I was a cop in the Detroit area from 1967 to 1982. Some kydex bender might be able to do something neat with this idea. Would you email me please? I thought it went away with the Seventies. They certainly make the cows happy, if not the traditionalists. 89 members and 33755 guests. The spine also incorporated a trigger guard lock, which combined with a cylinder recess and the safety strap, prevented the gun from being drawn straight upwards out of the holster. Got days off, the unwanted kind.4 months later got called back up to see the sergeant and offered a job.as long as I promised not to shoot anything else there! So, when Malloy and Reed switched from the Model 14 andSafariland #11top draw holster to the Model 15 and clamshell holster for Season Four, it wasnt just for the sexy optics. To hold the halves closed, the 2800 incorporated a pair of powerful springs that started behind the cylinder, running up and over it on each side, then down the length of the leading edge, to the very bottom. With practice, the 070 is as fast as any other security holster. As I mentioned after reading your book, I carried a 4 clamshell until the department (LAPD) wouldnt allow them any longer. When I told him I was left handed, he balked and said hed have to custom make it and itd be expensive. Case Shape: Fitted. Designed to last and proudly made in the USA. In fact, the manufacturing and production engineering aspects were the most difficult part of the design process on the Model 27. The MSRP starts at $147. Phone Model: APX 6000 (NON-XE) / 8000 (NON-XE) MSRP: $84.99. It was more secure than the temperamental clamshell, and it was easier to reholster with a single hand. . Dave, its great to hear from you. I carried the standard 4 inch smith with a safety speed clam shell. I found a perfect condition Safety Speed Hi-ride for a 4 inch L frame on Ebay. Glad youre enjoying it! They took it down and totally polished and tuned everything. For more information, visit unclemikes.com or call 800-423-3537. Thanks, Andrew. AccuMold ARS Radio Holster Swivel. There are currently 33844 users online. I cut my teeth on the front break Safariland but knew nothing about the clamshell other than the name. They run about $180 and are very similar to the Hoyts except that the basketweave pattern runs parallel to the ground rather than on an angle (as with most other basketweave rigs). This Bianchi holster offers long lasting durability under the most brutal conditions. Your duty holster keeps your trusty sidearm close at hand; it can and should be as unique as you are. The good folks at Ted Blocker nailed it . Im grateful you shared them with us. was the only other officer who carried one, he retired about a year and a half before me. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, When the LAPD settled on six inch .38 Special revolvers in the late 1930s, they also embraced the clamshell, issuing the Safety Speed model by the 1940s. Good Condition! IWB (18) OWB (23) Cross Draw (5) Please email or call us to add this for you. This was due to several negligent discharges blamed on the holster. It easily outclassed the rabble of unimaginative top draw designs that polluted police supply catalogs throughout the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. After carrying my issue Sig in my issue safety holster I became nostalgic for the breakfronts of my youth and started a search for a Bianchi 27. I don't know much about it. The laminate produced by Rogers Holster Company offered many advantages over traditional leather construction, such as resistance to moisture (including water, blood, gasoline, etc. Thank you Sir! In an interview with RevolverGuy, Mr. Bianchi told us that the work performed by the in-house tool and die department (the magicians behind the scenes, according to Mr. Bianchi)to optimizethe machinery, tools, and processes for manufacturing the Model 27 was so exhaustive, that anyone else would have given up, because the reward wouldnt have been worth the effort.. Good design, but not my choice. The design essentially saved two steps (strap release and upward drawing motion), allowing the shooter to get the gun into play much more rapidly. He was also one of the most talented holster designers around, with an affinity for crafting police duty holsters. Mike, thank you for the great articles. A clamshell wasnt your average, pedestrian, top draw rig. At one point I had to have one in my collection. Danny, that story takes the cake, and is now my favorite clamshell story! This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. FEATURES Full grain genuine leather handcuff holder Will fit one pair of handcuffs The holder is a BELT CLIP . 2016 to 2023 RevolverGuy.com, All Rights Reserved. Yet, while clamshells made their way onto police Sam Brownes all over the nation, Southern California always remained the center of the clamshell holster universe. The Rogers WRATH (Weapon Retaining and Tactical Holster) advanced the breakfront art by simplifying and lightening the BOSS. To open it up, the user inserted the index finger of his gun hand into the area of the trigger guard, and pushed inwards on a camouflaged button (that was hidden underneath a layer of leather, just forward of the trigger face) to release the latch, at which point the halves rapidly separated under spring pressure, releasing the gun. The MSRPs for these holsters start at $108. The holster will last as long as your pistol. Alas, weve lost a bit of the fine art in sidearms today. I bought my own clamshell around 1970 or so and used it every day on patrol. I retired it in 86 when we switched to the Sig P220. : No Item Description: Old Akah holster (Leather) will work with swivel but not included. For a few years, the Safariland Model 275 competed directly with Rogers WRATH, but when Rogers sold his holster company to Safariland in 1985, the Model 275 cornered the market for revolver breakfront security holsters. Thanks for your hard work. We fought the bad guys head on. Carried it for years as my father before me and only retired it when we went to semi autos in 1990s. We focus on the firearms (naturally) but forget theres an entire industry around carrying them and providing them with ammunition. Call Us (678) 814-4831 SIGN IN; SIGN OUT; CREATE ACCOUNT; MY ACCOUNT; WISHLIST (0) ; SHOPPING CART (0) ; 0 No breaking down and then out and up. Unfortunately by the time the holster designs had benefitted from that long development process, the revolver era was just about over. 3.2 out of 5 star rating (21 reviews) . 1) The swivels tend to break after a while, or during a real fight for your life. I had heard about them from other officers. It incorporated the trigger guard pocket of the Berns-Martin, and the Hoyt-like cylinder cutouts in the inner liner, to help position the cylinder and act as a lock to prevent an upwards draw from the holster. If you are looking for a holster that you can pass on to children and them to their children, look no further! Copyright 1996-2021, Officer Media Group, Endeavor Business Media - Public Safety Interactive. Insured Priority Mail is $16.00. The Safariland 070 SSIII holster is likely the most successful retention holster ever fielded by law enforcement. One of my sergeants used one of these for a while (we were issued S&W M66 at the time). Anyone who makes holsters for one of my favorite Westerns ( Cowboys and Aliens) is ok in my book. Also, almost all of them were built as swivel holsters, where the holster body hung low from a belt loop, connected to the loop by a rivet. 89 members and 33755 guests. It seems that Ive never met a copper outside of California who used a clamshell on duty. Filter by Sort by 22 products Swivel Belt Loop and Drop Shank for Law Enforcement $144.00 SP100 Belt Loop for Safariland Duty Holsters $125.00 SP100 Duty Holster (Glocks and many others) $267.00 SP100L Duty Holster (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models) Tactical Lights Please call us and ask for expedite service Item Name: FS Akah German Police Holster Vintage Location: Blairsville Zip Code: 30512 Item is for: Sale Only Sale Price: 40 Willing to Ship: Yes Bill of Sale Required? This feature, along with the enhanced retention and security features, gave the holster an edge in safety compared to other contemporary designs of the era. I was a police officer for Vallejo PD from 1981 until 2010. when I started most of the old timers had clam shells and I bought one as soon as I could. Fighting Leather: The Breakfront, Part I, The Pachmayr Aluminum Competition Speedloader, retention level standards that Rogers created, sold his holster company to Safariland in 1985, https://americanhandgunner.com/safariland-bill-rogers/, http://www.c-rusty.com/pages/holsters/vertbelt.html. The 2800 also incorporated some advancements in the reinforced, offset, belt loop hangar, including an adjustable rubber spacer which locked the holster in place and prevented it from sliding and shifting position on the belt. Concord, NH. Oh, and most of you are right. Im so glad you have the story to go with the gear. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Everyone with the Hoyts drew a certain pleasure in drawing to get that particular pop sound when all parts of your revolver cleared the leather at the same time. Add to Cart. Dang I remember when they were the hottest thing on the street. $46.00. The image of those great sixguns being drawn from the trick holsters was pure TV magic! Indeed. A few classics are still with us. An excellent Vietnam period USAF Air Police swivel holster belt rig for the S&W Model 15 Revolver, which was used until the early 1970's. Please advise which garrison belt you want."Cathey Enterprises 1974", size 30, or "BLCO 1995", size 38. Oklahoma Leather Western-Style Open Top Loop Holster Left Hand 1851, 1858, 1860, 1861 Black Powder Revolver 8" Barrel Leather Brown. The Model 2800 Judge also improved on the cylinder cutouts of the Hoyt, Model 27 and Safety Speed breakfronts by sandwiching a pair of metal cups in between the layers of leather, to hold the cylinder in place. Thats pretty neat, Dave! Our Sale Price: $32.00. It hardly seems appropriate to carry one in a lizard holster. The WRS Level 3 offers a natural draw that is not hampered by needlessly complex security devices. Vintage Clamshell Gun Holster Police. Hey Mike.really great article I stumbled acrossmy grown kids gave me the Adam-12 DVD set for my birthday.wow, what memories.I was with San Antonio PD, we were issued Safety Speed breakfronts out of the academy, really good and safe holster. All rights reserved. Our Price: $23.95 Now: $20.99. One Lt. told me I couldnt carry like this but our manual still allowed us a Smith & Wesson, Colt, or Ruger Revolver. Yup, hadnt been updated in years! We do offer a $50 Rush Fee option if you need your order within two weeks. Add to Cart Compare. Ayoob, Massad. Officer Mike Leverett, Head Firearms Instructor at Chicago PD "Your holster saved my life! Spring Cleaning Clearance: 10% OFF on Shoulder Holsters. Justin. Great Part II! Richard, welcome aboard! Also, it was easy for the pushing motion of the index finger to continue after the gun had been drawn, with the finger now on the trigger. As popular as they were, the clamshell holsters had weaknesses that couldnt be ignored. Perhaps the only thing worse than being shot in the line of duty is being shot with your own weapon. Wish I had kept the weapon and the holster. Thanks. Mine opens just past 90 degrees, so one handed reholstering was pretty easy, if not fast. The notch they started making in the later models made it so much easier. I realize that the fixed-position holster can sometimes interfere with how you sit in a vehicle, but for many years we had a holster that would swivel, and after a few years and it spinning around, you would always worry that the holster would break off and fall off your belt. Hopefully hell become a regular and share some of his experience in these pages. Im not sure, but I think your holster is for a 4 S&W N-frame revolver. Rob, the stories bring life to the hardware! So much history that black leather had seen. In the post-war era, the design continued to grow in popularity, particularly in Southern California, the heart of clamshell holster production. I quickly mastered the technique of re-holstering with one hand. Nov 2, 2022. It was the fastest holster ever made. Jewett hoped to accomplish several objectives with his novel design. Attached to this polycarbonate spine was a pocket for the gun that was made from a Kydex and leather laminate. All times are GMT-6. Jordan, William H. No Second Place Winner. Jewetts holster was initially produced by the Speed Safety company (which took its name from the two unique qualities of the holster design) from 1932 until somewhere around 1942-43, at which point some of the production rights were sold to another company that operated under the similar name, Safety Speed. I was a cop in San Francisco, 80-87. Drawing a revolver from a clamshell wasnt just an action, it was an event! Additionally, since the holster body was made of stamped steel covered with leather, there were occasions where a fall or crash (typically involving a motorcycle officer) resulted in the revolver getting trapped in the crushed holster. Oh well, I was an old guy by then, so they pretty much let do my own thing. I still have it. Im thinking a Hi-Point would be OK in jackalope hide. Those rosewood stocks on the Python are an excellent example of the personalization you discussed, being handcarved to fit the users hand. Safariland 762 Radio with Swivel Holder - STX. If you know anything about the famous Lewis Holsters, Id love to read an article about it! Mike Wood is a bonafide revolver nut, a handgun, shotgun, and patrol rifle-certified law enforcement firearms instructor, and the author of Newhall Shooting: A Tactical Analysis, the definitive study of the infamous, 1970 California Highway Patrol shootout in Newhall, California. That service pistol could be the focus of an attack should things go sideways. Using thick Kydex and Melonite-finished steel, the Duty Holster from Dara Holsters & Gear is backed by a lifetime no B.S. Create Account; Log Out ; Log In ; Wishlist 0; Shopping Cart 0; Home; About Im very happy with holster and mag pouch . A few years before I retired, I returned to Patrol. The Safariland 070 SSIII holster is likely the most successful retention holster ever fielded by law enforcement. Some of the Model 27 improvements over the Berns-Martin were subtle, but there was one aspect of the design which marked a radical changethe Model 27 was designed for mass production. Several of us there carried in clamshell holsters. Prescott, AZ. Pre-Owned. A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use.Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be attached to other locations of the body (e.g., the ankle holster). Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. The holsters can also be had in a variety of colors other than black to match a tactical teams uniforms. It employs a lot of the features of those early breakfront holsters but is still essentially a modified top draw rig. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) As I recall, you had to get it unsnapped, then rock the grip forward a little bit, then pull up a skoche, then swivel the grip back to push the muzzle through the front, then push the frame/cylinder out the front. F/S Vintage Jaypee Military or Police Swivel Holster for S&W k frame revolvers with 4 inch barrels with 12 round ammo loops for 38 special or .357 magnum. Beinfield Publishing. Swivel Belt Loop and Drop Shank for Law Enforcement, SP100 Belt Loop for Safariland Duty Holsters, SP100 Duty Holster (Glocks and many others), SP100L Duty Holster (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models) Tactical Lights, SP100H Duty Holster (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models) High Ride, SP102 Duty Holster (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models), SP102L Duty Holster (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models) Tac Light, Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. Retiring an Old Friend: The Emerson CQC-7, Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 19, 2018 | Active Response Training. They were purchased in the 1960s and were used to arm Air Police/Security Police, PJs, pilots and other aircrew. It easily outclassed the rabble of unimaginative top draw designs that polluted police supply catalogs throughout the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. The MSRP starts at $147. Blue Book Publications. I retired from Newport Beach PD, but attended LAPDs academy in 1980. A nice touch! Was like riding a bike! All times are GMT-6. No helos shot, nothing else destroyed but my pride and $600 later that day to buy them a new freezer. Tex Shoemaker NJ 63 Plain Black Police Duty Holster P7M8 P7M13 Leather Lined. The holster features the Grab-Resistant. Holsters by Carry Style. View all posts by Mike. From premium leather duty gun holsters and magazine pouches to belt keepers, handcuff cases and everything in between, we make the best lightweight, full-grain leather duty and plainclothes police gear you need to do your job best. Swivel Belt Loop and Drop Shank for Law Enforcement, SP100 Belt Loop for Safariland Duty Holsters, SW402 Duty Holster Level 2 (Glock, S&W and many other duty gun models) with Drop & Swivel, Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. This tough duty holster from Safariland keeps your gun secure and accessible at all times. 18530 Mack Ave., Suite 499 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236, Duty Holsters | Holsters | CopsPlus Police Supply, 6360 ALS STX Level III Plus UBL Duty Holster, 6365 ALS STX Level III Plus Belt Slide Drop Holster, ALS Mid-Ride Level I Retention Duty Holster Model 6390, 6285 STX Tac Low Ride SLS Hooded Duty Holster, Low Ride SLS Hooded Duty Holster - Model 6285, 7360 7TS ALS Level III Retention Mid-Ride Holster, 6365 ALS Level III Plus Belt Slide Drop Holster, 6395 ALS Low-Ride Level I Retention Duty Holster, ALS STX Tac Belt Slide Holster with SLS - Model 6367, 7390 7TS ALS Mid-Ride Level I Retention Duty Holster, AccuMold Holster - Model 7105 Cruiser Duty, 7365 7TS ALS Level III Retention Low-Ride Holster, 7280 7TS SLS MidRide Level II Retention Duty Holster, ALS Belt Slide Holster with SLS - Model 6367, Model 7520 7TS SLS EDW Clip-On Style Holster, Leather Double Retention Duty Holster Model 501, Phoenix Triple Retention Duty Holster Model T391, 7285 7TS SLS Low Ride Level II Retention Duty Holster, 7395 7TS ALS Low-Ride Level I Retention Duty Holster, The duty holster is one of the most important pieces of equipment for a law enforcement officer to own.