We have been hearing about holsters for guns and how many varieties have come based on carrying position and type of leather used. It has always been a wonderful question about how did actually the holsters come into the picture and the reason behind their manufacturing. Leather shoulder holsters have been part of the traditional western culture for a longer time. Let us dive deep into the history of shoulder holsters.
The shoulder holsters come with a harness called a shoulder rig, which acts as snap-proof straps which hold the retention and weight of the gun, which is usually a cross belt harness for better support. Calfskin or hide of the other animals is usually used as the leather raw material for manufacturing these leather shoulder holsters.
Where Was Leather Shoulder Holsters Found And Used?
Initially, the guns were given access by the military and police for enforcing the law and fighting in the war, thus holsters came into existence to hold this equipment and firearms. Later, leather shoulder holster manufacturing spread wide into business as it became legal for citizens to use guns for self-defense. Let us see in detail how each of these domains had used the holsters.
- In the army and military forces: During the 90s the military captains requested a better alternative to the regularly used belt holsters as they found it inconvenient to use from the belt and a strap with a cross harness would help to hold ammo and firearms all packaged combinedly. They modified a few holsters for trials and thus leather shoulder holsters got approval for military usage during the mid-90s. US government gave contracts to manufacturers, with the usage of russet leather and engraved letters of US were embedded into the holsters.
- In the police department: To enforce law and order in the local cities, police always had access to handguns to hold, but for a convenient way of carrying the arms, they were provided with shoulder holsters to interrogate criminals, protect citizens, and encounter cut-throat sinners. The ease of access and concealment of handguns with the use of leather shoulder holsters, they could wear it as a vest above the clothes and hide it by wearing just one layer of cloth, probably a jacket, and easily pull it out from under their arm. Shoulder holsters have been the primary source for concealed carry holsters for years even to a date with a lot of improvisations and customizations being added up to make them better and better.
- Old west culture: Yes, in a lot of western cultures, guns and shoulder holsters were used in the crime, smuggling, gambling, animal hunting, and many other illegal and underground mafia operations used to be carried out with an illegal supply of arms and arm holders like leather shoulder holsters. In the mafia world, killing as a punishment for betrayal was common and so was the use of guns.
- Civilians for survival: Civilians mostly use these holsters to carry guns in order to protect themselves and their families in any case of a mugging or any life-threatening situation