To be continued ...
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