Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Western Wednesday- "Packing Iron"

The west was won by the ingenuity of the people who moved west and found ways to make their life easier. One such form of ingenuity was the ever changing gunleather.


The first gunleather used in the west originated in European military. It was the pommel bag.  This was made commercially and sold to the military. It was the easiest way to carry the large-bore, single shot handguns the frontiersmen used for hunting and protection. It's believed the pommel holster was developed during the California Gold Rush and used by Wells Fargo agents. As the revolving cylinder handgun was developed the sidearm belt holster became popular. The pommel bag remained popular to carry an extra gun, ammunition, and hard tack. It was easier to reach in the pommel bag than dig in a saddle bag on the back of the horse.

According to period photos the belt holsters began showing up in 1840. The holster held the smaller single-shot pistol, pepperbox, and revolvers.  Gun leather was made by eastern manufacturers and brought west by the settlers and immigrants. The belts were considered a specialty item made for the smaller more expensive handguns. The eastern products weren't tough enough or built to function as well in the western lifestyle. By 1850 saddlers began making holsters. They followed the eastern patterns but enhanced them to fit the western lifestyle.

The other popular holsters were hip pocket and shoulder. When towns became "civilized" in the mid to late 1800's the townsfolk didn't want visitors "packing iron". Towns passed ordinances against carrying firearms in town. This was when the hip pocket and shoulder holsters became popular. They could conceal a handgun in a pocket or under a duster. The hip pocket concealed a small derringer in a pocket making it readily available. This holster was more common in the east than the west. The shoulder holster held large caliber handguns. The holster held the gun close to the body, concealing it under a coat or duster. This type of holster was widely popular in the west and appears to have been developed around 1870. It hung under an arm in a vertical position with an oval-shaped shoulder loop. There were three types. The "Texas" developed by Texas shooter Ben Thompson. Then in 1890 a new version with a full back and closed toe was developed to make the draw faster. In the early 1900's a new design called the Half Breed came from the best of the other two versions.

Source: http://www.cochiseleather.com/western-gun-leather-history.aspx

15 comments:

Kathy Otten said...

Great info Paty. I'd read a bit about holsters and ammo belts over the years, but had not heard about the pommel bag.

Caroline Clemmons said...

Great info, Paty. I hope sometime to fire a gun like the bottom photo.

Devon Matthews said...

Very good info, Paty. I've done all kinds of research on gunfighters but never really thought too much about the kinds of holsters they carry.

Paty Jager said...

Thanks Kathy. Boy you can tell I wrote that late last night. I better go fix the typos. And did a read through.Sheesh!

Caroline, I have a small revolver I carry with me in Princeton for rodent and snake removal but the holster hooks onto my belt.

thanks Devon, yes, it helps to authenticate a story if the gunleather is factual too.

Christine Young said...

Very interesting. hmm.... concealed weapons even then.
Nothing ever changes.

Andrea Downing said...

Thanks Paty. Lot of info I didn't know before!

Sarah Raplee said...

As always, a fascinating post! Hadn't thought about how muzzle-loading pistols were carried. Love these posts!

Paty Jager said...

Chris, I think weapons have been concealed for ages when the concealer was up to no good. But there is also law enforcers that need to conceal.

You're welcome, Andrea!

Hi Sarah! Glad you are enjoying my posts.

Marianne Stephens said...

I also hadn't known about pommel bags.
Conceal carry permits now allow us to carry guns but keep them out of sight.

Paty Jager said...

Marianne, I knew about pommel bags just didn't realize they wee for guns to begin with. I thought they were always for carrying food and water. My daughter has a conceal permit. Her husband is in law enforcement.

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

This makes it two for two, Paty. My daughter just asked today why my heroine couldn't carry a gun in a holster. I thought I'd read they weren't available in 1854. At that point in the gold rush most men wore suspenders so didn't even wear belts. Now I know better and this works much more conveniently than having her shove it in the waistband of britches. Sounded quite dangerous to me. :) Thank you!

Paty Jager said...

Glad I could be of help Paisley!

Patricia Preston said...

Love the term "packing iron".

Paty Jager said...

Patricia, Me too! ;)

danita cahill said...

Interesting post, Paty!