Cowboy Gun Holsters

Cowboy gun holsters date back to the 18th century. The gun was a huge part of the cowboys’ life-he carried it everywhere; the holster was a necessity. If a holster was well made, the cowboy would be able to take his gun out with minimal movements. The oldest holster was used during the Civil War, and had a small loop that was fixed to the back, so that a belt was passed through it. The problem with this type of holster, however, was that it was difficult to remove the gun. Later, holsters were made that had a flap that was buttoned above the gun handle. Later, Texas holsters were made. Another version of a gun holster was one that was open in the bottom; this would allowed a gun with a long barrel to stick out a few inches. The most practical holsters were used by officers. It was designed in a way that allowed the finger to be placed in the trigger, and the thumb to reach the hammer. This design allowed the gun to be pulled out extremely fast. In short, the holsters were an extremely important part of “Cowboy Culture”, because they were a necessity for anyone who had a gun, which was most every cowboy.