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U.S. Cavalry-Type Pistol Holsters ?
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Revolvers used during the Anglo-Zulu War 1879 interest me, but I wondered if holsters were available which attached to the waist belt, U.S. Cavalry-style for the Adams, Tranter, etc., which unusually faced butt-forward on the right-hand side ?

Perhaps not intentionally, maybe having been made for those who were left-handed, but put on the other side for right-handed use, as mentioned above - butt-forward.

Out of curiosity, was there any problems with firearms and equipment due to some men being left-handed, whether working firearm mechanisms, or the positioning of items on their equipment belts and straps ?

Were all the men trained in the right-handed use of their rifles ?

Thanks

Coll


Last edited by Coll on Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
John Lundy


Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 36
Location: Vancouver
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The US Army holster as issued was worn on the right side with the butt facing forward (essentially a left-handed holster worn on the wrong side) because the right hand was to draw the sword (primary weapon) worn on the left, and the revolver would be drawn from the holster by the left hand (cross draw). I have not seen any mention of according left handers the reverse setup. This holster was in use from civil war times until the early 1900s. It was replaced by a strong side holster when the army went to the Colt 1911 semi-auto. I have one of the cross draw holsters for my Colt 1873 revolver and I will post a pic when I get a chance. As with the British army, many officers bought their own equipment, so I am sure some did away with the cross draw holster. One union cavalry officer as early as the civil war had done away with swords for his men and issued them repeating rifles (non-standard issue) which they used in the battle of Gettysburg. I think they still carried their revolvers in the cross draw holster since the army only issued those.

John
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Michael Boyle


Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 595
Location: Bucks County,PA,US
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Hi Coll, good to see you again mate.

I believe 'holsters' were called 'Pistol Cases' in the British Army, at least technically. In the latter 19th Century the British Army seems to have preferred hanging them from shoulder straps. Most of the A-ZW pictures I've seen seem to bear this out however on the backside under each snap-hook and 'D' ring strap attachment there are leather loops one of which appears to enable the case to be attached to a belt either left side butt forward or right side butt back. (I have a photo in a an old magazine article but I can't post it do to copyright restrictions.)

John has covered the US Army arrangement quite well.

As far as lefties go it was not until recent decades that recruits were permitted to fire left-handed. Prior to 1950s, in the US at least, lefties were forced to re-learn shooting from the right side. This having to do with firearm construction of match, flash pan, percussion cap, bolt, and cartridge ejection systems throughout the ages. For myself luckily, with the introduction of the M-14 and then M-16 we were permitted to remain lefties. This was a wonderful thing on patrol as each squad had then a least a few members who's barrels were pointed in the other direction providing instant coverage for the right flank. Less wonderful when there were only a few to chose from for minimal exposure when firing from the left side of a wall, building or other obstruction.

I have never had a problem firing my M-H or Winchester left handed either and little problem with bolt actions, however from looking at photos of the new British issue SA80 I don't think I'd have much of a face left if I attempted it there!

Best

Michael
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John and Michael

Thanks for the detailed information.

Coll
John Lundy


Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: Vancouver
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Here is a photo of the US Army holster used in the late 1800s and the British army holster for the Webley revolver.
John

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Thanks John

Nice clear image of both holsters.

Interestingly, while searching the net to see if officers or cavalrymen during the ACW wore shoulder holsters (single or double), either issued or custom-made. I saw what struck me as an unusual item - Double Pommel Holsters (from Dixie Leather Works) with a paragraph stating that many cavalrymen carried more than one pistol, as it was difficult to load on horseback. I must say, I liked the idea. They look good too.

Coll
Michael Boyle


Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 595
Location: Bucks County,PA,US
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John, that's the same pattern as the one I was referring to although the "D" ring and snap-hook attachments aren't visible in your photo, do you think that the loops on the back (the forward larger, the rearward smaller but apparently parallel) could have been designed for belted use?

Coll

Some Confederate cavalry were known to carry as many as six pistols each which as you point out gave them a distinct advantage against their Union counterparts who only carried one (generally speaking). Although at the beginning of ACW both side's cavalry preferred the saber that tradition soon fell to the modern reality. In the four years of the ACW, Federal hospital records record less than a thousand saber wounds although it's likely that Confederate saber casualties were higher.

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Michael
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Bill Cainan1


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 107
Location: Lampeter
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Michael

Left v Right Handed firing.

The problem has become a real issue with certain AUTOMATIC weapons, ones that eject the cartridge cases sideways. For the SLR and SA80 this is done to the right (and slightly rearwards) - it is therefore very suitable for right handed firers. Were either of these weapons to be fired left handed, the ejection would throw hot cartridge cases directly into the face !! It is possible to design and produce weapons that have interchangeable working parts that would either eject to the left or to the right, thus effectively making weapons that could be suitable for left handed people. However this would make for a very expensive weapon. With only some 10 to 15% of the population being left handed, a case could be made for forcing everyone to fire right handed (back to the good old days in school ?). However, the key issue is not whether a person is left or right handed, but rather which eye is the master eye (the one you sight with). I understand that even among left handers, the predominant master eye is the right one. This (and I'm presuming there is a some basis of truth in this) makes the requirement for producing left hand weapons almost nil - a boost for both the Army's Procutrement Executive and also for Weapon Instructors !

Bill

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Bill Cainan
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John Lundy


Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 36
Location: Vancouver
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Here is a picture of the back of the two holsters. My British holster only has one D-ring. I have seen some with two D-rings and one with two short straps with clips on the ends. During the ACW when most officers used black powder revolvers which required quite a bit of time to reload, they carried extra loaded cylinders. Even the Colt 1873 Peacemaker cartridge firing revolver was rather slow to reload, so I imagine some would carry multiple revolvers. The Webley and Adams revolvers were much faster to reload. I suspect some American officers may have carried them, but have not seen anything in print.

John


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Michael Boyle


Joined: 12 Dec 2005
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Location: Bucks County,PA,US
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Bill, yes I was one of the victims of the good old days in school! With full stocked rifles I was never bothered by the cartridge ejection but with the bull pup stock on the SA80 I'm quite sure I'd be bothered by getting my face hammered by the bolt! In training we were taught to fire with both eyes open (field of view) but all the lefties I knew had left eye master.

Thanks for the shot John. Yours is a different configuration than the photos in the article. Both of them have, parallel with the barrel side, a similar tang strap as your photo. One with a D-ring on top, the other with a snap hook. On the butt side, parallel, is a shorter strap with a D-ring on top that appears to have a shorter loop at the bottom. This model was obviously designed to hang primarily from a shoulder strap afixed to each ring, but also appears capable of being worn on a belt.

Best

Michael
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John

After reading in my Colt revolver reference book about the cartridge pack (basically a 19th Century speedloader) manufactured in 1889, it got me to wondering if, indeed, British officers may have carried extra loaded cylinders for their revolvers during the AZW.

Although, unsure of the actual mechanisms of the revolvers used by the British, I don't know if such previously loaded cylinders would be quicker than loading individual cartridges.

Also, talking about holsters, do you know of any for carbines, which are full-length and have a flap, to protect the firearm from the weather ? I'm sure I saw a couple of examples, which had a shoulder strap allowing a person to carry the weapon diagonally across their back, rather than/or as well as being able to be attached to the saddles.

Coll
U.S. Cavalry-Type Pistol Holsters ?
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